# Cent. Vitattus Lings! and a rescue!



## JPMiers (May 28, 2010)

​I'm often trying to coerce my friends into capturing their unexpected house guests instead of stomping on them. I've been trying to collect C. Vitattus to start a colony. 

​I went out to a friends place, south texas, because he had caught one. Since I was there I had a look around. 

​The first one I found was an adult female that had died during molt.... Or so I thought. Upon further inspection she was barely alive and the Telson was lodged in the skin. It was currently late afternoon and I figured she had been trying to get out all morning. I hardly twitched when touched. I realized that there might just be a chance that she could pull through so I took her inside and began to very carefully extract the skin with an exacto knife and tweezers. It was one of the most difficultly delicate things I've ever done. I finally cut it down to an old metasomal segment that was caught and seemed to be the source of the problem. The only way I could get it off was by using my fingers and as gently as I could grab the base of the tail and pull the last piece off. It worked! I then made sure that all of her legs and chela were straight and ready to harden. After I transferred her into a container I went back out to see what else I could find.

​At the same pile of trash I found the female I spotted 3 2nd instar Vitattuses. I managed to collect them and realized they were swarming a rusted up coffee can. I took the can back to the house and began cutting away - collecting them all as they left the can and fell off the table. (I will edit later when I get the video up.)

​All in all it was an excellent trip, I have enough to start my colony and I saved a life!

-Joel


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