Infrared light at night - Stressful?

[Temjeito]

I have a 75W exo terra "infrared basking spot" bulb. It puts out a fair amount of visible (to humans) red light, which actually looks kind of cool. It's hooked up to a thermostat, so the light goes on and off throughout the day (and night). I'm worried that having the light go on and off somewhat randomly, especially at night, is going to stress out my h. arizonensis. But I've also read that scorpions may not be able to see light on the red spectrum. Should I switch out the light bulb for a CHE?

 

[Ferrachi]

You don't really need to keep it on throughout the night because it does get cool at night, even in the desert...

 

[Temjeito]

You don't really need to keep it on throughout the night because it does get cool at night, even in the desert...

Yeah I have it set to kick in if the temp drops below 20, but maybe i don’t need it at all at night.

 

[Ferrachi]

But to answer you other question, from my experience, the red light doesn't seem to stress them out...

 

[Harmonicon]

Red light does not stress them out, but I strongly recommend keeping your light on a timer so it only turns on during the day. Like Ferrachi said, they have temperature drops at night in the wild too. I keep my Hadrurus arizonensis with the same exact light that you have, and she has done fine for 2+ years. I'm not sure what your setup is, but try to keep a hotspot of around 95 degrees if possible with a temperature gradient across the tank.

To answer your question thought, no you do not have anything to worry about. There is no need to replace your infrared lamp with a ceramic heat emitter.

 

[Temjeito]

Red light does not stress them out, but I strongly recommend keeping your light on a timer so it only turns on during the day. Like Ferrachi said, they have temperature drops at night in the wild too. I keep my Hadrurus arizonensis with the same exact light that you have, and she has done fine for 2+ years. I'm not sure what your setup is, but try to keep a hotspot of around 95 degrees if possible with a temperature gradient across the tank.

To answer your question thought, no you do not have anything to worry about. There is no need to replace your infrared lamp with a ceramic heat emitter.

Thanks! Here’s a pic of my setup. There are 5 blue death feigning beetles in there already, and I’m hoping to get the scorpion as soon as bugsincyberspace has one back in stock.
I was considering adding more desert beetles but after reading your care sheet I’m reconsidering. The substrate is 20% excavator clay and 80% play sand. The top layer is very dry and crumbly, but hopefully the lower part will retain more moisture. I have the thermostat set to keep the temp between 33 and 35 Celsius between 8am and 8pm and under 20 at night. During the summer the temp in my room is around 25, so the tank won’t see 20 until the outside temps dip.

 

[Harmonicon]

Thanks! Here’s a pic of my setup. There are 5 blue death feigning beetles in there already, and I’m hoping to get the scorpion as soon as bugsincyberspace has one back in stock.
I was considering adding more desert beetles but after reading your care sheet I’m reconsidering. The substrate is 20% excavator clay and 80% play sand. The top layer is very dry and crumbly, but hopefully the lower part will retain more moisture. I have the thermostat set to keep the temp between 33 and 35 Celsius between 8am and 8pm and under 20 at night. During the summer the temp in my room is around 25, so the tank won’t see 20 until the outside temps dip.
View attachment 389429

That is such a beautiful tank! I'm loving the deep substrate, your scorpion will definitely be happy!

One tip though, I recommend putting the heat lamp on the same side of his/her "starter" burrow. I noticed that they like to stay in their burrows a lot, so he/she might feel more comfortable to receive heat when still in her burrow. It may also encourage more digging behavior as scorpions dig to escape heat! Also, try pushing the heat lamp farthest to one side as possible (but not enough to melt the rim) to create a better temperature gradient.

I would generally be too concerned with the beetles unless your scorpion is in pre-molt or if they seem to be bothering him/her. Just make sure the beetles are well fed. By the way, blue death feigning beetles are still fun to keep even without scorpions, so you can consider having a separate tank with them

I like your ratio of substrate! I personally use a 30/70 mixture so the burrow holds better, but less excavator clay works as long as you pack the substrate down tight while its wet.

Your temps are perfect!

Have fun keeping your scorpion when you get him/her!

 

[Dry Desert]

I have a 75W exo terra "infrared basking spot" bulb. It puts out a fair amount of visible (to humans) red light, which actually looks kind of cool. It's hooked up to a thermostat, so the light goes on and off throughout the day (and night). I'm worried that having the light go on and off somewhat randomly, especially at night, is going to stress out my h. arizonensis. But I've also read that scorpions may not be able to see light on the red spectrum. Should I switch out the light bulb for a CHE?

If you have a 75 watt bulb, then it should be connected to a Dimming Thermostat, not an on/ off stat. Then the bulb will be on all the time - mostly not hardly visible, only really visible when the temperature drops. Light bulbs of any type should be on dimming thermostats, not any other. I would leave One beetle in the enclosure, and take the others out. You only need one for one scorpion, they're there to clean up any left over bits of feeders, not for the scorpion to play with. Any more than one it will stress the scorpion as it will be constantly roaming around. One won't bother the scorpion too much, any more not needed.

 

[darkness975]

Personally I don't use any lights, but if I did I wouldn't at night.