Do i need more heat for my emperor scorpion?

im new to scorpions so i have concerns about heat. i have a 10 gal tank with a heat mat on the back,a shelter,water rock bowl and about 4 inch of substrate. I moved it from the bottom from fear of it killing itself. I have the humidity perfect and the temp on the warm side say 77 but the substrate is quite cold to the touch and it is only warm on a very small area that is touching the heat mat. Should i get a lamp with a ir bulb and would that even work? Its my first scorpion so i kinda want to ensure its longevity thank you in advance

get a heat lamp with a dimmer or rheostat,create a false bottom and or add a couple more inches of substrate and make sure to always keep it moist as the heat lamp dries things out greatly. 77f is too cool for a warm side.

What would be the target temperature

in the wild its not that stable and temps vary day to day. under the heat lamp you should aim between 85-95.id say thats a safe hotspot. the ambient air temp will rise a couple degrees and that wouldnt be a bad thing.in the wild emps burrow to escape heat and hide out during the day so a heat lamp would help promote a more natural behaviour.

thank you so much for your help man ill get a lamp probably tomorrow thanks again.

no problemo.if you have any more questions shoot em out there.

id always go for the heat lamp imo most heat matts are rubbish

*~BEX~* wrote:

id always go for the heat lamp imo most heat matts are rubbish

The heat lamp I had almost caught on fire so..........I use heat matts.

*~BEX~* wrote:

id always go for the heat lamp imo most heat matts are rubbish

i agree but maybe i just have yet to find a decent one.

I have had the same heatmatts for over 3 years and only a month ago did I notice that they do not put out as much heat as before. (Of course now that I need new ones, I can't find them for sale) I'm going to give heat lamps another try when I get a couple Scorpio maurus palmatus.

Scorpion19981000 wrote:

*~BEX~* wrote:

id always go for the heat lamp imo most heat matts are rubbish

The heat lamp I had almost caught on fire so..........I use heat matts.

Wow that's dodgy ours are on 24 hours a day and had no problems with them like that luckily

*~BEX~* wrote:

Wow that's dodgy ours are on 24 hours a day and had no problems with them like that luckily

Same here, I never turn mine off unless a bulb needs changed.

under tank heaters are what they are.they work great for snakes that like belly heat and can slightly raise ambient temps only when its on the bottom.for a burrowing species of scorp it could possibly burrow to its death.well everyone knows the risks on that.
the sun is radiant and so is a heat lamp.i turn off my heat lamp when i go to bed and turn it on when i wake up.im glad ive not had a problem yet with a heating source or regulator.eeekk no bueno

shining wrote:

under tank heaters are what they are.they work great for snakes that like belly heat and can slightly raise ambient temps only when its on the bottom.for a burrowing species of scorp it could possibly burrow to its death.well everyone knows the risks on that.
the sun is radiant and so is a heat lamp.i turn off my heat lamp when i go to bed and turn it on when i wake up.im glad ive not had a problem yet with a heating source or regulator.eeekk no bueno

*~BEX~* wrote:

id always go for the heat lamp imo most heat matts are rubbish

Petshop one yes. That's why I personally use floor heating elements

Make sure you don't use a bulb with too high a wattage for your lamp's rating...


Cough cough...

I'm going to try heat lamps again when I get some Scorpio maurus palmatus. I'm going to try to keep a couple communally in a 10 gal. tank. (If they fight, I will divide the tank)
What kind of bulb and what wattage do you guys recomend? Thanks in advance.

Here's the Fluker's lamp I use for my 10 gal. Emperor tank:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3643779

It's rated for 75 Watts which is plenty for a 10 gal. tank. I use a 75W IR bulb that I dim down
to keep the warm side of the tank around 88F. I really like the built in dimmer on the lamp,
it's well worth the extra cost. The lamp sits on the wire tank cover and never gets to hot to touch.

yeah 75w iwould be fine for a ten gallon, you could prly even use 50 or 60 but i always think its best to get a bit higher if your using a clamp amp its good for heating mutlple tanks too also you can move them as far away as needed if you feel the tank is getting too hot

is handy if you can get one with a dimmer though then you can adjust as you please