could this also apply to scorpions????

i would be geting them as a no touch sort of pet. i would never touch them with bare hands. but a good idea, start with one and get a few more down the road. my concern isnt my intrest in caring for the animal, it's more in my ability to care for the animal, and i was hoping that these animals would be "low" on the scale of dificulty. so they live in temps similar to bp's? if that is the case it should not be to hard to make an enviroment.

That some great info Rusty! Thx for the post!

No problem.

Kontron Emporers are an easy scorp to care for, I don't think you should have any problems, they can be quite entertaining to study.
Rusty

yeah those are mainly the kind i see around the local stores.. they look nice. i like how sometimes they have a geenish tint to their shells. i need to do some more reading for now.

Kontron,

Emps are very easy to take care of. They're very large, relatively docile and harmless scorpions which are also very strong animals. Just let them grab hold of a pair of tongs and you'll see what I mean. Their claws can give a mean pinch (first hand experience).

Keep them hot, keep them humid. I use a ceramic heater and I have a piece of lucite to keep in the humidity and heat. Try to maintain a temperature of 80-85 degrees F and 75-80% humidity. Temps can go down at night, but don't let them get below 70. A water dish will help with humidity but is not necessary. Daily misting works best. As far as substrates, peat moss and the commercial coconut bedding (eco-earth) work best. The substrate should be as deep as the length of your scorp, since they love to burrow. Watching them build tunnels is one of the most fascinating things about these animals.

You absolutely can keep them in groups, they are one of the few truly communal species of scorpions. In the wild they live in family groups in abandoned termite mounds. Be sure that they are similar sized though, because the big ones will kill and eat their smaller cousins. You can keep 2-3 adult emperors in a 10 gallon tank, just make sure there's enough places for everyone to find a hiding spot, because they will fight over that.

I don't recommend handling them, but I know plenty of people who do. Their stings aren't too bad from what I've read but I really don't want to find out. They are pretty reluctant to sting for the most part, babies will actually sting more often than adults. I've actually heard of people who hold their emperors in their one hand and feed them crickets with their other hand!!! I leave my emp in her tank and feed her off of forceps. She takes the cricket right off of the tongs.

I feed mine crickets with the occasional super worm thrown in. They will eat anything they can overpower (the stinger is only for defense) so you can give them small lizards (anoles, house geckos) and pinkies. Super worms should be pinched and presented to the scorp so they can't escape and burrow. If that does happen the scorp will happily eat beetles after the worms morph.

It's very common to get pregnant females from stores, so be prepared. Other scorpions will attack the babies, and moms get very defensive so it's best to separate them. Most people at pet stores will have no clue how to sex scorpions, but it's pretty easy. On their underside near the last pair of legs there are two structures that look like combs. These are called pectines. Males will have considerably longer pectinal teeth than females.

Good luck if you decide to get into Emperors, I hope this helps!!

http://tristan.smith.home.insightbb....4/P1010022.JPG

Emperors glowing under a blacklight.


They're really calm, I play with them a few times a week. Been stung once, didn't hurt at all. I didn't have to go to the hospital or get any shots.