Staying in Burrow?

Hey. So ever since I removed my divider my male Emperor has joined my female in her rather large burrow. I haven't seen either in two days. Should I be somewhat worried? The burrow goes to the bottom of the tank and I can see both scorpions' stomachs if I look from the bottom up. They both seem alive. One is at last because I saw it move.

I'm thinking humidity may have something to do with it. The humidity here dropped significantly. I covered 90 percent of the screen lid with tape and I also sprayed with RO water. The eco earth was looking a tad dry.

Lastly, should I put the heat pad on the side of the tank where the female's burrow is or on the opposite side. I was planning on putting it on a third of the back wall but the female's burrow is right up against the pane of glass where I was planning on putting it.

Staying in burrows is completely normal. You want to place the heat pad on the substrate level so the bottom of the heating pad is even with the top of the substrate. Put it on an area where there would be a heat gradient. Emperors are pretty tolerant, but if you feel like the humidity is too low, just mist. I doubt thats why they went in the burrow. The species as a whole is very communal so they have been known to share burrows.

If you're finding it difficult to maintain a high humidity using a spray bottle I'd recommend pouring water onto the substrate. Misting will only dampen the top layer of substrate which will quickly evaporate and dry out, which equals more work for you.

How do you measure the humidity? The substrate stays fairly damp.

I separated the male from the female again because it looks like she is getting ready to molt. How common is cannibalism among colonies when one molts?

Don't even worry about measuring humidity; as long as the substrate is moist the humidity should be fine. Now, if you find that the substrate dries out quickly, try covering 2/3 to ¾ of the top (I'm assuming it's screen?) with plastic food wrap or, for a more permanent solution, plexiglass.

You may also wish to look into what is called a "false bottom" setup.

Cannibalism is fairly uncommon among emps.

Yeah I have a screen lid. 90 percent is covered with tape to keep the humidity up.

What do you mean by a false bottom set up? Do you have a link I could take a look at?

This kind of thing....

http://www.scorpion-forum.com/t10221-how-to-false-bottom-emperor-enclosure-with-pool

The above link is a good example of a more complex version.

The most simple way to do it is to have a layer of gravel under the normal substrate. Basically a small amount of water is poured down a tube into the false bottom layer; water will then move up into the substrate by capillary action. This reduces the need for frequent watering of the substrate and will ensure proper humidity. Care should be taken not to pour too much water into the false bottom though. Your scorps will be most unhappy if their burrow is flooded.

my emps stayed in borrow for 3 months straight and then I dug them up and they were all fine

My H.arizonensis is underground all the time! Just comes out at night to move sand and lumps of clay around.

Thanks for the link! A false bottom deinfinitely looks like a possibility.

Mine have come out somewhat now that I disturbed their burrow. I took the male out so the female could molt. They weren't coming out at night but now they both are. And they finally ate.

Good! Then you don't have to worry anymore. Burrowing and fasting is normal behaviour. You can always dig them up in case you're really worried.

Great! Haha I did end up digging them up because the burrow was all the way on the bottom of the tank and I was afraid it was going to flood. Plus the female was getting ready to molt. They've dug a brand new burrow and have actually been coming out more. I'm pretty pleased with the progress.