# Hadrurus Arizonensis molt



## AzJohn (Sep 2, 2010)

Seeing how this species has a bad reputation of having molting difficulties, I thought I'd share my experiences and observations. First of all I collected the little guy last June. I had just gotten a new black light and was checking out one of my favorite spots. I picked it up on a whim really. It was the only one I took. It was about 2" at the time. I placed it in a continer with about six inches of substrate. The substrate was 2/3 sand 1/3 excavator clay. It held the borrow well. I kept it hot and relitivly humid, not bone dry at all, but far from dripping wet. I put a small amount of water down one side every now and then to keep the humidity higher near the bottom. I've observed this species in the wild and it is common to see the running around on hot (100 degree) humid nights. I figured it would be a good idea to try and duplicate this as best I could. I have it's cage about 12 inches under a fairly hot heat source. The bottom of the borrow should be over 85 the surface around 90. 
I'll allow it to cool down a bunch this winter, to around 50-65, and to dry out as well, again trying to duplicate it's natural cycles.

I was able to get pictures by luck. I was going to rehouse it and removed it from the tank while the clay dried out. It molted two days after it was  removed. 

I'd appreciate any other thoughts and ideas.

John


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## elportoed (Sep 2, 2010)

Awesome pic.  Thanks for sharing John.


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## Goon_CH (Sep 2, 2010)

Wow, Black-White Beauty :worship:


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## Jorpion (Sep 2, 2010)

It's the rare Hadrurus arizonensis albino scorpion!!! You can get $1,000 on the market for that.... LOL 

Very cool molt pics. Every one of my desert hairys has molted deep in their burrows, so I never see them until a week after.


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## Anubis77 (Sep 2, 2010)

Never seen mine fresh molted either. They've always sealed themselves in burrows. That is an interesting sight.


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## Michiel (Sep 2, 2010)

Interesting method to facilitate molting in this species, John! I think your contribution is helpfull to many keepers


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## AzJohn (Sep 2, 2010)

It really is good looking freshly molted. I'd love to see a pale form hadrurus after a molt and get pitures. I was kind of surprised to have it molt on me as soon as it did. When collected it was very clean. Considering evry other Hadrurus I've seen in the wild is covered in clay, and well dirty looking, I assumed this one had molted this Summer already. It might have, I don't know if any one knows the rate of growth for this species. 


JOhn


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## AzJohn (Aug 16, 2011)

A little update. This is her second molt under my care. Conditions very nearly the same as the first molt. She had around 8-9" of sand/excavator sand mix. The humidity was increased dramatically to mimic the native monsoon season. In fact the bottom of the tank was fairly damp sand, not really wet but not completely dry either. The surface humidity was much drier and good ventilation was provided. It was also hot near over 90F on the surface. This molt was almost exactly a year from the last molt. I guess you'd call her a slow grower. I got her at about 2" total length, maybe 3i. Now she's twice as bulky and about 3-4" in total length. bulky and about 3-4" in total length.


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## Michiel (Aug 16, 2011)

Welldone John....your method seems to be working well!


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## Hendersoniana (Aug 16, 2011)

Wow this is great! Great news for H Arizonensis keepers. Does this work for its breeding too? Btw, very nice post molt colours they have! Fantastic .


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## Michiel (Aug 16, 2011)

Hendersoniana said:


> Wow this is great! Great news for H Arizonensis keepers. Does this work for its breeding too? Btw, very nice post molt colours they have! Fantastic .


you might want to refrase your question, unless you really think that the substrate has anything to do with matingsequences and breeding in scorpions


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## Hendersoniana (Aug 16, 2011)

Oops my bad! What im trying to ask AzJohn is, since it can pretty much replicate the living conditions the H Arizonensis live in the wild, do you think that having this set up will be good enough for these guys to breed properly, with its young having no molting problems? Because from what i know, in the wild they dig extensive burrows to find a perfect setting of humidity and conditions to allow their young to develop properly.


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## AzJohn (Aug 16, 2011)

I imagine that the scorpion migt very well do better with a tank that matches the environmental factors as well as possible. The problem with trying to duplicate the native environment is how much trouple it would be. I imagine it might be easiest for someone in the Phoenix or Tucson AZ area to do. If I lived i the desert I'd place a stock tank filled with a sand/clay/gravel mix outside. You'd need to drill some whole in the bottom for drainage and a fine net of some sort to keep unwanted things from getting in. I'd leave it outside with a female or two and add a male in the summer. I imagine that isn't really an option for most people.

If I was going to try this in a house I'd use a big tank at least twenty gallons. Fill it with sand/excavator clay mix. Give the girl at least 8-10" of substrate. I would use two heat soarces. One for a real hot spot and one for a just kind of hot spot. Id also have a side of the tank that is a little bit more humid. The idea is to allow the scorpion to dig down and find the humidity and amount of heat that it wants. For the winter cool down just turn of the heat and let them stay at room temps for a six months.
that would give you a real good look at how this species really lives.

Kind of a lot of work. I bet you could do it without to much work. I housed this girl tall tupperware with out to much room to crawl around on, but a lot of room to dig.


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## Hendersoniana (Aug 17, 2011)

I see. Sounds very interesting, do u have a full tank shot of ur enclosure? This is helpful, i will use this method if i get a H Arizonensis in the future, i have stopped collecting and want to focus on my current collection . But H Arizonensis is a beautiful scorp and def on my wish list . So since these guys prefer digging, what is the height of ur tank housing the H Arizonensis now?


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## ArizonaAmanda (Jul 15, 2018)

I have a low profile tank. With a lid. So she still has about 3 inches of substrate. It is longer. I was wondering if I set up two borrowing locations, one on each side, and only dampened one side by running a small amount of water down that wall if that would allow her to choose the proper humidity when she wants to molt... I have two girls.. unfortunately I got the second because the 1st was sold to me with mycosis. and so I received another per there warranty policy.. Because of this I'm afraid to have to much humidity.. but don't want to ruin her chances of molting.. which I  hope happens soon, and maybe she will molt out of the mycosis damage.  The 2nd girl is much smaller. And has a similar set up, but in a smaller enclosure. I am really attached to these two... Especially the one with mycosis, as she was my first of this species.. I've only had barks up until her....


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## darkness975 (Jul 17, 2018)

ArizonaAmanda said:


> I have a low profile tank. With a lid. So she still has about 3 inches of substrate. It is longer. I was wondering if I set up two borrowing locations, one on each side, and only dampened one side by running a small amount of water down that wall if that would allow her to choose the proper humidity when she wants to molt... I have two girls.. unfortunately I got the second because the 1st was sold to me with mycosis. and so I received another per there warranty policy.. Because of this I'm afraid to have to much humidity.. but don't want to ruin her chances of molting.. which I  hope happens soon, and maybe she will molt out of the mycosis damage.  The 2nd girl is much smaller. And has a similar set up, but in a smaller enclosure. I am really attached to these two... Especially the one with mycosis, as she was my first of this species.. I've only had barks up until her....


They dig their own burrows.


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