08-24-2009, 07:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-24-2009, 07:48 PM by Nomad25055.)
Greetings!
Sorry for the delay, my mobile does not like the creation of large bodies of text so all previous attempts at posting this have failed:(. At any rate here is a picture of one of my ladies relaxing. Sorry about the quality of the picture, my mobile likes to resize pictures to send them. And on that note ladies and gentlmen, get comfortable, this may be the longest post I have ever posted in the lounge:).
Pandinus imperator, more commonly known as the Emperor scorpion, is a tropical species which hails from Africa (Ghana I believe). They are one of the largest if not the largest species of scorpion known to man, easily obtaining lengths of 6-8 inches or more. Emperors are a docile species of scorpion and rarely sting anything, not even their prey. They prefer to use their pedipalps (pincers) for hunting and defense, although if you ever get pinched you may wish you had been stung as they are capable of crushing a pencil in half. Their venom is fairly mild, and in most cases the sting of the Emperor has been compared to a bee sting. These traits combined with the low maintenance encountered with many species of scorpions, have made Pandinus imperator the golden standard for beginers and popular in the trade overall. Note that the popularity of this species led to them being placed on the CITES II list as threatened. The capture rates of this species have dropped and the prices have gone up as a result. This means that most specimens you find are captive bred. Which is as it should be with any exotic animal in my opinion.
As Emperor scorpions are a tropical species with burrowing tendencies you will need several things to care for them. The first being a suitable enclosure. The general rule on this is 5 gallons per scorpion minimum. So for two Emperors you will want at least a 10 gallon tank. I am a fan of large enclosures so I would say use a ten gallon for just one specimen and add five gallons for each addition. Next, you will want a suitable substrate (bedding, floor, etc.). Coco fiber is the best choice as it holds moisture well and can support burrowing activity. If possible set your tank up ahead of time with a minimum of 4 to 6 inches of eco earth (coco fiber found in pet stores) and dump pure water (NO TAP WATER) in the enclosure. Use enough water to soak all the material, by all means make a swamp in there. Now, give it time to dry out before adding your scorpions! This will allow the material to settle in such a way that it will support burrowing activity. Be sure to rehydrate the material, they like high humidity. You should keep the humidity at 75% to 90% for this species. Don't mist the enclosure, this does very little for them. Instead dump water in there to ensure all the substrate gets moisture. You should be able to take a small handful of substrate and squeeze water droplets out of it. Be sure to have a water dish in the tank. It should be large enough for the scorpions to fit in but not deep enough for them to drown in.
Now you will need a couple of places for these guys to hide. The rule of wrist here:rolleyes:is to have more hiding places than you do scorpions. Those reptile logs you see in stores work just fine, but a more popular choice is cork bark as you can easily break that up however you want. You should partially bury your hides as it encourages burrowing, which is a healthy activity for these guys. Don't be worried if they spend most of their time hiding, these guys are often called "pet holes". If they are happy they will spend most of their time hiding. Next, you will want to add a heat source. There are three choices here, under tank heaters, infrared heat bulbs, and ceramic heat emitters. If you go with an under tank heater, do NOT place it under the tank, place it on the side of the tank. You can accidently cook your scorpions with it underneath. They dig down remember? Infrared bulbs work good, but they evaporate the moisture faster plus they give off light. All scorpions are nocturnal and do not exactly love the light. This choice also has greater power consumption. The final choice here would be the ceramic heat emitter. They use more power than a UTH but they do not produce light which is a bonus, however they evaporate the moisture quickly and may be prohibitively expensive for you. No matter your choice of heat source you should keep your temperatures at 75 to 85 degrees. During the day 80 degrees (F not C people hehe) would be about perfect, alowing for deactivation of the heat source at night depending on your rooms ambient temperature. My room stays at about 72f so I just turn of my heater at night and my ladies seem to like this just fine.
You will know if you have it to hot for them, as they will run about acting funny and trying to "sting" themselves. If this happens do not panic, just cut the heat and try to adjust the temperature. You will know when it is too cold when their movements seem sluggish.
Feeding. You should feed your scorpions once every seven to ten days. What do I feed them? Well that's easy, you feed them insects of course! The bulk of your scorpions diet should consist of feeder crickets and or roaches. You can feed them the occasional meal worm or wax worm, and even a super worm. Try to stay away from the worms though, they are high on fat and aren't very nutritional but are ok for a treat. Depending on the size of you Emperors, you should feed them one to two crickets/roaches every week to ten days depending on the size of the prey items. Do not worry if they don't eat! They can go for several months without eating, especially the males. If you find prey items have not been eaten simply remove them and try again in a day or two. It's a good idea to tidy up after your scorpions as they can leave uneaten parts laying about. If your good about cleaning up after them you never really have to change out your substrate and clean the tank.
Well, I guess that about covers it. I will be happy to answer any questions and correct any mistakes.
-Nomad
P.S. The tab key does not seem to work on this keyboard and using space bar doens't seem to do anything for the final appearance. Sorry folks.
Sorry for the delay, my mobile does not like the creation of large bodies of text so all previous attempts at posting this have failed:(. At any rate here is a picture of one of my ladies relaxing. Sorry about the quality of the picture, my mobile likes to resize pictures to send them. And on that note ladies and gentlmen, get comfortable, this may be the longest post I have ever posted in the lounge:).
Scorpions and you. My guide to the care of Pandinus imperator.
SCORPIONS ARE NOT PETS. HANDLE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
SCORPIONS ARE NOT PETS. HANDLE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Pandinus imperator, more commonly known as the Emperor scorpion, is a tropical species which hails from Africa (Ghana I believe). They are one of the largest if not the largest species of scorpion known to man, easily obtaining lengths of 6-8 inches or more. Emperors are a docile species of scorpion and rarely sting anything, not even their prey. They prefer to use their pedipalps (pincers) for hunting and defense, although if you ever get pinched you may wish you had been stung as they are capable of crushing a pencil in half. Their venom is fairly mild, and in most cases the sting of the Emperor has been compared to a bee sting. These traits combined with the low maintenance encountered with many species of scorpions, have made Pandinus imperator the golden standard for beginers and popular in the trade overall. Note that the popularity of this species led to them being placed on the CITES II list as threatened. The capture rates of this species have dropped and the prices have gone up as a result. This means that most specimens you find are captive bred. Which is as it should be with any exotic animal in my opinion.
As Emperor scorpions are a tropical species with burrowing tendencies you will need several things to care for them. The first being a suitable enclosure. The general rule on this is 5 gallons per scorpion minimum. So for two Emperors you will want at least a 10 gallon tank. I am a fan of large enclosures so I would say use a ten gallon for just one specimen and add five gallons for each addition. Next, you will want a suitable substrate (bedding, floor, etc.). Coco fiber is the best choice as it holds moisture well and can support burrowing activity. If possible set your tank up ahead of time with a minimum of 4 to 6 inches of eco earth (coco fiber found in pet stores) and dump pure water (NO TAP WATER) in the enclosure. Use enough water to soak all the material, by all means make a swamp in there. Now, give it time to dry out before adding your scorpions! This will allow the material to settle in such a way that it will support burrowing activity. Be sure to rehydrate the material, they like high humidity. You should keep the humidity at 75% to 90% for this species. Don't mist the enclosure, this does very little for them. Instead dump water in there to ensure all the substrate gets moisture. You should be able to take a small handful of substrate and squeeze water droplets out of it. Be sure to have a water dish in the tank. It should be large enough for the scorpions to fit in but not deep enough for them to drown in.
Now you will need a couple of places for these guys to hide. The rule of wrist here:rolleyes:is to have more hiding places than you do scorpions. Those reptile logs you see in stores work just fine, but a more popular choice is cork bark as you can easily break that up however you want. You should partially bury your hides as it encourages burrowing, which is a healthy activity for these guys. Don't be worried if they spend most of their time hiding, these guys are often called "pet holes". If they are happy they will spend most of their time hiding. Next, you will want to add a heat source. There are three choices here, under tank heaters, infrared heat bulbs, and ceramic heat emitters. If you go with an under tank heater, do NOT place it under the tank, place it on the side of the tank. You can accidently cook your scorpions with it underneath. They dig down remember? Infrared bulbs work good, but they evaporate the moisture faster plus they give off light. All scorpions are nocturnal and do not exactly love the light. This choice also has greater power consumption. The final choice here would be the ceramic heat emitter. They use more power than a UTH but they do not produce light which is a bonus, however they evaporate the moisture quickly and may be prohibitively expensive for you. No matter your choice of heat source you should keep your temperatures at 75 to 85 degrees. During the day 80 degrees (F not C people hehe) would be about perfect, alowing for deactivation of the heat source at night depending on your rooms ambient temperature. My room stays at about 72f so I just turn of my heater at night and my ladies seem to like this just fine.
You will know if you have it to hot for them, as they will run about acting funny and trying to "sting" themselves. If this happens do not panic, just cut the heat and try to adjust the temperature. You will know when it is too cold when their movements seem sluggish.
Feeding. You should feed your scorpions once every seven to ten days. What do I feed them? Well that's easy, you feed them insects of course! The bulk of your scorpions diet should consist of feeder crickets and or roaches. You can feed them the occasional meal worm or wax worm, and even a super worm. Try to stay away from the worms though, they are high on fat and aren't very nutritional but are ok for a treat. Depending on the size of you Emperors, you should feed them one to two crickets/roaches every week to ten days depending on the size of the prey items. Do not worry if they don't eat! They can go for several months without eating, especially the males. If you find prey items have not been eaten simply remove them and try again in a day or two. It's a good idea to tidy up after your scorpions as they can leave uneaten parts laying about. If your good about cleaning up after them you never really have to change out your substrate and clean the tank.
Well, I guess that about covers it. I will be happy to answer any questions and correct any mistakes.
-Nomad
P.S. The tab key does not seem to work on this keyboard and using space bar doens't seem to do anything for the final appearance. Sorry folks.
R.I.P. Pete! I can't believe you're gone. 