# My desert hairy is too fat?...



## RoseT (Feb 26, 2011)

Ok Im new to the Scorp world but I did hear and read that they will eat wild, and can die from overeating...Now Ive been feeding this guy once a week for about a month, and I dont think it has ever pooped...Is this a sign of premolt or what?...It looks like it about to blow up...Any advice will be helpful, thanks!


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## John Bokma (Feb 26, 2011)

You're keeping this species wrong IMO (substrate). Yes, looks very fat, but some juveniles can look like that when they are about to molt and based on the looks it's a juvenile. (But I have no experience with this sp.).


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## RoseT (Feb 26, 2011)

wrong substrate?, its calcium sand....I thought, heard, read its the best substrate...its not a tropical sp otherwise i would have it on coco fiber like my ts...anyway, thanks for your input...anyone else?.


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## Beardo (Feb 26, 2011)

I think he means you should be keeping it on a compacted sand/soil mix so the scorp can burrow/dig.....which is fine, but I always kept my DHs on playsand with low-to-the-ground hides and they were fine.


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## AzJohn (Feb 26, 2011)

Looks like it's going to molt. I've heard calcisand gets real sticky when it gets wet. It might be a big issue at some point if it starts to stick to your scorpion. I use a mix of sand/peat moss of about 50/50. The peat gives the borrow a better way to support itself. You can also use excivator sand, which is vey common to the clay I find this species in.


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## RoseT (Feb 26, 2011)

yeah, ive notice a bit of sand stuck to the scorps stinger due to the juices that come out of the crickets when punctured...Im gonna try mixing it...thanks.


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## Falk (Feb 26, 2011)

Scorpions should never ever be fat like that


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## Michiel (Feb 26, 2011)

It is going to molt, so it is supposed to look that way...

Those popular books 

I have been keeping and breeding scorpions for 18 years and never had one die from overeating (also because they are not overfed I must say)....


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## scorpionmom (Feb 26, 2011)

RoseT said:


> Ok Im new to the Scorp world but I did hear and read that they will eat wild, and can die from overeating...Now Ive been feeding this guy once a week for about a month, and I dont think it has ever pooped...Is this a sign of premolt or what?...It looks like it about to blow up...Any advice will be helpful, thanks!


I believe it is just a myth that scorpions will eat until they die. They can eat a lot but will stop to digest when sated.


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## Falk (Feb 26, 2011)

Not normal if she isnt gravid, in the wild they need the slim body so they can hide in tight areas.


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## RoseT (Feb 26, 2011)

does it look gravid?, can you tell if it is or not?...I mean theres a chance it could be gravid if it was wild caught...that would be pretty dope....


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## llamastick (Feb 26, 2011)

- That's premolt and completely normal. 
- You should use a fine sand mixed with excavator clay, so it can burrow.
- Scorpions cannot eat themselves to death. It's a myth. They'll stop eating if they're full. Being overfed as adults will shorten their overall lifespan, but that isn't an adult.


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## gromgrom (Feb 26, 2011)

just last week i told someoen to get their desert hairy off of calisand. 

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=170763

see rasputin's posts in that link

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=65115


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## AzJohn (Feb 26, 2011)

RoseT said:


> does it look gravid?, can you tell if it is or not?...I mean theres a chance it could be gravid if it was wild caught...that would be pretty dope....


If the scorpion was gravid you would see embryos through the skin. Especially with a scorpion that has such a translusent skin as your Hadrurus does. I posted a picture of a gravid Centruroides I collected. You can see the little blobs under the skin. She produced a brood a month or so after the picture was taken. Not the best picture. Sorry

John


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## RoseT (Feb 26, 2011)

ah i see......Ok Ok got to get rid of that calci then, hopefully its not too late and it has a bad molt because of it...What if just straight up use fine dry coco husk?....I know its a desert sp but has anyone tried this?..Im assuming as long as it stays dry and i control the humidity level (now that it is in premolt) it should work?...


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## Beardo (Feb 26, 2011)

Come on people, use some common sense.....have any of you saying that scorp shouldn't look like that even kept scorpions before? When a scorp is young and growing, they will often look gorged right before a molt. And being that Hadrurus get 5-6" long, I think its safe to say the above scorp is definitely not gravid. 

A wise man once said "Its better to keep your mouth closed and let everyone think of you as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."


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## RoseT (Feb 26, 2011)

DavidBeard said:


> Come on people, use some common sense.....have any of you saying that scorp shouldn't look like that even kept scorpions before? When a scorp is young and growing, they will often look gorged right before a molt. And being that Hadrurus get 5-6" long, I think its safe to say the above scorp is definitely not gravid.
> 
> A wise man once said "Its better to keep your mouth closed and let everyone think of you as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."


lol I didnt even realize that...The important thing is that I get the right info so I can care for it in the correct manner. Im not like all these other people that swear they know what they are doing then find out the hard way with a death.
Thanks for all your input hes now i dried coc fiber because that is the only thing available at this time.


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## Beardo (Feb 27, 2011)

You can get playsand at Home Depot, Wal Mart and other places for cheap. I used it for all my desert scorps with great success.


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## BAM1082 (Feb 28, 2011)

I know its been said on here multiple times.

Alot of people keep there Desert hairy's too danm dry.

Im not from AZ but it can snow and rain there too. 

If you dont keep the humidity up in its burrows then it will most likely die in its molt. 
You can also add a humid hide into its tank. 
I use a plastic container with a hole cut in the side for a doorway. 
I lightly mist inside daily and place it back into the tank. 
Then it can pick where it wants to be. 

Keeping H.Ariz. Is tricky. GL.


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## afs rock (Mar 1, 2011)

i'd say premolt


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## Thegloryfades (Mar 1, 2011)

Being from Az and having desert hairy scorps all over in my backyard I'll say its incredibly arid over summer usually less than 20% humidity I'm sure its more humid in the burrows though


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## AzJohn (Mar 1, 2011)

Thegloryfades said:


> Being from Az and having desert hairy scorps all over in my backyard I'll say its incredibly arid over summer usually less than 20% humidity I'm sure its more humid in the burrows though


During the monsoon season, July to Aug you can have humidity much higher. Like you said the burrows can be much more humid.


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## Thegloryfades (Mar 1, 2011)

Yea but it really doesnt stay humid long out here and they seem most active over summer


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## AzJohn (Mar 1, 2011)

Thegloryfades said:


> Yea but it really doesnt stay humid long out here and they seem most active over summer


There's a lot more to Arizona than Pheonix.  Anyways the average yearly humidity is around 31% in Phoenix. That's a yearly average. The morning average is a round 50% year round. The monsoon season will raise the humidity to over 50% for basically a few months. Now take a burrow that is a foot underground and the humidity is probably much higher. Other parts of the state are much higher. Tucson has a more humid climate than Pheonix. 

I do a lot of rock flipping in the Superstition Mts east of Apachee Junction. They get snow in winter. The melt water will keep the soil damp for nearly the 3 months. I've had one H.a. molt in my care and it molted in early September, at the end of the monsoon. When the humidity is near its highest average.

The only reason I'm making saying anything about this is that in my opinion, Sahara like conditionds are one of the real reasons that this species has such a bad reputation of dieing during molt.


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## Jorpion (Mar 5, 2011)

Michiel said:


> It is going to molt, so it is supposed to look that way...
> 
> Those popular books
> 
> I have been keeping and breeding scorpions for 18 years and never had one die from overeating (also because they are not overfed I must say)....


Same here - thanks Michiel!


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