# Caring for Newborn Arizona Hairy Scorpions



## Reacker (Aug 8, 2007)

About two months ago I captured one of these scoprions from lower Oregon.

I have been keeping her in a small aquarium where she made a burrow and after a period of initial activity and feeding, she sealed herself inside of her burrow.

Well, I hadn't expected in my wildest dreams to have a pregnant scorpion, so I had don't no research on how to recognize the signs. Thinking that maybe she was dead as she hadn't come up in more than a month, I dug up her burrow and discovered a much skinnier looking scorpion with about 25 babies on her back. This was needless to say a suprise. 

She panicked and ran, in the process dropping her babies in one corner of the tank. For a while, she tried to get them back on her back, but then she apparently gave up and started running around the tank. 

This may or may not go against some law of scorpion keeping and breeding, but I used a long pair of forcepts to very gently place the babies back on her, upon which time she started to walk noticiably slower and became more defensive than when she had no babies on her back. I figured the replacement was a success if she was exhibiting mothering behavior again. 

I smoothed her tank again, and knowing that she wouldn't be able to dig a decent burrow without knocking the offspring from her back, I took a flower pots water dish, cut an entrance in it, and placed it upside down in her enclosure with the entrace facing her. 

As I had heard that disturbed scorpions will sometimes eat their brood, I gave her a smashed dampwood termite reproductive to keep her appetite fully satiated.

This was two days ago, since then I have just left her alone.





My question is, is there anything special I need to know about caring for young members of this species? Any other comments or suggestions would be appreciated.


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## SalS (Aug 8, 2007)

Arizona Hairy's are notorious for eating their young for no apparent reason.  As far as I know, nobody has been able to get the young to live.  If you can, congrats!


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## brandontmyers (Aug 8, 2007)

I have no experience with these spp. But usually with new born desert spp keep them a little more moist than usual and i would probably seperate them. If you are interested in selling or trading any, please let me know.

brandon


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## Reacker (Aug 8, 2007)

I will definitely try to keep them alive.

I heard that they will crawl off the mothers back after about two weeks? What should I put them in? I have sufficient stuff to feed them with (I breed fruit flies,  termites, and can buy crix).

Can I seperate the babies from the mother before they do it on their own? Is it true that you can hand feed them crushed insects if you do this?


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## brandontmyers (Aug 8, 2007)

Go buy some deli cups, put substrate and a small hide, and you should be good. This is what I do with all my young. Can you tell if they have molted to 2nd instar yet??


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## Reacker (Aug 8, 2007)

No. I don't know how long ago she gave birth, so no clue. I saw no shed skins when I dug her up though, but then they could have eaten them like like some arthropods do. With ants and termites, I have other brood to compare with, but the immature scorps are all the same size.

If a measurement could help, I would say maybe around 1/2 inch??? I don't want to disturb her again to get an exact measurement.


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## brandontmyers (Aug 8, 2007)

You can tell these apart becaue of the way the babies look. If they still look like little white blobs, they are first instar. If they look more like scorpions then they have molted.


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## ParabuthusKing (Aug 8, 2007)

Congrats.. just leave her alone as much as possible until the scorplings molt once and start to disperse from her back.. some people put the mother into a large delicup with a smaller hide to make gathering the scorplings easier, but if this is your first brood, I would recommend leaving her be.. One quick question though.. I may be wrong, but I do not think the ARIZONA hairy scorpions live in Oregon:? :? .. maybe somebody else can back me up.. best of luck though as any species of scorplings is very exciting


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## brandontmyers (Aug 8, 2007)

I was thinking the same thing, but I think I remember reading about h. arizonensis pallidus being around there, not for sure though..


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## EAD063 (Aug 8, 2007)

http://www.ub.ntnu.no/scorpion-files/h_arizonensis.php


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## Reacker (Aug 9, 2007)

I am not sure as to the ID of my scorpion. When I lived in Northern Nevada a few years back, this type of scorpion was extremely common, I could go out looking for ants (I keep lots of ants), and end up finding more of these scorps than ants. An internet search provided pictures matching my scorpions with the various assorted names: Arizona Hairy Scorpion, Nevada Hairy Scorpion, Great Hairy Scorpion, Generically Hairy Desert Dwelling Thing With Ouchy Claws, etc, etc, etc.

My amateur observations of photos and my scorpion says that they are either the same or a very closely related species.

As for the instar, I believe the have shed then as they seem to be merely miniature white versions of Mom. Does this mean that I can seperate them?


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## redknee_freak (Aug 10, 2007)

if that is a desert hairy and you have luck with the scorpilings i will be interested in a couple as well


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## EAD063 (Aug 10, 2007)

Reacker said:


> I am not sure as to the ID of my scorpion. When I lived in Northern Nevada a few years back, this type of scorpion was extremely common, I could go out looking for ants (I keep lots of ants), and end up finding more of these scorps than ants. An internet search provided pictures matching my scorpions with the various assorted names: Arizona Hairy Scorpion, Nevada Hairy Scorpion, Great Hairy Scorpion, Generically Hairy Desert Dwelling Thing With Ouchy Claws, etc, etc, etc.
> 
> My amateur observations of photos and my scorpion says that they are either the same or a very closely related species.
> 
> As for the instar, I believe the have shed then as they seem to be merely miniature white versions of Mom. Does this mean that I can seperate them?


 Per your location I would estimate they're not Hadrudrus species.  Most likely some sort of Chactidae or Vaejovidae, most likely the later of the two.  If it's a sling, and your not completely in tuned with scorpion species in your area, it could look like many, many other species.  For example, 70% of tityus species look identical at early instars.  Similarly, even myself has confused batches of 2 differnt vaejovis species at early instar.  It took up until 6th instar to be able to differentiate between the two species.  So looks are decieving.    But you are absoultly correct, your previous journies in Nevada did yield you some "desert hairys", or as we perfer to call them, Hadrurus arizonesis, or one of it's similar realitives.

Best of luck,

ed


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## EAD063 (Aug 10, 2007)

Oddly enough, a website that appears to be semi-reliable, indicates there is a possibility of Hadrurus spadix occuring in the snake river basin of Oregon.  If by "lower oregon", you mean basically bordering Nevada, then you maybe absoutly correct. In which case I owe you an apology, but normally, Hadrudrus main stomping ground is souther Arizona and the like.  With that in mind, you should spend a whole day in the basin and see what you can find, a reliable source of information can be very useful to others in that area. 

Sorry for the double post, 
Best,

Ed


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## reptist (Aug 10, 2007)

*H. arizonensis*

I've had some luck w/ arizonensis this year as well, I just left them w/ the mother till they climed off her back and then seperated them into 16 oz deli cups w/ sand for a sub. I have got 1 brood up to 2nd instar and feeding well on their own, I have never offered them water so I assume they are getting it from their food, I also have a huge brood still on the back of another female {see pix} they have been on her back for 12 days now and I expect them to be shedding into 2I soon, they realy havent been to demanding of a sling to care for, hopefully the future molts will go as smoothly as their initial molt as all made it out w/ out 1 casualty, enjoy the pix and PEACE    B. 

The most recent brood
View attachment 64239

View attachment 64240

View attachment 64241


The babies from the last brood, first meal!! 2I
View attachment 64242

View attachment 64243


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## JSN (Aug 13, 2007)

congrats on the kids, H. spadix (looks very similar to arizonensis) inhabit parts of oregon, but ya never know it very well could be arizonensis, keep the kids very warm at this stage and feed them alot, the hard part with this species is getting them to molt, so provide ample amount of substrate in order for them to make burrows...I'd seperate them as soon as they reach second instar becuase they are highly cannibalistic at the younger stages, especially the ones that grow faster and bigger...good luck either way, and get some pictures up if you want a positive ID...


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## Reacker (Aug 13, 2007)

I found this scorpion in Chiloquin, Just a little bit north of Klamath Falls. Use google maps:

http://maps.google.com/maps?tab=wl

Sadly, I don't actually live there, so an extended trip wouldn't be possible.

Looking at pictures, my scorpion seems to me to be H. spadix.

Also, I am going to seperate on of the scorps and see if it will eat. If so, I will spread the rest.


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## Canth (Aug 13, 2007)

Is there any possible way to get some pics of your scorpion so we could be sure? Oh and are the babies lined up in a row or are they just kind of randomly scattered? 

A small tip, you might want to search for Mark Newton's thread on the molting chamber.


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## Reacker (Aug 13, 2007)

I am starting to save up for a camera that I can use for really detailed pics, but it will be a few months. For now, sorry no pic.

They are all just randomely scattered on her back. Though I have noticed that they are moving on and off quite a bit now. It may be a matter of days until they disperse.

And, I will check the thread.


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## Nikos (Aug 14, 2007)

this thread:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=51791

is one of the very few reports of Hadrurus scorplings reaching 3nd instar, you might wanna take a look.

imo if you leave them in delicups they will die soon, I'd try a big terrarium vey well ventilated and with LOTS of substrate so they can burrow and find the humidity levels that suits them best for molting


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## Reacker (Aug 14, 2007)

vardoulas said:


> this thread:
> http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=51791
> 
> is one of the very few reports of Hadrurus scorplings reaching 3nd instar, you might wanna take a look.
> ...



I will indeed do this as it sounds to be the best method. Makes sense really, to mimik the natural environment rather than placing them in small delicups. 

My only worry with this is that I seperated them last night and counted 33, yes thats right, 33 immatures. I am going to use a 10 gallon, but I am sure the cannabalism rate will be extremely high.


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