Questions from a newbie!

Hey everyone!
I just got an Emperor Scorpion, Pandinus Imperator on monday. Moved him to his 30 gal tank today.
is it normal for the enclosure to have a smell? i think its the exoterra coconut bark substrate. its that 100% natural stuff that expands after being in water for 30m.

my main question is: i got these Hubba Hut things. I dug into the substrate a bit, placed it in, and put substrate over it so it looks like its in the ground. like a burrow. one is deeper than the other. Should i put some of teh substrate over the front, or fill in them in a bit so Sasori has to at least somewhat dig it out him/herself? he/she hasnt gone into either of them yet. he/she did do a lot of exploring though!

also is it normal for them to just... like... chill? ever since i got him he hasnt done much moving. Well he moved a lot when i got him into his new tank but since he calmed down after being in he hasnt done much at all.

i read that they are nocturnal: do they need a certain amount of darkness? my turtles need approx. 10hrs of darkness so i put towels around their tanks. do i need to keep my room nice and dark for a certain amount of time?

one of my main questions is i read that they dont like certain uv light, and that its bad for them. is doing the black light thing to make them glow bad for them?

sorry if these questions are asked every 20m but im REALLY new to this whole thing lol

last thing! Some petstores are really not trust worthy. What sort of pics do i need to get to post in the ID section to get him/her properly ided? top, bottom, side, tail, flying through the air? last one is a joke XD

any help would be hot:3

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

Hey everyone!
I just got an Emperor Scorpion, Pandinus Imperator on monday. Moved him to his 30 gal tank today.
is it normal for the enclosure to have a smell? i think its the exoterra coconut bark substrate. its that 100% natural stuff that expands after being in water for 30m.

my main question is: i got these Hubba Hut things. I dug into the substrate a bit, placed it in, and put substrate over it so it looks like its in the ground. like a burrow. one is deeper than the other. Should i put some of teh substrate over the front, or fill in them in a bit so Sasori has to at least somewhat dig it out him/herself? he/she hasnt gone into either of them yet. he/she did do a lot of exploring though!

also is it normal for them to just... like... chill? ever since i got him he hasnt done much moving. Well he moved a lot when i got him into his new tank but since he calmed down after being in he hasnt done much at all.

i read that they are nocturnal: do they need a certain amount of darkness? my turtles need approx. 10hrs of darkness so i put towels around their tanks. do i need to keep my room nice and dark for a certain amount of time?

one of my main questions is i read that they dont like certain uv light, and that its bad for them. is doing the black light thing to make them glow bad for them?

sorry if these questions are asked every 20m but im REALLY new to this whole thing lol

last thing! Some petstores are really not trust worthy. What sort of pics do i need to get to post in the ID section to get him/her properly ided? top, bottom, side, tail, flying through the air? last one is a joke XD

any help would be hot:3

First congrats!
The smell is normal and as far as the hide he/she will do the decorating so it does not matter where you put the hide.Let the emp get used to the new environment for a week without disturbance(if you can) and he/she settle in nicely. To much disturbance can cause stress that can be dangerous to the emp so try and let him settle in without being disturbed.A scorp that is chilling in his her hide without disturbance is a happy scorp.
The amount of light does not matter they will be hidden so be in the dark.

A UV light on for 24-7 is very bad for you and him but if you want to shine one on him for a few minutes is okay.
All questions about scorps are welcome and wanted(a dead forum sucks lol) so no worrys!

Get a pic fro the top for confirmation it is in deed an Emp and to get the sex take a clear pic of the 2 feathery things(I forget what they are called LOL) underneath the scorp.I hope this helps! Ask more questions if needed !

the pectines? :3

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

the pectines? :3

Thanks! I had a brain fart

Look at the claws specifically. If they are fat and granulated (tiny bumps and indents) you likely have an emp. If they are smooth, you're looking at a Heteremetrus.

Kerrby wrote:

Look at the claws specifically. If they are fat and granulated (tiny bumps and indents) you likely have an emp. If they are smooth, you're looking at a Heteremetrus.

Shhhhh pics I want to see LOL
But yeah he can do that too!

Scott Land wrote:

Kerrby wrote:

Look at the claws specifically. If they are fat and granulated (tiny bumps and indents) you likely have an emp. If they are smooth, you're looking at a Heteremetrus.

Shhhhh pics I want to see LOL
But yeah he can do that too!

My bad.

Kerrby wrote:

Look at the claws specifically. If they are fat and granulated (tiny bumps and indents) you likely have an emp. If they are smooth, you're looking at a Heteremetrus.

+1
plus, looking at the pectines is a bad way to try and sex an emperor...
look at the genital operculum (the dot in the middle of the pectines)
if its a perfect ovel shape, you have a male...
if it has an oval top and the bottom points like a heart shape, its a female...

thanks guys :3 id look/get pics up now but... hes up on the glass towards the back of the tank which is painted lol
he hasnt moved in an hour XD

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

thanks guys :3 id look/get pics up now but... hes up on the glass towards the back of the tank which is painted lol
he hasnt moved in an hour XD

lol its still entertaining to watch, huh?

yeah its cute when hes trying to climb up the class XD
you can hear his pinches knocking on the glass XD

his pinchers are far and granulated, id say his mesasoma [i think thats what his body is called] id say is flat. like it looks like it has indents but not as pronounced as his pinches you really need to focus to notice it

the lycan mikey wrote:

Kerrby wrote:

Look at the claws specifically. If they are fat and granulated (tiny bumps and indents) you likely have an emp. If they are smooth, you're looking at a Heteremetrus.

+1
plus, looking at the pectines is a bad way to try and sex an emperor...
look at the genital operculum (the dot in the middle of the pectines)
if its a perfect ovel shape, you have a male...
if it has an oval top and the bottom points like a heart shape, its a female...

The reason I did not say that is it is better to get a pic of the pectines(operculum included) then WE all can figure out what the sex is, plus I could not remember what it was called,however the pectines themselves can be used to sex them by the angle and size of the bristles.