New owner, need a bit of help :P

Kind of. I had one 6 years ago but it was at my dad's house so I never really got to do any of the taking care of it.
Now I'm 17, had the money and thought, I'ma get another one, so I did! Love scorpions, they are the coolest things haha.

Anyway, I have a few questions.
1) What's the best way to heat the terrarium at the right temp?
2) How often should I mist the cage?
3) The pet store said to use woodchips/bark as the substrate, but I'm seeing everywhere that people use soil or other soil-like substances. Should I switch to that?
4) I really wanna pick her up, but I'm kinda scared to, don't want her to attack me, though I heard emps rarely attack unless very pissed off, but anyway, help with that?
5) I heard that emps sting isn't that bad?
6) She's been active/inactive, had her for a day and she either runs around the cage, or chills there doing nothing, is this normal?

And just thought I should note, I'm only fairly certain that its a she. The pet store didn't know how to identify it, and just guessed, but from the glimpses I've gotten from under it, it seemed female, but I'd have to get a closer look.

Also, she keeps going to the corner and trying to wedge herself in, it's amusing, but I'm worried about it lol.

2) depends on your scorps age.. younger ones need frequent mistings and adults would usually be okay with once a week mistings. Adding shallow water dishes also helps raise humidity.
3) you could use plain eco earth/coco fiber, coco fiber mixed with a little play sand or coco fiber mixed with a little chemical-free soil or a mixture of the three which i do use. Bark chips and some dead leaves will give a more natural feel to it but this is optional.
4) handling isn't really recommended for any scorpion species regarding of venom potency. This only stresses them out causing them not to eat or be on their defensive most of the time. If there's a need to move youe scorp, gently nudging her inside a tall tumbler or plastic cup would do or a free-range handling technique which usually requires more experience and confidence and should only be done for pictorial purposes only and not on a regular basis. This ensures you and your scorpion's safety as well.
5) some compare it to a bee sting but regardless of potency, if you're allergic to it then that's a different matter. (Like i said at #4, handling or moving scorps around should never be done unless necessary)
6) scorpions have their individual personalities. Some are active than most, some don't show themselves out at all. Don't worry, i have an adult flat-rock scorpion that only moves once a day.

Sorry can't help you with question #1.. heating is not needed where i'm at

And oh, welcome aboard!

thanks! however, for #3, it is purely bark/woodchips and I think she's having a hard time burrowing in that lol.. should I change it to something different such as the coco fiber, like, soon?

stormyrhapsody wrote:

thanks! however, for #3, it is purely bark/woodchips and I think she's having a hard time burrowing in that lol.. should I change it to something different such as the coco fiber, like, soon?

Your scorpion can actually get splinters in that kind of substrate. Using coco fiber (eco earth) is best, and pesticide-free peatmoss/humus works just as well.

alright thanks! Will try to do that soon as I can.
Sorry to bother but one more question D:
Right now I have a standard light for the cage, which is bringing the heat, but I want a red light so I don't disturb her if I watch at night. Do those IR/Red lights heat as well? Or should I get a separate heat/light source? And if I use a separate heat source, what works best?

Actually, scorpions can see red, its just not as bothersome as the violet spectrum. So if you don't mind them seeing the light, you can't go wrong with a 60w bulb. Other than that, you can use a heat mat on the side of the tank, and cover the top 2/3 of the tank with aluminum foil. This helps trap the heat and humidity.

I have a C. gracilis tank where I use a heat mat on the side, and keep the top completely covered in foil, and the sides are just covered in condensation. I lift the foil to air it out for a couple minutes like 3 times a week. You can try that as well, but maybe leave like an inch or two of space to allow decent air flow.

I would definitely allow for a moderate amount of air flow. If the condensation is accumulating on the sides and you've got the top completely covered, you're rolling out the red carpet for mold issues.

I went out and spent all my money on a completely new viv setup and I'm satisfied with the results lol.
Got a 5.5 gal tank, got coco fiber, got a 50w IR/red heat light (50w and 75w was all they had, and I didn't wanna fry her with a 75w), got 2 hiding spaces, one medium one small, on opposite sides of the tank, got a water dish. Also got a thermometer/humidity gauge. [: