New Scorpion

So I just purchased my first Emperor Scorpion today. At the moment the tank is still heating up and he/she is hiding in the box. I was just wondering if any of the more experienced people have some tips for me.

I have a few fact sheets explaining temperature and humidity.
I have some crickets with a vitamin supplement.
I have a little log shelter.
The heat source is a ceramic heat emitter on one side of the tank for a heat gradient.
I'm also using Eco-Earth Coconut Fiber.
I also realize that it will take some time to feel safe, and may not eat for quite a while.



Any guidance is appreciated!

seems youve got it all sorted - what did you want to know

Was just wondering if there were any additional tips somebody could share.

I do have a few questions though. Where is the best spot to put a ceramic heat emitter? I have it on one of the ends, but it is currently above the opening to the tank (due to the way it clips).

When I get a screen, I plan on laying it on the screen. Is that alright, or should I hang it higher than the tank? Should I put it in the tank? Does it depend on how much heat it emits?

Currently my tank is about 82F in the middle, but it hasn't had time to heat up very much.

ive never used a ceramic heater so cant really comment, ive always used a heat mat though these arent that good imo - i find a red heat bulb works best for me

emp's are a hardy species and theres not a lot of things you can go wrong with, so long as theyre warm have water and a suitable hiding place with free food they seem to be happy whatever -

i usually throw mine a cricket everyother day, or whatever food i have - i tend to give them a bit of variety - crickets mealworms cockroaches, locusts - i try to keep their food healthy, feeding them fruit and salads so the vitamins etc get passed on to the scorp
i mist their tank once a day to keep humidity up, other than that i just leave them to it - i have my heater on a thermostat so that controlls the heat in there. i probably go a bit over the top to be honest - they seem to thrive on neglect if anything in my experience

most people i know or have spoken to seem to regard the emp as a boring docile tank of dirt but personally i think it depends on the temprement ofth eparticular scorpion you get. i have a communal setup within a 4 foot by 2 vivarium that contains 6 emp's, of the 6 i regularly see the two larger females out and about looking for means of escape or hunting - if i stay up really late the other 4 will eventually venture out when they think no one else is looking and usually dig out some more of their burrows or bask under the heat of the lamp

they are a really fascinating scorpion. ive kept them 9 years and never bored of them
i have other species but i think emps will always be among my favourite of them

I have a ceramic heat emitter as well as an infrared light to view the scorpion. They are on opposite sides of the tank. The infrared bulb says that it's also meant for heat. Should I leave them both on? Would too much infrared be bad for the scorpion? My only concern is that my thermometer reads about 82-84 in the middle of the tank, about half way up. Should it be closer to 85, or is it good where it is at? I can get the temps of each side if you want.

Edit: Also, if he's just laying out in the open with his tail curled up on the ground, does that mean he's sleeping? I can get him to move but I wasn't sure if I should bother him.

my heat bulb heats a 4 foot tank and the thermostat always has it dimmed so its not on full - so i should think it be fine on its own for yours
your temps are fine

just leave him be

I plan to get an emp soon so this thread i'm quite interested in, Im currently debating how to heat the tank, I am thinking of using a red bulb to heat the tank and then when I turn it off at night have a 6x11inch heat mat ill strap to the back would this be ok?

Doesn't really matter what sized heat mat you get as long as it isn't too small. There is also a mixed opinion on heat mats. It depends on what brand or make your heat mat is. "Exo - terra" heat mats for example are exo - terrible, while "habistat" heat mats work perfectly well on glass tanks.

Which brings me onto my next point, it also depends whether or not your mat is suitable for plastic or glass tanks (obviously to suit which ever one you are using).

I have 4 glass tanks all different sizes and one plastic one. I use habistat heat mats on 2 glass tanks and the plastic tank and I use two "eurorep" heat mats on two of the glass tanks. They all give me a perfectly constant 28 celcius.

Also if you are using coco fibre for an emp (which you should be), in order to increase humidity, pour some water onto the substrate so that it is damp but not soaking. That should give you about 80%-90% and will last for about a week or two. Spraying is ineffective and won't last very long - you also have to do it daily.
By pouring water, it will also seep down into the substrate to increase the quality of burrowng and will keep them strong and sturdy.

Well I have got a couple I have gathered, 1 is too big, another is currently heating my dragon at night time, so I'm left with two 6x11 mats not too sure on make, one is older than the other and says ultratherm heater vivarium type and the other says cobra heat mat, however I may use a red bulb?

Yes, you can use a red bulb.
It doesn't really matter if the heat mat is slightly too big - ie covers the whole of the back side. However, if it is much bigger, then I'd suggest you don't use it.

I put a humidity gauge in my tank, and it constantly reads a pretty low amount, even if the soil is pretty wet. Is this a problem? Does it mean that water isn't evaporating as much as it should? The temperature is pretty constant at 80-90.

unless you paid a lot of a humidity meter then it wont be that usefull. lol

try to put it in a soaking towel for a bit and see if it reads you 100. then let it dry and put it in. might fix it up

Perhaps I wasn't very clear. The gauge WORKS, it's just that the humidity seems way to low in the tank, even though the soil is very wet.

I can breathe on it and make it go to like 80-90, so I know it's fine. Just don't know why the humidity is so low.

hmmm. i see you got a lid, and i m guessing you got a 75w red bulb? that should be fine..... i had a 20 gal partially closed and humidity went up fine with that bulb.

maybe give it some time?

I have a heat-resistant screen lid, and I'm using a 100 watt ceramic heat emitter. I also have a temporary heat pad on the side until I'm sure a ceramic heater is enough (it doesn't seem like it will be). No red bulb, except for viewing the scorpion.

how long have you been heating the tank for with the damp soil?

Well, I had a 60 watt heat emitter, then I switched it out today with a 100 watt one. The heat pad has been on pretty much the whole time, but I turned it down because of the hotter emitter. Every once in a while I add a little bit of water when some of the soil on top looks dry.

So, not very long. Perhaps I'll give it a little more time.

well as long as the heat is fine and the soil is damp you should be just fine. scorpion looking happy in the hole?

He comes out and explores every once in a while, and when he's under the log he digs a little and chills in the hole. His tail isn't dragging or anything, it's usually above him, unless he's laying down.

Perhaps I'm just over worried when I see his tail and body on the ground. I think he's dying instead of resting/sleeping.

yeah, mine does that too, did it a lot recently after his girl died and i re arranged the whole place, he seems ok now. I guess they just rest that way, probably gets tiring walking around with it up anyways.

Yeah.

I'm about to buy a camera with live feed as well. Should be interesting because my tank is a floor up from my computer. I can watch him from here!

haha nice, mine is right beside me by the computer.

about to post some pics of the tank in the pictures forum

Here's a quick vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgqOEcckkrE

nice, he looks pretty happy in there.

https://scorpionforum.darkbb.com/scorpion-pictures-videos-f13/my-tank-and-its-inhabitants-t4958.htm#58799

thoughts please

Nice setup.

One question: How much light from a regular bulb can they take without being injured?
Turning on/off my bedroom lights wont matter at all will it? If I had a regular light for plants, like yours, would that be harmful, or would my scorpion just avoid it? Would he actually need a little bit of "regular" light?