First time owner of Emperor Scorpion worried pet store advice was incorrect

Fergrim

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
May 20, 2004
Messages
811
Okay, I just bought what seems to be a young male emperor scorpion from a pet store near me. And as all too often seems to be the case, I think they gave me some incorrect advice.

Here is my current setup for it, and I'd appreciate any information you guys could give to insure Jules lives a long and healthy life.

He's about 2 inches long right now..

1) They told me to feed it one cricket a week, and that any more would be over feeding it. Is this true?

2) They never recommended any heat source, and I read on here that 75 degrees or more is fine for them... In that case, the inside of my house is always heated to at least 75 degrees do I need any more?

3) They gave me reptibark to cover the bottom of the terrarium and advised I put in about 2 inches

4) They gave no recommendations on humidity.. but I assume I should give it a light misting with a water bottle occasionally?

Inside it's home is a shallow water dish, with a sponge inside (they told me to put it there, should I take it out?) and a small treetrunk kinda hidey hole thing.

Now any advice would be greatly appreciated as I would hate to cause this creature any undue suffering or unhappiness :/

I'm mainly interested in knowing what I'm doing wrong immediately and critically to insure Jules gets to live to a ripe old age.

(Edit: There is actually about an inch of the reptibark on the bottom now and since I've brought him in, it seems he hasn't moved much at all.. but I guess maybe he's just stressed from the move?)

(Edit2: Also, my AIM name is Godorstud and my msn is fergrimnightbreed@hotmail.com anyone who'd like to message me to talk and maybe help insure the poor little guy doesn't die prematurely should definitely do so :))
 

skinheaddave

SkorpionSkin
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 15, 2002
Messages
4,341
Check out the "Frequently Asked Questions" thread at the top of this forum. Then use the search function to search for P.imperator and other relevant search terms. There is nothing you have asked that hasn't been covered here time and time again.

Cheers,
Dave
 

Fergrim

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
May 20, 2004
Messages
811
Well, I read this portion

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=11336

But I think I didn't get my point across correctly. What I was trying to say is that...those the conditions I currently have, and I used all of my funds to create them. I can't spend any more money until maybe two weeks from now unless it's absolutely necessary.

Will the current conditions I have going for him now kill him within that time? From my description is there anything that must be fixed immediately, and if so what is that?

Nowhere in the faq does it say whether or not the reptibark with misting is adequate and nowhere does it say whether or not keeping it at a little lower than 80 degrees is adequate.

The feeding info was helpful, though.

Do I make more sense now? Help is greatly appreciated. Thanks..

And yeah, my current plan is to move him to a bigger tank.. he's currently in a smaller sized terrarium thing that should be fine for his size.. and I'm going to change him over to a glass ten gallon..and definitely get some peat, or something easier for him to dig in than bark.. and a heat pad I guess would complete the equation. I just hope the lack of an intense heat source won't kill him before I can afford to buy one.
 
Last edited:

Tim R.

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 4, 2003
Messages
438
Ditch the sponge and throw in some gravel instead.
 

G. Carnell

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 27, 2003
Messages
3,611
Christ, its really not that hard, just give it PEAT or EARTH, about 10cm deep, keep the humidity HIGH (80-90%) and keep the temp HIGH (25-30 C)

thats all you have to do, whether you go about it in different ways is up to you, i used a reptibark kindathing for my first emps, and eventually changed to peat, which they definately prefered.
go to google.com, and type in "emperor scorpion care" and your done.

if its a subadult, then keep the humidity higher than normal, and dont feed it when it gets very fat, and keep an eye on it at all times,

anyways, good luck, emps are wicked {D
 

anaconda19

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
119
get rid of the sponge from the water bowl, it just helps to aid bacteria growth, plus emps like to bathe and wont drown if the water is only as deep as its body, ensure a way to get out is present tho. the substrate bark is fine, but some coir coco firbe soil would be preferable to allow it to dig, mine loves to dig in its soil, they make tunnels and explore, but this isnt important so just get diff substrate in the future when u clean its cage out in 6mnths or a yr. you can feed it twice a week one or two crickets. if your house is that temp thats fine, maybe just suplement heating if house gets cold in winter... good luck :)
 

Rosenkreuz

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 18, 2007
Messages
252
but this isnt important so just get diff substrate in the future when u clean its cage out in 6mnths or a yr
I wouldn't wait 6 months to a year to get it of the bark.

When you have the money, buy some peat or coir, and make sure you buy enough to give it about 6 inches of depth. They love to burrow, and will do much better when they can.

Make sure the humity is high (you can place something on top of the tank to keep the humidity up), and while 75 degrees is okay, they prefer it in the 80's... a heatmat won't make much of a difference. If you can afford an infrared bulb, or a ceramic heat emitter, that would be most ideal.
 

John Bokma

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 31, 2005
Messages
486
For housing see: http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2008/03/20/pandinus-imperator-terrarium.html

For temperatures: the temperature in my house is between 25C-30C those months (more in the high 20's most of the time). I use a piece of glass with a 3mm hole drilled in the top to cover the thank. If I close it, the heat and moisture builds up. If I slide it open, the heat and moisture drops. IMO it's a great way to control humidity and temperature.

And again: do your research before you buy. What's with those people, they are as bad as pet shops...
 

~Abyss~

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 28, 2006
Messages
2,980
Wow Almost 4 Years Old!!!! This Thread Is Old!!!! Stop Posting!!!!
 

mushiking

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 5, 2008
Messages
109
You should feed it 2-3 times a week I think. And you're suppose to keep the humidity high.
 

crpy

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
2,567
ahhhhh, mommy I want to go home now:wall:
 

Warren Bautista

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 5, 2008
Messages
1,405
ENOUGH! I think the thread poster would know by now how to keep an emp! If I were a mod I would close this thread!:mad: :evil: :mad: :evil:
 
Top