Beginning my journey with Pandinus imperator

[Nightshades555]

Greetings,

I'm new my name is Adam and I have become interested in caring for a Pandinus imperator (Emperor Scorpion). I grew up with a fear of scorpions but in the last 3 months I have become very interested and drawn to them, and it was after a dream i had and then i started to research them and become interested in them.

I recall when I was younger that I went with a friend to this girl's house who I did not know and she had a pet emperor scorpion out and it was crawling all over her hand in such a peaceful, calm way, and i remember thinking how it was completely different than the way I understood their nature. I know they can be aggressive too, don't get me wrong, but the docile nature of this big emperor scorpion left me with a different impression of them than I would have imagined them to be.

Anyway, fast forward to a few months back, i had this random dream that I got up from my bed and walked over to my desk and there was a big black emperor scorpion on my desk, and while it was somewhat frightening just because it was so unexpected, I also thought it was a magnificent little creature, and suddenly it jumped or was launched into the air as if some kind of explosion went off and i turned to run but as soon as I did I woke up. Ever since that time i became interested and researching scorpions, with emphasis on Pandimus imperator. I felt drawn to them and started to look into possibly caring for one someday. I have been researching how to care for them and what makes them different than the Heterometrus ssp. that are often sold as Pandinus imperator. My hope is to get an authentic Pandinus imperator. I mean no disrespect to the other scorpions, but I'm drawn to the Pandinus imperator and it is mentioned as a good beginner scorpion, especially for me since I am working to overcome my fear of scorpions that I had since I was younger.

I haven't found a source that I know has the Pandinus imperator yet, but I'm searching around. I'm in Massachusetts. I am also having trouble finding a place that carries a 10 gallon Zilla Critter Cage. Some of teh reviews from people who bought them online seem to have a lot of issues (defective, damaged, etc.). I will also continue to research the scorpion as for best practices and care, so I do it right and give the scorpion a good life.

I welcome any feedback, advice, input, and the like...

Thanks, A. F.

here is a pen & ink image I drew of a scorpion: https://ibb.co/bzxBPX5

 

[Colin93]

Emperor's are getting very hard to come by these days, I'm in the UK and own 2 but I bought them from breeders, and our biggest arachnid supplier has only just got them back in stock, if you do come across one you can keep them in a large plastic storage box as long as you keep the humidity and temps right until you are able to find a permeant tank, most of the time a fish tank is your best bet. But they are amazing creatures just respect them when they show signs of stress or defensiveness

 

[DomGom TheFather]

H. spinnifer is a good beginner species and is readily available.
If your heart isn't absolutely set on emperors I would recommend them.

 

[Colin93]

H. spinnifer is a good beginner species and is readily available.
If your heart isn't absolutely set on emperors I would recommend them.

Probably best going for a male H. Spinifer if it's a first scorpion tho, my males are very docile but my females are seriously aggressive, to the point they are unhandleable

 

[Colin93]

Greetings,

I'm new my name is Adam and I have become interested in caring for a Pandinus imperator (Emperor Scorpion). I grew up with a fear of scorpions but in the last 3 months I have become very interested and drawn to them, and it was after a dream i had and then i started to research them and become interested in them.

I recall when I was younger that I went with a friend to this girl's house who I did not know and she had a pet emperor scorpion out and it was crawling all over her hand in such a peaceful, calm way, and i remember thinking how it was completely different than the way I understood their nature. I know they can be aggressive too, don't get me wrong, but the docile nature of this big emperor scorpion left me with a different impression of them than I would have imagined them to be.

Anyway, fast forward to a few months back, i had this random dream that I got up from my bed and walked over to my desk and there was a big black emperor scorpion on my desk, and while it was somewhat frightening just because it was so unexpected, I also thought it was a magnificent little creature, and suddenly it jumped or was launched into the air as if some kind of explosion went off and i turned to run but as soon as I did I woke up. Ever since that time i became interested and researching scorpions, with emphasis on Pandimus imperator. I felt drawn to them and started to look into possibly caring for one someday. I have been researching how to care for them and what makes them different than the Heterometrus ssp. that are often sold as Pandinus imperator. My hope is to get an authentic Pandinus imperator. I mean no disrespect to the other scorpions, but I'm drawn to the Pandinus imperator and it is mentioned as a good beginner scorpion, especially for me since I am working to overcome my fear of scorpions that I had since I was younger.

I haven't found a source that I know has the Pandinus imperator yet, but I'm searching around. I'm in Massachusetts. I am also having trouble finding a place that carries a 10 gallon Zilla Critter Cage. Some of teh reviews from people who bought them online seem to have a lot of issues (defective, damaged, etc.). I will also continue to research the scorpion as for best practices and care, so I do it right and give the scorpion a good life.

I welcome any feedback, advice, input, and the like...

Thanks, A. F.

here is a pen & ink image I drew of a scorpion: https://ibb.co/bzxBPX5

Domgom The father has a very good point tho, Emperor's been so expensive these days makes them hard to find, and while they are the most docile that is not to say everything else will immediately try and sting you, my male spinifer is actually at times more docile than my emperor's with the two of them been juvenile, and Spinifer are much much less expensive and grow to a similar size, and they appear to be more active in my experience.

 

[Nightshades555]

Thanks for the great insight, advice, and replies everyone! Very helpful to my knowledge-base. If I had told myself 10 years ago that I was thinking of getting a pet scorpion I would had told my future self "Are you nuts!,' but strangely, since that dream, i felt an inspiration from them, and it drew me closer to them, and as this inspiration grew my fear of them diminished, and then after watching so many videos on those scorpions, I became rather fond of them, they are magnificent little creatures. I am going to take my time and not rush finding a scorpion. While I'm hoping to buy an authentic Pandinus imperator, I may consider an alternative depending how this plays out, but I'm aiming for the most docile scorpion for my first time. I love the physical traits of the Pandinus imperator. I love their big lobster-like claws, with the rocky texture on them. But I'd say all scorpions look pretty awesome.

I do have a 10 gallon glass terrarium from a snake I had many years ago, but the top does not fit snug or lock in, so i was going for the Zilla critter cage so it slides in and I can lock it in place. I will get all the other stuff and probably build the home first before I order one, unless I can find an authentic Pandinus imperator beforehand.

It is still kind of crazy to me that I'm saying all this, having feared them all prior to this!

 

[Colin93]

Thanks for the great insight, advice, and replies everyone! Very helpful to my knowledge-base. If I had told myself 10 years ago that I was thinking of getting a pet scorpion I would had told my future self "Are you nuts!,' but strangely, since that dream, i felt an inspiration from them, and it drew me closer to them, and as this inspiration grew my fear of them diminished, and then after watching so many videos on those scorpions, I became rather fond of them, they are magnificent little creatures. I am going to take my time and not rush finding a scorpion. While I'm hoping to buy an authentic Pandinus imperator, I may consider an alternative depending how this plays out, but I'm aiming for the most docile scorpion for my first time. I love the physical traits of the Pandinus imperator. I love their big lobster-like claws, with the rocky texture on them. But I'd say all scorpions look pretty awesome.

I do have a 10 gallon glass terrarium from a snake I had many years ago, but the top does not fit snug or lock in, so i was going for the Zilla critter cage so it slides in and I can lock it in place. I will get all the other stuff and probably build the home first before I order one, unless I can find an authentic Pandinus imperator beforehand.

It is still kind of crazy to me that I'm saying all this, having feared them all prior to this!

If you do get a P. Imperator, just remember they may be the most docile but this does not mean they won't grab you with the claws if you catch them off guard, they are a great first scorpion but still need to be respected

 

[Nightshades555]

Yes I understand, I would certainly respect them for sure, I dont know how much I will hold it but I want to care for it and give it a decent home and life

 

[ErikElvis]

I picked up 2 from ken the bug guy for $50 a piece. Adorable little things. Look so dopey when you drop food in. They’re 3rd instar and I let them sting me with little to no effects. Easy to feed too. Just drop a few mealworms with crushed heads in and they tear em up.

 

[Colin93]

I picked up 2 from ken the bug guy for $50 a piece. Adorable little things. Look so dopey when you drop food in. They’re 3rd instar and I let them sting me with little to no effects. Easy to feed too. Just drop a few mealworms with crushed heads in and they tear em up.

$50? That's a lot cheaper than here in the UK, I have 2 at 3i and they cost more than double that haha, never been sting by either tho, do you not feel it at all? Been stung by my 6i spinifer and I felt that fucker..

 

[Eddie2Dynamite]

Im brand new to the boards (First time posting or replying to anything actually.) I am in the middle of trying to get my hands on a P Imp. Steer clear of reptilecity and gotreptiles. They are basically the same company. Very poor communication. I ordered a scorpion on the 7th of this month and still have yet to receive it. I payed for their overnight express as well. The scorp is supposed to ship today but I dont have a ton of confidence it is going to. Had to call about a dozen times to get movement of any kind on the order. sent multiple emails and they never responded to one. Finally had my wife call and she seemed to sort things out for the time being. We shall see how this goes.

From my research, pinchersandpokies is probably the best place to get inverts with kenthebuyguy a close second. Pinchersandpokies doesnt have any imps in stock.

 

[Colin93]

Im brand new to the boards (First time posting or replying to anything actually.) I am in the middle of trying to get my hands on a P Imp. Steer clear of reptilecity and gotreptiles. They are basically the same company. Very poor communication. I ordered a scorpion on the 7th of this month and still have yet to receive it. I payed for their overnight express as well. The scorp is supposed to ship today but I dont have a ton of confidence it is going to. Had to call about a dozen times to get movement of any kind on the order. sent multiple emails and they never responded to one. Finally had my wife call and she seemed to sort things out for the time being. We shall see how this goes.

From my research, pinchersandpokies is probably the best place to get inverts with kenthebuyguy a close second. Pinchersandpokies doesnt have any imps in stock.

By the sound of that company you would be very lucky to receive a true P. Imperator from them too, one of the most commonly mis-sold scorpions along with finding a true spinifer here in the uk

 

[Eddie2Dynamite]

By the sound of that company you would be very lucky to receive a true P. Imperator from them too, one of the most commonly mis-sold scorpions along with finding a true spinifer here in the uk

Yup, I am quite concerned about that as well. I will be working to positively identify the little fella IF and when it ever gets here. If I don't see a shipping email I will be placing another order and working to cancel and get a refund on this one. I will most likely go with Kenthebugguy as he seems to have them in stock and I hear positive things about that site.

 

[Colin93]

Yup, I am quite concerned about that as well. I will be working to positively identify the little fella IF and when it ever gets here. If I don't see a shipping email I will be placing another order and working to cancel and get a refund on this one. I will most likely go with Kenthebugguy as he seems to have them in stock and I hear positive things about that site.

Definitely get your money back if it's not a true EMP, too many people been ripped off, when it arrives if you are unsure just post some pics on here and there are plenty of people that will help you. But with P. Imperator's they tend to look quite a lot like Asian forest scorpions in the first few instars, their pedipalps have not rounded fully yet and the granulation is present but to a lesser degree, it can be difficult when they are young to get a proper ID

 

[Eddie2Dynamite]

Definitely get your money back if it's not a true EMP, too many people been ripped off, when it arrives if you are unsure just post some pics on here and there are plenty of people that will help you. But with P. Imperator's they tend to look quite a lot like Asian forest scorpions in the first few instars, their pedipalps have not rounded fully yet and the granulation is present but to a lesser degree, it can be difficult when they are young to get a proper ID

Right, but they also have different colored telsons from my understanding. I dont claim to be an expert but just doing a ton of research. Emps have redish-brown telsons while spins have black. Dont know if this is age specific or not. Would love to know though.

 

[Nightshades555]

I was just on Ken the Bug guy's site, he still has some left, I think I will get one if members here can vouch for his scorpions. He says right on the page:

"NOTICE: Many people are selling red claw scorpions as emperor scorpions. They are not nice like emperors and do not get as big as emperors. If you see an "emperor scorpion" for sale it most likely is a scam as they were banned from import. There are rare cases when someone has them but not often and when they do they are very expensive."

I have a 10 gallon tank from years and years ago, it just doesn't lock but I can probably rig it to be escape proof for the time being (I hope).I would definitely sterilize and clean it good first. But I will have to get all the other material asap. Also, I have bricks of "Eco-Earth brand compressed Coconut fiber expandable substrate" that I was going to use for something else but never did, it is still unopened. It has pictures of lizards, frogs, snakes, etc. on the package so I'm assuming this is for those kinds of pets? That might be one less thing off my checklist if I am correct about it.

 

[Colin93]

Right, but they also have different colored telsons from my understanding. I dont claim to be an expert but just doing a ton of research. Emps have redish-brown telsons while spins have black. Dont know if this is age specific or not. Would love to know though.

Spinifer have amber telsons as juveniles and red as adult, emperor's are also amber as juvenile and red as adult

 

[Colin93]

Right, but they also have different colored telsons from my understanding. I dont claim to be an expert but just doing a ton of research. Emps have redish-brown telsons while spins have black. Dont know if this is age specific or not. Would love to know though.

Petersii have black as both juvenile and adult, as do a few others, tbh there are too many differences to list lol

 

[Eddie2Dynamite]

I was just on Ken the Bug guy's site, he still has some left, I think I will get one if members here can vouch for his scorpions. He says right on the page:

"NOTICE: Many people are selling red claw scorpions as emperor scorpions. They are not nice like emperors and do not get as big as emperors. If you see an "emperor scorpion" for sale it most likely is a scam as they were banned from import. There are rare cases when someone has them but not often and when they do they are very expensive."

I have a 10 gallon tank from years and years ago, it just doesn't lock but I can probably rig it to be escape proof for the time being (I hope).I would definitely sterilize and clean it good first. But I will have to get all the other material asap. Also, I have bricks of "Eco-Earth brand compressed Coconut fiber expandable substrate" that I was going to use for something else but never did, it is still unopened. It has pictures of lizards, frogs, snakes, etc. on the package so I'm assuming this is for those kinds of pets? That might be one less thing off my checklist if I am correct about it.

Take my advice with a grain of salt. As stated I still dont have my emp. I have been experimenting with my tank and humidity ect for the last 2 weeks. I have a 30x12x12 zoo Med 20 gallon tank. I currently have 16 quarts of coco fiber in the tank and have 3 different temp/hygrometers in the tank. Get rid of these as they are super inaccurate and you will drive yourself absolutely crazy with trying to maintain humidity in the tank.

I decided to go bioactive and ordered the following from Josh Frogs. This should help maintain humidity with a lot less maintenance. The cocofiber dries out rather quickly with the 75w heat light on a stand that I can raise and lower to help adjust temps. I added the light cuz I couldnt get the warm side temp up at all with the mat and the tank is rather large for a single emp. (Tank was a left over from a juvenile beardy I had some years ago before getting a larger tank for him as he got older). I also got Josh's Frogs Dechlorinator Tap Water Conditioner because I went through a gallon of purified water in a few days. Adding 2 drops of the dechlorinator to a 1 gallon jug will make the water safe for emps and save money continuously buying water for humidity.

Like I said, I am brand new and this is just from research and experimenting so if any more experienced person wants to jump in and lay out some corrections, feel free to jump in.

Josh's Frogs False Bottom - LECA (5 Quarts)	JF00516	$7.33	Ordered: 5 Shipped: 5	$36.65
Temperate Springtail (Collembola) 8 oz Culture	JFC81577	$7.99	Ordered: 1 Shipped: 1	$7.99
Josh's Frogs BioBedding Tropical Bioactive Substrate (10 quarts)	JFB00763	$19.99	Ordered: 2 Shipped: 2	$39.98
Fern Bundle 5-Pack	PLANT033	$17.99	Ordered: 1 Shipped: 1	$17.99
Substrate Barrier (24"x18")	JF00652	$1.99	Ordered: 2 Shipped: 2	$3.98

 

[ErikElvis]

$50? That's a lot cheaper than here in the UK, I have 2 at 3i and they cost more than double that haha, never been sting by either tho, do you not feel it at all? Been stung by my 6i spinifer and I felt that fucker..

Only thing I felt was a mild itching at one of the two sting spots. I’ll try again when they molt.