Not sure if this should be here or in hots but...

[Chaossoldier11]

I'm getting a scorpion! An emperor scorpion to be more exact. I've done my research and I've got it all planned out. But I was wondering if anybody had any comments or advice for me as a beginner scorp owner.

[Hulihzack]

They're super easy to keep and great for beginners. If you've done some research you should be just fine.

[Chaossoldier11]

One thing that I saw a lot of different advice on depending on where I looked was whether or not you can/should handle them. What do people think about that?

[Chaossoldier11]

also what do people recommend for substrate/bedding? that's another thing I saw a variety of answers about. so what have people personally had the best luck with?

(sorry for double posting)

[Boanerges]

Best substrate imo is a deep substrate of bead a beast Heat mat NOT on the bottom of the tank. They like to burrow down to get away from the heat so a heat mat on the bottom of the tank isn't a good idea. Make sure you have their tank nice and humid. A lot of people use false bottom set ups. This can sometimes be tricky to keep the humidity up and not get mold. You just have to keep a close eye on everything. If you give them a big shallow water dish they WILL use it to bathe in. Just make sure it is not too deep for them to drown in and that they can get in and out eaisly. Now, do I personally recommend people to handle their emps-No, ESPECIALLY if you are allergic to bee stings. Do I handle mine-Yes. If you choose to handle them the best way to do it imo is to get them in a deli cup and let them crawl out onto your hand. You can (and I have) tail them and put them in your hand. You just pick them up by the tail and put them in your hand. IMO this isn't as comfortable for the scorpion and they have usually always freaked out on me when I did it and was extremely skiddish in my hand. I never hand a problem with the deli cup method unless they were extremely aggressive in the first place. These are all just my personal opinions

[Chaossoldier11]

Wow, thanks a lot!

Is there any easy and safe way to get them out of their burrows?

[Boanerges]

Wow, thanks a lot!

Is there any easy and safe way to get them out of their burrows?

IMO there is really no easy way to get them out. And when you force them out they are usually aggitated. What I did and your best bet imo is to wait until they are out and about if you need to move them for some reason.

This was a very gravid female who always had a bit of an attitude:

And her with the babies:


Sorry for the crappy pics...

[Chaossoldier11]

Once again, thanks a lot.

And the pics are great, that's a beautiful girl you have there.

One question though, and probably a stupid one, what's IMO? (I'm completely blanking)

[Chaossoldier11]

First of, sorry for double posting but it's not letting me edit my own posts for some reason...

Or if you think that a baby would be a good idea you can argue for that too.

Also keep the general advice and info coming people, so far it's been great.

Thanks in advance!

[Chaossoldier11]

First of, sorry for double posting but it's not letting me edit my own posts for some reason...

Or if you think that a baby would be a good idea you can argue for that too.

Also keep the general advice and info coming people, so far it's been great.

Thanks in advance!

I apologize for the wording and the stuff about sales and stuff. I was just tipped off (thanks) that that's a no-no. my bad. So once again I apologize I would just fix it out right but like I said I can't edit my own posts... Sorry.