Asian Forest Scorp with Bump/Tumor? Please Read!

[Kade135]

Today I went to my local Pet shop, family owned, and they carry a ton of Tarantulas that they overfeed and don’t care well for. There was also 1 Asian Forest Scorpion, Adult size, really big, and the entire time I was in the shop it was crawling around trying to escape it’s dry, desert like tank. Had no water either, but the thing that I noticed is that it had a huge lump on the side of its body, near its abdomen.

This Pet shop is known for overpricing, overfeeding, and not caring well for their Arachnids. I held the Scorp and that lump was too big and noticeable to miss. The worker claims it’s just “fat” but I believe it has an obvious issue. I personally think it’s backed up from overeating, they feed it 5 Large Crickets a day which is absolutely ridiculous. They won’t believe me when I say it’s sick with something. I want to take him home with me (I have 7 other Asian Forest Scorps so I know how to properly care), but I’m not sure if I should.

What could be wrong with him? Can he recover? They’re charging a whopping $70.00 for him, absolute rip off, but he’s suffering in his poor habitat and that lump is concerning. He’s not fat, I know a fat Scorp when I see one. I don’t have any pictures, but it obviously isn’t a healthy Scorpion.

I’m going back tomorrow, should I say anything? I can’t find anything medically related for a Scorp having a lump on its body, so if I told them it’s sick and they researched it they’d find nothing to prove it. I don’t know what to say to make them lower the price, my local PetSmart sells them for $20.00 but they’ll make a bs excuse to keep it at $70.00. I can afford it, but, $70.00 for it is seriously a lot, but I really want him in my care. I just feel really bad for the fella. He gets overfed, in a dry tank, with no water, and has a concerning lump that must be causing him pain. I hate to see that. I know I can’t help every animal in the world that’s in need of it, but when it comes across me I want to be the one to help it.

I can’t rely on them to care for him properly even if I told them the proper way. What’s wrong with the Scorp? What should I do about this?

 

[Draketeeth]

You said so yourself, the price is ridiculous compared to others around, and the scorpion is noticeably distended. I hate to be cold because I love critters, but paying too much for an animal that may die on you isn't a great deal. Learned that the hard way. You've done your research and you can't figure it out. That doesn't weigh in favor of your odds at the moment.

I would say that the rescue is too costly. This is a store with a history of trouble, so knowing their history, you may be fueling their bad husbandry.

If it dies on them, they will either carry on with a loss and order again as though nothing happened, learn from the experience, or not order that species again. Hopefully it would be one of the latter two. And you can save your money for something that's less trouble and not fund a bad business.

Kudos to you for your big heart.

 

[darkness975]

Today I went to my local Pet shop, family owned, and they carry a ton of Tarantulas that they overfeed and don’t care well for. There was also 1 Asian Forest Scorpion, Adult size, really big, and the entire time I was in the shop it was crawling around trying to escape it’s dry, desert like tank. Had no water either, but the thing that I noticed is that it had a huge lump on the side of its body, near its abdomen.

This Pet shop is known for overpricing, overfeeding, and not caring well for their Arachnids. I held the Scorp and that lump was too big and noticeable to miss. The worker claims it’s just “fat” but I believe it has an obvious issue. I personally think it’s backed up from overeating, they feed it 5 Large Crickets a day which is absolutely ridiculous. They won’t believe me when I say it’s sick with something. I want to take him home with me (I have 7 other Asian Forest Scorps so I know how to properly care), but I’m not sure if I should.

What could be wrong with him? Can he recover? They’re charging a whopping $70.00 for him, absolute rip off, but he’s suffering in his poor habitat and that lump is concerning. He’s not fat, I know a fat Scorp when I see one. I don’t have any pictures, but it obviously isn’t a healthy Scorpion.

I’m going back tomorrow, should I say anything? I can’t find anything medically related for a Scorp having a lump on its body, so if I told them it’s sick and they researched it they’d find nothing to prove it. I don’t know what to say to make them lower the price, my local PetSmart sells them for $20.00 but they’ll make a bs excuse to keep it at $70.00. I can afford it, but, $70.00 for it is seriously a lot, but I really want him in my care. I just feel really bad for the fella. He gets overfed, in a dry tank, with no water, and has a concerning lump that must be causing him pain. I hate to see that. I know I can’t help every animal in the world that’s in need of it, but when it comes across me I want to be the one to help it.

I can’t rely on them to care for him properly even if I told them the proper way. What’s wrong with the Scorp? What should I do about this?

Like @Draketeeth said, it is noble to want to save it, I would too, but not cost effective and the poor thing is likely already doomed.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

$70 dollars for an AFS? That's insane! I bought mine on sale for $8.99. (I think the original price was 12.99) I realize that small operations probably pay more for their stock than the big chain stores have to, but I cannot believe that they need to pay enough to warrant a 70 dollar price tag. I don't find 20 bucks to be unreasonable, but that would be the most I'd pay for one if I really wanted it.

 

[DaneanD]

I bought a Asian forest scorpion a week ago. I cant get him to eat mealworms or crickets.. Do i just drop them in with him??? I tried tweezers and I left them in there.. Worms just hid under him. Crickets are doing same

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

The lump is a hernia it should be fine. Nonetheless $70 is waaaaay too much for a AFS. I bought mine for $15.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I bought a Asian forest scorpion a week ago. I cant get him to eat mealworms or crickets.. Do i just drop them in with him??? I tried tweezers and I left them in there.. Worms just hid under him. Crickets are doing same

Start your own thread with photos of the scorpion and the entire setup.

 

[DaneanD]

How do I do that? First time useing this page

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

How do I do that? First time useing this page

Instructions: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/start-a-thread.326763/

 

[RoachCoach]

Buying it will only let their inventory person know they need to get another one, which they will most likely neglect. I wouldn't say don't buy it because the price is ridiculous, but because they operate on numbers. Not husbandry. Same goes for buying puppies from those hillbillies on the side of the road. Don't encourage that salesmanship.