Proud new "owner" of an emp. scorpion, and have lots of questions.

Metallicaman999

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
102
hey whats up i just got my pan. imperator 2 days ago:razz: and have some problems if thats what you would call them. so basically i have a ten gallon tank, those pieces of bark that have an arc, a good sized dish thats shallow, and some fake plant to make its surroundings look good. Ok so here come the questions (LISTED FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST PRIORITY)

*ok so lately i have seen my scorpion try to climb up the corners of the glass wall like if it is trying to run away. is this normal for it in the beginning?:?

*oh yeah i have the humidity at around exactly 80-F and temperature at 80-F, is this good enough?

*i bought a heating pad to make the temp go up but in the mornings the temp is at about 74-F, should i get a heating lamp instead, if so then what kind?

*my last one is that i have some kind of dirt as the surface for it at about 3 inches deep, should i leave the top part of it kind of lose to make it easy to burrow or flat and hardy like if i flattened it with my hand?

*oh yeah one more, I've read that you should cover about 80% of the aquarium cover to keep humidity high. is this true because i don't want it to run out of air.
 

Thaedion

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
894
Hello and welcome to the forum:

Here are the answers:
1) Yes it is normal, some call it glass dancing, and if you search that term it'll show some info here is a link that has that discussion from the other day. START AT POST #5

2) 80 80 are fine, 90 90 are good too. Try not to get temps down to mid 70's.

3) I tossed my mats for the lamp. I use a 75 watt IR bulb.


4) I tamp it down firmly with my hands , but I begin a hide like two fingers wide into a 1/2 log and they usually will start to burrow into these.


5) I keep my tanks 100% covered for 20 hours a day, and uncover them for 2-4 hours a day. As seen in my first pic I have them uncovered

GL Thaedion
 
Last edited:

JungleGuts

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
May 7, 2006
Messages
1,123
hey whats up i just got my pan. imperator 2 days ago:razz: and have some problems if thats what you would call them. so basically i have a ten gallon tank, those pieces of bark that have an arc, a good sized dish thats shallow, and some fake plant to make its surroundings look good. Ok so here come the questions (LISTED FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST PRIORITY)

*ok so lately i have seen my scorpion try to climb up the corners of the glass wall like if it is trying to run away. is this normal for it in the beginning?:?

*oh yeah i have the humidity at around exactly 80-F and temperature at 80-F, is this good enough?

*i bought a heating pad to make the temp go up but in the mornings the temp is at about 74-F, should i get a heating lamp instead, if so then what kind?

*my last one is that i have some kind of dirt as the surface for it at about 3 inches deep, should i leave the top part of it kind of lose to make it easy to burrow or flat and hardy like if i flattened it with my hand?

*oh yeah one more, I've read that you should cover about 80% of the aquarium cover to keep humidity high. is this true because i don't want it to run out of air.

-yes its common for them to try to climb the corners, just a sign you have a lively healthy scorp:)

-temps and humidity sound good

-yes get a heat lamp dont use pads, at 50w red bulb will work great

-i usually pack down the substrait a little so they can make a burrow easier if they want

-if your having problems keeping humidity yes you can cover up part of the screen top. I found covering like 3/4 of it works well

looks like your off to a good start and have done your research. good luck, if you have any other questions just ask!
 

brandontmyers

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
841
Thaedion: Do you have two lids on each. Like a mesh and then glass? I could not find any glass that was in my budget, so i use saran wrap, ahah
 

JungleGuts

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
May 7, 2006
Messages
1,123
Thaedion: Do you have two lids on each. Like a mesh and then glass? I could not find any glass that was in my budget, so i use saran wrap, ahah
ha, i use saran wrap to works great
 

brandontmyers

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
841
haha, yeah its cheap, and when i need to clean the cage, just get another piece
 

Thaedion

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
894
I use the fish tank canopies on top of the screen lids (the hinged glass that cover fish tanks)

Also it is easier to open it and allow air in and not allow the scorpion out, I decorate clear up to the top edge of the tank. Super paranoid that they'll squeeze out of the tank or something... :p

Thaedion
 

brandontmyers

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
841
I use the fish tank canopies on top of the screen lids (the hinged glass that cover fish tanks)

Also it is easier to open it and allow air in and not allow the scorpion out, I decorate clear up to the top edge of the tank. Super paranoid that they'll squeeze out of the tank or something... :p

Thaedion
haha totally understand...i redid my u. mordax cage tonight, and had a piece of bark about 1/2 in from the top, and i was watchin her for like 10 mins, making sure she couldnt get out
 

Metallicaman999

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
102
Hello and welcome to the forum:

Here are the answers:
1) Yes it is normal, some call it glass dancing, and if you search that term it'll show some info here is a link that has that discussion from the other day. START AT POST #5

2) 80 80 are fine, 90 90 are good too. Try not to get temps down to mid 70's.

3) I tossed my mats for the lamp. I use a 75 watt IR bulb.


4) I tamp it down firmly with my hands , but I begin a hide like two fingers wide into a 1/2 log and they usually will start to burrow into these.


5) I keep my tanks 100% covered for 20 hours a day, and uncover them for 2-4 hours a day. As seen in my first pic I have them uncovered

GL Thaedion


ok cool, what would happen if i had the temp at 75, what would my scorp do and how long could it last like that, will it stress too much?
 

Thaedion

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
894
ok cool, what would happen if i had the temp at 75, what would my scorp do and how long could it last like that, will it stress too much?
Low temps lead to a lethargic emperor, also the scorpions digestions is regulated by temperature. too low would be bad. Where that low spot actually is I don't know, just that I try to keep mine 80+

Michael
 

Metallicaman999

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
102
-yes its common for them to try to climb the corners, just a sign you have a lively healthy scorp:)

-temps and humidity sound good

-yes get a heat lamp dont use pads, at 50w red bulb will work great

-i usually pack down the substrait a little so they can make a burrow easier if they want

-if your having problems keeping humidity yes you can cover up part of the screen top. I found covering like 3/4 of it works well

looks like your off to a good start and have done your research. good luck, if you have any other questions just ask!
around how much is a 50 watt red bulb?
 

Falyn

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 22, 2005
Messages
94
Its worth it for the red heat lamp though because you can leave it on at all times since the scorp cant see the red light.and make sure u use a power surge bar otherwise the light can blow out real fast n the store wont replace it.
 

Metallicaman999

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
102
Its worth it for the red heat lamp though because you can leave it on at all times since the scorp cant see the red light.and make sure u use a power surge bar otherwise the light can blow out real fast n the store wont replace it.
what the hell is a power surgebar?
 

EAD063

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Messages
1,415
what the hell is a power surgebar?
What are you like 11?

Look up a powersurge and I'm sure you can figure out what a surgebar/surge protector is, I'm sure there are many around your house.

As for the bulbs.... they *should* (mine do), have an expiration date on them. These bulbs are filled with gases that do eventually deteriate and it is up to you to be a careful consumer. If the dates aren't very long away, request the store buy more, and if they won't, goto a more friendly store and filed a complaint with the other in your free time. I've noticed that the smaller mom and pop stores pay attention to this much closer than the bigger chains, which should generally be avoided anyways, but do offer some things a tad cheaper. Personally I'd rather spend 9.99 at a small store than 7.99 at a chain for an old bulb... either way 10$ isn't a lot... you can find that if you spend and hour walking a busy street if you wanted to.

Another thing to do is check the bulb before buying it, a good expiration date and good uniform color would indicate it SHOULD be a good bulb.

Also doing things like unlpluggin the lamp while it is running will cause a bulb to blow quite quickly. Personally I've only replaced one bulb since october, and that's because I accidently pulled the wrong plug.
 
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