New owner

WARNING:
Hey everyone, I am a proud new owner of two emperors, I have had them for about a week now

I live in southern California, I figured I wouldn't have to worry too much about heating. Unfortunately I couldn't seem to get the tank to get any warmer than 72-76 degrees with the heat pad. So I got a heat lamp with a 50w IR bulb and have noticed a HUGE difference in not only the heat but the level of activity out of the two scorpions.
And the humidity reader that I bought would move from 60-75, with constant misting. So I went and put in a false bottom now all the eco earth stays damp no matter what the gauge is reading though it will still move from 60 to 80% now throughout the day

This is my set up for them: 2 hides, eco earth about 3-4 inches thick, the false bottom, two of those crystal strip thermometers, and the pipe thing is just PVC I painted so I can pour water to the bottom.)

NOW here are my questions/concerns:
The humidity: I read that as long as the earth is damp at all times this shouldn't be a problem. But I did read somewhere that when the condensation builds up on the walls that is bad? I have a screen top for the tank and use a towel to cover most of it and leave enough room for the lamp. Is this good enough? As opposed to no towel on the screen or getting an acrylic top with holes drilled in for air and a larger hole for the lamp? and as far as hydro/thermo meters go is there ones that come recommended? the ones I have seem to be inefficient.


the heat: With the heat lamp now the tank will go up to 85-90 degrees. is that too hot for them? I've experimented with having the lamp at different heights to keep it from getting too hot (well into the 90s).
What my main question about the heating is at night when the lamp goes off, it will cool down to the mid 70s. My apartment doesn't get too warm and the AC will be one a lot especially with actually summer time heat coming. Would getting one of those night heat lamp bulbs (blue color) be good to keep the temp in the proper range for night time? Especially for when fall and winter come when it gets cooler.

General (dumb) questions:
are they in the "sub adult" category? from the color of their telson right?
and when finding out their sex would I be able to tell at this age or is it better for when they reach adulthood? I read the guide on their Genital Operculum shapes. And it looks like I got a pair of dudes but then again not too sure.
I'll post a pic of their undersides once I can get a quality picture

well thanks for reading all this and any advice is welcome
hope to hear from everyone

Welcome to the forum.
Yes, they are not adults yet. You could try to sex it now, but it's easier when they are adults. As for the humidity, as long as the substrate is moist it is fine. Humidity dials are not very accurate, if you really wan't one, go with a digital one. I have limited time, so I can't answer your other questions at the moment. I'm sure someone else will though. If not, I will add to this tomorrow.

Welcome to the forum. It's common practice to keep one end of the enclosure at 85F to 90F and the opposite end at 75F to 80F and let the scorps choose what they prefer. The ideal temperature for an Emperor is 85F.

You don't need a different heat source at night. I keep my IR lamp on 24/7. Scorpions can't see red light (well, can't see it very well), so to them the lamp is just providing heat not light. You should avoid using any type of UV lamps (blue bulbs) in a scorpion enclosure. Scorpions are very sensitive to UV light and prolonged exposure is harmful. If you have a planted tank, it's ok to use a daylight spectrum florescent bulb or tube during the day to keep the plants alive.

My IR lamp has a built in dimmer so I can easily adjust it during hot or cold spells. The dimmer is well worth the extra cost. Something to keep in mind when you're shopping for additional lamps. (Odds are if you get one scorpion, you're gonna want more. ) The cheapest digital temp/humidity meter I've found is this one from flukers. You can just drop it into the tank for a couple of days and it will record the min/max for temp and humidity. For just temperature, I like these. I must have a dozen of them.

False bottom enclosures do a good job of providing humidity but you do need to keep 70% to 80% of the top covered, otherwise the humidity will just escape. As long as the substrate stays damp, this is not a show stopper but it's not ideal either. Covering the top will also help retain heat. I have a 10 gal. tank with acrylic covering all of the top except where the heat lamp sits. Some condensation is expected. If you feel there's too much, just increase the ventilation.

Your enclosure looks pretty good. I would, however, double the depth of the substrate, or at least double the depth on one end. And, instead of setting the half log hide on top of the substrate, I would bury it into the substrate at a slight angle so just one end is exposed with a small depression under it.

+1. Great advice.

Have you tried calibrating the hygrometer to make sure it's working properly? Those things are notorious for being extremely off right out of the package or not working right at all.

All you need to do is put it into a well-sealed container (zip-topped bag, or snap-lid clear container) for 6 hours along with a pop-cap full of table salt. The salt needs to be moistened with a couple drops of water to where the salt is moist and sticky but not floating in water. After 6 hours the hygrometer should read 75%. If it's a little off you should be able to make adjustments to it via a screw in the back so it reads properly. If it's really reading wonky then you should be able to return it!

thank you for the advice. I went and returned the lamp and got one with a dimmer instead, mad life much easier. I added at least 2-3 inches of substrate for the whole tank. The humidity has stayed high since I switched to the acrylic top. And I added a much bigger angled half log. One of them took to it very well and even started to dig a burrow and has been sitting in there since. (I take it that means he is super happy now)
the other has been in the same general spot, he like to pin himself between the glass and the skull on the cool side? Neither have eaten but from what I have read I shouldn't be TOO worried.... right?
Any ideas why one would prefer to be outside and pinned to the glass versus being in any of the hides in there?
thanks again

anyone else find pic 1 the scorp on the right looks weird for an emp? its like olive green with red on it?

also that second link to just a thermometre im sure there are ones liket hat on ebay for 1$
when i got my turtle i bought 2 on ebay for 1$ ea

The red is the IR lamp reflecting off of it and I don't know what you mean by green? Could it be the substrate or peat moss that is reflecting? (I'm not sure what else i had near by that could reflect a green color)
I will post better pictures when I can to make sure they are ok

haha the light making the red makes sense
but my P. Imperator are black. like black black, so tis weird seeing them being olivey green haha

If you shine a light on them, they often look green. Could also be the flash from the camera. In normal light they look black.

both of mine are black black lol no green. It was prob just the lighting
I got a question on molting: I read a few posts on there about it, so the signs are getting "fat", sluggish and inactive, ignore food. correct? But I did not see anything on how long the process takes?
And one on eating: They will normally fast for long periods at random, so how long into when they dont eat should I start to worry?

thanks again for all the advice

The time it takes for a scorp to molt can vary from scorp to scorp. I'm not sure what the 'average' time is for a emp of that size.

If they don't eat, don't worry, ever. My emp went over six months without food once. I'm sure people on here have had theirs go around a year without eating.

When my P. imperator molted, she stayed in her burrow a good week before her molt and a good week after her molt. The molt occurred in the burrow and she didn't eat during the time she was underground. Prior to the molt, all I saw if her was two claws sticking out of her hide, so the molt came as somewhat of a surprise.