What kind of creature could a friendly forum assassin possibly find endearing?

The incarnate of death itself! The mighty Emperor Scorpion!

Muhahahahah!

That just until I can find a place that allows me to get a Cockatiel, cuz cockatiels are pure danger...and cute.



This was how she was named Siddhartha. Meditating next to a Buddha statue for hours.



Don't let the fierce visage fool you, this thing is the couch potato of the the Insect/Arachnid world.

As I stated prior, a loose lego piece on the floor is more dangerous.

Dude! That scorpion is awesome! Is she hard to take care of?

This post has been edited by King Of Beasts: Jul 28 2013, 02:10 AM

Nope. Just toss it the occasional gut-fed cricket, and mist once a day and they are quite happy. Do see that they have plenty of clean water however. And don't let anyone tell you that they do well in 'desert' set-ups. I had a 'zen garden' theme prior with white sand and black river rocks.

Pictured here.



She was miserable.



Changed it to a humid rain-forest set-up and her behavior perked right up.

They also digest very slowly, so it's very easy to overfeed them. One or two crickets per week is plenty. Obese scorpions live shorter lifespans, and they can go for up to a year without food.

EDITED TO ADD:

You cannot 'de-venomize' a scorpion. Remove the stinger and it will die. That being said, Emps don't really sting. They're far more likely to pinch you. If they do sting, it's about as bad as a bee sting. Unless you're allergic than...yeah.

A good set-up is a ten-gallon tank that *locks* They are active mostly at night, and will get into places in the cage that will leave you wondering how they did it for years to come.

Warm, humid environments is how they best dwell. I'd recommend a pad that sticks on the side over a heat lamp, and put it on the side, never the bottom, because Emps burrow for temperature regulation. Also be sure to give it plenty of hiding spots, as they are ambush predators.

They're also relatively inexpensive. An emperor themselves are about twenty bucks a pop. I got my set-up for a hundred bucks out the door.

This post has been edited by Black Hand: Jul 28 2013, 02:31 AM

SubRosa- that is a truly awesome kipper. He reminds me a bit of Rico. (The mustache, I think).

Hope he continues to bond with you.

Blackie, neat info and pictures of your emperor scorpion!

SubRosa, Spots is gorgeous. He almost seems to have Freya's markings in reverse. How is Freya?

Wow, Siddhartha is gorgeous!

-spots Radscorpion at chorrol.com forums-






-brings out Vengeance-

Try me.

Oh, it´s your pet-Radscorpion? Sorry!


-unequips V.-

*Lowers control for Orbital Bombardment Satellite.**

Wise choice.

My wife is good with most pets but is too terrified of snakes or scorpions to ever live with either.

Which is unfortunate because I think they're awesome.

Lol. That kind of hits home for me.

Not the one I was talking about in the luv thread, but the past that came out from the shadows was also freaked out by the thought.

She didn't want to come over at first, which I cited was just irrational fear on her part. She was adamant, and I just shrugged. She than asked if you could pet it, or if there was a purpose to having it. I explained you could hold it if you really wanted too, but petting it would probably just irk it. The purpose was the same as any other pet, or a fish tank. Aesthetics.

Finally she developed the courage and saw it, getting freaked out by the sight. I kind of laughed. She said how it was soooo creepy.

I pointed out that it bathed itself, really did nothing other than sit there, and then told her how she (siddhartha) could be a mother too, and that the primal instincts she felt to protect her kid, was the exact same in this humble creature.

She got all "Awwwww!" until I took it out and showed her how tame the thing really is.

Fastest I'd ever seen a human cross a room.


Edited to add: Oh yeah that reminds me, if anyone is thinking about getting one: It's not actually recommended that you handle an Emp, as the fall could kill them, and they do tend to get awfully curious as to what this warm, squishy surface they're on is. Also, while they really are lazy gluttons, they are lightning fast. I've seen this thing cross it's cage in a fraction of a second while hunting a cricket, and when I take it out with a tupperware case and lid, my brain can barely perceive how quickly it turns around to attack the lid.

This post has been edited by Black Hand: Jul 28 2013, 06:41 PM

Ah the sacrifices we must make in the name of courtship and marriage.

Not really. She was crazy as it turned out.

Thought we were dating for several weeks before I found out.

At least a scorpion is honest.

@ Subrosa - Beautiful cat!

@ Blackie - ... ... ... urk. It does look remarkably like a radscorpion, lol. I picture you milking the venom and painting it and some DMSO on some surface your enemy will touch ... Gaaaaargh. End of enemy, lol.

Why does that remind me of the book "White Oleander"? (One of the towns mentioned therein I did live in for a while.)

Yes....the venom of a Emperor Scorpion! Not deadly, or debilitating, or injurious....


...but very, very annoying!

Muhahahhaahaha! ©

Acadian: Freya is fine, just jealous of Spots. She is used to having Mommy all to herself. So it is going to take her a while to get used to having him around.

Blackie: Like Mirocou and mAlX, all I can think of is "Radscorpion!" when I look at Siddhartha (I work with someone with that same name btw.). That is what I get for playing too many Fallout games I suppose. I love snakes, but I do not think I could handle a scorpion pet either.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 28 2013, 07:42 PM

In Shamanistic terms, a Scorpion is also a powerful guardian spirit. Particularly against malevolent entities.

No malevolent entities here so far, other than myself so I accept that as proof!

@Blackie: Not my kind of pet, but Siddhartha looks rather cool nonetheless. A vet colleague of mine had Madagascar pill bugs which we would occasionally see photos of. Fascinating creatures. It's amazing how much we learn about them when we live with them and get to observe them being - well - themselves!

@SubRosa: Adorable Spots! Sounds like he's figured out which side of the door he belongs. He'll be a happy cat come winter! My Trinity, having been born on a dairy farm and hit by a car on New Year's Eve, will not go outside and actually gets upset if someone holds the door open too long (as in letting company in or out).

So, some of you may know that I've been working part time at the Apple Store not far from home for a little over a year and a half. It's a great job, not typical retail, and I love being there. Great group of people, which IMHO makes all the difference in the world. Amazing diversity not only in the customers, but also in my fellow employees. And I get paid for talking about one of my passions!

In any case, we had our quarterly store meeting today. And we always end these meetings with announcing Best of Brand. In the week leading up to the meeting, all the employees have an opportunity to nominate someone who best represents Apple, not only to our customers, but also to each other. Some pretty amazing people have been voted Best of Brand in the past. This quarter the managers saw the highest participation for the store - 88% of the employees nominated someone. Of the people nominated, guess who won. Me.

What did I do???

I am shocked, honored, humbled and excited all at once. It's the first time I've been recognized publicly for what I am. And I'm amazed that my own fellow employees feel that way about me.

So that's my news for the day.

DMSO is a driving agent, will drive anything it is painted over into the bloodstream instantly. The person tastes oysters immediately, that is the only clue DMSO was used (while the venom rushes to his heart and brain).