My c.exilicauda gave birth!

[neveragain]

As soon as I saw it, it ran into a log, so I couldnt really get a good picture, but I'll post the best one I could get.

Ok, now onto questions:

I should crush the heads of all the crickets i put in the tank now right? At leats until the babies are big enough to fend on their on, correct? And if the mother stays in this log how will I get the crickets to her to keep her nice and fat? (I dont want her eating any of the babies)

And speaking of that, I dont have to seperate them, since they are a communal species, right?

And finally, the babies can DEFINATLY fit through the little holes in the screen cover I am using for this tank, so what should I do? I know it wil be hard to get up there, but I dont want any escaping just in case.

Hrm, I think thats all the questions I had. But I'm sure I will think up some more later on.

Thanks!

 

[neveragain]

This one came out much better.

I'm so excited.

 

[skinheaddave]

If you are going to feed, use a smaller prey item or just crush heads and let them scavange. As for seperating them out, there is a risk of canabalism and some people will seperate the mother out into a seperate container within the larger one (so that the conditions are identical.) I woudl be most concerned about any males in the enclosure. It is up to you, though. I left some babies in my communal enclosure and they all seemed to make it off her back fine, though they later dissapeared and may have been eaten.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[rainman]

awesome pics. good luck on raising them.

 

[neveragain]

Hrm, I dont think I could fit a container in the tank for just the mother. Do you think it would be ok if I didnt put the container in the enclosure?

It is going to be a pain for me to get the mother out of the enclosure, as she seems to have put herself into this full circle piece of cork bark that I glued to the wall of the enclosure and hasnt left it since I first saw her run into it. There are also 2 other scorps in the same bark right now. I will still try to get her out, because I dont want any cannibalism to take place.

If I do get the mother out of the tank into her own container, how long do you think I should wait before I put them all back into the bigger tank?

 

[biznacho]

it might be easier to remove the other two scorps. they ain't carrying babies so the stress of a move won't cause infanticide(sp?). or maybe just wait for them to start to crawl off momma and then seperate them. just tossin out ideas.

biznacho

 

[neveragain]

Well, I dont think I'll be able to get the other scorpions out, either. There are 5 more in the tank (2 adults and 3 sub-adults) and they all are hidden away in cracks some where, except for the 2 that I see in the corkbark with the mother. Thanks for the idea though.

I've also come to the conclusion that there is no way I will get the mother out of this log that she is in. She was sitting at the end of it, so I tried to move her out with a pencil into another container, but she would just run to the other side each time. I definatly should have done some more research before I made the tank and found out that there was still a risk of cannibalism even though they are communal. I guess I shouldnt asume things. If I knew that, I could have seperated the mother before she gave birth, since I knew she was going too soon. Or I could have made the tank more easily accessible, instead of gluing a huge piece of cork back to the back of the enclosure with no possible way of me getting into it. :-\

 

[neveragain]

I chased her for the last 15 minutes back and forth. God knows how much stress I have caused her. Plus I've noticed that at least 2 have fallen off of her back. One of them died, the other I have in a bathroom cup. What should I do to keep it alive? Oh and by the way, the mother has now moved to a different piece of corkbark that will be even harder for me to get her out. I think I may just leave her in the enclosure with the babies, even thogh I have probably already caused her enough stress to eat the babies or something.

 

[neveragain]

I happened to get some better pics of her, just figure I'd share.

 

[neveragain]

2

 

[neveragain]

and this is a not so great shot of the baby that fell off her back and lived. Like I said before, its now in a seperate cup and I'd appreciate it if someone gave me some advice on how to keep it alive.

 

[Reitz]

A couple of points just to consider--

The baby is going to be tough, though not impossible, to save. You're going to want to put it in a deli cup with a couple layers of damp paper towel as the substrate. By damp I mean very moist, but not soaked. Too much water and the baby will drown, too little and it will dessicate. You might also want to add something dry for the baby to crawl on if it gets too wet for him/her. Other people on this board might recommend peat/potting soil instead of toweling. Both have their positives and negatives. Peat tends to regulate humidity a little better and is easier to clean, but in my experience it is also more prone to mold and it makes it difficult for the young to find the dead crickets you will be feeding them. Since this scorp is in its 1st instar humidity is your biggest concern. All of the studies I've ever read have found that the most significant part of the mother/baby scorpion relationship is the transfer and regulation of humidity.
Once the baby is in its new home don't feed it until it is in its second instar. At that point you'll want to feed it crushed baby crickets.

As for the mother scorpion, I'd say leave her in the tank, but duct tape the thing shut. If you have a screen top then cover the whole thing (except a one or so inch square in the middle) with tape. Once the babies leave the mom they are very independent. If one gets loose in the house it could hurt you or someone else a year or so from now. These little guys can climb anything, including caulk and hard water deposits.

Also keep in mind, I'm a no pro, so listen to the big guys, they know more than I do.

Peace,
Chris

 

[skinheaddave]

Originally posted by Reitz
Other people on this board might recommend peat/potting soil instead of toweling.

I will assume Chris was, in part, refering to me, as I am a great proponent of peat. For scorpion nymphs, though, I would recommend that you do exactly what Chris said. Once they are a bit bigger, I woudl recommend switching to peat but people have success with towling as well.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[neveragain]

Alright, cool. I was suprised when I woke up and saw that the one that fell off the mothers back was still alive, so hopefully I'll get lucky and it will live. My friend who works at a deli is bringing me home some condiment cups that I will use. I'll try the damp paper towel method, and I am about to tape the screen cover on the tank.

Thanks a lot for the help

 

[CID143ti]

Congrats on the babies. Be careful with these little ones. Don't keep them in a container that they can get out of. Centruroides are great escape artists. I found one of my C. gracillis babies in my kitchen. I keep my Centruroides in communal tanks. It might be easiest to get the mother out now if you can. Once the babies are off her back they are very difficult to catch. I've been through my tank several times and have only caught six. They can hide in the smallest of places. Yes, if you leave them in there will be a risk of cannibalism. But that might not necessarily be a bad thing. It could weed out some of the weaker individuals and you can focus on rearing the strongest of the broad. It's just one of those trade-offs.

Good luck,

W. Smith

 

[neveragain]

Yeah, I'm just giong to leave all the ones that stayed on the mothers back in the tank. Unless when they start coming off, they are easy to take out, then I will move them until they get bigger.

I found another baby running around the floor of the tank, so I scooped it out. So should I put them both in the same deli cup, or should I put them in seperate ones?

 

[chau0046]

If the young haven`t moulted yet, youre best bet would be to try a place them on her back. !st instars are extremely hard to raise on their own. Also Whjat i did for Centruroides was remove the mother with the young still on her , to her iown little critter keeper . mUCH MORE EASIER TO KEEP AN EYE ON HER. aLSO EASIER TO REMOVE HER WHEN THEY HAVE MOULTED.

mAT

 

[neveragain]

How long does it normally take for them to molt for the first time? Only a couple of days, right? Because they could have been in the tank for at least 2 days without me seeing them. And wouldnt they have no color at all before they molted for the first time?

I am definatly not going to be able to get them back on the mothers back. If she is out in the open, the second I lift the lid on the tank, she runs and hides.

 

[skinheaddave]

They will stay on her back just under a week -- maybe a week if it is a bit cooler. They do have that little bit of colour at first instar. If they were second, you would see some moults stuck to her back and they would have started to dissipate. Also, they darken and thin out a lot.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[neveragain]

Ah, alright, thanks.

A few minutes ago I was able to get the mother into her own kritter keeper I duck taped the lid so the babies couldnt get out, then I took a sewing needle and poked holes all over the tape for ventilation.