first scorpion

cant wait im planning on getting a young emperor scorpion
but first i want to get the tank sorted
i have had a year of researching and reading about careing for my new pet and have got books etc

BUT! id rather get your guys advice on the tank setup pls

as i know you lot have the experience

i know how to care for my pets and keep tarantulas and mantids so trust me i will care for this new addition well.

Well post some pictures then if you want our advice...

yeah post a pic of the enclosure in question and we'll help you

i havent created it yet just want your advice on substrate,decor etc and ill post pics wen the enclosure is sorted

Hi there
Wow, a year of research? nice!

Well, for the substrate I used coco-fiber and I buy those in brick form as they contain a heck of a lot more substrate compared to the bagged ones when decompressed. You can mix in a little playsand and wood chips to give it a more natural look.
For decor, I use store-bought wood pieces such as drift-wood. You can use outside wood pieces, but you'd have to bake them in the oven to kill any parasites, etc. I used to do that, but wood pieces where I live are just not pretty to look at, crumble, and are dusty. I also had a mite infestation once, so I decided not to risk it again. Anyways, I bury the wood pieces part way into the substrate and sometimes make levels in the substrate. The substrate doesn't have to be flat and often looks better when slanted or have the hill effect. For the water dish I use a clay tray you can buy from a gardening store. Pretty much any store that sells clay pots for plants. I play it cheap, so these alternatives work and are easy on the wallet. I have plants in my enclosures and I've experimented with a few, but pothos plants seem to work great. For plants, you can leave them potted so they can continue to get the required minerals/nutrients they may not be able to get from coco-fiber. They're also much easier to maintain while in a pot as you can water them separately or move them around.
For heating, I prefer using a Fluker's clamp lamp and an Exo-terra heat bulb (I mentioned zoo-med bulbs in the past but that was an error on my part). For a 10 gallon container a 75W bulb is fine and and 5.5'' clamp lamp will do. So far both of these products have served me well. However, if you live in an area where the temperature is around 75 degrees F and is cozy, you don't really need any heating. I have found, however, that heating will increase metabolism and activity in my scorpions.
Humidity can be kept by dumping water onto the substrate. Don't flood it, just evenly dampen it until moist to the touch. You can also use moss to add color and texture to the enclosure. They also aid in keeping the humidity up.
I might have more to say, but that's all for now. Any questions? The setup process is actually the best part

my water dish (buried in substrate) & crystals & assorted geodes (decor)


assorted rock slabs make up a rock cave (with coco fiber to fill in the gaps in the cave)


rock cave #2 with assorted crystals (again coco fiber to fill gaps in rocks)


coco fiber, false bottom, and random decor (i dont use my half log hide anymore because i like the look of the rock caves


another example of a rock cave i used to have, along with the PVC pipe in the corner to fill the reservoir for the false bottom and one of the fake plants i use



the lid...covered with "press n seal" wrap to retain humidity with enough uncovered to provide adequate ventilation



my adults have never burrowed in the time ive owned them, therefore it leads me to believe that they just wont...and if they wont, well...im not gonna encourage them...
i use slabs of rock beaten with a hammer to create the rock caves, because i like it better...
i use the coco fiber to fill in the gaps in the rock caves because i used to have an issue with crickets hiding in them and me never being able to get them out without tearing stuff up...
i use the fake plants to provide cover and give the illusion of safety...
i did the false bottom because...well duh...it helps tremendously with humidity...
i use quartz crystals and geodes because i have an abundance from having an obsession with them when i was younger...
and i use coco fiber for the substrate because i can order a 3-brick pack for like $10 US...and most pet stores ive seen charge between $7-$10 US for one brick....

what i dont use is heat lamps or mats or lamps of any kind...
i find them unnecessary because my false bottom works like a champ
but you might be different

most of my stuff is ordered from www dot drsfostersmith dot com
i go to the reptile section
i also use this website for all of my aquarium needs for my 4 freshwater fish tanks

if i dont order stuff online, i go to a private owned pet store for everything i need

i dont know how much this will help you, but looking at other peoples enclosures gave me ideas and i just let my imagination wander with it...
but like i said...I hope this gives you an idea of what you can do...for a jungle type anyways...

if you have any questions or issues they will either be answered or completely ignored because my scorpions seem to like it and i can tell because they stay in there hides all day and they ALWAYS wander around at night...
most other people dont even have the opportunity to see theres without disturbing them, so i must be doing something right...

wow lol that sounds kind of cocky, but you cant argue with my results =)

i have bark scorpions too, but im not going into how i did that enclosure unless asked...

What does the false bottom replace about the heat mat and heat bulbs? I fear the cover may be restricting air flow as the false bottom itself is enough to regulate humidity. They may not burrow because there is not enough substrate to burrow in, not to mention they will be burrowing into wet substrate that is right next to the false bottom.

H. laoticus wrote:

What does the false bottom replace about the heat mat and heat bulbs? I fear the cover may be restricting air flow as the false bottom itself is enough to regulate humidity. They may not burrow because there is not enough substrate to burrow in, not to mention they will be burrowing into wet substrate that is right next to the false bottom.

i dont use the mat and bulbs because my tank is always warm when i reach into it to change the water, besides that, my house is always like 75-79 degrees...i also keep my air vents closed because i like my room warm anyways...
well appearantly the airflows good, my scorpions havent suffocated yet lol...and the press and seal wrap isnt tight on the tank, so i know theres more airflow than what i want...
even before i did this tank setup, i had 8.5 inches (yes i measured) of substrate with pre made burrows and they still wanted nothing to do with them...
not to mention 1 of the caves is like a burrow in itself, and they still continue to go to the dampest cave in the tank...
i dont truly believe every scorpion is the same and what i have done with mine, is more or less trial and error, with the results being what i have them in now...

wow thankyou evrybody and great photos

the lil girl emperor is comin on wednesday cant wait

will get pics

no problem dude...
some of the pics are old (the ones with dates)
the ones without dates were taken on the day i posted that