Cold Garage & Heating Pad?

Greetings!

I am new to the whole scorpion raising hobby but after lurking here and a number of other places Ive decided that it might be tiem to finally get one of my favorite creatures to call my own. Ive narrowed my choice down to either Hadrurus Arizonensis or Vaejovis / Hoffimus Spinigerus.

My main problem I am facing though is the fact that my GF and I share a studio apartment and anything I would be putting on display would be immediately visible from just about anywhere in the apartment. She hates arachnids with a passion and doesnt want one in the apartment at all. She pays the majority of the rent so I cant fight that one. We do however, have a storage unit located in the parking garage beneath the building. I think I may have convinced her (with the mention of a lid that could have a padlock on it) to let me house a scorpion down there, out of sight and out of mind.
The problem is however, that this garage is "heated" but that is a really roughly used term when it comes to winter. The lowest temp I have seen in there in the dead of winter has gotten down to about 45F or so.

My question is, if I were to get a heating pad and thermostat combo for the side of the tank and partially cover the tank with a towel or something so no cold drafts get in (our storage unit has 4 walls but the top is open to the garage), would it be able to keep the tank (10 gallon typical aquarium) at the proper temperature to keep a scorpion alive and well until the warmer months where the garage usually stays a constant 80-85f? Since the top of the unit is open and the garage is lit, lighting wouldnt be an issue either.

Thanks in advance!
Jamie

I doubt a heating pad will do a very good job of heating a H. arizonensis enclosure. A clamp lamp with an IR bulb or ceramic heat element would be a better solution (radiant heat vs. conductive heat). A lamp with a dimmer or thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature while the lamp remains stationary. Otherwise, you'll need to move the lamp or use different wattage bulbs to adjust the heat entering the tank.

Another thing to keep in mind is the seasonal temperature range of the Sonoran Desert. I use Phoenix, AZ as a guide for heating my tank since Desert Hairys are commonly found in and around the Phoenix area. Here's a link to the average monthly temperatures for Phoenix from 1981 through 2010. You can see that the average winter lows are in the high 40's to low 50s. Although these scorpions may not "enjoy" low temps, they do encounter them in the wild. I don't heat my enclosure during the winter, but my house only gets into the low 60's at night. During this time, my Desert Hairy goes dormant, stays under ground and doesn't eat.

What part of the country do you live in?

Hey, thanks for the response!

Ill give the other methods a shot if i get my scorp soon!

Im in minnesota (minnesnowta)