Cod

[scorpionchaos]

Hey guys

I wish this was a more cheerful subject but as a few of you know I received two healthy B.Jacksoni from tarantula Canada only to find them both dead 3 days later (didn't want to disturb them so gave them some time adjust). The humidity was on the lower side (50%) but the temps were steady 69 at night and 73- 75 during the day. The little 1/2 inchers were kept out of direct sunlight and in a quiet, minimal vibration zone. In the end my care was clearly not enough and the result was two beautiful specimens and lives wasted. I wish they ended up in the hands a professional or just stayed at tarantulas Canada to live long happy lives

The guilt I feel is unimaginable and if there was anything I could do to wake up from this nightmare, you bet your B.jacksoni I'd do it.

All advice is appreciated

Regards

James

 

[yames]

Young bugs die sometimes. It blows but that's why nature makes brood sizes large. Your humidity could have been higher. I've kept 3 at %80-80 F and still lost one. You need to provide ample ventilation and clean up bug bits quickly as mold grows fast under those conditions. But your BJ's should also thrive. Bark scorpions are in my opinion not the easiest to keep. They take a bit more specific conditions to stay healthy.

Did you handle them a bunch or leave them on the floor you unpacked them onto in your video.That probably wasn't ideal temp/humidity either.

But I'll repeat... young scorpions sometimes die. Try again? Try more desert species? Get slightly more mature specimen?

Warmest Regards
James

 

[scorpionchaos]

The were on the floor for maybe a very short time as I fetched the critter keepers for them and gently prodded them into there enclosure with a paint brush as gently and carefully as I could. The rooms temp is actually the temp I described, but the room (to me) feels like it is a little more humid than average room humidity

Thanks for the kind words

James

 

[ShredderEmp]

That sucks. As yames said, it happens. I won four Centruroides gracilis, only to have half of them die within two weeks. No matter what size, type, or heartbeat the prey possessed, they would not eat. What happened to the other two? Both are 6th instars. I was very sad, but I had to deal with it.

When my Babycurus jacksoni died, I sought out the reason why, and discovered it was my fault I had not kept humidity high enough. As for your situation, the one had eaten during shipping, and since they hadn't molted, I don't really have a reason for them to die. They didn't seem to be weak and they can survive short periods of dryness. Maybe its just bad luck. Sorry.

 

[yames]

Cleaning chemicals? Pesticides on the floors? Did you wash out the critter keepers and leave soap residue?

 

[scorpionchaos]

Thanks for everything shredder and sorry to hear about those C. Gracillis

No pesticides, no chemicals, and no soap residue. I cleaned the critter keepers with nothing but water an paper towel than repeated with distilled water (not sure if that was necessary). I did have drift wood in the tanks but that was baked and allowed to cool off for a day until it returned to normal temperature.i kept them on Exo terra plantation soil (Eco earth like if not identical). They never touched the floor, just the the paper towel until I put them into there little set ups (which I don't think we're little enough).

 

[yames]

So unless you know someone with a very expensive microscope and the ability to understand what the insides of a scorpion are supposed to look like you can chalk it up to bad luck.

 

[G. Carnell]

Hey


In your video, the paper the scorpions were in looks very dry, did you give them access to water in their new home?

they also didn't look very healthy in the video, they should be all over the place walking around as babies IMO

 

[scorpionchaos]

Thank you for your input everybody it means a lot. I've decided to not let this discourage me from keeping my dream scorpion so I think I will try again.

Thank you everybody that contributed, your advice is greatly apreccietad!

 

[Bugmom]

It's likely not your fault.

I lost all 18 striped bark scorpion babies that I had. Every single one died over the course of two weeks. My husbandry was just fine, scorpions just seem to be harder to keep than tarantulas and other inverts.

Sent from the land of autocorrect

 

[gromgrom]

I've had weird things happen with Babycurus jacksoni... but I cannot speak for issues others are having with local Centruroides species. I give them the least amount of time and care compared to my other buthids, and they just do their thing. C. gracilis, vittatus, sculpturatus and hentzi are the perfect scorps for those coming over from the T hobby, as your general "caresheet mentality" will carry over quite well due to how hardy they are.

I would recommend not using outside bark. Use only store or wholesale bought Cork Bark, or Corkboard for leaning bark. Even after bleaching and cooking them, you can have issues. I did it early on in the hobby when I was being cheap and my animals suffered as a result

store bought cork is super expensive for what you'll get. Best to go with friends and order wholesale on brand new stuff. Used cork should be treated the same as outside bark.

Corkboard can be found at Krogers, Walmarts and Targets. Its typically $5 for 5 12x12x0.25" soft cork board used for dry erase boards.

http://www.target.com/p/the-board-d...al_1&lnk=Rec|pdp|ClickCP|item_page.vertical_1

 

[scorpionchaos]

Thanks gromgrom I did buy at the pet store but baked anyway. How ever it is not cork bar and VERY hard to break! I'm ordering a pound of tubed virgin cork bark from a wholesaler and I plan on baking that as well.

 

[khil]

IMO it's usually not worth it to ship such infant sized scorpions.

 

[scorpionchaos]

hey guys

i seem to be having some of worst luck imaginable, Not only is the guilt from the two B.Jacksoni this thread is about still lingering inside of me but the replacements and my birthday tarantula got lost in the mail on their way from Tarantula Canada (Dammit canadian post) and upon arrival I had 2 DOAs... You guessed it it was both of the little B.jacksoni replacements. Some how that tarantula was absolutely fine and is thriving in his little vial happy healthy and eating. I can't express how discouraging this is for me. both times i was so excited and both times two perfect young specimens went to waste. Tarantula's canada is now sold out of the B. jacksoni scorps and its hard to tell when they will get more in. I really just feel like I've wasted enough scorpions and seeing how my tarantula is thriving maybe I should just stick to tarantula's. I thought after working with pandinus and heterometrus for a couple of years but it looks like i was wrong:cry:

any advice to get out of this rut or what to the next would be awesome, Thanks in advance.

 

[cantthinkofone]

Honestly scorps are harder sometimes. I lost my rhopal junceus for unknown reasons. When they are small they tend to die. It just happens.

 

[ShredderEmp]

Them dying in the mail is not your fault. Just keep trying.

 

[scorpionchaos]

I have the chance to get some G.grandidieri as replacements and I think I'll give it a go, Tarantula canada doesn't ship until early january (holiday shipping, makes a lot of sense). I've been reading up on them as much as I can. What do you guys think? go for the G.grandidieri? There still pretty tiny (1/2 inch) same size as the little B.jacksoni scorpions but I can't find anybody with larger specimens.

 

[Patcho]

Ever notice how tarantula enthusiasts say scorpions are too hard, and scorpion enthusiasts say tarantulas are too hard? Just an observations I've made.
Honestly dude, you shouldn't give up on scorpions, I think you should get your Grosphus as a refund and just keep trying. Don't let DOA's discourage you.

http://www.ntnu.no/ub/scorpion-files/g_grandidieri_biography.pdf

 

[scorpionchaos]

Thanks everybody, The B.Jacksoni and G.grandidieri are the same size and price so im sure the breeder will swap them out. Its only till january 6th but I feel like it's going to be the longest 28 days...

 

[yames]

Heh the Grosphus Grandidieri replacements are from my last brood (probably). The ones I have still are all 3i now and eating very well. Shipping in the winter is rough in Canada. Best of luck. GG's are tough active and aggressive for food. You won't regret owning some.