Question about baby emperor startup:)

[Kenny]

Hi all.

I'm getting a baby emperor scorp and I just wonder if there is any special issues you guys have noted with baby emperor, like enclosure, humdity and so on.

Kenny

 

[skinheaddave]

I have never raised any Pandinus babies, but I have raised Heterometrus babies and have some observations from them. Read them over and take them for what they're worth.

Humidity is THE issue. The babies are far more succeptable to dessication than the adults. I really don't think daily misting will cut it. After a bit of experimentation, the setup that worked for my H.spinifer babies was as follows:

I took a glass cube I had built (an aquarium would work) and siliconed a piece of plexiglass diagonaly so as to isolate one corner. The plexiglass came about 8" up the 14" side of the cube. I filled the small area cordoned off by the plexiglass with water and kept it filled. The rest I filled with substrate (I was using a peat/soil mix at the time -- I use pure peat now and might be using peat/vermiculite in the future). I put in a big water dish and filled it nearly to the top with gravel to keep the scorpionlings from drowning. I kept this filled. I then put in a shallow dish with cricket food (I was using veggies at the time, I'd use my home-made cricket chow now) in it to give the pinheads something to eat other than my frequently moulting babies. I also included many, many pieces of sterilized bark to give them all lots of places to hide. It was not a pretty enclosure by a long-shot, but it was very functional.

Feeding was accomplished by dumping in a bunch of pinheads as well as a few crushed larger crickets. By the time I had seperated them from the mother's company (second instar, third for some I think) they were big enough that they could easily fend for themselves.

The humidity was constantly monitored, but a nearly completely sealed lid (uncovered for a bit twice each day to let the air exchange) and the combined surface area of the cordoned off area and the water dish created an environment that was humid enough without getting the substrate wet.

By the time they were fourth or fifth instar I traded them. In hindsight, I think I should have held onto at least some of them. Oh well, looks like I'll have another lot shortly.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Kenny]

Thanks...

Hi..

Thanks,,,,sounds like some good angles in there what you did.

Yes,,I think also humidity is the main thing for the babies out there ,no matter if it's s'lings or scorp'lings.

Kenny.

 

[skinheaddave]

Yup. The humidity issue is why we built our wet-rack to house our humidity-loving species.

Let us know what you've done with your emp and how it goes.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Wade]

I've raised probably more than a dozen emeprors from babies with very little die offs. Although humidity is very important, I've found a deep, moist substrate is the best way to provide it. Young scorps seem to molt more successfully if they're allowed to burrow deeply and seal themselves in humidified chambers. I give babes a substrate depth of 3-4 inches of moist peat moss mixed with bed-a-beast, T-rex forrest bed, or other coconut hull product. The latter is for texture and helps the burrow hold together, but peat alone works as well. It should be moist, but not wet. If you can squeeze water from it, it's probably too wet.

I give my adults deep substrate as well, but since they don't molt it's probably not a necessity. I do think the security of a burrow reduces the chances of a female cannibalizing her young, however.

Wade

 

[Kenny]

Substrate...

Hi again.

I did buy coconut bark to use as substrate.

It seems to maintain moist longer,,good choice you think?

The baby is by the way about 1 inch.

Kenny

 

[Wade]

Can the scorpion construct a burrow in it? That's what I always look for in an emperor substrate.

Wade