Parabuthus burrowing question(s)

[Stugy]

I gotta P. schlecteri and I know they are burrowing scorpions. I should be purchasing some ZooMed Excavator in a few hours/days and I would like to know whether I should make a cave for my scorpion myself, poke a little hole for him/her to start, or just let my scorpion find a suitable spot. I've never used Excavator so I'm not sure if it will be "soft" enough for my small scorpion to dig in.

 

[Stugy]

This isn't a burrowing question but my scorpion is also very skittish right now and (s)he has been very fat ever since I got it. Would this be a sign of pre-molt?

 

[Najakeeper]

Parabuthus are skittish by nature, most indicative sign would be not feeding.

As for burrows, they love substrate that they can dig into. Loose sand is not good unless you mix it with clay, wet it and dry it into shape. Excavator is a good product that has the same properties. You can start a burrow for the little one but she will extend it in no time.

One thing to make sure is to dry the substrate throughout after givin it the shape you want to eliminate humidity, which can take significant time.

 

[Stugy]

Thank you very much. Right now I'm thinking of ideas on how I want the Excavator to be shaped! I think I wanna try and make a little hill in the middle of the enclosure that is hollow in the inside. For some reason I wanna get a Flintstones feel xD

 

[Najakeeper]

Thank you very much. Right now I'm thinking of ideas on how I want the Excavator to be shaped! I think I wanna try and make a little hill in the middle of the enclosure that is hollow in the inside. For some reason I wanna get a Flintstones feel xD

Go as creative as you want but keep in mind, the scorpion will as well.

Just make sure to dry it properly. Low temperature setting in ovens works well.

 

[gromgrom]

I just use 1/4-1/2" inch of sand/cocofiber and dont bother mixing it to allow for burrows and I've had plenty of success raising two generations from multiple broods. But I'm also lazy. Keeping it dry, but offering drinking water, is key, as @Najakeeper mentioned.