Emperor scorpions moving to the cold side of the tank?

I have five emperor scorpions that hang out in a large tank. I have a red heat lamp at one end, and normally, when it gets cold like it is now, they hang out at that end to stay warm (it stays about 80 degrees). For some reason, one of them decided to go to the cold side (about 60 degrees). I gave it some time to go back to the warm side of it's own accord, but when it was still there an hour later I moved it back over to the warm side. About a week later it died. Now three more have moved over to the cold side. I thought about moving them back to the warm side, but if they're sick or something I don't want to risk the last scorpion getting ill. It didn't seem to help the first one much anyway. Anyone know what this could be and how I can help the three that are in the cold spot now?

You need to raise the temp in the whole tank. 85-90 degrees at least. 68-75 at night.

---------- Post added 01-26-2015 at 04:21 PM ----------

Also what is your humidity like?

I find that heat lamps and invertebrates don't mix well since invertebrates can't thermoregulate in the same manner as the reptiles those bulbs are intended for. I would place the emperors in a smaller setup such as the one described in the emperor caresheet on this forum. Notice how heat lamps are not recommended in this set up as the tank is almost sealed to retain humidity and the heat emanates from a heat pad placed on the side of the tank which will do a much better tank heating the entire tank more evenly so long as there is no excessive ventilation. Place them in this set up and then see how they behave. It is possible that they are not sick just suffering from some improper husbandry on your part.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?11336-Basic-emperor-scorpion-(P.-imperator)-care.

In any given colony, not all of them will hang out together all the time. It's been my observation that adult and subadult males will segregate themselves from the females and juveniles. I've had adult females kill over zealous adult males. What age/size are they and how long have you had them? How much and what type of substrate do they have to burrow in? How big is the tank? What type of top and how much ventilation? Humidity, or lack thereof could be a factor. More info and pics of your set up may help us help you.

I have low wattage red lamps on my emperor tanks, but I also have a huge percentage of the screen top sealed off with plastic wrap to maintain humidity.

Rowdy Hotel said:

I find that heat lamps and invertebrates don't mix well since invertebrates can't thermoregulate in the same manner as the reptiles those bulbs are intended for. I would place the emperors in a smaller setup such as the one described in the emperor caresheet on this forum. Notice how heat lamps are not recommended in this set up as the tank is almost sealed to retain humidity and the heat emanates from a heat pad placed on the side of the tank which will do a much better tank heating the entire tank more evenly so long as there is no excessive ventilation. Place them in this set up and then see how they behave. It is possible that they are not sick just suffering from some improper husbandry on your part.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?11336-Basic-emperor-scorpion-(P.-imperator)-care.

Click to expand...

Heat lamps aren't recommended? Notice how that 'caresheet' says "Do something to heat the enclosure on one side to above 90F. You can use a lamp, or a heat pad stuck to the side of the aquarium." Red heat lamps are fine if used properly, and are actually better at heating an enclosure in a natural way than a heat pad slapped on the side is.

Like Formerphobe said, more information on the OP's setup would help posters provide better answers.

I must be using heat lamps improperly then. I struggled to keep the humidity and temperatures high enough or even enough when I used heat lamps for my emperors and decided to ditch them and use the heatpad on the side instead with less ventilation. I noticed they became less active and stayed in the same place more than before which I interpreted as being more comfortable with their surroundings and less stressed.

He's too cool, that's why.

In all seriousness, could you post a picture of your set up? We'll be able to help you better that way. I use heat lamps for my scorpions and it's better than heat pads, I find. It heats up the entire area, so I can also keep some of my T's around. If I put my hand in the tank, I can literally feel the humidity. If I turn off my heat lamp, you can see the tank getting foggy because of the difference of temperature within the tank compared to the outside.
To save on hydro, I'll also rely on my heater and/or the furnace to heat up the overall temperature in the room. I can adjust the flow of heat by covering up parts of the vents, or putting my heater on low. Think about it this way, in the wild scorpions don't have "hot and cold" sides of their habitat. They have day time heat, and night time cold. Of course, I ensure it doesn't get too hot or too cold in the room. Keep the heat around 80-90F during the day (25-32C) and about 60-70F (15-20C) at night.
Also make sure you got a ton of substrate in so they can burrow.