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You will find Sections about the different areas for the Care, Handling, Husbandry & Keeping of Emperors, along with other useful Areas containing the usual required information for when you first get or start keeping Emperor Scorpions.

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About Scorpions: (General)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
(Ref - C. L. Koch, 1837)
 

General Background:

In total there are currently around 1,500 species which have been discovered and documented. However many other species are more than likely to be discovered in the coming years as man explores more of the planet or delves deeper into the areas known species have been discovered.
Scorpions are arthropods and belong to the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. So are related to Spiders and other creatures of that species. They are rather complex and diverse creatures with their trademark Metasoma (Tail) ending in the Telson (Stinger), a pair of Pedipalps/Chela (Pincers or Claws) & 4 pairs of legs, all of which gives them a physical appearance that makes them instantly recognisable.

Within the 1,500 or so species they require different climates, ranging from desert to tropical and even cooler conditions (Euscorpius flavicaudis has survived in the UK since being discovered & first recorded at Sheerness in the 1860's. This species is thought to have travelled to the UK with Fruit brought from abroad), most however come from the tropical areas of the planet (south of 49 ° N). Only places such as the Arctic & other far North regions do not have indigenous Scorpion Species and oddly enough New Zealand has an absence of Scorpions, this is currently thought to be that Scorpions originated in the Northern Hemisphere and moved South during Glaciation periods, only reaching Australia after it had split from New Zealand. Scorpions are a nocturnal species, preferring to hunt and move around mostly at night, though you will find some will come out at dusk and even early evening in some cases. If they feel safe and secure they may venture out during the daytime to find a cooler or warmer place to rest or just to investigate what is going on if they are disturbed or sense movement within or around their enclosure area.

Life Span:

The average life span of Scorpions is about 6-8 years though some species have been known to live for as long as 25 years (H. arizonensis) which is an above average time span than most other invertebrates. They are also rather special due to the fact that they are viviparous unlike most other Arachnida, which means they give birth to live young. The Scorplings (Baby Scorpions) upon being born will climb up on to their mothers back where she will carry them till they are ready to Molt (or moult as it is sometimes referred as), this is the process where they will shed their exoskeleton (Cuticle or outer shell like case) as they have outgrown it. When they are first born they are called First Instar Scorpions/Scorplings, upon their first Molt they are then Second Instar and with each successive Molt the Instar number increases till they reach Full Adulthood. It usually takes between 5 - 7 Molts to reach full adulthood.

When they are first born they will stay on their mothers back and cannot survive without her, they are unable to feed or regulate their own temperature or humidity requirements so the mother acts as a life support system as well as protects them. The mother has very good motherly instincts and cares for her young. That said though, scorpion mothers can and will eat their own young, this is usually down to her detecting it is either a weak or deformed specimen, or if she is overly stressed she may also resort to cannibalism. The Scorplings will only start feeding once they have gone through their first Instar, the mother may aid feeding the Scorplings by passing up pre-killed prey. Usually by the Second or Third Instar they will leave the mother and venture out on their own.

For a short period after they have molted they will be in a fragile state till their exoskeleton fully hardens, this usually takes a few days as long as conditions are right. During this time they are vulnerable to all manner of things, such as their usual prey and other creatures who could damage them in their softened state. So they will usually seek out a quiet and secluded spot to go through the molting process and won't come out till their exoskeleton has fully hardened (sclerotization). While they are waiting for their new Exoskeleton to harden they must continually flex and stretch to ensure that as it hardens they can keep full mobility and to ensure that the new Exoskeleton does not impede them in any way.

General Requirements for survival:

Most species seek out or create a dark area, usually either burrowing and digging to create a tunnel or cave like structure or they will locate a cave to their liking. They will usually find a dark place to start excavating a tunnel so it offers some protection and then continue burrowing till it suits their needs and requirements. Some species such as Bark Scorpions (Centruroides exilicauda, previously called C. sculpturatus) rest above ground, finding shelter while hanging from the lower sections of a tree or amongst rocky areas or finding a home within loose bark or in and about branches.

Scorpions are carnivores, they eat anything they can catch. In the wild this will range to mainly insects & small reptiles/mammals from Crickets, Mealworms & Cockroaches (the usual food given to many Captive kept Scorpions) right through to small Lizards & Mice etc. In the wild they will eat what they come across and can capture and kill. Many species just wait for prey to venture into their range and then grab it with their Pedipalps/Chela (Pincers), depending on the size of the prey and type will decide if they will use their Telson to sting the prey to immobilize or kill it. Most of the larger species will just grip the Prey with it's Chela/Pedipalps (Pincers) and then use it's chelicerae to start slicing or ripping smaller bits of it's prey off and then pass it towards it's mouth. Scorpions have a pair of chelicerae, they are like smaller versions of Chela (pincers) that are very sharp and are very articulated so are very useful for the task of eating. Watching a Scorpion eat is a fascinating sight, it can be somewhat gruesome but it is none the less interesting to see. Scorpions will eat several times a week to going for months without feeding, many factors dictate how much or little they will feed, if they are not happy with their environment they may not eat so in captive kept Scorpions left over food may be an indication that something is wrong with the enclosure. The desert species do not require a ready source of water as they gain most of what they need from their prey or the atmosphere, the more Tropical species require a regular source of water and also require the high humidity to survive and stay in good health. Some sources state that Scorpions can stay submerged underwater from a few hours to several days, aside from that the tropical species seem to enjoy the occasional dip in water and captive scorpions can be seen what appears to be relaxing in their water source if it is big enough for them to do so.

Social Interaction:

Depending on the type of species some Scorpions can be kept in small groups together as a colony or group, many thrive on a community lifestyle, while others prefer to lead a life of solitude. However, an individual Scorpions attitude or character plays a large roll in this scenario, some Scorpions are just more dominant or aggressive than others and these may cause casualties or stress within a colony. So ensuring you have Scorpions that can and will get along is a requirement.
Cross species colonies of Scorpions have been known to work but this again is heavily dependant on the species involved. Mixing different climate species is not recommended in the same enclosure as maintaining a dual climate in one enclosure (e.g. Desert and Tropical) is much more difficult than keeping a single climate enclosure, and often it is hard enough to keep one climate stable and adequate for the optimum care of your Scorpion.
A single large Scorpion (an adult Emperor for example which are one of the largest species) can be kept in an Enclosure/Tank/Vivarium that is about 5 gallons in size. The more Scorpions you intend to keep together the larger the space they will require. An Enclosure/Tank/Vivarium that is too large could cause issues though, as the Scorpion may have trouble catching and hunting it's prey.

Owning Scorpions:

So long as the basic requirements (Food, Temperature, Humidity and a suitable Enclosure) are provided, Scorpions are very low maintenance pets to keep. Taking as little as 10 minutes a day to care for in many cases. Once the initial set up costs and Enclosure preparation have been paid for and are done they require little other than feeding, misting and a bit of cleaning up the enclosure every so often (Depending on the species of course). Certain species are more active than others, but as with all nocturnal species night time is when most of the action happens so some late nights may be required to gain the most from your Scorpions. Or you can splash out on a Digital Camera/Web Cam that can record Time Lapse images to catch up with what happened during the time you were sleeping.

A simple quality set up can cost between £50 - £100, that would include a safe and adequate enclosure, Substrate, Heating/Lighting, water/food bowl and some furniture for the enclosure to anything upwards of many hundreds or even thousands of pounds. It all depends on the species, the number of Scorpions and how much you can and are willing to spend.

As for the reasons why you may want to own Scorpions.  Simply put they are fascinating creatures, each have their own character or personality.

For many the appeal is the ease of keeping them, they don't need taking for a walk and the usual time eating chores of "regular" pets.  They make an excellent focal point for the room they are kept in.  They make for an interesting topic to talk about with what is usually amazed people when confronted with a live scorpion up close and personal for the first time.  I always look forward to peoples reaction when they ask me "What's in the tanks?" and they get informed it is a colony of Emperor Scorpions, it never fails to amuse me and the conversations that follow are usually highly enjoyable. 

For myself though I have always wanted to keep something a little exotic, something that is not the 'norm' and something that will keep me interested and fascinated for a long time to come.  I found all of this and so much more in owning Emperors right from the day they arrived.  They are very secretive at times, yet other times they come stomping up to the Vivarium glass knocking on it with their Chela as if demanding I stop working on Web Sites or watching something on my monitor and spend some time observing them instead.  Luckily for me I have 2 small Enclosures on my desk (Containing 4X 2nd Instar Scorplings in the top one and a mother with a new batch of Scorplings in their 1st Instar below it) and behind me I have a larger Enclosure which houses 5 Adults, so there is usually always something going on in at least one of the Enclosures.  I really enjoy that I have to keep an eye on these mini eco-systems and their inhabitants, making sure the heat and humidity are in the ranges they should be, ensuring that there is water and food and if any leftover food is needing to be removed.  This is all usually done as and when I have to take a break from tapping away at my keyboard to give my fingers or eyes a small rest, during this time it makes a nice change to have something else to look at that has such a relaxing quality, even though at any moment it can turn into a fight for survival if one of the crickets strays into a danger zone or one of the Scorpions decides it's time to go out for a snack.  You just never know what you are going to turn around and see only a few inches away from you.  A lot of the times it is absolutely nothing, except maybe a cricket staring at you bug eyed from the piece of cork bark and not a Scorpion to be seen, this is fine though, it's all part of helping me relax and always helps build up a little more anticipation for the next bout of action.

These are just a few of the reasons I keep Emperors, and I will in the future probably look into owning some other species, you may have your own reasons or share  some of mine.  Which ever it is please be sure to look after them with the utmost care and treat and house them as best you can, at least meeting the minimum requirements they need to survive.  Make sure you don't take possession of them on a whim or without much actual thought in to what is required.  While they are fairly easy to keep and are for the most low maintenance, they do require some amount of knowledge and investment for them to just survive let alone thrive.  They are worth the time, money and overall investment I promise.