Emperor Scorpion Q&A

that's what I've read and heard. I have no personal experience there. You should know much more than me

Is this a test!?! Damn it, I'm in my underwear, people are laughing!! **** forgot my #2 pencil!!!

Edit**
I added a few more.
Please if you read through it and find spelling errors, incorrect words or word uses, grammatical errors, or incorrect answers/information please PM ASAP so I can fix it. I have written all the answers to these questions. If I have a hard time finishing one I will take in mind others answers to write a correct response.

 

Final? and reorgnized

I would like you guys to review this and tell me any last items that need to be added. How to you like the ordering of the questions? I reordered them from most common for first owners to something they might ask later on down the road. Please double check my grammer, wording, info ect.. too. I will try y best to read it over many times to get it just right
I want to make sure this is good to go before I request it to be made a sticking under the FAQ section or on the main section. Be harsh, I want this to be pretty dead on.

Pandinus imperator:
Questions & Answers​

Q: Do Emperor Scorpions smell? Will they stink up my entire room?
A: No, the do not have a body “odor”. Though, the cage might give off a very light musky smell from the moisture and high humidity. The smell if any would not make it anywhere else but the tank. Dead scorpions do smell rank

Q: Would a 5-gallon aquarium fish tank work for a single adult Emperor Scorpion?
A: Yes, this is a fine sized tank for one adult. I recommend 3.5-5gals per Emperor Scorpion.

Q: Glass terrariums or plastic terrariums? Which would you recommend; Why?
A: Again, as heat sources its personal preference. When it comes to limited space and stack-ability I’d recommend plastic sterilite containers with the correct amount of proper sized holes drilled. For more of a show piece and for a communal setup I would recommend a glass fish tank. It looks nice and you have lots of room for décor.

Q: Do they need a water bowl? If so what size?
A: Yes, Emperors drink a lot of water and require a bowl be present in the tank. The size of the water dish/bowl should be relative to the size of the scorpion. If it’s a 2nd instar you should use small bottle cap. Adults need a wide shallow ½” to ¾” deep water bowl. You can add rock pebbles to the bowl to make sure it can get out.

Q: What is the best feeder insect?
A: I would personally say that for any growing collection that roaches would be the absolute best choice. They have a very high meat to shell ration and all around great for your scorpion. They are relatively cheap (about $15 a year to feed on high protein dog food and scraps) and are great when you establish a colony for an endless food source. They have no smell, don’t bite, jump, and there is no risk of harming your scorpion. Crickets would be the next best thing. Super worms should be given as fatty treats not to be used as the main feeder, meal worms are less fatty but still much more so than most other feeders. Here is an analysis of the most common feeders and their make up.
I was given permission from Dexter & Debbie of www.doubleds.org to use their data.
Taken from http://doubleds.org/contactus.html
Moisture | Protein | Fat | Fiber | Ash
B. Laterallis 63.63% | 36.5% | 5.31% | 2.19% | 1.95% |

B. Dubia | 61.18% | 35.6% | 6.75% | 3.25% | 2.01%

Meal worms 58.74% | 21.0% | 15.52% | 2.01% | 1.18%

Crickets 71.96% | 18.5% | 6.26% | 2.09% | 1.29%

G. Portentosa 64.09% | 26.7% | 5.05% | 5.62% | 1.37%

Q: What humidity and temperature should I keep my scorpion at?
A: The RH (Relative Humidity) should be 80-90%. If the substrate is moist enough that it holds its shape when you squeeze it very tightly and has a few drips of water come out, then there is no need for a hydrometer as long as it stays like that. The temperature gradient should be cool low 80’s on one side of the tank and high 80’s on the other. 86F is a perfect temperature for the hot side; 88F would be fine as well.

Q: What substrate should I use?
A: Coconut fiber substrate is the best. A few brands who make it are Eco Earth & ZooMed. Peat moss with NO fertilizer or plant food additives, just 100% peat moss is another great choice.

Q: How much substrate should I use depth wise?
A: I recommend 4”- 6” aka 10.2 cm - 15.2 cm of substrate (Much more if you have the tank for it) which allows them to burrow to any depth needed to help regulate their body’s temperature. I also recommend that you lightly pack the first few layers to make a more stable burrowing substrate.

Q: What heat source is better, heat mat, ceramic heat emitter, or a heat bulb?
A: It all depends on personal preference. Heat mat I think is less efficient and doesn’t give off lots of heat. The preferred heat source would be a ceramic or heat bulb. The ceramic heat emitter is essentially a light bulb without light and more expensive but a great heater (Infrared photons) so a heat bulb (Infrared) is the same thing but with light.

Q: If I use a heat mat where do I place it?
A: You should place it on the back outside wall of your glass aquarium. Do NOT place it on the bottom unless you enjoy steamed scorpion. If you are using a plastic tank/container you must buy a plastic safe heat mat which you can find in any hermit crab section of a pet store.

Q: How often should you clean the terrarium?
A: Usually ever 2-3 months. Some go much longer, considering coco fiber is pretty cheap there isn’t a real reason not to do it that often.

Q: My Emperor Scorpion is running around trying to climb up the sides/corners of the tank is something wrong?
A: This is normal behavior; they are trying to escape from their tank or just exploring the terrain. The don’t know that there are 4 glass walls preventing this and are seeing if maybe its just a ledge they can get over. Now if it’s running around and appears to be stinging itself or going on it’s back then check the temperature it may be way too hot.

Q: My Emperor Scorpion is not drinking, what should I do?
A: Don’t worry, scorpions drink when they get thirsty just as humans do. They will even bathe in the water bowl given its large enough. Scorpions are most active at night so you might not see them do it.

Q: My Emperor Scorpion isn’t eating! What should I do?
A: Take the prey item out and go watch TV. Usually scorpions will not eat for 5-10 days prior to a molt and should not be given food for 7-10 days after a molt. So if it’s a juvenile or sub-adult it may be only coming up for a molt. The other cause could be it’s just not hungry. You should feed your scorpion 1-2 times a week and 1-2 proper sized crickets each feeding or just one proper sized roach for the size of the scorpion. Don’t forget to remove the prey item after 24 if it is not eaten.

Q: Is my scorpion eating itself?
A: No, you scorpion is merely cleaning itself; arachnids are meticulous cleaners. You might see it with its “stinger” in its mouth or scraping its body. They also will clean their claws, underbelly, and legs. They even bathe in the water bowl from time to time.

Q: My scorpion has been leaving what appear to be cricket parts around the entrance and also in his hide. It had what almost looked like mold on it. What can I do?
A: Spot clean every feeding, checking for any left over prey parts and for any mold that might be growing. Now you can't go digging up the hide or burrow to check. Scorpions usually do not defecate or leave food remains in their hides/burrows. They should give up on their burrow if its get very moldy inside which isn’t common. You can throw in a good handful of isopods aka (Rollie Pollies, Pill Bugs, Woodlouse) they will eat dead remains but they don’t get everything.

Q: Why won’t my Emperor leave its hide or burrow?
A: Around the boards we call Emperor Scorpions “pet holes”. The reason for this: Emperors are pretty inactive and are ambush predators. They lay and wait with their claws barely out of the hide/burrow for some unsuspecting critter to walk right into its claws. They are nocturnal and come out here and there some nights to drink, explore, or to go to the restroom. They also use their burrow to regulate their body’s temperature. If it spends most of its time in the burrow/hide then that generally means its content or happy.

Q: What is this white stuff on the ground in my scorpion’s tank or on my scorpion?
A: If it looks like “white out” then its poo. If it’s fuzzy and appears to have hair then that would be mold from dead remains or mold growing on the poo.

Q: How do I know if my Emperor is a male or female?
A: You can tell by the size of the pectines(the feather looking things). The males would be much thicker and longer than female’s pectines. You can also tell by the shape of the Genital Operculum. The males have an oval shaped Operculum and the females are more rectangular. Here is a link to one of my sexing pictures http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...g?t=1198270713

Q: Is my Emperor gravid?
A: If you have witnessed the mating process and have spotted the spermatophore then I would say yes. If your scorpion is an adult female and is very large (fat) and you can see what looks to be small rice colored balls along the sides then those are the embryos.

Q: My scorpion is acting very sluggish and drags its tail along the ground, is there something wrong?
A: Yes, this means 95% of the time that the scorpion is on its last leg and going to pass soon. Also check the tank temperature to make sure its warm. If it is acting just fine and is active and drags it tail here and there it is only defecating.

Q: Can I have more than one Pandinus species or any other tropical scorpion in a mix communal together?
A: No, some have had success with a cross Pandinus species communal and some with H. spinifer. It is not recommended and will most always result in casualties. It hear its easier to have a communal of all females than it is males due to males being very territorial.

Q: How old is my Emperor?
A: There is absolutely no way of telling unless you have bred and raised them yourself. You can tell if it’s and adult or not by the color of the telson (The bulbous looking thing the stinger is attached to). If it’s white it’s a juvenile, if it’s a milky darker white than it is a sub-adult, if its dark red/brown then it is an adult

Q: Are they mating or fighting? How can I tell?
A: Well, that’s a 50/50. Sometimes they like it rough
Here is the 2 part video of my adult pair mating and the break up at the end which is fighting.
Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkWK7DK9rLY
Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgGIG-nhkDk
Part II is embarrassing considering it was my first time seeing mating and I blew on them to break up the fight once the lost the hold from there Chelicerae. No Spermaphore was found.

Q: Can I put live plants into my scorpion’s tank?
A: Yes, you can add tropical species of plants into you tank to help out with humidity and décor. Only problem is that it give something for your crickets or other insect food for you scorpions to hide and climb on. The second problem would be that you will now require a UV bulb to give light to your plants so that they can photosynthesize. UV rays are not healthy for scorpions if they come in prolonged contact over time with it. However, considering how Emperors aren't to surface active I don’t think this will pose too much of a problem and is something you can do at your own risk so to speak. Also, you mist wash them very well to make sure there are no pesticides or chemicals on the plant. If its a plant that might be harmful if the scorpion ingests from the crickets or other items eating the plant then I wouldn't place it in there obviously.

 

Thanks for sparing me
That's why I still keep "n00b in training" in my signature. I might have a lot of posts but I know there is an endless amount I still need to learn and understand.

 

To be completely honest, I've been know to go from one thing to another relatively quick. I however have had a strong love for insects and reptiles since as far back as I can remember. I was a crazy little kid living out in the boonies catching everything in sight from spiders, bugs, and snakes. Keeping a lot of them as pets for as long as I could keep them alive

Beyond computers being my life and future career, I have never shown this much interest or devoted so much time toward anything else. I will strive to be a devoted member of this wonderful hobby and to become a very knowledgeable addition as well. I'm also really looking forward to become a breeder helping bring more captive bred species to the hobby in hope to do my part in protecting the environment and all the critters that live in it.

I have also read too much contradicting material out there and try not to trust a whole lot of what I read unless its from someone I know who has had their fair share of personal experience. That is why I truly appreciate all the scientists involved in this site and all wonderful hobbyists involved as well.

You won't see me leaving the hobby, period. I might recluse here and there but I will always have arachnids in my care maybe not very numerous at times but some at all times.This is not just a hobby but a passion.

 

Ok guys. This will be the final draft. If I can edit stickies I can always fix what might have bbeen missed and add later. I will make the sticky request tomorrow... Well later today

 

Oh, forgot to mention that you guys can post this elsewhere just ask first please and mention me as original writer and add a link it to my arachnoboads profile

 

Yup, nothing is truly 'communal'. Just seem to tolerate better than others.

I can't wait for my uber large family emp communal coming next week!! I can't wait to study their behavior patterns, habits, sociablilty all that cool stuff.