Emperor Feeding Advice

[Dragonfly18]

We got my son an emperor scorpion for Christmas, so we've had him for about three weeks now. He (it)is in a 10 gallon tank with 3-4" of damp coco fiber, several hides, a heating pad on side and IR lamp kept on low via dimmer switch on same side. Covered top to retain humidity. Tank temp ranges 73ish on one end to upper 80s on the warmer end. He has dug himself a nice burrow in the flower pot in the cooler side of the tank and we hardly see him. Looking for suggestions on feeding him. Since he's such a a recluse, tongs don't work. But I hesitate to just drop in crickets or worms that may cause a danger if he's molting. I did drop in a few crickets last week and they have disappeared, so I'm pretty sure he ate them. Mealworms and superworms are much easier to keep, but I don't know how to feed them without them burrowing and ending up with beetles that could harm a new molt later on (esp. if I don't know when he's molting bc he's so antisocial). We already had one superworm escape on us (I think). Should I be concerned enough to go gently digging around for it before it morphs? I didn't know about squashing heads before reading about it today, and don't know if I can do that (, lol) Are there any dishes that can contain mealworms that the emperor can climb in and out of when he chooses to eat? Thanks for any advice you can provide.

 

[FrankiePinchinatti]

It sounds like you are doing everything right. Did it look like this before it went into hiding? If so then I'd just let it be until it comes out. This could be weeks or a month or more, and that depends a lot on how old it is with older scorpions taking longer to molt. If it didn't look like that then I don't think you have to worry about it molting and you can continue to throw a couple crickets in every few days.

 

[Dragonfly18]

It definitely did not look like that before 'going to ground.' Very sturdy build, but not fat, and dark jet black. Should I be concerned with the rogue superworm, if not immediately, over the next few weeks? Also, my concern long term is letting feeders loose in his tank when a molt is coming, but I won't know bc I never see him. Thank you for the advice, the pic was very helpful.

 

[Poonjab]

I wouldn’t be concerned with the rogue worm at this point. If it didn’t look bloated it’s probably not close to molt. My scorpion never comes out either. This is normal. Like above mentioned. Just periodically throw in a few crickets here and there. If you see any dead ones, be sure to remove them. Scorpions don’t have the biggest appetites. So depending on size of meal, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t eat for weeks on end.

 

[Dragonfly18]

Thanks guys! I have a Chilean rose T currently in the last days of her life, and she never seemed to eat more than a couple crickets every month or two. When I saw post recommending a couple crickets every few days for the emperor, that sounds like a lot. I'll monitor and adjust as needed. But was mostly concerned bc mealworms seemed like they might be less of a hassle than smelly crickets, but didn't know how to keep them properly corralled once they were put in the habitat. I appreciate the input!

 

[FrankiePinchinatti]

In my experience scorpions tend to go through cycles where they eat like champs and then stop for extended periods of time. If your emperor is on the larger side then there could certainly be periods where they eat 5 or 6 crickets per week and that could keep up for a couple months but then don't be surprised when it stops eating completely for weeks or months. To save trips to the store or having to store crickets in another container you could reduce feedings to once a week and then throw a few in.