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HairyCelt Dualll HairyCelt Scorpionsrule7 HairyCelt Scorpionsrule7 Dualll Scorpionsrule7 Scorpionsrule7 |
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HairyCelt View Profile |
Emperor Newbie
After 35 years(!) I’ve finally managed to get my first Emperor scorps - a sexed pair. Unfortunately the male was sluggish on receipt which I put down to general torpor due to lack of heat during transportation. Unfortunately he didn’t really recover and died a few nights later. My supplier thinks he may have been killed by the female as they are often gravid and as such less tolerant of other members of the species. Initially the female exhibited some degree of stress but has since settled down - we very rarely see her, but often hear scratching and burrowing through the substrate. Obviously a good sign. She’s housed in a 24x12x12" converted aquarium with tight-fitting Clear Seal viv lid. She’s got about 4" of sterile burrowing compost, mixed with about 40% coconut chips to help retain water and avoid compaction. This substrate was dampened before adding to the tank. Four pieces of halved drainpipe have been placed at a 45 degree angle into the substrate to encourage burrowing. I tried 2 heat-mats which were almost useless and have now been supplemented with a 40W ceramic heat emitter, all going through a stat set to 80F in the middle of the tank. This is giving a temp gradient of approximately 85F>75F. My problem is maintaining a decent humidity - despite quite heave spraying 4 times a day (a total of about 0.75Ltr) I can only rarely get the humidity above 50%. The substrate is damp, not wet. I don’t really want to close off any ventillation for fear of mould or other fungi affecting the substrate and possibly the animal. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated. Also, has anyone had any experience with solifugids? Cheers all, Hairy |
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| 02/01/10 02:23pm |
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Dualll View Profile |
Message To: HairyCelt In reference to Message Id: 2119379 Emperor Newbie
For the humidity I simply dump water onto the substrate and make sure all of it is dampened. If it’s moist and not wet to the touch, it should be fine. The problem w/ hygrometers is they often don’t give an accurate reading. Another factor to consider is that the scorpion will burrow into the substrate and thus increase the humidity when needed. |
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| 02/01/10 05:05pm |
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HairyCelt View Profile |
Message To: Dualll In reference to Message Id: 2119436 Emperor Newbie
I’m sure I’ll be back for more help in the future while I find my feet!! Thanks again, Dave |
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| 02/02/10 01:48pm |
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Scorpionsrule7 View Profile |
Message To: HairyCelt In reference to Message Id: 2119379
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| 02/02/10 07:35pm |
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HairyCelt View Profile |
Message To: Scorpionsrule7 In reference to Message Id: 2119807 Emperor Newbie
Don’t really care about the cash - it was only £12 - just hate the fact that he died in my care!! I was worried he may have dehydrated due to the low humidity, but Dual’s put my mind at rest about that one. (That and the fact that the females so sodding happy all we see of her is her claws catpulting substrate out of one of her burrows!!). If it weren’t for that (and the disappearance of a black cricket or three overnight) you’d swear we were keeping environmentally controlled soil in a 2’ tank... Hey-Ho |
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| 02/03/10 02:23pm |
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Scorpionsrule7 View Profile |
Message To: HairyCelt In reference to Message Id: 2120076 Emperor Newbie
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| 02/03/10 06:03pm |
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Dualll View Profile |
Message To: Scorpionsrule7 In reference to Message Id: 2120149 Emperor Newbie
To scorpionsrule7: I’ve read that crickets can harm the scorpion after a molt when their bodies are soft. I haven’t heard of anyone reporting that it has happened to their scorpion though. However, I still wouldn’t pull a pet store move and let 20 crickets run around my scorpion tank either. They will also probably lay a bunch of eggs and you will have to deal with a bunch of tiny crickets in your enclosure. I suggest putting in 1 or 2 crickets every feeding time (unless you feed w/ tongs) and remove them the next day if they’re not eaten. Be careful w/ the female crickets, they’ll lay eggs the first chance they get and they usually succeed lol. Sometimes I’ll just use my fingers to twist the black rods they have to try to stop this. |
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| 02/04/10 02:46am |
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Scorpionsrule7 View Profile |
Message To: Dualll In reference to Message Id: 2120269 Emperor Newbie
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| 02/04/10 09:13pm |
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Scorpionsrule7 View Profile |
Message To: Dualll In reference to Message Id: 2120269
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| 02/04/10 09:17pm |
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Emperor Newbie
Emperor Newbie