Post by LadyViper on Jan 5, 2007 12:53:58 GMT -6
www.faunaimportuk.com/caresheets/csimperialscorpion.htm
IMPERIAL SCORPION
Pandinus imperator
Family:
The Imperial scorpion Pandinus imperator (Koch, 1842) has been kept and bred in captivity for years. It makes an excellent beginners scorpion, due to its general lack of aggression, it’s large size, and the way it can be housed communally. As an importer I have an insight to the way they are collected, and housed etc so maybe the information I can give you will help you keep yours happy and healthy.
Pandinus imperator is native to West Africa, along with is cousins, which some times appear in the pet trade. The imperial scorpion and the following two species are CITES appendix II listed, this means import and export permits are required. P. dictartor (Pothingy, 1888) the red clawed scorpion is sometimes shipped from Cameroon. The red clawed scorpion is listed to occur in Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and possible Gabon. This species is smaller than the imperial scorpion, dark brown in colour with distinctive red claws. P. gambiensis (Pothingy, 1899) The Senegalese giant scorpion occurs in Senegal, and Gambia, I have never personally seen this species imported, although I have tried myself and will continue to.
Other recognised NON-CITES species include P. cavimanus the cave clawed scorpion and P. viatorus known from Tanzania. After this the list of species continues, to the best of my knowledge 24 species of Pandinus are known, however it is difficult to correctly identify species, and locate them if they are not CITES listed.
I import my imperials from Ghana, although shipments containing imperials also commonly arrive from Togo, and Benin.
Finding an imperial scorpion in the wild.
According to my collector imperials are very common in Ghana, I asked him where they collect from, his reply was “anywhere”. Apparently despite popular belief they are actually more common in the drier regions. Their burrows can be found in the sides of sandy banks, in rocky areas and even very close to human habitation. They share the same banks in a “communal way” but apparently it’s just as likely to only find one in a burrow, as it is more. This suggests they may not be as communal as we would think.
Catching an imperial scorpion in the wild.
I was convinced that ultra violet lamps were used at night in the catching of most scorpions, as under UV scorpions glow (green in the case of imperials). When I asked my exporter if he used UV, he laughed (he does this a lot) and asked “what a UV lamp”. He informs me that they either dig them up, or after it has been raining they are very easy to find, presumably they have to leave the burrows to avoid drowning due to flooding. I still think my way would be easier!
All exporters use collectors to get the animals for them, they just pack the boxes and deal with the paperwork side etc. Certainly in Africa the exporters have different collectors of each species. These collectors sometime work in family groups specialising in a specific species. These collectors just turn up at his farm and sell whatever they have. This however is not the case for imperials, apparently they are that common that any collector will get them for him, although if he gets a large order one collector can collect well over 150 a day, within a few minutes walk of their house.
Housing in Ghana.
My exporter informs me he has about 1,500 imperials in stock at any time. He keeps them in large wooden boxes with opening lids. The substrate used is a deep sand soil mix, which they burrow into. He waters them once a day and supplies clean fresh water in dishes at all times. They are feed on crickets, and dried fish! This means they will scavenge, not only relying on the vibrations of prey.
Captive care.
In captivity provided you give your scorpions the following basic requirements they should thrive and hopefully provide you with offspring. The housing can be anything from an old aquarium to an all glass vivarium, If you use a glass vivarium make sure you use a lock, as they are powerful enough to move the glass doors, I once had a whole group move house on their own. As with all captive pets the bigger the enclosure the better, if you are intending to keep a group of imperials a trio would do well in a 24” x12” x 12” cage. Although height is not important to the scorpion a higher enclosure will enable you to provide a deeper substrate to bury in. Provide your scorpions with approximately 6” of substrate or more, bearing this in mind an aquarium with appropriate lid would be the best option.
Substrate can be orchid bark peat or vermiculite. If you are trying to create a natural environment try mixing aquarium sand, peat and small grade gravel. This mix will hold the moisture and provide some strength for tunnel building. Although the scorpions may not come from as wet environment as thought, deep in their tunnels would always be humid. The rest of the tank can be decorated with moss, cork bark, rocks, plastic plants, and of course the compulsory fake skull (only joking). Seriously with a bit of imagination very attractive natural environments can be created.
Heating is best provided with the use of a heat mat, this is best taped to
the back of the aquarium because of the use of such a deep substrate. As with all herps use a mat that only covers half of the enclosure, this is so they can regulate their temperature. Daytime lighting is not required, and may be upsetting to the occupants, bearing in mind that they live down a dark tunnel! However limited amount of black light at night should not be harmful and will provide you with an insight as to what they get up to.
Water should be provided in shallow dishes, and changed regularly. A good tip is to put some cotton wool, a piece of sponge, or in the case of a natural tank some moss in the water dish to avoid drowning. They can drown in even the shallowest of bowls. Don’t over feed your scorpions; they gorge feed and will eat just about as much as you give them. This can be harmful, and small regular feeds are required. One will thrive on a couple of field crickets a week, or similar sized prey like one hopper. Try to vary the diet, and remember they do scavenge, so if your snake doesn’t want that extra pinkie give it to your scorpion.
Sexing Imperial scorpions is relatively easy, several subtle differences can be seen but the easiest way is to look at the pectines. The pectines can be found on the underside, they are comb looking and used for feeling vibrations. In Pandinus (as with most scorpion species) the males “combs” are longer and have more teeth. The mating ritual is a very complex thing, and unfortunately I just don’t have the space to explain. I can tell you that wild collected females of suitable size would probably be ever pregnant or carrying sperm. So a mating may not be necessary for a female to produce young.
Communal life can be hazardous; you will always get the Phil Mitchell that wants to harass everyone. Seriously one rogue scorpion can cause a lot of casualties, so when you first set up your “community” watch what happens especially after the lights go out. The best combination would be 2 females to a male, in larger cages 5 females to two males, and make sure your scorpions are of the same size.
Wild collected or captive bred? There has been publicity about wild collected herps in recent months, and generally all bad. This is a personal choice that only you can make. However the facts are that imperials are very common over their entire range. They are protected by CITES. This means there is a quota of how many can be exported each year. This quota is given on advice by field researchers and area counts. Their collection gives hundreds of people a living through a renewable source, without doing any lasting damage to the environment. They can be easily cared for, and will breed in captivity. We must all remember that we need wild collected stock to ensure captive breeding, and to knock all wild collected animals would greatly reduce the species offered to you even as captive bred.
