Haha he was thirsty, man! I love those moments when you can see something so relatable within a creature that is completely different from us. I could almost hear him say “oh duuude sweeet” when he saw that big bowl of water 😂
Awwww the drinking footage is adorable! How precious! Great video Tom, I love watching the setup part of the video as well! I'm loving my scorpion; I wish I saw it more but I'm pretty used to it cause I barely see most of my tarantulas anyway... lol! Would love to hear updates on your non-tarantula critters, maybe even just a few minutes in the podcast since I feel like it's been a little while. You mentioned your blue death feigning beetles in the Annual Awards podcast and I'd definitely love to hear how they're doing! I know you don't do care videos on stuff you don't feel like you've fully raised cause people ask you questions on them, but I think the podcast community is... well, I'm having trouble finding the right words, but I think you should be safe mentioning your other critters on the podcast at least without being bombarded by requests for care videos :) Keep up the awesome work and thank you for all you do! - Charlotte
I've been thinking about getting a scorpion. I'm doing some research, and I keep seeing these guyscas the best starters. I have been keeping tarantulas for 8 years, and it looks like they are very similar in care, so this video has been helpful.
I've been considering these for a long time so this might have helped me make the jump. I love your honesty in all your videos, never afraid to call yourself out for poor husbandry that you have since improved upon. Our animals would benefit so much from this level of honesty spreading throughout the hobby. We all make mistakes and we all misinterpret information from time to time and it's great to see an articulate, smart and respected voice like yours admitting this and normalising self criticique and improvement.
Hey, bud! I would highly recommend them. They are just so fun to keep and so cool. And thank you so much. I have NO problem calling myself out for my mistakes...and the way I kept them in the past was a big one. I really appreciate the very kind words! Hope all is well!
Need to save the peat for Laphroig! Love the videos. I just picked up a Pamphobeteus sp. machala at an expo today. I was hoping you had a video on them. I always do my research before getting anything, and then I come home and watch your video again as a reminder. Saw a couple of emperors at the expo today. Almost got one. After watching this, I wish I had! They were $50 at all the tables that had them. I didn't think that was too bad.
No joke, I was just joking with Billie that I wouldn't use it for tarantulas anymore but that I NEED it in my Scotch. And I was just drinking some Laphroig last night! haha Man, $50 isn't that bad at all these days. I've seen them for much higher. Thanks for chiming in!
Hahaha! How long did he continue drinking? That was rather cute! 😊 I really love the super green moss, too. Makes the enclosure not only look more alive, but also more established.
@@TomsBigSpidersTom, I used to keep male and female together, but when the female gets gravid, she ends up eating the male eventually. So I rather keep two males instead. And yes, keep them separate when small, cuz when they are molting are vulnerable and get eaten by siblings
Love the video Tom. That habitat you made for them looks perfect. The water dish I like cause it has those steps in it. Thank you for showing us something different.
Brilliant video Tom, very informative and enjoyable as usual Tom, the two emperor scorpions 🦂 are stunning and in excellent condition, credit to you Tom.
I had owned one of these in my first couple of years. At first, it was so fascinating, but eventually it became a pet hole. Of course that was almost 13 years ago, I wasn't as informed as I am now, so there wasn't that much substrate. I ended up donating it to the Montreal Insectarium. Maybe I'll try them again at some point. Stay safe and thanks for sharing :)
Sounds like you were keeping it right back then, too! A lot of folks don't realize that they will burrow. I, on the other hand, did NOT keep them correctly. Thanks so much, bud !
Wow Tom I can totally relate. I had a couple way back in the day and you are right there was like almost no husbandry info around then. I also set mine up rather poorly and I believe that let to an early demise. They are wonderful animals and mine never minded being handled. One day I will get another, thanks for posting a good care video for them!
Same with me too. The last week or so, I have been looking into keeping a scorpion, after keeping T's for a little over a year or so, scorpions have caught my interest. Especially this species. The place I normally shop has the Emperor scorpion in stock at the moment (in the UK). They are a little expensive though, but research says they are a perfect species for a beginner. The Asian forest scorpion is also available at the moment too, and much cheaper, but there is something about the Emperor scorpion that makes me more interested than its Asian cousin.
@@TomsBigSpiders heck yeah. Expo in 2 weeks. Its going down. Gonna add the rest of the poeceltheria that i dont have as well. Gonna be a good trip to oklahoma
They kind of creep me out bc of the stingers, and I don't know why. Considering I'm a newbie keeping hot arboreals, it doesn't make a lick sense. But it's just kind of... menacing. LOL I love the bright moss!
Great video Tom I got my first scorpion before I bought my first tarantula,I've got the indigo blue Asian forest scorpion alot more defensive.The emperor over here in the UK are very expensive I will get one if prices come down.
Hey, James! Yeah, I've found that the forest scorpions are a bit more feisty. Hopefully folks keep breeding the emporors so that the prices come back down.
Remember having an Emperor here in the UK, was nearly 20 years ago now. So rare to find here now and expensive if you do manage to. Fantastic species to observe very impressive.
oh they are nice I didnt know snipsnap doggos could live together I only have one goth lobster its a asian forest one pretty small still and growing slowly
Hey, Super Loops! Yup, some of them do quite well in communals. My T. stimurus are kept in a group, and they do great as well. The forest scorpions are amazing as well. Thanks!
They are such fascinating creatures. We couldn't find Emperor but my spider guy gave us a couple Asian Forest scorplings. They've been so much fun to watch and care for. Little gluttons hahaa! 🦂🖤
I use the same moss. Someone once tried to tell me it was dyed to get the green color, but I’ve found zero evidence to back that up and have had zero problems.
I remember seeing lots of these in exotic pet shops years ago, they were cheap at the time and available everywhere. These days in the UK, the Asian Forest Scorpion is far more available and a hell of a lot cheaper. The Emperor Scorpion can be 4 to 5 times more as expensive for a tiny scorpling than a juvenile or sub-adult ASF. I am not sure why? Maybe it is a protected species These days, or maybe there is limits on exports for wild caught specimens, I don't know. Are they very hard to breed?
Same with over here. They stopped the exportation of them out of the country, so we now have to breed them to keep them in the hobby. I don't think that they are very difficult to breed, but I DO wonder how many people are actually breeding them.
@@TomsBigSpiders oh I see! In the UK, the spider shop has some grown on scorplings for the equivalent of $90 at the moment, compared to Asian Forest Scorpion sub adults for around $20. The price is quite a difference, and like you said it doesn't seem that many people over here breed them very often because you rarely see them for sale, well... not since I have been in the hobby for just over a year or so, but AFS's and American species like the desert hairy scorpion are allways available.
Actually the little green or brown ones called bark scorpions are more venomous and live around people. They love the bottom of chairs and sit in shoes. In Tucson you NEVER leave a pair of shoes outside overnight. If you do you should shake them out over the fence. Yours look like they could take you down with one sting but they are not as likely to sting as the smaller ones. Hi Billie!
Hi, Joyce! Yeah, these guys aren't all that venomous at all. It always cracks me up when they use them in movies and pretend like they can kill people. It's those smaller ones that you have to look out for. Thanks, Joyce...and Billie says Hi!
I think there's two forms of these guys tbh with you. What you have right there are of the Savannah Form originally from Central Africa, not the larger monstrous Forest Forms we get more than two decades ago back in the late 90s and early 2000s thanks to CITIES! All of our current imports originally came from Cameroon to be exact. That's in Central Africa not in West Africa anymore. Generally the way to differentiate the two suspected subspecies is that the Savannah Forms have a slight brown-ish/reddish color on them than the Forest Forms. Forest Forms are just darker and very shiny. They also have a much longer Metasomal Segment V, which is right next to their telsons or stingers, and they have a much more bulbus or fatter telsons than our current Savannah Forms now present statewide. They're also HUGE!! They're about the same size of a G. swammerdami or the Indian Giants which was revised from Heterometrus to Gigantometrus back in 2020 by Taxon. Except the G. swammerdami still got the "slight" advantage when it comes to length. The true West African Forest P. imperators however are chunkier than the G. swammerdami. I use to see the Forest Forms a LOT way back in my high school days more than 2 decades ago, because as a young teenage kid, I've grown accustomed of stopping by our local pet shops after school. lol They use to be available statewide, and you'll find them in every local retail chain pet stores especially online. Even Ken The Bug Guy use to carry lots of the Forest Forms. Sadly not anymore.. I am now 38yrs old, and I never seen them since.. Unless, they switched back to legal exportations from West Africa in the not to distant future which I highly doubt. Maybe someday, but who knows what the future holds?? Btw, here's a video of what I think is a real West African Forest Form P. imperator. This is not my video, as I am just illustrating their sheer size compared to today's smaller Central African "Savannah" Forms of this species. But trust me, the Savannah Form P. imperators are really not that big compared to the original Forest Forms from West Africa. I think the Savannah Forms fall under the same size as H. silenus or the P. cavimanus. Big scorpions, but not as big as the forest P. imperators we get more than 2 decades ago. Anyway, here's the video. th-cam.com/video/Z3kptguRsaY/w-d-xo.html
Hello! Thank you SO MUCH for the excellent information. I've been reading a lot about this and trying to figure out what the heck I really have. I had several back in the 90s, and they did seem larger back then. Thanks for the video link - WOW, that is a huge scorpion!
Hey you're welcome Tom :) Yea once their telsons turn red, they can still molt one last time especially females, but generally red telsons means adult and will not grow anymore and should be bred asap before they get really old. That's how you can pin point their exact size once they mature. Sadly most purchasers of the forest forms back in those days are only after "trophy display only" types of keepers with no experience whatsoever about breeding them, so their genetics dies with them. That's how they got wiped out as I only know two of my facebook friends in the USA who carries them. They still can't find mates for their females.
I had a pair and they used their stingers when they were taking down and eating larger prey. For example I fed them small live pinkie mice. This was years ago when I was FAR more immature. I am not sure I would feed a scorpion a pinkie mouse.
I'm so glad that this was helpful! My room stays in the 70s all year long, so I don't normally. However, when I paired my female, I did heat one half of the enclosure.
Looks great Tom!!! I’m going to be rehousing my Asian Forrest Scorpion in a few weeks. Can you use a similar setup? It’s in a smaller version of this now (it’s only about an 1”) minus the moss, and seems to be doing well.
@@TomsBigSpiders Tom, I was wondering about the sphagnum moss you used. It's dyed, isn't it? Do you recommend a specific brand? It would be fun to have some green. I've only used the "natural" yellowish sphagnum.
I'm honestly not sure who has them now. The places that I would normally recommend are sold out. The only place that I can say to avoid is Backwater Reptiles.
I've had scorpions for almost as long as I've had spiders. Although it will never be the focus of my channel, I do like to share them every once in a while. I figure 1 time in the last 50 or so videos isn't too bad. ;)
I have one of these, she's about 3" and had her almost two years with no molting. Is there anything one can do to help encourage growth or are they that slow? I keep her always in the 70s and make sure to offer food which she usually takes. Just seeing my grammastola pulchra pass her in growing has me worried. Thanks for any help!
Hey, Vermy! I have two others that are much smaller and who haven't molted in quite some time. It seems like growth rate depends on the individual. Two years seems like quite the long time, but if she's eating, that's a good sign.
Carefull with that kind of water dish i use one for my hermit crabs and fir some reason it develops a kind of slime layer very quickly it smells awfull i try scrubbing it out but it comes back within two days or so not sure if its the material its made out of or what let me know if you have any issues
Do you have any giant desert hairy scorpions? I live in the Phoenix, Arizona area and I am considering getting one since they are local. No I do not plan on catching and keeping any. lol
Hi, Gab! I do not give mine supplemental heat. I have four of the babies and two of them are full grown and two are quite small. That said, it when I had their mother, I did keep one side of the cage over a snake's heat lamp so that it was warmer. However, that was because I planned to pair her.
Hey Tom did you hear about the rust movie set with Alec Baldwin new drama as one of the guys cleaning on the set got bit by a Recluse spider and might lose his arm from necrosis is this common?
I heard about the shooting but nothing about the spider bite. No, that is actually VERY uncommon. I recently did a podcast about the so-called "deadly spiders", and that was one of the species I talked about.
Would a 20gal long be too large an enclosure for a single juvenile or adult? I know that with many species of inverts you can go too big with the enclosure. thanks much
Ummmmm...it might be a bit large. I would make sure that it has plenty of hides on both ends and try to drop prey by its den entrance if you use something that large.
I normally would not recommend them to beginners, as they can be quite fast and defensive. Mine never threat poses, but she will bolt when disturbed. It's not a species that I would chance handling for that reason.
Hey Tom, do you have advice on emergency care for emperor scorpions? My sister had to drop her male and female off with me and I think they got dehydrated and overheated. I've been trying to drip water on the mouths and have them in a 80 degree tank on moist paper towel. No movement for a full day. Would you suggest anything different? Do you think there's the chance they'll bounce back like tarantulas occasionally do?
@@TomsBigSpiders Hi Tom! Thanks for replying! I meant to delete after I was sure they were both dead. The female started molding and the male stiffened up and started molding as well 😔 I gave them a few days but I think it was just too late. I've got the enclosure all ready for an emperor once my local shop gets them in again.
Hey, Michael! I'm not so much concerned with how long it takes me to get them out. I stopped grabbing them by the stinger because it freaks them out a bit. Whatever works, though!
Some scorpions can detach their tail a lot like some lizards do. A lot of keepers don’t recommend grabbing by the tail because if it does get damaged it could mean certain death. Not because the scorpion might not be able to sting but actually because that’s their poop chute. If you can’t poop, you die.
@@TomsBigSpiders Heyo, sorry for the late reply, i have never owned one, but i do feel like i would make a 1-1,5m long, 60-70cm wide and 60-70cm tall bioactive terrarium for this species, with plants etc inside. I think they like to eplore and the microfauna like isopods and stuff could help stimulate their brains so they are not so bored. Just my personal view on it tho
I don't know how I feel about scorpions. Centipedes are a firm no way in heck! When I lived in Hawaii they were everywhere! My bathtub, in the den. They totally creep me out, not to mention they can really bite! Can't tell you how many times my feet have been the target of their fangs. Scorpions I never saw them but when I lived in Utah I'd find them everywhere. But they aren't as creepy to me for some reason. As for my T's, my A. chalcodes has buried herself for the winter I think...😆 🤣. Haven't seen her in about the last 6 weeks. I've been trying to feed dubias and my T vagans loves them, the rest are like, what in heck are those things? And practically stand on tippytoes to get away from them. Silly spooders. So I just leave them there for a day or three. If they get hungry enough, they should eat them. I just hate crickets. I usually lose about 2 or 3 every time I use them to feed. Plus they tend to die fast before I can feed them all. And they have lots of food and water crystals. Weird. Any who, I might try a few scorpions like the Emporer. Maybe next spring. 👍🦂😳🙃
I can respect that! I might feel differently about them if I had to worry about them all of the time. :) And that sounds about right for the chalcodes! haha Mine used to do them as well. As for the B. dubias, I would crush the heads before dropping them in. The live ones will burrow and hide, and the spiders won't find them. If you get scorpions a try, let me know!
What no spiders?!?!? Unsubscribing! LOL Just kidding! I listen to all your podcasts..... who am I kidding! Ok, so we had the beginner questionnaire level 1, when do we get level 2? That guy was thirsty! lol Oh and versicolor's do walk on substrate! Cannibal Corpse t-shirt again??? We need to get you some new band T's man! Don't wear out these epic t-shirts! You will kick yourself later, I know, I have ruined many band shirts that can never be replaced. You need more band shirts! Less wear and tear on them if you have many! I have so many right now.
Hey, Dusty! I have about a dozen Cannibal Corpse shirts, and a couple repeats. Once they start to get to worn out, I take them out of circulation. haha As for band shirts, I probably have around 30. Thanks, bud!
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Haha he was thirsty, man! I love those moments when you can see something so relatable within a creature that is completely different from us. I could almost hear him say “oh duuude sweeet” when he saw that big bowl of water 😂
Watching him made ME thirsty! haha
Awwww the drinking footage is adorable! How precious! Great video Tom, I love watching the setup part of the video as well! I'm loving my scorpion; I wish I saw it more but I'm pretty used to it cause I barely see most of my tarantulas anyway... lol! Would love to hear updates on your non-tarantula critters, maybe even just a few minutes in the podcast since I feel like it's been a little while. You mentioned your blue death feigning beetles in the Annual Awards podcast and I'd definitely love to hear how they're doing! I know you don't do care videos on stuff you don't feel like you've fully raised cause people ask you questions on them, but I think the podcast community is... well, I'm having trouble finding the right words, but I think you should be safe mentioning your other critters on the podcast at least without being bombarded by requests for care videos :)
Keep up the awesome work and thank you for all you do!
- Charlotte
I've been thinking about getting a scorpion. I'm doing some research, and I keep seeing these guyscas the best starters. I have been keeping tarantulas for 8 years, and it looks like they are very similar in care, so this video has been helpful.
I'm so glad that this was helpful! Yes, these guys make great intro-level scorpions.
I've been considering these for a long time so this might have helped me make the jump.
I love your honesty in all your videos, never afraid to call yourself out for poor husbandry that you have since improved upon. Our animals would benefit so much from this level of honesty spreading throughout the hobby. We all make mistakes and we all misinterpret information from time to time and it's great to see an articulate, smart and respected voice like yours admitting this and normalising self criticique and improvement.
Hey, bud! I would highly recommend them. They are just so fun to keep and so cool. And thank you so much. I have NO problem calling myself out for my mistakes...and the way I kept them in the past was a big one. I really appreciate the very kind words! Hope all is well!
Loved seeing him take a lil sip of water! My emperor is my most reclusive animal, I wish I got to see him more often
I thought that was adorable. And that's good to know that some are super shy.
Hi Tom & wife. Great set up. Like how your wife filmed. Hugs for both of you 😊
Why, thank you so much!!!
Need to save the peat for Laphroig! Love the videos. I just picked up a Pamphobeteus sp. machala at an expo today. I was hoping you had a video on them. I always do my research before getting anything, and then I come home and watch your video again as a reminder. Saw a couple of emperors at the expo today. Almost got one. After watching this, I wish I had! They were $50 at all the tables that had them. I didn't think that was too bad.
No joke, I was just joking with Billie that I wouldn't use it for tarantulas anymore but that I NEED it in my Scotch. And I was just drinking some Laphroig last night! haha Man, $50 isn't that bad at all these days. I've seen them for much higher. Thanks for chiming in!
Something different, very nice 👌
Yeah, I like switching things up every once in a while. :)
Hahaha! How long did he continue drinking? That was rather cute! 😊 I really love the super green moss, too. Makes the enclosure not only look more alive, but also more established.
For quite a while! And the female came over, stuck her claws in the water, and walked away. haha Thanks so much!
@@TomsBigSpiders Too funny! What characters they are! 😂
@@TomsBigSpidersTom, I used to keep male and female together, but when the female gets gravid, she ends up eating the male eventually. So I rather keep two males instead. And yes, keep them separate when small, cuz when they are molting are vulnerable and get eaten by siblings
Beautiful scorpions Tom
Thank you, Starla!
the emperor scorps are amazing
They really are.
Love the video Tom. That habitat you made for them looks perfect. The water dish I like cause it has those steps in it. Thank you for showing us something different.
Thank you so much, Ed! They seem to be really appreciating it so far.
I love scorpions. They are such a fascinating little animal to keep! Great video!
I agree, Marie! I particularly love watching them eat.
Great video as always Tom and im loving the new tattoo with the kiddos names! 😊
Thank you, Katiana...and great eye! :)
Brilliant video Tom, very informative and enjoyable as usual Tom, the two emperor scorpions 🦂 are stunning and in excellent condition, credit to you Tom.
Thank you so much, George! It was very satisfying to grow them up. :)
I had owned one of these in my first couple of years. At first, it was so fascinating, but eventually it became a pet hole. Of course that was almost 13 years ago, I wasn't as informed as I am now, so there wasn't that much substrate. I ended up donating it to the Montreal Insectarium.
Maybe I'll try them again at some point.
Stay safe and thanks for sharing :)
Sounds like you were keeping it right back then, too! A lot of folks don't realize that they will burrow. I, on the other hand, did NOT keep them correctly. Thanks so much, bud !
What a beauty!!!! nice Scorp Tom!!!
Thank you, Jeff!
Wow Tom I can totally relate. I had a couple way back in the day and you are right there was like almost no husbandry info around then. I also set mine up rather poorly and I believe that let to an early demise. They are wonderful animals and mine never minded being handled. One day I will get another, thanks for posting a good care video for them!
Yeah, I look back on it and which that I had known then what I know now. :( Thank you so much!
Awesome video tom! It’s nice your expanding from arachnids x
Thank you so much!
@@TomsBigSpiders totally welcome 🙏 x
very informative! Interesting little guys.
Thank you so much, Kim!
Tom, I think you unintentionally read my mind. 🤣 I was just starting to look into scorpions yesterday. So glad this was posted today.
Same with me too. The last week or so, I have been looking into keeping a scorpion, after keeping T's for a little over a year or so, scorpions have caught my interest. Especially this species. The place I normally shop has the Emperor scorpion in stock at the moment (in the UK). They are a little expensive though, but research says they are a perfect species for a beginner. The Asian forest scorpion is also available at the moment too, and much cheaper, but there is something about the Emperor scorpion that makes me more interested than its Asian cousin.
I'm glad that my timing was good! :)
Really great videos
Thank you so much!
Love scorpions. I currently have a hottentotta hottentotta scorpionling.
I Definitley want to get back into the scorpions for sure
That's awesome, Jason!
@@TomsBigSpiders heck yeah. Expo in 2 weeks. Its going down. Gonna add the rest of the poeceltheria that i dont have as well. Gonna be a good trip to oklahoma
They kind of creep me out bc of the stingers, and I don't know why. Considering I'm a newbie keeping hot arboreals, it doesn't make a lick sense. But it's just kind of... menacing. LOL I love the bright moss!
You have to see one eat, Marcella. It's pretty adorable when they have a cricket in each "hand" and one in their mouth. haha
My favorite species of scorpion, losing them from the hobby would be a crime
I agree completely.
Ohh yeahh a scorp vid! 🤩🤩
Yeah, it's been a while. haha
Great vid Tom, had one in my younger days and kept it completely wrong. Would like to try again, now to convince the wife.
I think that a lot of us did, Allen. Hopefully, you can convince her and "redeem" youself. :)
Great video Tom I got my first scorpion before I bought my first tarantula,I've got the indigo blue Asian forest scorpion alot more defensive.The emperor over here in the UK are very expensive I will get one if prices come down.
Hey, James! Yeah, I've found that the forest scorpions are a bit more feisty. Hopefully folks keep breeding the emporors so that the prices come back down.
Wow! They are really large! I imagine they are easier to remove for re-housing! I am looking forward to future videos!
Hey, Toni! I believe that they are the largest species? I could be wrong, though. Thank you!
Great video bud. I see you got some new ink
Hey, man...how the heck are you! Yeah, I'm working on a traditional sleeve on my left arm. :)
It’s superb to hear you talking about other invertebrates. You really are a font of knowledge, I’m sure Billie would agree with me 🤭
Well, thank you so much, Bobbi! :)
Scorpion is something seriously missing in my collection. Nice set up Tom
Thanks bud! If you give one a shot, let me know!
Scorpions aren't my cup of tea, but I find it interesting to learn about other animals!
Fair enough, Melody! :)
Remember having an Emperor here in the UK, was nearly 20 years ago now. So rare to find here now and expensive if you do manage to. Fantastic species to observe very impressive.
Yeah they’re CITES and prized by black market venom milkers.
Yup, they've stopped the exportation of them out of the country, so now you don't see them as often.
@@TomsBigSpiders yep literally cant find them anywhere right now could spend months looking here.
oh they are nice I didnt know snipsnap doggos could live together
I only have one goth lobster its a asian forest one pretty small still and growing slowly
Hey, Super Loops! Yup, some of them do quite well in communals. My T. stimurus are kept in a group, and they do great as well. The forest scorpions are amazing as well. Thanks!
They are such fascinating creatures. We couldn't find Emperor but my spider guy gave us a couple Asian Forest scorplings. They've been so much fun to watch and care for. Little gluttons hahaa! 🦂🖤
They really are, Amada! Asian forest scorpions are just as cool...and usually a little more feisty! :)
I use the same moss. Someone once tried to tell me it was dyed to get the green color, but I’ve found zero evidence to back that up and have had zero problems.
Yeah, others have chimed in about it as well. No one has had any issues, and it sounds like it really is just that green. Thanks!
I remember seeing lots of these in exotic pet shops years ago, they were cheap at the time and available everywhere. These days in the UK, the Asian Forest Scorpion is far more available and a hell of a lot cheaper. The Emperor Scorpion can be 4 to 5 times more as expensive for a tiny scorpling than a juvenile or sub-adult ASF. I am not sure why? Maybe it is a protected species These days, or maybe there is limits on exports for wild caught specimens, I don't know. Are they very hard to breed?
Same with over here. They stopped the exportation of them out of the country, so we now have to breed them to keep them in the hobby. I don't think that they are very difficult to breed, but I DO wonder how many people are actually breeding them.
@@TomsBigSpiders oh I see! In the UK, the spider shop has some grown on scorplings for the equivalent of $90 at the moment, compared to Asian Forest Scorpion sub adults for around $20. The price is quite a difference, and like you said it doesn't seem that many people over here breed them very often because you rarely see them for sale, well... not since I have been in the hobby for just over a year or so, but AFS's and American species like the desert hairy scorpion are allways available.
Actually the little green or brown ones called bark scorpions are more venomous and live around people. They love the bottom of chairs and sit in shoes. In Tucson you NEVER leave a pair of shoes outside overnight. If you do you should shake them out over the fence.
Yours look like they could take you down with one sting but they are not as likely to sting as the smaller ones. Hi Billie!
Hi, Joyce! Yeah, these guys aren't all that venomous at all. It always cracks me up when they use them in movies and pretend like they can kill people. It's those smaller ones that you have to look out for. Thanks, Joyce...and Billie says Hi!
I think there's two forms of these guys tbh with you. What you have right there are of the Savannah Form originally from Central Africa, not the larger monstrous Forest Forms we get more than two decades ago back in the late 90s and early 2000s thanks to CITIES! All of our current imports originally came from Cameroon to be exact. That's in Central Africa not in West Africa anymore. Generally the way to differentiate the two suspected subspecies is that the Savannah Forms have a slight brown-ish/reddish color on them than the Forest Forms. Forest Forms are just darker and very shiny. They also have a much longer Metasomal Segment V, which is right next to their telsons or stingers, and they have a much more bulbus or fatter telsons than our current Savannah Forms now present statewide. They're also HUGE!! They're about the same size of a G. swammerdami or the Indian Giants which was revised from Heterometrus to Gigantometrus back in 2020 by Taxon. Except the G. swammerdami still got the "slight" advantage when it comes to length. The true West African Forest P. imperators however are chunkier than the G. swammerdami. I use to see the Forest Forms a LOT way back in my high school days more than 2 decades ago, because as a young teenage kid, I've grown accustomed of stopping by our local pet shops after school. lol They use to be available statewide, and you'll find them in every local retail chain pet stores especially online. Even Ken The Bug Guy use to carry lots of the Forest Forms. Sadly not anymore.. I am now 38yrs old, and I never seen them since.. Unless, they switched back to legal exportations from West Africa in the not to distant future which I highly doubt. Maybe someday, but who knows what the future holds?? Btw, here's a video of what I think is a real West African Forest Form P. imperator. This is not my video, as I am just illustrating their sheer size compared to today's smaller Central African "Savannah" Forms of this species. But trust me, the Savannah Form P. imperators are really not that big compared to the original Forest Forms from West Africa. I think the Savannah Forms fall under the same size as H. silenus or the P. cavimanus. Big scorpions, but not as big as the forest P. imperators we get more than 2 decades ago. Anyway, here's the video. th-cam.com/video/Z3kptguRsaY/w-d-xo.html
Hello! Thank you SO MUCH for the excellent information. I've been reading a lot about this and trying to figure out what the heck I really have. I had several back in the 90s, and they did seem larger back then. Thanks for the video link - WOW, that is a huge scorpion!
Hey you're welcome Tom :) Yea once their telsons turn red, they can still molt one last time especially females, but generally red telsons means adult and will not grow anymore and should be bred asap before they get really old. That's how you can pin point their exact size once they mature. Sadly most purchasers of the forest forms back in those days are only after "trophy display only" types of keepers with no experience whatsoever about breeding them, so their genetics dies with them. That's how they got wiped out as I only know two of my facebook friends in the USA who carries them. They still can't find mates for their females.
I had a pair and they used their stingers when they were taking down and eating larger prey. For example I fed them small live pinkie mice. This was years ago when I was FAR more immature. I am not sure I would feed a scorpion a pinkie mouse.
Yeah, they only seem to use them for larger things that they have trouble subduing.
this vid helped a lot! just got my first emperor scorpion yesterday!
do you provide them with extra heat?
I'm so glad that this was helpful! My room stays in the 70s all year long, so I don't normally. However, when I paired my female, I did heat one half of the enclosure.
Looks great Tom!!! I’m going to be rehousing my Asian Forrest Scorpion in a few weeks. Can you use a similar setup? It’s in a smaller version of this now (it’s only about an 1”) minus the moss, and seems to be doing well.
Hi, Chester! Yes, I used to keep my girl the same way. :)
@@TomsBigSpiders Tom, I was wondering about the sphagnum moss you used. It's dyed, isn't it? Do you recommend a specific brand? It would be fun to have some green. I've only used the "natural" yellowish sphagnum.
Great vid. Is there a place you recommend where I can buy one?
I'm honestly not sure who has them now. The places that I would normally recommend are sold out. The only place that I can say to avoid is Backwater Reptiles.
Awesome great pets animals reptiles Tarantula. Scorpion 🦂.
I agree, Peter!
Thanks Tom . I appreciate a little variety , but please don't stray too far away from the spiders .
I've had scorpions for almost as long as I've had spiders. Although it will never be the focus of my channel, I do like to share them every once in a while. I figure 1 time in the last 50 or so videos isn't too bad. ;)
Great rehouse. How do you tell s3x?
Wow! How cool!! Which year in the ninethies are we talking about? Early ninethis or kate ninethies?
Mid 90s! haha
@@TomsBigSpiders i remember seeing emperor scorpions an B smithi in a petshop 1987. I was impressed to say the least!
I have one of these, she's about 3" and had her almost two years with no molting. Is there anything one can do to help encourage growth or are they that slow? I keep her always in the 70s and make sure to offer food which she usually takes.
Just seeing my grammastola pulchra pass her in growing has me worried.
Thanks for any help!
Hey, Vermy! I have two others that are much smaller and who haven't molted in quite some time. It seems like growth rate depends on the individual. Two years seems like quite the long time, but if she's eating, that's a good sign.
Carefull with that kind of water dish i use one for my hermit crabs and fir some reason it develops a kind of slime layer very quickly it smells awfull i try scrubbing it out but it comes back within two days or so not sure if its the material its made out of or what let me know if you have any issues
Hi, Kevin! Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely keep an eye on that and replace it if need be.
Do you have any giant desert hairy scorpions? I live in the Phoenix, Arizona area and I am considering getting one since they are local. No I do not plan on catching and keeping any. lol
Hello, Brad! I have the H. arizonensis pallidus. She's a large female and quite ornery. haha
@@TomsBigSpiders Oh I would love to see a video on her.
Hi! Do the need supplemental heat? My little dude has been maybe 3” forever! I’m wondering if I have it too cool for him!
Hi, Gab! I do not give mine supplemental heat. I have four of the babies and two of them are full grown and two are quite small. That said, it when I had their mother, I did keep one side of the cage over a snake's heat lamp so that it was warmer. However, that was because I planned to pair her.
Hey Tom did you hear about the rust movie set with Alec Baldwin new drama as one of the guys cleaning on the set got bit by a Recluse spider and might lose his arm from necrosis is this common?
I heard about the shooting but nothing about the spider bite. No, that is actually VERY uncommon. I recently did a podcast about the so-called "deadly spiders", and that was one of the species I talked about.
Would a 20gal long be too large an enclosure for a single juvenile or adult? I know that with many species of inverts you can go too big with the enclosure. thanks much
Ummmmm...it might be a bit large. I would make sure that it has plenty of hides on both ends and try to drop prey by its den entrance if you use something that large.
When you get your Tiny Tarantula slings what do you feed them I got flightless fruit flies
I've used flighless fruit flies and cut up smaller prey items so that they can scavenge feed (like meal worm segments).
I'm thinking about getting some Panama Blondes(P.Pulcers) would you Recommend them to Beginners I see people handle them
I normally would not recommend them to beginners, as they can be quite fast and defensive. Mine never threat poses, but she will bolt when disturbed. It's not a species that I would chance handling for that reason.
Hey Tom, do you have advice on emergency care for emperor scorpions? My sister had to drop her male and female off with me and I think they got dehydrated and overheated. I've been trying to drip water on the mouths and have them in a 80 degree tank on moist paper towel. No movement for a full day. Would you suggest anything different? Do you think there's the chance they'll bounce back like tarantulas occasionally do?
Is it still alive? I'm so sorry for the late reply! I would have tried what you have been doing. Is the tail stretched out?
@@TomsBigSpiders Hi Tom! Thanks for replying! I meant to delete after I was sure they were both dead. The female started molding and the male stiffened up and started molding as well 😔
I gave them a few days but I think it was just too late. I've got the enclosure all ready for an emperor once my local shop gets them in again.
Do you have any Asian forest scorpions, Tom?
Not at the moment, but I definitely need to pick another up!
I use a xra-tongs to grab my scorpions 🦂 by the stinger. Its faster than cupping them. They can't reach you with their claws. 🖖
Hey, Michael! I'm not so much concerned with how long it takes me to get them out. I stopped grabbing them by the stinger because it freaks them out a bit. Whatever works, though!
Some scorpions can detach their tail a lot like some lizards do. A lot of keepers don’t recommend grabbing by the tail because if it does get damaged it could mean certain death. Not because the scorpion might not be able to sting but actually because that’s their poop chute. If you can’t poop, you die.
@@scorpionaddiction2801 which 1's aka species... I've never heard of this 🤔. And am familiar with many different species.
love the cannibal corpse shirt
Thanks, Tomas!
@@TomsBigSpiders whats your favorite song
I dont use peat eigher for that reason
Yup, once I finish this bag I have, that's it for me.
@@TomsBigSpiders Yes. It is not good for the warer. Bogs are important for holding water and for fishes and sealife
I love this species but can they have scorplings without mating? That's my concern. Cute how it was drinking.
Hello! No, this species can not.
@@TomsBigSpiders Yay!
I generally like this, but i do think its a bit too small, esp for 2 of em
I ended up taking the second out a few months later. What size would you keep one in?
@@TomsBigSpiders Heyo, sorry for the late reply, i have never owned one, but i do feel like i would make a 1-1,5m long, 60-70cm wide and 60-70cm tall bioactive terrarium for this species, with plants etc inside. I think they like to eplore and the microfauna like isopods and stuff could help stimulate their brains so they are not so bored. Just my personal view on it tho
I don't know how I feel about scorpions. Centipedes are a firm no way in heck! When I lived in Hawaii they were everywhere! My bathtub, in the den. They totally creep me out, not to mention they can really bite! Can't tell you how many times my feet have been the target of their fangs. Scorpions I never saw them but when I lived in Utah I'd find them everywhere. But they aren't as creepy to me for some reason. As for my T's, my A. chalcodes has buried herself for the winter I think...😆 🤣. Haven't seen her in about the last 6 weeks. I've been trying to feed dubias and my T vagans loves them, the rest are like, what in heck are those things? And practically stand on tippytoes to get away from them. Silly spooders. So I just leave them there for a day or three. If they get hungry enough, they should eat them. I just hate crickets. I usually lose about 2 or 3 every time I use them to feed. Plus they tend to die fast before I can feed them all. And they have lots of food and water crystals. Weird. Any who, I might try a few scorpions like the Emporer. Maybe next spring. 👍🦂😳🙃
I can respect that! I might feel differently about them if I had to worry about them all of the time. :) And that sounds about right for the chalcodes! haha Mine used to do them as well. As for the B. dubias, I would crush the heads before dropping them in. The live ones will burrow and hide, and the spiders won't find them. If you get scorpions a try, let me know!
Do female scorpions generally larger same in Tarantulas?
In some species, they are heaftier (more thick) overall.
What no spiders?!?!? Unsubscribing! LOL Just kidding! I listen to all your podcasts..... who am I kidding! Ok, so we had the beginner questionnaire level 1, when do we get level 2? That guy was thirsty! lol Oh and versicolor's do walk on substrate! Cannibal Corpse t-shirt again??? We need to get you some new band T's man! Don't wear out these epic t-shirts! You will kick yourself later, I know, I have ruined many band shirts that can never be replaced. You need more band shirts! Less wear and tear on them if you have many! I have so many right now.
Hey, Dusty! I have about a dozen Cannibal Corpse shirts, and a couple repeats. Once they start to get to worn out, I take them out of circulation. haha As for band shirts, I probably have around 30. Thanks, bud!