Probly one of the oddest questions ever asked on here

Magicmanjeff

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Jan 26, 2011
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Hi my name is Jeffrey Doan and I am a professional magician, I bought a emperor scorpion not only as a pet but also to use in my act. If I along with your help can figure out how to make this work it will be a worlds first. The trick I'd like to do is have a spectator pick a card, then hold the deck spread to my emperor, and with her claws she grabs the selected card. I had a close attempt last night with it, I forced a card then made her grab the selected card by drawing a peice of invisible thread over her claw hair sencers to make her grab the card....the only problem is she let go to soon...anyone have any ideas on how to achieve this and make her attack the card? :?
 

baconmushroom

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Dec 26, 2010
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put a bug on the card...hahaha..kidding! let us know how it goes, i dont know how its done but sure as hell am interested on how youl'l be doing it...:D
 

Introvertebrate

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Does it have to be a scorpion? I'm thinking some sort of land crab might have a more predictable grabbing reflex. Either way, expect the unexpected. What's the old showbiz adage? "Never work with children or animals?" A phony mechanical scorpion might be your best bet, or secretly exchange the real one with a fake one, and then back.
 

Magicmanjeff

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Jan 26, 2011
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I was thinking about the switch idea, to get a scorpion that was the proper size and look do you think a taxidermy emperor would work? Im thinking after handling it making a switch for it? Cause in my mind if you go directly from handling live, make a switch for fake, then after switch back to handling live the people viewing will probly believe it was live the whole time.
 

Introvertebrate

Arachnoprince
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..........to get a scorpion that was the proper size and look do you think a taxidermy emperor would work?
I'd be concerned with its durability. Dead animals are a bit brittle. Maybe a plastic toy scorpion would be a better choice. It would probably be up to you to somehow make one of the claws functional.

I also frequent a message board devoted to remote controlled vehicles. Those guys would have a heyday with this project.
 
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catfishrod69

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Oct 1, 2010
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yeah my emporers never grab when i stick something in their claws....about the only scorp that does anything is my trigger happy deathstalker...he will sting about 5 million times, then assume the sting position....but please dont think im saying to use one of those....
 

llamastick

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Jan 8, 2011
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Maybe try a more aggressive but still large and harmless species like h. spinifer?
 

H. laoticus

Arachnoprince
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Getting them to grab and hold onto objects that aren't prey items doesn't work well from my experience. Maybe you can coat their claws or the tip of the card with a sticky substance? Regardless, probably very stressful experience for scorp.
 
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Alireza

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I really dont think it would be a good idea since it can cuase a lot of stress to the animal!
 

Magicmanjeff

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"I'd be concerned with its durability. Dead animals are a bit brittle. Maybe a plastic toy scorpion would be a better choice. It would probably be up to you to somehow make one of the claws functional." - I think the toy scorpion would be a good idea, anyone know where they sell any rubber emperors, it dosnt have to be an exact replica cause I will be far enough on stage, but it needs to be close....any one know where I can find one, all the ones ive seen look super fake, and dont look a thing like an emperor.
 

Michiel

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you can't make her to hold the card, it is as simple as that....they pinch with their claws, short "bursts"of pressure, not continuous...If the feel the threat/prey is pressed enough they simple let go.....Their behaviour is not consistent enough to base an act on it......and you can't train them....
choose another animal, if at all....
 

Introvertebrate

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"I'd be concerned with its durability. Dead animals are a bit brittle. Maybe a plastic toy scorpion would be a better choice. It would probably be up to you to somehow make one of the claws functional." - I think the toy scorpion would be a good idea, anyone know where they sell any rubber emperors, it dosnt have to be an exact replica cause I will be far enough on stage, but it needs to be close....any one know where I can find one, all the ones ive seen look super fake, and dont look a thing like an emperor.
How much were you planning on spending? These are supposedly museum quality:

http://www.animalmakers.com/store/search.php?search_query=scorpion&x=24&y=8
 

Leviticus

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David Copperfield has done some tricks with Scorpions, when he did a show here a few years back he bought a few P. imperator from the LPS.
 

Falk

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I really dont think it would be a good idea since it can cuase a lot of stress to the animal!
I was just going to say that, using a scorpion is a usless idea if you are a friend of animals. Do you even know how to care for a P. imperator? By that i mean correctly and not in a tank with reptilebark, woodchips ect.
 

DansDragons

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I was just going to say that, using a scorpion is a usless idea if you are a friend of animals. Do you even know how to care for a P. imperator? By that i mean correctly and not in a tank with reptilebark, woodchips ect.
here we go..
 

signinsimple

Arachnobaron
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2 words:

Hadrurus species

Your problem is that Emps just arent that aggressive. I've kept Hadrurus arizonensis (regular and Pallid) and Hadrurus spadix. Every one of them attacks and clamps onto any inanimate object I put near them (piece of wire, tongs, they even get in fights with some fake plants without any interaction from me..."What you looking at plant? you want some? don't make me pinch your ass").

They might sting the card though. They sting the plants sometimes, and those are plastic. They're pretty easy to handle though if you know what you're doing. And they're pretty decent sized.
 

Michiel

Arachnoking
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Scorpions are not the right animals for these kind of tricks. Think about the times any scorpion will not catch a card, jump through a hoop or whatever. That makes the person that is making a show look like........>fill in yourself<
 

signinsimple

Arachnobaron
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Scorpions are not the right animals for these kind of tricks. Think about the times any scorpion will not catch a card, jump through a hoop or whatever. That makes the person that is making a show look like........>fill in yourself<
I don't know... My H. Spadix always clamp down on anything you put in front of them. It'd be almost annoying sometimes when I'm cleaning their cages/moving things around with the tweezers, if it weren't so cool. {D
 
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