# Preserving an Emperor scorpion (with pics)



## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

So, unforunately, my adult female emperor scorpion who has given me 27 babies in the past, passed away recently. Seemingly drown in her waterbowl while I was away for for the weekend, however she is bigger than the waterbowl and can easily get out. Either way she was a wild caught (probably) pregnant adult when I got her and I've had her a few years. 

So anyway, I decided preserving her would be a fitting end, rather than the bin. I followed Lycanlord's advice. 

So, I opened her up down the fleshy side:










I was going to attempt to see some anatomy. But after a couple of days dead and a month in the freezer, it wasn't possible to see anything other than the begining and end of some sort of digestive tract. This Google Book is a good source for anatomy. 

Scooped out the insides, and dried them with cotton wool:










Filled with cotton wool to stuff:










I also placed a suture in her side to keep that cut side together and stop it opening up. 

Then, hair sprayed all over her, underside first, then top, then legs and re-did under and top. Placed into a sort-of natural position as possible:










Allowed to dry for a couple of hours, and then framed her up  £4.50 for the frame, modified slightly to make it deeper:










I'll update this in a month or two as to whether it's worked, hopefully it has!


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## daftlassieEmma (Oct 23, 2008)

nicely done Ash :no1:


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## Willenium (Apr 17, 2008)

Looks good. I'd maybe have tried glue as opposed to drawing pins to give the appearance of the whole scorpion sitting naturally rather than an array of tacks.

When my friend's Emp died I just arranged it's legs into a lifelike position and left it on a heatmat to dry it out. Worked pretty well but took a while to completely set.


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## shep1979 (Feb 24, 2008)

looks good, but u should change them pins and it will look mint :2thumb:


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

daftlassieEmma said:


> nicely done Ash :no1:


Thanks Missy 



Willenium said:


> Looks good. I'd maybe have tried glue as opposed to drawing pins to give the appearance of the whole scorpion sitting naturally rather than an array of tacks.
> 
> When my friend's Emp died I just arranged it's legs into a lifelike position and left it on a heatmat to dry it out. Worked pretty well but took a while to completely set.


Yeh, I do need to change the pins, they were the only ones I had to hand. 

And cool, ta 



shep1979 said:


> looks good, but u should change them pins and it will look mint :2thumb:


Aye, true! Thanks


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## Stelios (Aug 28, 2009)

Nice job, looks very cool.:2thumb:


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## tarantulamatt (Nov 12, 2009)

looks great :2thumb:


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Stelios said:


> Nice job, looks very cool.:2thumb:





tarantulamatt said:


> looks great :2thumb:


Thanks both! : victory:


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## buddah (Dec 23, 2009)

looks great, its a realy good idea i wished id thought of doing somthing like that, id just maybe go with the glue idea instead of the pins.


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

That's pretty awesome looking Ash.


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

buddah said:


> looks great, its a realy good idea i wished id thought of doing somthing like that, id just maybe go with the glue idea instead of the pins.


Thanks! Yeh, I may well re-position and sort her out with glue or clear pins at some point in the future : victory:



Hedgewitch said:


> That's pretty awesome looking Ash.


Thanks Toby!


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

AshMashMash said:


> Thanks! Yeh, I may well re-position and sort her out with glue or clear pins at some point in the future : victory:


Could always do what they do with those mounted Ts and scorps, pad out the rest of the frame with something like cotton wool or stuffing (like you'd find in pillows or cushions) to keep the scorp in place. Know the type of thing I'm talking about?


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Hedgewitch said:


> Could always do what they do with those mounted Ts and scorps, pad out the rest of the frame with something like cotton wool or stuffing (like you'd find in pillows or cushions) to keep the scorp in place. Know the type of thing I'm talking about?


Aye that's a good point Toby. I'll give it a month, and then open it up (it's pretty well sealed due to the taping I had to do to "modify" the frame), give it a smell, and re-fix it me thinks, thankies


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

does look great  wish i'd done some o that


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

Good job :2thumb:

Hope it works out for you. Is there no flesh inside the claws (chela?) that could rot?

I remember bringing a crab claw back from the beach when I was young and it started to stink after a few days, lol.


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

vawn said:


> does look great  wish i'd done some o that


Ta 



Ozgi said:


> Good job :2thumb:
> 
> Hope it works out for you. Is there no flesh inside the claws (chela?) that could rot?
> 
> I remember bringing a crab claw back from the beach when I was young and it started to stink after a few days, lol.


I wondered this... we shall see eh? :lol2:


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## E.T. (Nov 9, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> Good job :2thumb:
> 
> Hope it works out for you. Is there no flesh inside the claws (chela?) that could rot?
> 
> I remember bringing a crab claw back from the beach when I was young and it started to stink after a few days, lol.


 
im not sure but when i pin my beetles all i do with them is let them dry out before puting them in a humid box to get the joints moving so im thinking it should be ok ......



Ethan


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Could maybe get a few sachets of sillica gel in there with it to keep it dry.


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## AZUK (Jul 9, 2007)

when one of my old emps died I just popped it the radiator for a few days to dry out, managed to keep the sting in a threat posture as well. Don't really smell either.


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Hedgewitch said:


> Could maybe get a few sachets of sillica gel in there with it to keep it dry.


I actually have one, might chuck it in when I open it up 



AZUK said:


> when one of my old emps died I just popped it the radiator for a few days to dry out, managed to keep the sting in a threat posture as well. Don't really smell either.


Ah cool  How big was it?


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

^Ken you can get it at hardware shops and other places as refill for dehumidifiers.


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## Jacobesnakefan (Oct 8, 2008)

personally i think that this is really cruel how did you get the scorpion did you buy it and kill it?


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Jacobesnakefan said:


> personally i think that this is really cruel how did you get the scorpion did you buy it and kill it?


Are you for real? 

Read the damn post before making spurious comments. It was a *pet *that died of *natural causes*.


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

^^Read the post mate. First sentence...

It's one of his pet's he's had for aaages that died of old age.

Why do so many people not read the whole thread before replying?

_Edit- GRB got there first._


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## Jacobesnakefan (Oct 8, 2008)

still think its cruel how would you like to die and then be displayed on someones wall.


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

would you prefer to get put in the bin or be remembered by those who lovd you?


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## Torturer (Jan 20, 2010)

:lol2:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Jacobesnakefan said:


> still think its cruel how would you like to die and then be displayed on someones wall.


How can you be cruel to a dead thing? :roll:

If anything, you could see it as being disrespectful, but it is certainly not cruel. Cruelty applies to living animals. I don't advise you to visit a zoological museum, it's full of "animal cruelty".


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

:lol2::lol2: pmsl!


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Jacobesnakefan said:


> still think its cruel how would you like to die and then be displayed on someones wall.


Never seen an urn in someone's house?


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## arachniface (Dec 28, 2009)

Jacobesnakefan said:


> still think its cruel how would you like to die and then be displayed on someones wall.


Actually, I'd ****ing love it!! 
Now, where's that will I was writing...?

It's morons like you that mean people die waiting for donor organs. The body is A SHELL. Literally, in a scorpion's case.


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## NINJATURTLETOM (Sep 1, 2009)

You could of made a little glass box and put a little bit of substrate and a little rock or something and have it as an ornament!! And to the matey that said it was cruel........... what a bellend!!


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Come now people, let's not all attack the guy: we may not agree with his point or [ab]use of grammar, but none of us are perfect and we're all allowed our opinions 

He doesn't like the idea, even if some of us do.

Shelled folk for instance would mostly rather fire-bomb someone house than see a dead tortoise's shell kept. Having said that, most shelled folk would rather fire-bomb someone's house than have them disagree with them from what I've heard :lol2:

No offence shelled-section, everyone does things differently... don't murder me please


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## vawn (Jul 1, 2008)

lol


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

Lol.

How's the scorp smelling now Ash?


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

GRB said:


> Read the damn post before making spurious comments. It was a *pet *that died of *natural causes*.


Thank you GRB : victory:



Jacobesnakefan said:


> still think its cruel how would you like to die and then be displayed on someones wall.





GRB said:


> If anything, you could see it as being disrespectful,


Personally, I think displaying her to show off what a beautiful creature she was/is is the most respectful thing you can do, when the other options are to put her in the bin or let her rot in the garden. I did it with respect for her.



Ozgi said:


> How's the scorp smelling now Ash?


Erm.. well, the frame is pretty well sealed... and yet, when you walk in my room, there's a faint wiff of rotting animal :whistling2::blush:

So, not sure what to do now... maybe I should take her out and let her dry somewhere open and airy? (And NOT in my house... :lol2


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Should have swabbed it out with rubbing alcohol; kills bacteria and drives out moisture.


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## Adam98150 (Jan 12, 2009)

Jacobesnakefan said:


> still think its cruel how would you like to die and then be displayed on someones wall.


I wouldn't really care where I was displayed if I was dead, in all honesty. You know, since I'm dead . .


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

AshMashMash said:


> Personally, I think displaying her to show off what a beautiful creature she was/is is the most respectful thing you can do, when the other options are to put her in the bin or let her rot in the garden. I did it with respect for her.


Yeah, I should have mentioned I agree that it _is _respectful. I have preserved my animals to date - I want them for display, so that others can enjoy them as I did (and it stops the need to kill specimens for display).


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

AshMashMash said:


> Erm.. well, the frame is pretty well sealed... and yet, when you walk in my room, there's a faint wiff of rotting animal :whistling2::blush:
> 
> So, not sure what to do now... maybe I should take her out and let her dry somewhere open and airy? (And NOT in my house... :lol2


I think if you leave her in there, the sealed environment will encourage the growth of anaerobes, which tend to smell vile.

I'd suggest getting her out and pinning her in position on a board, then leaving for several weeks in a dry, warm, airy place (cover with fine mesh to keep any flies off).


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

garlicpickle said:


> I think if you leave her in there, the sealed environment will encourage the growth of anaerobes, which tend to smell vile.
> 
> I'd suggest getting her out and pinning her in position on a board, then leaving for several weeks in a dry, warm, airy place (cover with fine mesh to keep any flies off).


Yeh I thought that too... 

I'll try that suggestion, ta! : victory:


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## Taz Devil (May 20, 2008)

Jacobesnakefan said:


> still think its cruel how would you like to die and then be displayed on someones wall.


I'd be displayed in various jars if that counts. My body has been left to science, so it's lop and chop when I'm dead.

Have you thought about setting them in crystal resin. Don't require any body matter removing. Just require large mould to pour the resin into.

Once the specimin has set in the desired position couldn't you use something like fishing line to tie it into place, or would this eventuall cut through the parts it is over.


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

Quick update:

Shelly is looking good. There is a slight smell around the (well sealed) edge, so haven't opened it and changed the tacks in it yet, but otherwise looking good


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## My plague (Aug 15, 2009)

Looking good!!
What will you use to hold her up?


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## kevhutch (Feb 18, 2010)

AshMashMash said:


> So, unforunately, my adult female emperor scorpion who has given me 27 babies in the past, passed away recently. Seemingly drown in her waterbowl while I was away for for the weekend, however she is bigger than the waterbowl and can easily get out. Either way she was a wild caught (probably) pregnant adult when I got her and I've had her a few years.
> 
> So anyway, I decided preserving her would be a fitting end, rather than the bin. I followed Lycanlord's advice.
> 
> ...


 
When mine died i just let it dry out naturally without taking out....bits!

it dried with it tail raised in the strike position, looks good but will need to make a deep frame to suit

very impressive though

kev


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## AshMashMash (Oct 28, 2007)

My plague said:


> Looking good!!
> What will you use to hold her up?


I'll replace with more subtle pins sometime 



kevhutch said:


> When mine died i just let it dry out naturally without taking out....bits!
> 
> it dried with it tail raised in the strike position, looks good but will need to make a deep frame to suit
> 
> ...


Ah cool! Where did you leave it to dry?


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