Scorpions make up approximately one-thousand-five-hundred species scurrying about on the planet. For the most part they live in a variety of habitats including rain forests, woodlands, desserts, grassland and amongst many other regions. Most prefer warmer tropical climates. They prey upon a wide-variety of animals and insects and all have the ability to sting. Even though a sting can hurt, very few scorpions are dangerous to humans.

Most enthusiasts refer to the Emperor Scorpion, interchangeably, as the Imperial Scorpion and vice versa. In general, the public has been afraid of this type of scorpion for a very long time, but enthusiast are quickly changing that perception. Not only does the perception of the venom bother most people, it is also appears that the size does too.

There is a positive side here and that is the venom they produce isn’t nearly as potent as most people believe. The sting though, in the unlikely even that you should ever experience one, will be a rather unpleasant and painful experience.

Female scorpions typically reach about eight inches long and the male of the species, about six inches long. They have a very attractive, shiny, dark color. Under an ultra-violet light, they will appear a greenish color.

Your scorpions habitat will play a key role in your scorpions appearance. Scorpions, in their younger years, will be white in color which leads a lot people into believing that they are of a different breed of scorpion, particularly in their younger years.

You will also notice the obvious which are pinchers that are wider than other species. They also have a larger abdomen and a tail that is quite long. They are considered to be spooky looking to many people.

Scorpions in the wild eat invertebrates such as insects, arthropods and small lizards. In captivity, they seem to do fine with a diet primarily of crickets, supplemented with other insects such as mealworms and moths. Fully grown scorpions require anywhere from three to six crickets, on a weekly basis to maintain a proper diet. If you purchase crickets from a local pet store, they should have been feed a nutritious diet so that the nutritional value is passed on to the scorpions, and the cricket can be dusted with a quality reptile vitamin/mineral supplement every few feedings. Be sure to feed at night to replicate the conditions under which scorpions would naturally feed.

Keeping a proper environment for your scorpion is the most challenging part of keeping one as a pet. A proper balance of heat and humidity is vital in preventing problems and Petware House can help you choose proper hardware, for your environment. Scorpions can be kept in small groups or on its own. However, with keeping a group, be sure to use a tank that will can accommodate enough personal space for each pet. If you notice any signs of aggression between scorpions, it will be best separate them into individual tanks.

When implanting your own habitat design keep in mind that Emperors are native to Africa and live in a humid warm environment, and that all scorpions are nocturnal.

Your Glass aquarium tank should have a tight fitting, secure lid. A ten gallon tank is more than sufficient for one scorpion, but a larger tank will be necessary for groups. If you give them too much space, on the other hand, it will be difficult for them to catch their prey in a large tank.

You will need a quality substrate for your scorpion of which we carry a number of options such as soil, peat or vermiculite. No matter what you choose, it should be about three to six inches deep to allow your pet scorpion to dig burrow’s. Bark, flat stones, broken ceramic flower pots are ideal for this purpose. To help retain moisture, provide pieces of sphagnum moss on top of the substrate. You may find that your pet scorpion may move items around in its enclosure. We suggest leaving the items as you find them as rearranging them will cause your scorpion to become stressed out.

Be sure to maintain a daily misting of your habitat which will help ensure humidity. Your substrate should be kept damp, but not wet. If there is mold on the substrate or condensation on the walls of the tank, it’s because humidity levels are too high. Scale back on misting a little for a few days and mist less frequently

As with all things amphibian, a temperature gradient should be provided. The ideal range for the Tarantula is seventy to ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature gradients are important to allow the scorpion to self-regulate their body heat as required. Petware House carries a number of solutions for this purposes, and we recommend using a heating mat designed for use under the reptile tank. Don’t hesitate to visit us in store or contact us if you should have any questions.

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Be sure to change your scorpion water on a daily basis. The water must be chlorine-free and it must always be available. Place it on the cool side of the gradient, in your pet’s enclosure. We suggest using bottled drinking water or bottled natural spring water as tap water typically has chlorine. Most home water treatment systems will not fully remove one hundred percent of the chlorine and heavy metals from tap water. If tap water must be used, ensure that it is treated with a de-chlorinating solution which can be picked up here at Petware House. Distilled water may cause severe medical problems for your since it lacks many of the essential minerals that are essential to their wellbeing.

Your pet tarantula will require a steady diet combined with calcium and vitamin supplements. As a general rule, pregnant/gravid and growing juveniles will require more of these supplements than a grown adult. Many enthusiasts and veterinarians recommend dusting with a high quality calcium supplement with vitamins D3, one or two times per week. If your unsure, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for advice or consulting with your veterinarian for specific instructions on supplementing your pets food, since many variables to go into determining the best supplement.

The leading cause of death amongst Emperor Scorpions, unfortunately, is caused by the molting of the outer exoskeleton. A new skin forms under the old and when the new skin has formed, the old exoskeleton is shed off and the new skin revealed. During this time and until the skin hardens your scorpion is very vulnerable to injury. As a result, it’s important that the enclosures humidity levels remain ideal, your scorpion can lose legs and claws during the molting process and death may occur because of this.

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