New to Scorpions and have lots of noob questions...

Well I'm new to this forum and new to caring for scorpions. My older brother used to have a pet snake and ever since then I loved exotic animals I had a pet chameleon and a garter snake, that was when I was in the Philippines.. but then again I moved here in London which has a completely different environment and would like to acquire an emperor scorpion and the only problem I have is with the Heating system.. I still don't know which one would be good for a 10 gallon tank... would it be a red bulb or an exo terra heatwave rainforest mat and if I am getting the mat would it work even if I don't buy a thermostat.. and what other tips can I get from you guys to raise the humidity in my tank? so far I only know that I have to make sure water dishes are filled up but making sure there is pebbles inside so that the scorp won't drown and spraying water often to keep the soil moistured in a way but not soaked.. I'm not sure about the heat bulbs coz I would like to keep it all dark *even though scorps can't see red light* and what size cricket should I feed a 5-7cm emperor scorpion?? how much crickets?? and how often?? sorry for all these questions I just want to clear it out of the way too see if im capable of having a pet scorpion and would appreciate much for the tips you guys would be advising me! THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

i use bulbs, didnt like the mats
it also depends on the room you keep them in. if youre house/room is 72-75, then a mat is perfect.
bulbs are for colder houses... like mine, where a heatmat wont suffice alone.
I use a false bottom setup. i'm sure you can do a quick search to find what that is. misting is fine too.
infrared bulbs are the best bulbs, as you asked, because they cannot see red light.

large crix for adults/subadults
small crix for smaller specimen

For heating most people recommend the heat mats on the SIDE of the tank, but I use a day glo lamp for day and a red bulb for evening/night. (This is because I have plants in there )

Instead of spraying daily i dump water every week or so, and keep a partial lid on the tank to keep the temperature and humidity right.

Size of crickets or what ever else you want to feed your scorp just depends on weather he can grab it or not. Not too small that it would escape and not so big he can't catch it.

Honestly since i've gotten my 1st emp ( about a month ago ), I've realized that this might be the easiest pet I've ever had.


There is a lot of helpful stuff on this forum that you can just surf through and read, because a lot of people already answered many questions that would help you some time before. Just take some time and read other topics, it really helped me.


P.S. Welcome =)

Pretty much summed up nicely by these two guys.

To increase humdity = Pour water onto the soil - like substrate every week or so
Mats do work without a thermostat - I have 6 heat mats now, all work fine and none have thermostats.

In regard to feeding, if it is thin = feed, if it is fat = do not feed.
My recommendation would be to feed it 2 or 3 adult crickets a week.

Note: Emperors are renown for fasting and so don't be surprised if it doesn't accept food for a while. Just remove any uneaten crickets after 24 hrs and try again a few days later.

Thanks for the tips guys really cleared alot of curiosity in my head although I have researched the false bottom set up, I think it is a brilliant way to add heat/humidity but my question now is how much water and should it be hot when put in the pipe that goes to the gravel? And was wondering if I could use the pipe that has a base on the bottom which was used to filter water for a fish tank but would be cut down to the substrate top level and would be covered by the water dish.. I'm planning of doing an inclined land so that the space for the scorpion is longer even though it only makes a little difference *I believe every little counts* and thanks alot for the replies I was getting worried no one would replied, I did some research but people have different views in different sites but can't relate that's why I want to ask directly from people with experience and shared community for discussions like this Thanks Again!!

i went out and got a 20 gallon long tank for mine and did the false bottom setup and my humidities been pretty good.
im just waiting for my substrate and to come so i can improve my false bottom, i didnt put enough gravel and i ran out of substrate, so ill post some pictures when its done...

but i dont use a mat or a light and my tank is pretty good as far as i can tell.
ill have a better idea of whats going on when i get the hygrometer and thermometer, but until than, mines doing pretty good

Don't pour hot water into the false bottom haha. Just plain water as it is used to raise humidity only. Like gromgroms said, if your place is pretty warm already, I don't think you will need a heat source. If it's really cold, it'd be best to get a heat bulb. You can also help keep the heat in by wrapping aluminum foil on the back-side of the tank to reflect the heat back in. If you plan on using a heat mat, place it on the side of the tank, not the bottom. For an adult scorpion, but adult crickets and feed about 2-3 times a week depending on the scorpion. Sometimes they're just not hungry. If you live close to a pet store that sells crickets, I would just buy about 20 of them and that should last you a month easily. Don't worry if you run out of crickets either, scorpions can survive without food for a very long time. Btw, use coco fiber for the substrate and use about 4-6 inches worth of it. I'd keep the substrate nice and damp as well by dumping water onto it. You really don't need a false bottom setup though, all I do is dump water onto the substrate (no misting) and it works fine. Yes, doing an inclined land setup is great. Gives them room on one side to dig deeper and makes the setup look more sophisticated overall. Good luck, more questions are welcomed

Yeah laoticus pretty much just said everything you needed to know... the one thing i have that he didnt include is like a huge water bowl. I gave mine a huge water bowl that i put tons of rocks on the bottom so they have an option to sit and wade in. I have emps and they are somethimes known for taking baths and so forth.

I have set up my tank with gravel on the bottom of like 1 inch and do I really have to get a hygrometer to check if the humidity is right or is it ok if there is like water vapour all around the glass inside it.. btw this misting is just spraying water to the substrate right? I'm using a compost substrate and couldn't find any coco fiber to buy... at the moment the temperature on my tank is 70 and my room temp is about 60 to 65... I would get a red infrared bulb but would the bulb fit in a normal lamp which I'm planning to use and would like to just fit it in there to save
money... However I'm looking forward in seeing those pics to get sone idea and change my layout probably.. I would post some pictures of my tank when I get home to ask you guys if you think it's good enough.. I haven't bought the scorp yet since I want to make sure that I got the right temperature goin on so I wouldn't worry bout the scorp stressing and dying right after I buy it but thanks for the comments I would be intrested in more ideas coming from you guys because the pet shop in my place only sells geckos and live food in the exotic shop and they have no clue about scorps being able to be a pet... I'm purchasing my scorp from www.bugzuk.com which looks to be promising but will wait and see... Again thanks guys for the replies I appreciate it coming from you guys helping out a noob like me

Well the temp should be ok at 70 if u plan on going with a heat pad. what ya do is when you introduce the scorpion to the new place, give him/her an hour or so to set up a spot where they are going to be at almost 24/7, then put the pad right up against the wall there. that way it may say its colder in there, but there right up against the heat pad and you know there warmer than it really says.

I just stick the mats on, once the tank is set-up, as their "favourite" spot is bound to change when they know where the heat is.

Very intresting I will try put the mat in one place and let the scorp settle down 1st and check his fab spot then move the mat and see If there is any differences but thanks for the heads up appreciate it many thanks! for decoration is it advisable to use real plants? it might create more humid and prevent my compost substrate from being soaked or plastic ones are more advisable? what's a good temp for it in the day then like 75 to 80 and then drop to 70 to 75?? I don't have a hygrometer but has a false bottom set up and from time to time I spray water on the substrate.. as a result I see droplets of water from the glass of the terrarium is thAt good enough? Thanks again guys!

before...10 gallon, no false bottom...it did hide in the rock cave i made on the left until i redid it (you can actually see her)


after...20 gallon, half done false bottom...its hiding in the rock cave i made on the right



i think the pics might be too small, if they are, ill just wait till i add gravel and substrate to it this next weekend...
i also use fake plants...as real plants need lights that will cause stress on the scorpion (or so ive heard)
but she seems to like the fake plants, she pushed them a little bit so that she could crawl under them on her nightly treks through the tank.

but yeah...comments/questions?

Personally, I thought the first set-up looked better but I guess you had to change it in order to do the false bottom.

This is my current 10 gallon tank set up...



This is my 2 little caves so the future scorpion can choose from either one of them (trying to make on hot side and other normal



and lastly thats where my tube was hiding for my flase bottom set up for my humidity.. I used the old water filter from my aquarium so it has a plastic stand on the bottom with lots of holes and the gravel is on top of that



what else can I do to improve this current set up? would this be enough to care for one scorpion.. I'm not planning to buy more than one till i get more experience

binksyboy3 wrote:

Personally, I thought the first set-up looked better but I guess you had to change it in order to do the false bottom.

yeah, im not really too much a fan of it right now...
but next weekend when i get my supplies i need shipped to me, ill probably go back to my old setup.
except there'll be another hide for another scorpion when my girlfriend moves where i live in march.
she seems to have picked up the habit from me when i lived in Tampa.

but yeah, when the stuff comes in, itll look like the other setup, i really liked how i had the cave covered with the substrate.
now i have to hide the open holes with the fake plants

nice setup majestic...
lol i tried to go with simple, but my imagination took off at 1,000 mph

i like how you covered the tube with the skull, good idea

Thanks! I still need bigger flat rocks and more substrate.. btw guys anyone know a good link to buy a scorp??

i dont, especially if you're from the UK area...

the person ill be getting mine from has his own pet shop right around the corner from my house...
but i doubt thats much help...

there isnt any pet stores where you live that sell them? dude the big stores known as petsmart or pet co sell em here in california.

dude thats messed up...petsmart and petsupermarket where i live stopped selling them =(

yeah man the petsmart and petcos sell juveniles. they all have white,yellow telsons. when i got a male from there, there was only one that was an . and it was a small so i think its still got another molt left before its max size.

Pet shops here only sell geckos and bearded dragons in the exotic side... However there is an exotic pet shop with 3 hours drive so I would be paying way too much driving there than just ordering it online.. in UK you really don't see people having exotic pets but im just fascinated with this beautiful creatures and much easier to take care of than snakes also they come out in the night! thats good coz im awake most of the time at night when im off work or college and they sleep in the morning like I do!!! perfect match

yes most people dont see the beauty that insects and invertebrates have. Really disappointing. Some of the people i know think im a freak cause i own emps...

anemia i know how you feel...
everyone that comes over to my house always gives me weird looks cause i own an emp.
on top of that, they freak out whan i take her out and let her crawl on my hands and arms...

my mother and my infant brother love it tho and my 2 best friends think its the coolest pet...they wont touch it, but they have a certain respect for her being that shes my babygirl =)