Heterometrus moulting issue?

[MattRess]

I'm new to scorpions and last week my heterometrus species refused food. This week I come to feed him and find him like this (there is usually cork bark above his burrow). He has been like this for the better part of a day so far. My worry is that he doesn't have enough room in his burrow to properly moult. Is this normal? Any advice from more seasoned people would be greatly appriciated.

 

[BlueEyeOrb]

I would give him time, I haven't personally seen my Asian forest scorpions molt (Normally just find it later on) but I do know its a extremely tense situation for them that can take hours. Just leave him be for now and if you come back every couple hours to check on him. Don't mess with him, just even picking him up or moving him is enough to kill them in this situation.

 

[Dry Desert]

I would give him time, I haven't personally seen my Asian forest scorpions molt (Normally just find it later on) but I do know its a extremely tense situation for them that can take hours. Just leave him be for now and if you come back every couple hours to check on him. Don't mess with him, just even picking him up or moving him is enough to kill them in this situation.

DO NOT check or fiddle with at all, leave well alone and let nature take its course, it will happen when it happens.

 

[MattRess]

Springtails have gathered around him now, but he is still alive. Is there something I can do like spray him with water or something?

 

[Dry Desert]

Springtails have gathered around him now, but he is still alive. Is there something I can do like spray him with water or something?

The substrate looks plenty moist enough, it's possilbly trying to recover from a bad molt, all you can do now is wait - any spraying or moving/checking will only add additional stress. Sorry there's nothing else you can do.

 

[G. Carnell]

Looks like he has his claws caught

stop opening the box to have a look, you might be lowering the humidity and hurting his chances!

 

[MattRess]

I'm away from home until friday, so its not going to be bothered by me. Honestly, my hopes aren't high though.

 

[Dry Desert]

I'm away from home until friday, so its not going to be bothered by me. Honestly, my hopes aren't high though.

Hi,
Don't worry too much, if the worst happens it's one of thoes things. nobody that keeps, or has kept scorpions, has not had a lose at some time or another - including me - some die for no apparent reason.
On the plus side I see you are in the U.K. - BugzUK.com - have some baby ( 3cms ) Heterometrus spinifer ( Asian Forest Scorpion ) for sale @ £12.00 They are a very nice scorpion, and you will know exactly what species you have, should you need or want to go down that route.
Looking more closely at your photo it is possible that your scorpion was in a very small hide for its size and was too cramped to enable a proper molt, bare that in mind for any possible future scorpions.

 

[MattRess]

Hi,
Don't worry too much, if the worst happens it's one of thoes things. nobody that keeps, or has kept scorpions, has not had a lose at some time or another - including me - some die for no apparent reason.
On the plus side I see you are in the U.K. - BugzUK.com - have some baby ( 3cms ) Heterometrus spinifer ( Asian Forest Scorpion ) for sale @ £12.00 They are a very nice scorpion, and you will know exactly what species you have, should you need or want to go down that route.
Looking more closely at your photo it is possible that your scorpion was in a very small hide for its size and was too cramped to enable a proper molt, bare that in mind for any possible future scorpions.

His burrow did collapse the week before last week, so I removed him, added more substrate and packed it down firmer. He must have been in premoult at this time as he had barely dug into the little starter burrow I made.
I think this is all due to poor timing and failure on my part to recognise premoult. Hopefully he can pull through, but I've prepared myself to find him dead.
Thank you for the suggestion for bugzuk (I've bought inverts from them in the past), but I don't think I'll get another one for a while.