Emperor Scorpion
Pandinus imperator
The Emperor Scorpion is a large, impressive, and hardy species. With a docile and calm nature, they rarely sting and are recommended for beginners.
What does the Emperor Scorpion look like?
One of the most impressive species of scorpion reaching an adult size of 150mm (6 inches) excluding the claws, males measuring slightly less. This species is black all over the body with only the membrane being a grey colour, this is very noticeable in heavily pregnant females. The large claws measuring 35x25mm are used for catching and hold prey. The sting measures 20mm, but is rarely used unless a female is pregnant or has young.
If you have access to a black light, place your scorpion under it, they go a lovely green/blue colour. The light will not harm your scorpion in anyway as they cannot see it.
Where are Emperor Scorpions from?
Found living in the rain forest or wet savannah, throughout Africa from Mauritania to Zaire.
How do you keep Emperor Scorpions?
Use a glass or plastic tank (latter being cheaper) and place a thick layer of a soil substrate with bark chipping or moss covering the surface. This species likes to dig and will make shallow burrows is given the chance. You need to provide plenty of hides to make this species feel secure, use rocks, logs and cork bark.
They like a high humidity of 70-85%. This can be maintained by spraying lightly each day. A daytime temperature of 25-30C (77-86F) should be provided, this can be maintained with the use of a heat mat. Some people put these under less then half of the tank, while other place them on the side. Do not allow your scorpion to be in direct UV light as they are very sensitive, it will cause stress and ultimately death.
Depending on the age of your scorpion, feed a few times a week on a range of insects and the odd pinkie (baby mouse) if an adult scorpion. If you have a group of scorpions, it's best to provide more food as fights could arise. Dust the food with a vitamin and mineral supplement twice a week, as calcium is needed for the exoskeleton. Water should be provided in a shallow dish as they will occasionally drink, they receive most of their liquid from the live foods.
Do Your Research: Before you commit to buying any pet, please do your own independent research.
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Link to this page:
http://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/emperor-scorpion.html
