Unusual behavior

I have had an emp. for over a year before this, but this new one guy and his behavior is puzzling to me. The short version of what is going on is that he has started to lay in his water dish for most of the day

Ok, Now is the longer version,

I have a male emp, His tank has a false bottom to it with 4 to 5 inches of ecoearth substrate on top. It has of course a water dish on the non heated side, a plant (called a janet craig) near a wall to create a sort of covered plant "hide" right next to the water dish on the non heated side, and then a normal hide on the heated end. My temps tend to stay pretty low. about 75 on the non heated and only get up to about 79 on the heated side on a good day. (heat mat is placed on the side of the tank, but slightly high so when the emp burrows he is getting away from the mat) Originally his hide was made from wood, but I was having issues with it growing mold constantly. So i recently switched it out with on that is fake wood (i think plastic or ceramic, not sure really).

Ever since i switched the hides he has pretty much refused the new hide and doesnt go in, and instead choses to hide under the plant, or usually he just lays in the water dish. I usually have to refill my water dish every 3 days because it evaporates so quickly here, but since he has decided to lay in it i have let it go dry and put a second small thing of water in the tank to see if he was laying there for the water for a soak, or if it was something else. Nope, he still is laying in the dry water dish. (but is still very active and has no problem running around the cage when he wants, he just keeps coming back to the water dish)

Any ideas what is going on? Do you think It is possible that the soil is too "humid/wet" and he is trying to get away from it? Should I switch back to the other hide? If so any ideas on what to do about the mold issue? This water dish is deeper then the temporary one I am also using, so should I go back to filling it up and let him just soak in it constantly?
This guy has me dumbfounded.

It is ok for him to stay in the water if he wants to. Just try to keep it filled up.
You said everything evaporates very quickly down there. Are you sure it is only 80 degrees then?

Is the tank located in direct sunlight?

Hides for scorpions dont need to be palaces. Meaning that they rather choose to feel a hide on their back and ground on their belly. They feel more safe when they need to squeesh themselves into their hide. High hides with lots of room is no hide for them.

Perhaps dig the hide into the soil for quite a bit will make it more appealing to your scorpion.

As for tropical species, you cannot make it affraid by moisturing their substrate. The more the better (unless they start to swim in it)

Yep, definately not over 80 degrees. The humidity where I live is pretty much 30% all winter, and it just get worse with the heater on, so humidity was a huge issue so a water dish with large surface area was my biggest helper. It is still deep enough that he can be submerged over his back when he lays flat to the ground

No direct sunlight, No lamps either.

His new hide is actually shorter then his old one. I always buy assuming he can dig it down and make it more spacious if it really wants it. It is dug into the soil already also. I figure he will use it when he decides too, It is actually nice to be able to see my scorp instead of having a pet hole mostly.... Lol, I am sure it will not last...


Good to know he cant really over moisturize himself, My last guy never used to lay in the water for more then an hour or so, so being there for days at a time was just concerning for me.

sswank06 wrote:

Yep, definately not over 80 degrees. The humidity where I live is pretty much 30% all winter, and it just get worse with the heater on, so humidity was a huge issue so a water dish with large surface area was my biggest helper. It is still deep enough that he can be submerged over his back when he lays flat to the ground

No direct sunlight, No lamps either.

His new hide is actually shorter then his old one. I always buy assuming he can dig it down and make it more spacious if it really wants it. It is dug into the soil already also. I figure he will use it when he decides too, It is actually nice to be able to see my scorp instead of having a pet hole mostly.... Lol, I am sure it will not last...


Good to know he cant really over moisturize himself, My last guy never used to lay in the water for more then an hour or so, so being there for days at a time was just concerning for me.

the humidity in the tank may be low and he's seeking moisture. a possibility