Hello fellow Scorp lovers!

[HufnPuf]

just wanted to say hello and comment on your board...

very cool place you have here-nice to know theres a place you can learn a lot more about these interesting animals without supporting PETCO (i really do loathe that place).

anyways, i have been doing my own research and will be getting a Pandinus Imperator sometime soon-hopefully this month if funds allow.

I have a grocery list of things to buy and wanted to ask you if i left anything off:

10 Gallon Terrarium
washed gravel
aquarium tubing/funnel
spaghnum peat moss
hiding places
shallow water dish
heat lamp with ceramic bulb
crickets
cricket container
cricket food
tank thermometers
plexiglass top
padded forceps/tongs to handle animal.

i will probably buy another lamp after the summer but this one will be for the "cooler" (80+ degrees) side of the tank...i live in AZ where it gets cold in the fall/winter but is pretty warm any other time.

quick questions:

do stores sell the plexi tops with terrariums or is that something you have to find on your own?

do scorp keepers use two lamps? i have heard bad things about heat pads
(like they don't heat adequately)-side mounted or not.

has anyone used "heat stones" in their setup?

random question: you might think i'm crazy but do scorps have "personalities" or is it a sex/dominance/territorial thing? obviously they don't wag their metasomas at you when you come home, but i'm curious as to your input.

thanks in advance for your time and info...i will get the setup up and going before i buy my Emp. i'm just trying to create a nice home for my critter to come home to!


here's a cool wiki link to a water scorpion that was 1 meter long (yipes) and had a telson the size of a lightbulb!! apparently it's believed that modern day scorps evolved from this giant...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brontoscorpio_anglicus

 

[Jaffster]

Hello and welcome!

I'm new too, being steered away from the emperor though as they seem to have a reputation as being a little boring!

Read around, practically what i did. Full of usefull information.

Cheers.

 

[Thaedion]

Hello and Welcome;

...i have been doing my own research and will be getting a Pandinus Imperator sometime soon...I have a grocery list of things to buy and wanted to ask you if i left anything off:

10 Gallon Terrarium
washed gravel
aquarium tubing/funnel
spaghnum peat moss
hiding places
shallow water dish
heat lamp with ceramic bulb
crickets
cricket container
cricket food
tank thermometers
plexiglass top
padded forceps/tongs to handle animal.

i will probably buy another lamp after the summer but this one will be for the "cooler" (80+ degrees) side of the tank...i live in AZ where it gets cold in the fall/winter but is pretty warm any other time.

I take it that you are going with the False Bottom setup? It'll keep your humidity up really well.

The shallow water dish... You could go deep enough for the emp to submerge if you want, 2-3 inches if you allow a slope in/out for it.

A note on the forceps to handle your animal, it takes some getting used to, to be able to pick the scorp up and not think you're crushing the tail but not too loose that you drop it in mid air.

I use 1 50w IR bulb in my lamp for a 10 gal, 2 for a 20. I live in Ohio and my tank temps only dip to the low 80°s in the winter. So I don't feel you'll need 2 bulbs/ceramic heat emitter.

quick questions:

do stores sell the plexi tops with terrariums or is that something you have to find on your own?

I would shy away from plexi-glass if you are using an external heat source lamp/ceramic, as it may melt. Pet stores sell glass canopies, or you could cut a sheet yourself.

do scorp keepers use two lamps? i have heard bad things about heat pads
(like they don't heat adequately)-side mounted or not.

As mentioned above I use 2 for 20 gallons. This works fine to keep my tanks high 80°s

has anyone used "heat stones" in their setup?

DO NOT USE heat stones for your scorp (or for any animal for that matter) they can injure it. Just think in the wild a heat source like that would be out of place and if they crawl up on it they can fry. IMHO

random question: you might think i'm crazy but do scorps have "personalities" or is it a sex/dominance/territorial thing? obviously they don't wag their metasomas at you when you come home, but i'm curious as to your input....

Mine exhibit distinct characteristics, some more aggressive / laid back or what ever, but I wouldn't attribute any 'HUMAN' characteristics to them, they run on instinct.

 

[Xie]

I use the standard mesh top for my enclosure just put 2 pieces of glass from old photo frames over it. Works wonders. I keep my IR bulb to one side of the enclosure with the deeper peat moss and I have a heat pad on the other side where I have the ground sloped downward which is just a tad cooler (maybe 3-5 degrees) and has the water dish.

I must have an odd emp, cause mine is quite active and wonders around the enclosure regularly. But then again, I'm up later at night and my whole room is let with red lights. Could just be the whole nocturnal thing.

 

[HufnPuf]

hi Jaffster! thanks for the reply and nice to make your acquaintance...i respect the viewpoint on the Imperatus but have had my heart set on getting this species for quite some time now-even though the species seems to be garden-variety due to their availability.

perhaps you will regail me with interesting scorp behavior stories whilst my Imperatus merely sits like a bump on a log, but i find the little devils so fascinating that i hardly think it will be "boring" to me. : ) i think if the environment is right and the scorp is getting enough to eat, he/she will provide adequate entertainment!

let me know what you buy!

cheers

Huf

 

[HufnPuf]

Hello and Welcome;



I take it that you are going with the False Bottom setup? It'll keep your humidity up really well.

Yes-this seems to be the consensus of the skilled keepers, so i will follow suit!!

The shallow water dish... You could go deep enough for the emp to submerge if you want, 2-3 inches if you allow a slope in/out for it.

Good to know.

A note on the forceps to handle your animal, it takes some getting used to, to be able to pick the scorp up and not think you're crushing the tail but not too loose that you drop it in mid air.

oh man-only experience can help me here-thanks for the tip!

I use 1 50w IR bulb in my lamp for a 10 gal, 2 for a 20. I live in Ohio and my tank temps only dip to the low 80°s in the winter. So I don't feel you'll need 2 bulbs/ceramic heat emitter.

Ah! appreciated input regarding heat lamp shenanigans-bless you!


I would shy away from plexi-glass if you are using an external heat source lamp/ceramic, as it may melt. Pet stores sell glass canopies, or you could cut a sheet yourself.

hm. melting=Bad...right!

As mentioned above I use 2 for 20 gallons. This works fine to keep my tanks high 80°s



DO NOT USE heat stones for your scorp (or for any animal for that matter) they can injure it. Just think in the wild a heat source like that would be out of place and if they crawl up on it they can fry. IMHO

sweet gods-i don't want that to happen! i will definitely stay away from the heat rocks!!!



Mine exhibit distinct characteristics, some more aggressive / laid back or what ever, but I wouldn't attribute any 'HUMAN' characteristics to them, they run on instinct.

Thank you Thadeon from a humble Arachnopeon!!:worship:

 

[HufnPuf]

I use the standard mesh top for my enclosure just put 2 pieces of glass from old photo frames over it. Works wonders. I keep my IR bulb to one side of the enclosure with the deeper peat moss and I have a heat pad on the other side where I have the ground sloped downward which is just a tad cooler (maybe 3-5 degrees) and has the water dish.

I must have an odd emp, cause mine is quite active and wonders around the enclosure regularly. But then again, I'm up later at night and my whole room is let with red lights. Could just be the whole nocturnal thing.

Thanks for sharing input on your setup Xie...your Imperatus sounds like it is very happy! i will more than likely do the same thing-lamp on one side/heat pad on the other where the dish is...yay SCORPS!!!!

 

[Mr. Mordax]

Welcome! Always good to see enthusiastic beginners.

As to your question about personality . . . I only have three large forest scorpions, and two of these are emperors (one male, one female). My female is incredibly laid back and unnagressive, but I'm beginning to think this may be due to old age (she's a WC adult). My male, on the other hand, hates everybody while he's in the tank. He'll leap at you with his claws open (mind you, it's a very short leap), hiss, raise his stinger in the air . . . but once he's on my hand, he just likes to crawl around. Probably looking for a dark spot to hide, but the change in demeanor once he's not "cornered" is interesting to me.

My other forest scorpion is an enormous male Heterometrus spinifer who shows similar behavior as my male emperor, only he's a little less agressive when he's in the tank.