A couple of interesting (to me) observations.

sschind

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
358
OK, so this may not be news to all of you but just a few general observation I recently made regarding scorpions in general. Most of us are probably aware that scorpions will fluoresce under a black light. When I was dealing with a batch of emperor babies I noticed that for a day or so after molting the molt will still fluoresce but the newly molted scorpions will not. After a time the babies started to fluoresce and the molts soon stopped. (at least I think the stopped I tossed them out and never checked them after a day or so.

Different bulbs will cause the same scorpion to glow a different color. When I used a standard black light my emperors glowed a bright sky blue but when viewed under a zoo med 2.0 UVB bulb they were more of an olive green. I was always tempted to set up a display with bulbs with several different UV wavelengths so you could easily rotate them in and out just to show the differences. I never did though.


I'm thinking of a blacked out box with a simple viewing slit in front and 2 fixtures, one with a standard fluorescent and one with a black light, on top controlled with a toggle switch or something like that. I'd like for it to be lit with the standard fluorescent first, as a default so to speak and when they hit the toggle or push the button ( a button may be better as these will be younger kids) the standard turns off and the UVB turns on. When they release the button it goes back to the standard. Any electronics geeks out there know what kind of a switch that would be.

Like I said, nothing earth shattering and maybe nothing new to you but its a slow day for me and I thought I'd post something. I'm looking for an interesting way to display my scorpions for an upcoming Halloween show I am doing so if anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it.
 

Collin Clary

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2011
Messages
490
Yup. Scorpions don't glow immediately after molts, only when their exoskeletons are totally hardened do they floresce normally. This is actually one of the best ways to determine when you can start feeding them after a molt. However, the shed exoskeletons will continue to floresce pretty much forever. Heck, even fossilized scorpions have been known to floresce.

As for the Halloween show...

I don't think anything could beat a large communal enclosure of Heterometrus or Pandinus. :)
 

brandontmyers

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
841
One thing to consider is that scorpions do not like UV light. It stresses them out and long term exposure can lead to death.
 

sschind

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
358
One thing to consider is that scorpions do not like UV light. It stresses them out and long term exposure can lead to death.
I was not aware of that but that's why I would like something that would revert back to either a regular light or no light at all rather than staying on UV. If the tank sits unobserved for a length of time I don't want them to be stressed out.

Yup. Scorpions don't glow immediately after molts, only when their exoskeletons are totally hardened do they floresce normally. This is actually one of the best ways to determine when you can start feeding them after a molt. However, the shed exoskeletons will continue to floresce pretty much forever. Heck, even fossilized scorpions have been known to floresce.

As for the Halloween show...

I don't think anything could beat a large communal enclosure of Heterometrus or Pandinus. :)
Thanks for that info on the sheds. Like I said I noticed it with the fresh sheds but never kept them around to check on it later. I'm glad I decided to post I learned something new.
 

Henry1975

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2016
Messages
39
sschind: One theory of why scorpions glow under UV-light is that it works like a way of knowing that the other is a scorpion (and not another prey).

When keeping scorpions together, there seem to be a much greater risk of cannibalism during sheds. That could have something to do with what causes the scorps to glow in UV-light, in that sense that during sheds the shedding scorp no longer is perceived as another scorpion. Which makes that individual another prey. Then it is only logical that communally keeping is safer with only individuals that no longer sheds.

Thank You very much for this very interesting information!
 
Top