Acceptable C. exilicauda & V. spinigerus Temperature?

kitty_b

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
1,110
i've been reading that some people on here keep their scorpions at room temperature. i've had no luck at getting heating pads to raise the temperature of the 10 gallon tanks (it reads 76F maximum, when the room temperature is around 72-74F). heating bulbs can be troublesome because it prevents the tanks from fitting into a custom shelving unit i'm building that minimizes space between the lid and next shelf.

can i leave these guys at room temperature? or does anyone have suggestions on how to get heating pads to work effectively?

they seem to enjoy the heat lamps (the C. exilicauda love to bask), but several of my V. spinigerus dried out and died (at around 80-85F). and again, there's the space issue for an overheat lamp.
 

Selenops

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
844
Heat pads should be enough. Scorpions are small ... heat/size ratio can be undetectable to us ginormous sapians. Keep them at room temperature in fact I wouldn't want to raise it more than 80F.

I have begun using Zoo-Med Repti-therm heat mats and LOVE THEM. But I won't bolster and gush over them yet until I have kept more inverts with these.

And IME C exilicauda aren't particularly diurnal scorpions. My usually love to hide during the day. Mostly.
 

Dom

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 20, 2005
Messages
665
If your spinigerus are drying out and dying you should make sure they have a water dish at all times.
I'm not sure which temps they prefer but I believe that Arizona has snow at the moment so they must be pretty flexible.
I'm keeping my C. ex and V. spin at about 80F in a very dry environment (rh is probably about 20%) but they always have water. I've got one male C. ex Gertschi that I'm keeping in the 60- 65F range and he isn't very active but still hanging out.
 

kitty_b

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
1,110
see, i wish it was 80 degrees. but the silly heat mat just isn't raising it that much. i have a digital thermometer to monitor (not amazing, but they both are consistent with each other across our living room), and the pad was mounted on the back wall. maybe the side wall will be better? it's designed for 10-20 gallon tanks. :(
 

kitty_b

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
1,110
well, tried re-attaching the mat on the side of the tank, near the basking branches. one C. exilicauda is now sitting on the edge of the branch, about an inch from the glass. this should work :)
 

pokermon919

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 26, 2006
Messages
43
I have same conditions.... heat pad not hot enough

I'm using 2 heat pads 1 for 10-20 gal that is about 4x5in. or something can't remember. The 2nd one is smaller measuring only 2x3-4 in. The tank only gets up to 72 because its cold right now and I live in the california bay area. Before the cold winter came it only got up to 77-80 , being 80 at most. If you can't get enough heat try the Infrared Heat Lamps. Get a clampable socket from home depot for under $5. The bulb is about another $5 depending on wattage. Get something small and supplement the heat pad with the heat lamp during the day and turn off during night to immitate natural conditions.
 
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