Emperor Scorpion Enrichment: One of the Few You Can Keep in a Group

Emperor Scorpion Enrichment: One of the Few You Can Keep in a Group

Almost every arachnid on this site is a solitary animal that will eat its neighbour. This one is a partial exception. For everything else about them, see our complete Emperor Scorpion care guide.

What the Research Actually Says

Nothing on Pandinus imperator enrichment. The borrow is from the tarantula housing study, covered in full in our Tarantula enrichment guide.

Brazilian black tarantulas given an enclosure roughly six times larger with six times as much structure showed 77 percent larger home ranges, 113 percent larger core areas, and 150 percent greater odds of being active in a novel environment afterwards. They were no more active overall, and offered both enclosures at once they showed no clear preference.

A scorpion is not a spider and this is a genuine borrow rather than a close one. What transfers is the honest shape of it: complexity looks like it helps on inferred measures, the animal will not tell you so directly, and none of it displaces getting the substrate right.

Burrow Depth

The highest-value item, as it is for most of the invertebrates on this site. Emperor scorpions dig, and shallow substrate takes the behaviour away and leaves a large arachnid sitting on a floor.

A deep bed of coconut fibre substrate, damp enough to hold a tunnel, is the standard. Other sizes and volumes are available and a communal enclosure needs several. Our tank setup guide covers depth, humidity and heating.

Hides, More Than One Per Animal

Cork bark laid on the surface gives a starting burrow and somewhere to be immediately concealed.

In a communal setup this is not decoration, it is the mechanism that makes grouping work. Every animal needs somewhere to be that is not somewhere another animal already is, and the standard failure is one good hide and three scorpions.

Communal Housing, Done Deliberately

Space first. A long enclosure with real floor area rather than a tall one, since these are ground animals.

Then multiple hides, then reliable feeding. A hungry scorpion in a crowded enclosure is the cannibalism scenario, and all three factors have to hold at once. Start with animals raised together where you can, and be prepared to separate.

If this is your first scorpion, keep one. The communal option is a thing you graduate to.

Humidity and Warmth

Rainforest species. Warm and humid, with damp substrate and genuine ventilation rather than a sealed box.

Dry conditions cause failed moults, which is among the commonest causes of death in captive scorpions and is almost entirely a husbandry problem. Our health issues guide covers what a failed moult looks like coming, and our moulting guide covers the process across invertebrates.

Feeding as Ambush

Nocturnal sit-and-wait predators. Release live prey in the evening rather than presenting it with tongs, and let the animal hunt.

Feed each animal in a communal setup, which in practice means offering more prey than you think and checking it gets taken. Vary timing and location. Our feeding guide covers prey sizing.

Remove uneaten live prey before a moult, since crickets will chew on a soft scorpion.

The UV Torch, as a Tool

A UV torch makes a hidden scorpion instantly findable, which is how you check on an animal without dismantling its burrow.

Brief use. It is a husbandry tool for your benefit rather than enrichment for the animal's, and there is no reason to think a nocturnal arachnid enjoys being lit up.

Priority Order

1. Substrate deep enough to burrow properly
2. Correct warmth and humidity with real ventilation
3. Multiple hides, more than one per animal
4. Floor area over height
5. Live prey released in the evening
6. Communal housing, only with the three conditions above met
7. Checking with a UV torch rather than digging them out

What Not to Do

Do not attempt a communal setup in a small enclosure, with one hide, or with irregular feeding. Do not use shallow substrate. Do not let the enclosure dry out. Do not leave live prey in with a pre-moult animal. Do not house one as a first invertebrate if you plan to group them later. And see our handling guide and legal guide before assuming a docile reputation makes handling sensible.

For the rest of their care, see our Emperor Scorpion cost guide, feeding guide, and tarantula versus emperor scorpion comparison, or browse the rest of our Invertebrates care guide category.

Sources & Further Reading