White crust on mouth keeps growing back!

[tyrel]

My Hadrurus arizonensis has had a white crust growing on her chelicerae for several months now. I keep wiping it away from her mouth parts with a cotton swab, but it keeps growing back. I just found a patch of it that has spread past her mouth, under her prosoma.

She hasn't been eating for a while either, but I'm not sure if this is related, or just normal fasting.

At this point it's obviously an infection or parasite of some sort, but I have no idea what kind. Perhaps it would be best just to euthanize her to prevent it spreading?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[calum]

Sounds like a bacteriall/fungal infection of some sort. got any pics?

and if your scorp is burrowing/digging, it might just be sand dust.

 

[tyrel]

I know it's not sand dust, as the stuff I keep her on is more of an extremely fine gravel than sand. It's dust free.

Here are a couple photos. I recently wiped most off the crud off, so keep in mind there is usually more than this:

Is that helpful?

 

[Canth]

Could just be poo. They rest with their metasoma above their face.

 

[tyrel]

Could just be poo. They rest with their metasoma above their face.

That was my first thought, but after about the fifth time it started growing back, I kind of started to doubt it.

Besides, it's starting to grow in deep nooks and crannies that I don't think feces would be able to get to naturally.

 

[calum]

Hmmmm.... godknows what it is.

is your scorpion still behaving in a regular manner?

 

[tyrel]

Hmmmm.... godknows what it is.

is your scorpion still behaving in a regular manner?

Yes, for the most part. Like I said before, she hasn't eaten in a while, but that may not be related.

 

[jasen&crystal]

does it hold its tail out flat? i wouldn't kull it till your sure its suffering

 

[Lucozade3000]

Do you dust the feeder with Calcium powder?
Was thinking of a small calcification.
Is it only around the mouth or spreading all over?

 

[tyrel]

Her tail is fine, and I never use calcium powder.

I just checked to see how far it has spread, and I see a couple isolated spots on her pedipalpal trochanter. But more concerning is the fact that I found the cavernous pit underneath her chelicerae is completely carpeted in the stuff. The entire lining of her mouth is white with gunk.

Sound familiar to anyone?

 

[SeanCasey]

Out of curiousity how long have you had this scorp and where did you get it from?

Also, place some water in the scorps enclosure and see what it does with the water. If after its finds the water and then dives into it and does not seem to actually drink any then you may have a problem my wife ran into with some T's and a scorp that we received from the same source.

Also next time you swab it place the swabbed stuff into a clean container full of isopropyl alcohol. Does the material seems to break up rapdily into a large number of small little tube-like sections?

When I saw this in one of my H. spadix it was nematodes, and it ultimately was so far gone that I had to euthanise it. It was from the same source that my wife had picked up some T's from that also ended up with nematodes.

 

[tyrel]

Out of curiousity how long have you had this scorp and where did you get it from?

It was a gift that came from a small pet shop. Undoubtedly wild caught.

Also, place some water in the scorps enclosure and see what it does with the water. If after its finds the water and then dives into it and does not seem to actually drink any then you may have a problem my wife ran into with some T's and a scorp that we received from the same source.

I offer water every two weeks, but being a desert hairy, she rarely takes advantage of it.

Also next time you swab it place the swabbed stuff into a clean container full of isopropyl alcohol. Does the material seems to break up rapdily into a large number of small little tube-like sections?

When I saw this in one of my H. spadix it was nematodes, and it ultimately was so far gone that I had to euthanise it. It was from the same source that my wife had picked up some T's from that also ended up with nematodes.

That alcohol trick is exactly what I've been looking for. Excellent advice, thank you. I was thinking of trying to get a sample under my microscope, but I was afraid of damaging the scorpion trying to get the sample. This seems like a safe way to do it.

I'll keep you updated!

 

[tyrel]

Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a good sample with the Q-tip. (It never did much good anyway.) Instead, I just used the microscope directly on the scorpions face. Not an easy task. I apologize for the size of the photos, but I think you'll agree that detail is important in this case.

Photo 1
Photo 2

It's looking more fungus-like in these photos, almost like a mildew. Does anyone else agree? (The long fibers are from the Q-tip.)

 

[Galapoheros]

I've seen this with some emp scorps before. It looks like a chalky, clay like stuff. I've never seen it be a problem though. They just cleaned themselves up later. I've always thought it was some kind of regurgitation , but I haven't worried about since nothing ever happened from it.

 

[tyrel]

So, no one has any idea what it might be?