Many people want to have exotic pets, different from the usual ones, such as the emperor scorpion, an invertebrate that surely will not leave anyone indifferent. Before adopting an animal like this we mustproperly inform us about his care, how we will do it to have him in our home and most importantly: if his sting is poisonous or not.
Find out everything you need to know about the pet emperor scorpion before adopting one in this article on our site and find out if is or is not a suitable pet:
Emperor Scorpion Characteristics
The emperor scorpion (Pandinus imperator) is an invertebrate that comes from Africa and the truth is that keeping it in homes is becoming more and more popular. For this reason it is not difficult to find him, whatever country you are in.
It is large in size since females can reach up to 18 centimeters (males about 15) and they are Quite peaceful specimens, a reason why many people decide to adopt. They are shiny black, although they can show slightly different shades. They usually don't use their stingers even to kill their prey, preferring their huge and powerful pincers.
Does the emperor scorpion have poison?
The sting of this animal is not fatal to humans, however if we receive one it can cause us a great sensation of pain. It is also possible that some people may experience allergies. Obviously we should never leave this invertebrate within the reach of children.
Still it is not recommended to have an emperor scorpion, for several reasons:
- Unknowingly we can be allergic to its poison, that could be deadly.
- It is protected by the CITES convention as it is in danger of extinction.
- Probably the majority of specimens come from illegal trafficking.
These are some of the main reasons why our site is against keeping this animal as a pet inside a home.
Emperor Scorpion Care
This invertebrate does not require great care or dedication and is that it is a very resistant and long-lived specimen that can accompany us up to 10 years in the wild, a figure that is reduced in a home being 5 years the most common life expectancy.
We will have to provide a large terrarium in this way, the larger it is, the better conditions our new tenant will live in and the better he will be able to move around the. The decoration should be simple and emulate their natural environment by adding a base of warm colored gravel (they love to dig) at least 5 centimeters thick. Rocks and small branches will decorate the environment of the terrarium to offer you a comfortable environment.
Another very important consideration to take into account is the need to set a stable temperature between 25ºC and 30ºC. They also require 80% humidity. Finally we will add the importance of placing the terrarium in a space away from drafts but with ventilation and natural light.
Cleaning the habitat of the emperor scorpion will be unusual since they are animals that do not exactly tend to dirty. We must be careful when picking it up and removing it from the terrarium: always carefully and without stressing it, paying attention to the stinger.
Emperor Scorpion Feeding
We will feed him between 1 and 2 times a week with insects, the most common is to offer him crickets although there are other possibilities in the trades as is the case with cockroaches and beetles. Ask at the nearest exotic center what they have.
In the same way, the emperor scorpion will need to hydrate itself with water. For this, we will place a container with water in the terrarium, low in height so that it cannot drown. Another option used by some hobbyists is to soak a cotton pad.
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