New Scorpion Owner

Hi,

I bought my first Scorpion (Emperor) on October 29th this year at a local pet store.
I have been learning as much as possible about them online and through this caresheet I have, but thought it would be best to come here and ask the experts (I assume you all are, well, experts..) if I am doing everything right, or if not, what I should do differently.

Okay..here we go.

I have him in a 20 inch long 10 gallon tank. I am using Zoo Med Forest Floor Bedding, 100% Natural Cypress Mulch. He can burrow in it. I put a small layer of Sphagnum Terrarium Moss on top.

He has a 2 - 2 1/2 inch long water bowl, about a half an inch deep. Large rock in one corner of the terrarium that he made a burrow under, and a man-made resin (or some other material..), painted log house thing.

I am buying him a bag of 6 large crickets every week - 2 weeks, he has been eating fine.

I have a small misting bottle..I really don't know how often I should be misting the terrarium..I think I might be misting a little too much.

The room he is in really gets little to no daylight, is that a problem?

As for heating, the kit I purchased came with two lamps..one that shines light and heats, the other is a black light that..heats.
I have just been using the black light randomly throughout the day and keeping it on all night at one side of the terrarium, opposite side of his rock/water bowl (I read it was bad to have it near the water bowl).
Have not been using the other lamp whatsoever.
I purchased a heating pad thing, but have not messed with it yet because I have been reading mixed thoughts about using it or the black light lamp.

I took him out last night to see if I could determine his gender based on a comparison pic I found somewhere on this site, I am about 70% sure he is a male..rather difficult to determine.
While he was in the small temporary container, I noticed somthing.. There was a small drop of liquid with these 3 weird, squiggly, intestine shaped things in it. One was blue, another pinkish, anoher white..very strange. I assume it was just poop or throw up? I was kind of shocked, it really looked like some sort of organ..but there is no damage to him. So I don't know.

I believe that covers it all..

Would really appreciate some help, thanks.

If you can post a pic that would help but here are my suggestions.

1. I think cypress is bad for them I would switch to just cocofiber.

2. You don't need to put the moss over the entire floor just basically as decoration where you want.

3. I spray my emp tank lightly 1-2 times a day. Get a hydrometer the humidity should be like 80-90 percent. It helps if you put like a glass or acrylic lid over part of the screen top to help keep moisture in, but leave part of it open for ventitllation.

4. The only lamp you need is an infrared lamp for heating, you might need to mist more often cause those lamps dry things out a lot. Emps dont need any other light. Some people use heating pads. Some people use a small space heater and keep their entire pet room warm. Emps need 80-90 degrees. If you use a lamp keep it to one side in case they want to cool off and go to the other side.

5. A tiny bit of light can be good to give them a day night cycle, but you dont want anything bright right over their tank.

6.. Not sure about the stuff you found in the temp tank.

7. He might be burrowing under the water dish because the humidity is too low or he doesn't have another hide. Pieces of cork bark make great hides they are at most pet stores. Make sure he has enough to dig in good.

Try and post a pic if possible.

junosama wrote:

1. I think cypress is bad for them I would switch to just cocofiber.

Okay, yeah, I've been reading that this coco fiber stuff is the best.. Uhm, I purchased this big brick thingy a few days ago for a native Bark Scorpion I decided to keep..
"Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Substrate", is that the stuff?
And if so, can I only buy it as a brick? Would be much easier if it were in a bag or somthing like the other stuff I have purchased, haven't seen it any other form though.

Quote :

2. You don't need to put the moss over the entire floor just basically as decoration where you want.

Alright, I might have exaggerated a bit on how much I put in. Kinda just sprinkled bits of it in random places actually.

Quote :

3. I spray my emp tank lightly 1-2 times a day. Get a hydrometer the humidity should be like 80-90 percent. It helps if you put like a glass or acrylic lid over part of the screen top to help keep moisture in, but leave part of it open for ventitllation.

Yeah, I was definitely over-misting then.
I have a humidity gauge and temperature gauge that came with the kit. I was waiting to get everything else set up before those, though.

Quote :

4. The only lamp you need is an infrared lamp for heating, you might need to mist more often cause those lamps dry things out a lot. Emps dont need any other light. Some people use heating pads. Some people use a small space heater and keep their entire pet room warm. Emps need 80-90 degrees. If you use a lamp keep it to one side in case they want to cool off and go to the other side.

So I should just get rid of the black light? It seems to heat a fair amount.. I suppose I will need the gauges up first to determine that, actually.

Quote :

5. A tiny bit of light can be good to give them a day night cycle, but you dont want anything bright right over their tank.

Well, the only windows in my room are facing the sunrise and I keep my curtain open a few inches, I suppose that will be fine..

Quote :

7. He might be burrowing under the water dish because the humidity is too low or he doesn't have another hide. Pieces of cork bark make great hides they are at most pet stores. Make sure he has enough to dig in good.

I think you misread that part. I said he has burrowed under the large rock, not the water bowl (not that it matters). I was already planning on replacing the log house thing with somthing natural. Those like, half-log things that I always see at pet stores are what I was planning on replacing it with..I assume that's what "cork bark" is.

Quote :

Try and post a pic if possible.

I will try to post some pics within the next week or so, the only cameras I have access to are rather poor in quality.

Thanks for the response.

Yeah that's the right stuff the brick is cheaper but u have to soak it and dry it a bit based on the pet you are using it for. They do sell dry cocofiber bags which are easier.

I think blacklights are only used for viewing for a few minutes at night. The infrared can run 24/7 because it produces heat, but very little visible light so it wont bother the scorpions.

The half logs are good too, but the cork bark is different its actually bark from a tree and is more delicate. Either is fine just make sure its big enough for him and bury it. They like to hide deep in.

Also i highly recommend getting reward cards from whatever pet store you go to. I spend a lot of money on pets and its nice to get money back and coupons from petco, petsmart, etc.

Looking forward to seeing your setup. I am sure some more members will chime in if I said anything wrong.

Alright, thanks.

Surprised at how much material I got out of this one, tiny brick..may even be enough for both terrariums, or close to it.

I think I know what you're talking about now, regarding the bark. The more fragile, soft, easily breakable stuff I believe. I was considering getting some of that, but it seemed a little rough on the inside so I wasn't sure if it would hurt him or not..

Here's a pic of the exact blacklight lamp thing, just so you know for sure what it is.. It came with this kit I purchased (two lamps, terrarium, humidity and temperature gauge, etc), so It does heat.. I'd just go ahead and buy the infrared one, but I'm trying to save as much money as possible and if it's ok to keep this one, I'd rather do that.





Thanks

I'm pretty sure the blacklight is just for night viewing. You could probably take it out and hold onto it in case you wanna view it at night and put an infrared bulb in instead which u can buy separately. Just make sure the wattage is correct for that lamp dome.

Maybe someone else can back me up on this.

Erm..also, would it be okay to house two Emps in a 20 inch 10 gallon?

For the misting, keep in mind that Junosama soaked his substrate before putting it into the cage. His setup had good humidity to start with, while yours may need a bit more misting to get it to that 80% off the bat.

As for the "black light", I'm 99% sure you mean infrared bulb(gives red glow when on). Unless they bundled a night-glo bulb into your package deal.

You could leave the infrared bulb on(if that's what it is) 24/7 if you like, or use it for just the night. With of course switching to the white bulb during the day.

2 Emperors in a 10g shouldnt be a problem, just keep an eye on them for a week or so

Okay, the kit came with two lamps and two bulbs.

1. Night Black Heat Incandescent Bulb

2. Day White Light Incandescent Spot

For the Black one, it says "Provides Ambient Heat, Ideal for Nocturnal viewing"

For the Day one, "Provides focused basking heat, Natural daytime photo-environment"

..He glows when I have the Night one on, if that helps any..


Thanks for helping with this.

right take both bulbs out, uv is seriously bad for scorpions and dramatically reduces their life.
your scorp is lowing as the black one is a uv bulb, we use these to hunt for scorpions at night or occasionally for home veiwing but not regulary and not for long periods.

you need and infrared heat bulb (make sure its a real one and not just red painted glass)
we have infrared bulbds on 24/7 these produce heat and they do not see the light most are made for 24 hour use. your clamp lamp looks fine its just the bulb you need to change.

10 gallon is a tad on the small size for two emps really but they might be fine.

make sure you have 4-6 inches of coco fiber substrate for them

cant wait to see pics

Guan Thwei wrote:

Surprised at how much material I got out of this one, tiny brick..may even be enough for both terrariums, or close to it.

Your substrate should be 5-6 inches deep and packed tightly. To achieve this in a 10 gal tank requires at least two
bricks of coco fiber.

Misting only wets the surface of your substrate and most of the added moisture quickly evaporates under overhead
heating. Many keepers just pour water directly onto the substrate once a week or employ a false bottom to ensure
the substrate remains moist throughout.

In a tropical setup, the natural hollow log hides quickly develop mold. Cork bark, although a little more expensive,
doesn't mold. The rough surface isn't a problem as your scorpion will excavate sufficient clearance under the hide.

So,



= good

and



= bad


Alright, thanks for all the info.

Will hopefully be picking up everything I need today.

Any of those are fine for hides they will burrow anyway so it will end up more for show really in most cases

Okay, I spent the past few hours setting everything up, got out the camera, took a few pics, then the battery died..

I'll go ahead and post what I have.





Kinda hard to see how everything is positioned, will take more pics when I have new batteries.

Named him Grimm, by the way.

Haha awesome where's water dish?

Looks great. The jungle background is a nice touch. Just add a water dish as Bex noted and you're all set. Good looking scorp too.

Late to the party here. I would add that in the pictures you have posted take not of the color of the eco earth. That is exactly how it should look. As it dries it will turn lighter brown. As long as your dirt is that color of dark brown, and is not soggy your humidity should be just right. I never use hygrometers, and the dial ones from the pet store are pretty much worthless. For every one that reads right you'll probably get ten that don't.

Alright, thanks everyone. The water dish is in there in those pics..you can barely see it in the second one. Like I said, my camera's batteries died, so that's all I could take at the time.

I'm trying to find some batteries at the moment..

I know this isn't in the right section, but I figured it would be easier to just ask this here than start a new thread..

Okay, so I found a Scorpion in my bathroom a few months ago and decided to keep it..for some reason I have been finding many more in my house this year.

From what I can tell, it is known as "Centruroides Vittatus" or "Striped Bark Scorpion".

Really am just wondering how to care for it. I went ahead and used the coconut fiber bedding for him, bought him a 16" long 5 gallon tank.

I assume the same heating rules apply to him that did with the Emperor..but what about misting? Is the coconut fiber okay for him?
Oh, and the cork bark stuff, that should be okay for him, right?

Here's a pic:




Thanks

Wish I found them In my house lol

Haha, a few days after I found that one, another one was hiding behind the toilet..

A few weeks before that, I found this little guy running down the hall:



I love the colors and patterns on them.

Okay, here are the pics.




This rock was the perfect shape. A triangle so it could be wedged in the corner, with a part that stretches out so he can burrow underneath.


You might not be able to see it, but I made a small path underneath part of the log to the water bowl.
And don't worry, water bowl was later cleaned.




Here he is, at the back of the log.

The Centruroides you found is an awesome scorpion. They do well with a bit less humidity than an emperor. It is as you've stated, a bark scorpion. They like to hide between and under bark. You should stack some vertically with small spaces in between for it to hide in. As for misting, I would recommend only misting the half with the water dish and leaving the other side dry. Hides should be offered at both ends so it can choose where it wants to be in the humidity gradient. They are also communal. Heat them above 70 but below 90 and you are good to go. Feel free to post pics of your enclosure for help setting it up if you want.

Do you mean random bark from outside or the cork bark stuff?
..or does it even matter?

Wish I would have known I could keep more than one together a few months ago..
How can I tell the gender?

Thanks for the info.

Actually, take a look at The link below:

GS wrote:

Sharing session on how i raised my bark specimens:

Access to the caresheet via the link below:

Raising Bark Scorpions [ General Bark Scorpion Caresheet ]




I'll appreciate a pm / email (gsscorpions82@hotmail.com) if there is any typos or spelling mistake.

I'm not a language professor, just another scorpion fanatic sharing my personal experience to fellow hobbyist.

I'll try keep it updated as much as possible. Enjoy

Cheers,
GS