Care Sheet for ScorpionsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 0 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 03/27/2009 |
Main Category: | Non-Reptile/Amphibian |
Sub Category: | Scorpions |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Dualll |
Years Experience: | Under 1 Year |
Species: | Emperor Scorpion |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Pandinus Imperator
Heterometrus Sp. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Emperors can be sexed by their pectines, which are feathery looking attachments under the scorpion. The males will have longer and more visible pectines while the females’ are smaller. Male have also been known to be more territorial and aggressive. Females can be kept better communally than males. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | For substrate, the best choices would be coconut fiber or peat moss. Do not use sand or wood chips, these are horrible for holding humidity. Coconut fiber and peat moss can keep humidity levels high and also allow the scorpion to burrow. I personally choose the coconut fiber because it is a clean substrate and looks nice as well. It is not necessary to clean the substrate often, and around once every 1-3 months is fine. For water, have a shallow water dish and change or add water daily if necessary. Make sure to add rocks or a tree branch in the water dish to help the scorpion climb out of the dish to avoid drowning. |
Lighting and UVB: | UV lights will harm the scorpion, causing stress and ultimately death. The best thing to do is keep it out of direct sunlight and any type of UV lighting. Infrared lights are fine, as they cannot see red light and are not disturbed by it. Black lights without UV rays are fine as well. Black lights make the scorpion "glow" and can be a useful tool when hunting or finding lost scorpions in your home in the dark. However, it is not advised to use black lights on scorpions for long periods of time. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Temperatures can range from 75-80 degrees F. The cooler side can be 75-80F and the warmer can be 80-85F. Heating sources can be heating pads placed on the side of the tank (do not place it underneath as the scorpions will burrow and cook themselves) and ceramic heat emitters which are great heating sources but also dry out the tank quickly. Therefore, if ceramic heat emitters are your choice, make sure to keep humidity levels high in the tank by making a false bottom setup or dumping water on one side of the tank. False bottom setups retain humidity fairly well and for long periods of time. However, simply dumping water onto one side of the substrate (without overflowing it) is fine also. Humidity levels should be around 80-90 for best conditions. During molting, 90% humidity is best, so they scorpion can have the best molting conditions so no damages are done. |
Heating and Equipment: | As stated above, heat mats are fine, but do not place it on the bottom of the tank, place it on the side. Ceramic heat emitters do wonders and will maintain temperatures well. |
Caging Provided: | For one scorpion, a 5 gallon tank will suffice. You can use plastic containers or glass containers. It is good to know that for every scorpion, 5 gallons is required. They should not be in an overly large tank as they will have trouble finding their prey. However, if using a plastic container, make sure it can withstand the heat pad from melting it. Heat pads do best with glass. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Emperors will eat about every insect and arachnid to mice. Crickets tend to be the easiest diet though. Meal worms are also a good choice, but do not overfeed them as meal worms contain a lot of fat and will definitely make your scorpion plump. For crickets, feed the young ones once a day while the larger ones 2-3 times a week. Emperors do not eat a lot. Every now and then, a meal worm or "pinky" would be a good treat. If you want to catch wild prey for them, make sure they are not contaminated with pesticides or parasites. To avoid this altogether, just go buy crickets at your local pet shop. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | It is not necessary, but if you wish to, you can dust the crickets with calcium and feed them to the scorpion. |
Maintenance: | Emperors are fairly easy to take care of. They do not require a lot of maintenance and do not eat a lot either. To ensure a healthy scorpion, make sure the temperature is around 75-80 degrees F and definitely make sure humidity is around 80-90. Humidity affects their breathing and is vital to their survival. |
Some Words on this Species: | This special is quite docile, but some may be aggressive. They can be kept communally and are easy pets to keep. Although it is not recommended to handle them, they can be handled. Simply make your hand to be a flat surface and let them crawl on it. However, if they show signs of aggression, do not attempt this. Emperors are impressive scorpions and can grow up to 8+ inches, the average being about 6 inches. |
How Members Rated
This Care Sheet | Rate This Care Sheet
Please keep all comments constructive to Emperor Scorpion husbandry methods and care. Any degrading, sarcastic, or disrespectful comments will be removed. |
Total Members Rating: 0
| 1 |  ( 0 ) |
| 2 |  ( 0 ) |
| 3 | ( 0 ) |
| 4 | ( 0 ) |
| 5 | ( 0 ) |
|
|
