Just bought Emp, few questions

[Andyman]

Ok to start off, I just bought an emperor scorpion, Not quite sure of her age but Definetly isnt a baby.

I would just like to post about my setup and see what you guys think, I have her in a 10 gallon tank with about 4 inches of cocoa moss. I have a small Heat pad on the bottom of the tank on one side, then I have a little bush, a log and a skull thing in there for her to hide out. I cant seem to get the head up past 70 and am a little unsure if I should go with another smaller head pad, or maybe just a head lamp? Im just a little curious how active these scorpions should be as mine seems to kind of move positions than lay there for 5-6 hours than move again and lay around some more.

Now I have a few concerns as it stands, While scorpions lay around is it normal for their tails to be curved a bit but laying on the ground?

How much should I expect her to move around the tank so I dont worry to much?

She seems to prefer hiding under the bush ontop of the log rather than in it, I was under the impression they would burrow and hide rather than sit on a log under a bush.

The temp is around 72 right now and needs to be bumped up but im unsure of which route to take so any input would be great. Humidity is around 75 as Im in the middle of trying to bump it up, I mist it quite alot but the humidity stays around that number, any ideas to give it a good boost?

Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks alot guys!

 

[~Abyss~]

If her tail is relaxed she's most likely dying. But heres some help anyways.
BASIC CARE FOR EMPS

 

[Ecliptz]

I have two emperors. Im not sure of the age on mine either but i usually have a heat lamp because i dont own any heat pads. Emperors are nocturnal so its normal if they hide all day until night falls or it may be dark in the room. Every night around 12ish when im falling asleep i hear them moving about in the tank since its a few feet from my bed. Mine are rather active at night, always walking around, I used a small light to see what they were up to and one was just sitting on the bark in the tank and not under it like usual.

And as for the tail being curved slightly while relaxed, i think you mean curved but flattened/close the the ground? If so thats normal, when i take mine out theyll sometimes just try to get real snug and close to my arm and flatten there body down.

 

[Andyman]

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when she sits she has her tail curved but flatend to the ground? She seems very very inactive. She was in rough shape when I bought her ( reason why I bought her ) from the pet store. All she seems to do is sit under the little bush in there, and doesnt play on the log, doenst play on the other features or anything, and I rarely see her walk around. If I were to get a head lamp, how long do you leave it on for? oviously based on temp id assume, but do you use a day/night cycle with a heat lamp. Also I mist her tank a few times daily, but the humidity doesnt seem to get above 70ish, what tips do you guys have on keeping the humidiy/ bumping it up a bit.

Im worried she may be on her last leg and my attempts to help her out from that hell of a pet store arent working....wonder how long till she will pass if thats the case.

 

[Xaranx]

If the tail is curved, it isn't relaxed, so it's fine. If he is laying sluggish with the tail relaxed and laying flat behind him he is dying. If he is walking around with his tail flat out he is taking a dump. Don't worry, your emp has tons of patience and can easily sit there for hours staring at the wall. Laying there with the tail curled but to the ground is a typical posture, so they can sit out in the open with a low profile.

 

[Andyman]

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Ok thats great news, Im hoping to get her a little revived from her previous home. Any tips on how to bump that humidity up and keep it up? right now I mist the tank a few times a day, and have 2/3s of the top covered in tin foil. Would you guys recommend a heat lamp as well as an undertank heating pad?

 

[Xaranx]

No pad, just the light and she will be fine. You actually need to pour water in the substrate to get your humidity up, misting wont do it very well.

 

[Andyman]

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Ok sounds great, is there any specific kind of bulb you would recommend? Do I just leave it on all day and night. Probably would be best to remove the heat pad aswell. Sorry for the n00b questions, Your info is greatly appreciated

 

[Mr. Mordax]

As Xaranx said, the only way to bump humidity is to flood the substrate. You could try implimenting a false-bottom; it's a bit of work but maintains high humidity for a long time. (False-bottom = layer of gravel beneath the cocofiber serving as a water reservoir, with an access tube to refill it.)

 

[Andyman]

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I dont mind re watering the substrate so Im not to worred about gravel underneath. How much water are you guys talking about when you say to flood the bottom.

 

[Mr. Mordax]

Use your best judgement. If the whole thing is soupy, that's way too much. For me, if the surface looks dark (and not dry), or if I dig down just beyond the surface and feel moisture, then I figure it's good.

 

[Andyman]

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How accurate are the hydrometers? I have it about 2 inches above the substrate. Now If I were to change from a heat pad to a Heat lamp, Are there different kinds of lamps or certain power ones that would be suitable for a 10 gallon tank? Do you leave the heat lamp on 24/7 ?

Also Do you recommend using Water in the water dish over the water gel? I read that they do like to bathe sometimes and using the gel would inhibit that.

One thing I find odd is that I have yet to see her go under the half moon shaped log I have in there =(

 

[Mr. Mordax]

How accurate are the hydrometers?

Not very. I don't use them.

Now If I were to change from a heat pad to a Heat lamp . . .

I don't use lamps, either, so you'll have to wait for someone else to answer that.

Do you recommend using Water in the water dish over the water gel

Yes! I don't believe scorpions have the appropriate mouthparts to get moisture from the gel, so it's rather pointless to use. Some people overflow the water dish to keep the substrate humid, so it helps that way too.

One thing I find odd is that I have yet to see her go under the half moon shaped log I have in there

Scorps take a while to get settled in their new home. Just give her some time.

 

[Xaranx]

I use a 75 watt infrared bulb to heat 2 10 gallons, so both are around 80F which my emps do fine at. And forget the hygrometer, unless you got a nice one it's probably wrong and causing you to make the wrong assumptions about your setup. Ditch it, keep most of your emps cage moist, it should be fairly humid in there, but not swamp like. There should be condensation forming on some of the walls at least. So moist, not damp.

Also, if you are keeping it properly humid, you can throw some pillbugs in there and they are strictly detrivores and will eat all the decaying stuff like leftover food, molts, dead bodies.

And water crystals are useless for scorpions and Ts, they are for feeders like crickets and roaches only. Scorps and ts just don't have the physical capacity to use them, they need water. And no sponges either, just makes it harder to drink from and breeds all kinds of nasty bacteria in a short time.

 

[Andyman]

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Just got a 50W infrared light and the temp is up at around 80, gonna turn that on for 14 hours during the day, then leave the undertank heating pad on during the night? I might bump it up to a 75W next time to heat it up a bit more. Is it normal for her to lay out in the open for a few hours at a time and not move?

 

[Andyman]

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That hydrometer dropped substancially once I turned the heat lamp on. I have added quite a bit of water today, but still the meter is at like 30 now, but with the lamp off it was around 70. Ive added quite a bit of water, but still the top of the substrate doenst seem to be as moist as it should be, I add water to it and it stays the same. How much water do you guys add on a regular basis to your substrates to keep it moist?

 

[Vaughan69]

That hydrometer dropped substancially once I turned the heat lamp on. I have added quite a bit of water today, but still the meter is at like 30 now, but with the lamp off it was around 70. Ive added quite a bit of water, but still the top of the substrate doenst seem to be as moist as it should be, I add water to it and it stays the same. How much water do you guys add on a regular basis to your substrates to keep it moist?

Try putting the hydrometer actually on the substrate bud, thats where it needs to measure the humidity. Last time i checked my emp wasnt flying 2 inches above it

Also i dont know if you still have it, but in no way, time or place should you EVER EVER EVER put the heat mat under the tank. Scorpions as a species burrow to regulate and lower their body temperature should they overheat. its an instinctive thing so they cant tell if they are getting hotter when burrowing and getting closer to a heat mat, so they will keep burrowing to cool down, get closer to the heat mat and basically fry themselves.

With the humidity, if you put the back of your hand on the substrate and its soaking, then its generally too wet. Just moist is right how it should be

 

[bigD0420]

If the tail is flat to the ground, I think it means that its either stressed and doesnt want to be seen, hunting or showing that it isnt a dominant scorpion. I have 7 emperors and whenever the king of the tank wonders around, a couple of the others tails go from arched to flat. But sometimes when they want to fight the tail goes from flat to high and proud. It could mean a number of things but nothing to worry about.

You have to be careful about what kind of lamps you use because there is a chance of ultra violet light being harmful to your scorpion. Under the tank heaters are the best option you can use. I on the other hand use a dimmed red heat lamp which makes them more active then a normal light because of them being noctornal.

 

[bigD0420]

I have got a thing called hubba mist.... which mists my tank every 6 hours for 30 seconds. There are a number of misting machinces or foggers you could get so you dont have to worry about your scorpions drying out. I forgot to tell you that when you use an under the tank heater, you shouldnt have the pad under the entire tank so that your scorpions can move to a different part of the tank if it gets to hot

 

[v4climber]

I have got a thing called hubba mist.... which mists my tank every 6 hours for 30 seconds. There are a number of misting machinces or foggers you could get so you dont have to worry about your scorpions drying out. I forgot to tell you that when you use an under the tank heater, you shouldnt have the pad under the entire tank so that your scorpions can move to a different part of the tank if it gets to hot

And also that the "under the tank heater" should be on the side of the tank if not the top... Putting it on the bottom makes the scorpions burrow to escape heat and only find more, forcing them to burrow deeper and eventually fry themselves.

Putting it on the side avoids this.