My New Baby!

[TheRedDragon]

As promised, here's pics of my little Emperor, Diablo. I got him/her a few months ago, and he/she has settled in quite well.

http://www.angelfire.com/myband/slaughter/snakes/Diablo01.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/myband/slaughter/snakes/Diablo02.jpg

Thanks for looking! :)

[Dani33]

Congrats!!!! What a cutie. I just got a fat little girl a couple of weeks ago. They are awesome.

[JeffT]

Very cool, I just love the little scorps, I should post some pics of mine soon.

[CDN-Cresties]

Nice scorp. I dont know jack about scorps but I would like to know what their diet consists of?
Thanks

-Steve-

[Dani33]

My girl has a preference for super worms. I've tried crix but, she won't take em.

[skinheaddave]

That substrate looks a bit dry. What is the humidity in there? Are you using a gravel humidification layer?

Cheers,
Dave

[Katt]

Cute!

[TheRedDragon]

Steve: I feed my baby pin head cricks right now, and it takes them like a champ.

Dave: Yeah, it was quite dry when I took the pics, but, I did mist it down shortly after taking the pics. I just manually mist the enclosure once a day to keep the humidity up to at least 80%. What exactly is a gravel humidification layer?

Everyone: Thank-you for your compliments. :)

[skinheaddave]

Erin,

Misting only maintains humidity for a very short period of time, unless you mist heavily enough to soak the substrate -- which results in a breeding ground for all sorts of nasties. The gravel humidification layer is merely a layer of gravel at the bottom of the enclosure that is kept filled with water so as to keep the humidity up. You can actualy read a bit of a description of it here. (http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11336) There are various ways you can go about it, but the idea is fundementaly the same.

Cheers,
Dave

[Emily-Fisher]

Woahh!! He looks FAT!! Very cute, too :) Great name!!
Congrats with him and good luck!!

[~Suntiger~]

Awwwww, what a lil' cutie!!! And festively plump too, lol. I love the name also, good choice!

[C.m.pyrrhus]

We have some nasty scorps here in AZ. Never really thought of keeping them because they are pretty common to see while herping. Still, I find them very interesting and cool. It also is a blast searching for them at night with a blacklight (they glow).
I was stung by a bark scorpion on my inner thigh, as well as an AZ recluse bite on the tip of me tally wacker on the same day....lol. Both were pretty 'dry' bites, as I was only sick for roughly 5 days with flu like symtoms....still was no fun. I was sore. :D

[reptile boi]

u sure its an emperor? lol, i dont see the "wrinkly claws" and arent baby emps suppose to be a light brown?



Thanks,
Ben

[TheRedDragon]

I've actually pondered that myself. I picked up this little one from the petstore that shall not be named that I worked at, and it was labeled as a "Desert Hairy". My co-worker told me it was mislabeled and it is in fact an Emp. Nonetheless, I'll know when it gets bigger! :)

[skinheaddave]

Could be an emp (Pandinus imperator). Could be Heterometrus sp. Could be Opisthacanthus sp., but I don't think so. I'd need better pics to determine that. Simple probability states it will be P.imperator.

Cheers,
Dave

P.S. It definitely isn't Hadrurus arazonensis (desert hairy).

[TheRedDragon]

Thanks for all the info Dave. :)

[CHRISANDBOIDS14]

Hey, its definetly an Emperor, Ive got a little guy thats looks EXACTLY like yours! i just got him 1 1/2 months ago too. I like taking him out because he is so friendly. I pick him up by grabbing the stinger and lifting him onto my hand. He is in a 10 gal right now. About 1 and 1/2 inches long sitting like yours is in the pic but with the tail a bit further extended. Ive been stung once by him but it was dry and just like a poke. I feed slightly larger than pinhead criks and he goes after them like a bear on steak. I love them lil scorps. I mist mine 1-2 times daily and the soil is moist(i have about 2 1/2" in warm end and 4" in cool end)down to about 1 inch of soil. I keep saran wrap(clear plastic wrap) over my screen lid and it keeps the humidity in PERFECTLY. I have a perfect 70% on my hygrometer but i know its between there and 80%(its a bit off cause its 5 years old, my uncle had it for his scorps). The perfect humidity for the emperors is 75-80%. They can eat just about any bug they can catch, kill, and take apart(mine doesn't like criket legs or wings). Adults can have the OCCASIONAL pinkie mouse(Newborn) monthly. Do not use a light source for them, nor UV. It can stress the scorpions out and they can die easily. I give it a dish that has about 1/4" of water but has cotton wadding spread in it so it does not drown. A cork bark hide(or anything like that, rock, plastic, fat wood logs) will do. They love to burrow(mine made some insane tunneling).

Anyways, Nice liltle baby! Best of luck, hope it makes it to adulthood! The reason i say that is cause they can have a bad molt(shed) and they can get stuck or injured by their old skin and die. A fraction dont make it. My made it through his first molt(since i have had him) and it was a great relief to me!

Chris

Chris

[TheRedDragon]

Chris, thanks for all the info! I'm keeping my fingers crossed to that my little one makes it through its first molt. :)

[skinheaddave]

Chris,

You may be jumping ahead of yourself with the ID. A lot of people can't tell the difference between Pandinus and Heterometrus in person, much less from a small picture. In fact, it is really easy to do in person -- but not, as I said, from a picture of that size. Also, the occasional Opistacanthus adult has been sold as a Pandinus subadult. Anyhow, either I'm missing some key feature that you are seeing or it is still undecided (though probability states that you will be right).

Also, cotton batting in the water dish is a big NO. It creates the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of nastiness. I have seen subadult Pandinus walk accross the bottom of a water dish before, so you don't have to worry about drowning beyond first instar (where the water tension MIGHT be enough to cause problems). For smaller species, water tension can be a problem at first.

Cheers,
Dave

[Soul_Reaper]

Cool scorp! Cool name as well...