30 Newbie Questions.

How about this Mike? are scorpions (specifically) of different subspecies capable of copulating and producing hybrid offspring? If so, do we have a precedent?

With subspecies, I'm not really sure - the big barrier to species X mating with species Y is that the male's spermatophore must be a compatible shape with the female's genital operculum.

the lycan mikey wrote:

i did the false bottom and still used 2 and a half bricks

Don't really need bricks exactly... this might help...

https://scorpionforum.darkbb.com/scorpion-guides-tutorials-f18/creating-a-natural-looking-forest-floor-habitat-t3815.htm

feel free to browse the tutorial section to clear up any questions you might have...

Cheers

If I'm correct, there has never been a successful breeding attempt to make a hybrid scorpion and so I'm sure they cannot be bred together.

If hybridization was capable, I'm sure the experts on here would have succeeded at it already.

They can say what they want, because IF they did breed then it was probably a female pandinus cavimanus that they mistook for an emperor.

I'm sorry, but I'm with Alex and Mike on this one.

anemiaffx wrote:

is that with or without the false bottom?

without a false bottom.

LXDNG79 wrote:

the lycan mikey wrote:

i did the false bottom and still used 2 and a half bricks

Don't really need bricks exactly... this might help...

https://scorpionforum.darkbb.com/scorpion-guides-tutorials-f18/creating-a-natural-looking-forest-floor-habitat-t3815.htm

feel free to browse the tutorial section to clear up any questions you might have...

Cheers

Thanks, actually I've read over your tutorial and planning to follow it when doing my setup. Have a question there for you as well.

Going tonight to buy the supplies and start setting things up.

If you have any concerns, when setting up, feel free to ask.

LXDNG79 wrote:

the lycan mikey wrote:

i did the false bottom and still used 2 and a half bricks

Don't really need bricks exactly... this might help...

https://scorpionforum.darkbb.com/scorpion-guides-tutorials-f18/creating-a-natural-looking-forest-floor-habitat-t3815.htm

feel free to browse the tutorial section to clear up any questions you might have...

Cheers

Thanks, actually I've read over your tutorial and planning to follow it when doing my setup. Have a question there for you as well.

Going tonight to buy the supplies and start setting things up.

binksyboy3 wrote:

If you have any concerns, when setting up, feel free to ask.

Thanks.

I just got back from one reptile shop that had a bucket full of 'asian emperor scorpions'... I've never heard of them. I was going to buy my stuff to set up tonight but I got a bit turned off when the shopkeeper was tormenting the scorpions with a stick to show me them use their stinger (my girlfriend simply asked why they didn't sting him when he moved them around) Instead I went to a furniture store to buy a shelf to keep the terrarium on. I will take my business to the shop I was at the other day - owner was much nicer.

Can't tell you how much I appreciate this board being here, and everyone being so helpful. I'll let you know my plan and if anyone has advice let me know.

First I plan to drop a layer of aquarium gravel to create a 'false bottom', (here im not sure if I should put a tube to refill water or just leave it). Then drop about 4 inches of pure cocopuff (the fine grain stuff, I noticed the difference when I was at the shop today). Place my water hole and driftwood, some rocks.

questions:
1. I'm guessing you can't grow live plants in the coco stuff? Is there a way to do this by maybe doing a mix of topsoil and coco or something?
2. My room is always cold in the winter. My roomates refuse to close the windows in our apartment even in january because 'its not healthy' What kind of heating should I look into for the terrarium? I've see the heat mats and heat rocks for sale but was wondering what you guys recommend.
3. I saw some really nice Terrariums done by a company called 'rep pro'. They have locks and sliding glass doors on the front, mesh sides for ventilation and just look pretty sweet in general. Anyone have experience with these or is it just better to use a glass aquarium?

Thanks again! I promise pictures once i get set up.

Well there isnt really any good nutrients inside of the coco fibers. If you take the plant in its pot and everything, and just put it in the coco fibers, and then cover whats still showing of the pot, then you could grow plants that way.

Everyone will personally say use a heat matt. Just make sure that when you use the mat put it on the side of the tank and not under.

Unless your worried about your scorpions getting out ( which they cant unless you make a way) i suggest, you just go to walmart and buy like a 10 gall tank (which is perfect for 1) and use that.. Its cheap and its perfectly fine.

I have my plant in a pot buried in the substrate and it works great. I suggest buying a pothos plant. Mine is actually growing and thriving.

Haha, your roommate is strange. I'd ask him or her to give you some good evidence as to why it's unhealthy. Opening the window in the Winter will get your body temp down and increase your likelihood of illness for one. My roommate sometimes does this and I end up shivering throughout the night- also messes up my sleep!
If your room temperature drops below 75 degrees F I would either get a heat mat or a heat bulb (you need a clam lamp for the bulb). I prefer clamp lamps with heat bulbs because they provide a constant temperature and actually work. I have had nothing but bad experiences with heat pads, they simply did not give off enough heat to be worth it. For a 10 gallon tank a 50W or 75 W bulb is enough. Using a 100W bulb may dry things up too much, especially for the plant.
Don't use heat rocks.

I would suggest just using a glass aquarium, it's simple and easy to maintain. You can add a mesh top too, like this one: http://pet.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pPETS-4555801dt.jpg

I dont know where you live, but you can buy the 10gallon tank at Walmart and the mesh top at Petco. I dont know if walmart sells the mesh top too, but both together should be about $25 bucks give or take 2 dollars.

Above advice is good . . . and I agree that your roommates are on the questionable side. If they're Korean and believe the "fan death" myth ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death ), there's absolutely no truth to it.

LOL actually I live in China. They don't believe the fan death myth but no joke the windows in our kitchen, bathroom, and living room are open 24/7 even when it drops below zero in the winter. When They leave the house I run out and close them all, then they return and frantically run to open windows yelling the equivalent of "we are going to suffocate to death!". Funny as in Canada we would seal the windows with plastic for the winter to make sure no air got in whatsoever... and never had any deaths.

ok, I got the terrarium set up with a false bottom and about 2" up front of coco and around 4-5" at the back sloping because it looks fly. I kind of dug out a few "starters burrows" in the two back corners to get them started.. is this ok or should I just leave them with a solid base of soil to work with? I'm using some idea's from other members setups on the board.

I got the red heatlamp, but the store also sold a blue moonlight heatlamp, as well as a bright white heatlamp. I will probably get them set up on timers but was wondering if the blue 'moonlight' lamp is BAD for the scorpion. Is the red heatlamp ok to leave on all night?

here is a quick picture of where I am at right now. I plan on picking up 2 emps later this week to fill it up.

slylie wrote:

LOL actually I live in China. They don't believe the fan death myth but no joke the windows in our kitchen, bathroom, and living room are open 24/7 even when it drops below zero in the winter. When They leave the house I run out and close them all, then they return and frantically run to open windows yelling the equivalent of "we are going to suffocate to death!". Funny as in Canada we would seal the windows with plastic for the winter to make sure no air got in whatsoever... and never had any deaths.

Lmao rofl ! (never heard of the fan of death b4) Have you told them about sealing up the windows in plastic? We do the same here and I have never seen or heard of someone dieing from it.

Na i would wsay just leave that red bulb on 24-7 because its infared. Scorpions cant see the red color, so to them its just night time all the time so thats ok.

Im a little bit concerned about all the branches and twigs you have put in there though. The scorpion will be able to climb those and if he falls, thats a long drop.

If you're worried about falls from the sticks, you can just move the rocks out from under them.

As for your roommates, point out that A) there's a hell of a lot of oxygen in one apartment, and B) unless you live in a lab at NASA, your apartment is NOT going to be hermetically sealed.