Emperor Help please

[Bjorgly]

Hi all, as some of you know my emperor made a burrow under its water dish. Now i come home today and he has burrowed right to the bottom and is sitting on the gravel at the bottom ( i used the idea in rubio's book for water at the bottom). I do not know what to do now because his burrow is at the gravel so i cant really add water, especially because he burrowed right beside the pipe leading to the soil. He is up against the glass tho so i can see him in the burrow. Is this bad that he went right down 4 inches of soil and onto the gravel? could he be trapped? Just worried because he isnt supposed to be down to the gravel....but there is gravel all over the top of the substrate so he must of been busy last night! All help appreciated,, thanks!

Mark

 

[Wade]

I doubt there's any problem, it just burrowed to the bottom. To moisten the substrate, you can just pour water on the surface, just not so much that it fills the burrow! Trapped? Unless the scorpion is litterally pinned under soil and can't move, I seriously doubt it. If the opening to the burrow has been sealed, it may mean a molt is coming.

Wade

 

[Kugellager]

My H. spinifer have done the same thing...when I add the water I add it slowly to give them a sec or two to get to the entrance of their burrows. The level goes down after a few seconds and they go back in and hunker down. It is reported that some Emps and forest scorps will actually sit in their water dishes partially submerged for a time. Not to worry.

John
];')

 

[Bjorgly]

Thanks guys! but the burrow is just the right size for him, how will he molt? There needs to bee room for his molt skin and for him to squirm out of his old skin?


Also, how do i feed it if its always in its burrow? (it hasnt left yet)


Thanks,

Mark

 

[Kugellager]

Wait til night and it is dark...they will almost certainly come out and look for food...I never see my H.spinifer in the day...but after the lights go out they sit in their burrow entrances and wait for dinner to visit them...occasionally they roam around the tank searching for food. Crickets will go in the burrow but they usually don't come out.

If I ever want to observe them I just use my black light.

John
];')

 

[Wade]

Originally posted by Bjorgly
Thanks guys! but the burrow is just the right size for him, how will he molt? There needs to bee room for his molt skin and for him to squirm out

He may not be molting, if your scorpion is an adult, it will not molt again. They can molt in surprisingly small spaces, however, if it is going to molt it will make a chamber the size it needs. Has it actually sealed the opening?

Wade

 

[Bjorgly]

No, he has not sealed the opening. The scorp is 2 inches long.

So when i feed it do i just put a cricket at the entrance to his burrow? i checked last night and he wont come out hes always in his burrow.

Mark

 

[Wade]

You could try that. At 2", it's definately an immature, so molting is a possibility. As with T's, you probably don't want live prey in there while it molts. If you're worried about it, you can leave a crushed cricket right at the entrance of the burrrow. With my young emps, I sometimes feed them by puting a crushed cricket right to their mouth with long tweezers! They take over from there.

Wade