scorpion not eating by itself

Shadow Mantis · Dec 9, 2005

Hi

I've had an emporer scorpion for a little over a month. It will not eat without my help. If a cricket comes near it, it will either run away or occasionally swat it away. I keep the heat around 90F with a black light. Does anyone know what the problem could be. I would also like to know what gender it is and if it is an adult. I believe that it is a male due to the size of the pectines but am not sure of the age because I have not properly measured it. I will try to post some pics soon.

Thanks In Advance

infinity · Dec 10, 2005

I think as with most inverts, they stop eating when getting close to a moult... has it been like this for the whole month? I have one that does that but it's sting is blunt so it only takes what it knows it can crush with its claws. - crickets wouldn't stand a chance... How big is it then? - excluding the tail (as that's hard to measure) - from the eyes to the start of the tail, an adult scorp is about 7-10 cm from this species. Is this a lonely scorp? - if you have a colony, it could be pregnant?!

ellroy · Dec 10, 2005

Have you got the humidity right?

Shadow Mantis · Dec 18, 2005

It's about 5cm from the eyes to the tail. The humidity is typically around 80%.

infinity · Dec 19, 2005

5cm doesn't sound like it's fully grown... sounds like it might be ready to moult... humidity has never been a problem for me- i keep my H.spinifers (similar to emperors) in a highly saturated environment- *they* say that you shouldn't see condensation on the top/ side of the enclosure but they seem to be happy

They like going on killing sprees and just kill everything in the cage without eating but then they all look pretty fat anyway so- let them have their fun

A few mites hang around but they don't bother the scorps...

Have you tried changing the diet? - i honestly think it could be a moulting thing but some scorps have food preferences. Also, I heard that males like to annoy their owners and just go on long periods of fasting so it could just be a mood swing! Fact is that they can go for many months, some even a year or so without food so don't worry for now - so in 3 months or so, you might have cause for concern...

ooo, one last thought... some scorps have a minimum size preference for their prey. mine will tackle locusts equal to the length of their eyes to the start of their tail no problem! your could probably take something 5cm long... just a thought