The Emperor Scorpion

Reproduction

Pandinus imperator breeds readily in captivity if heat and humidity requirements
are met. If you observe mating, or find evidence of mating (spermatophore stuck
on a flat surface), you can expect the gestation period to be approximately seven
to nine months, sometimes longer if the scorpion feels stressed or conditions are
not correct. If you are not that patient, try to obtain a gravid female. It has been
my experience that they will give birth sooner if they have a deep, secluded
burrow. You may not know that birth has occurred unless you see the female
with young. If she is in a burrow, you may not know until after the first molt
when the second-instar young come out to the entrance of the burrow in search
of food. Common emperor scorpions are white when first born. After the first
molt (2nd instar) they darken to light brown, and the color gets darker with each
subsequent molt. I recommend keeping the young with their mother unless she
begins eating them. It's common for the female to eat one or two, but if she
begins making a meal out of the whole brood, separate them from the mother. If
you must separate 1st instars from the mother, you can keep all the young in the
same container. Give them high humidity and temperatures in the 85-90ºF range.
This way, they may survive through the first molt. After the first molt, they are
much more likely to survive without the mother. If cannibalization has not been a
problem, there is a higher survival rate among young when kept with the mother.
I've raised them to adulthood with the mother present with no problems.

The average litter size is reported as 32 (Larrouy et al. 1973), but it's been my
experience that the average litter size in captivity is between 9 and 20. Some
unconfirmed reports suggest the time to maturity in nature is three and a half to
seven years, but in captivity under ideal conditions, maturity can be reached in
one year. The number of molts to maturity is six to seven, with a total life span
of five to eight years.