GS
Arachnoknight
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2010
- Messages
- 198
I was filled with joy and satisfaction to watch two scorps which i've raised from 2nd instar successfully mated at the very first attempt.
It was indeed a awesome experience to nurture them through their different molting stages.. till their final adulthood
Below are some pictures and vids for your enjoyment:
[YOUTUBE]WGbfX8yaT1A[/YOUTUBE]
Shortly after accepting the spermatophore, the female proceed to the same hide to chill with her "new found love".
10mins later, i rewarded them both with an adult roach each. It was a heart-warming experience to witness such cohesion with this couple.
[YOUTUBE]yyrzvXsraAo[/YOUTUBE]
The following are some stats which i hope to help those who has plans to breed them, they are in accordance to my preference and may varies with yours.
Hence, whatever works for you should be fine
Btw, please pardon my poor english.
-----------------------------------------------
Preparation for the mating enclosure:
1. Size of tank
It is about 30cm by 15cm by 25cm (length x width x height)
Imo, this should be the minimal size, larger enclosure will do fine as well. just ensure ample hides are provided.
2. Types of "platform" for the male to deposit his spermatophore.
A small piece of flat slate and a long piece of bark.
3. Substrate
Mixture of dry coco peat/fine sand of 40/60. Pure sand substrate works well too. (A tiny portion dry forest moss is added for aesthetics purpose only)
Substrate depth is 4-5cm.
Mating preparation for the Female:
1. Female has been relocated to the mating enclosure (as seen in the mating vid above) 1 week after its most recent molt to adulthood (7th instar).
2. Female has been left in that enclosure to get accustomed to the surroundings for a period of 3 weeks. I prefer not to rush things for the female.
3. Total number of adult B.lateralis roach offered was 3 in a time span of 3 weeks. All 3 adult roaches were taken.
You might have heard that we should always keep the female well-fed to avoid hostility towards the male but i prefer not to "over-do-it" to the point she's as FAT as a heavily gravid female (when she has not even been mated with a male)
Mating preparation for the Male:
1. Male is left undisturbed for a min period of 1 month after his recent molt to adulthood (7th instar)
2. Total number of adult B.lateralis roach offered in the time span of 1 month was 3, but only 2 was taken. In my experience, adult males does not gorge themselves like adult females. They tend to exercise control by having regular feeding intervals and keeping themselves in "shape". Of cos, there might be exceptions too.
How to start the mating process for the couple?
1. As you have heard, always introduce the male to the female's enclosure, you are right with that. If the female is hidden within her hide, you may let her be and allow the male to locate her all by himself and "extract" the female out from the hide after he has tracked down her pheromones.
2. Introduce the male to the female's enclosure with minimal stress to the male (e.g. do not hastily pick the male up by the tail (using a pair of tongs). There are a few ways to do the transfer. Personally, i prefer to let the male walk onto a platform (by his own efforts) and lift the whole bark/slate with him on it. Of cos, using your hands like me is bad example. I did so as my hands have a better grip as compared to using a pair of tongs. A suggestion might be to wear thick gloves or whatever methods which you are comforatable with.
Just remember to place great emphasis on your own safety. Ensure you are doing it over low grounds and with ample space all around you and an empty deli-cup nearby (as standby in the event that the male scorp was dropped)
3. Place the male gently at the other corner of the tank from the female, it is not necessary to plant him right in front of the her. Usually, if the couple is sexually ready for mating, the male will detect the pheromones from the female and engage in the mating within minutes. The mating session can be as short as within 15 minutes (in my scenario) or as long as 1-2 days. This is dependent on how co-operative is the female and how long does the male takes to secure a "suitable spot" to deposit his spermatophore. If there is too much delay from the male, e.g. more then 1 day, the female may lose interest and initiate a "break-up" from the "mating dance"
What should be done after the mating has completed:
1. Observe if there is hostility from the female.
It is very rare for the female to cannibalize on the male but some female does exhibits hostility towards the male once the acceptance of spermatophore has been completed.
E.g. From my experience, my AA Tunisia and Hectors females does go cranky and chase the male right up to a corner. I had to stop her stings and advances with a pair of tongs while allowing the male to retreat back to his hide. After several mins has passed, the female does cool down and no hostility has been observed. Of cos.. to be safe, you may relocate the male after the mating has completed. Up to individual.
Try to ensure ample hides (min 2-3) are readily available in the mating enclosure.
However, there are examples of a "peaceful endings" right after a mating session.
E.g. This Androctonus bicolor pair of mine actually shared a single hide within minutes after their mating session.
They even ate side by side from each other!
Another good example of 0 hostility after the mating session are my 8th instar Parabuthus transvaalicus females. The males does not exhibit any fears (by retreating quickly) after the mating session as well. (Check out the P.trans mating vids on my youtube channel to view)
I hope those interested in breeding this awesome species of FAT-tails may find my info useful.
I might have missed out on the portions of what you are interested to know. Feel free to pm me, i'll share what i know if it is within my knowledge.
I wish you luck in breeding these gorgeous speciemens
Regards,
GS
It was indeed a awesome experience to nurture them through their different molting stages.. till their final adulthood
Below are some pictures and vids for your enjoyment:
[YOUTUBE]WGbfX8yaT1A[/YOUTUBE]
Shortly after accepting the spermatophore, the female proceed to the same hide to chill with her "new found love".
10mins later, i rewarded them both with an adult roach each. It was a heart-warming experience to witness such cohesion with this couple.
[YOUTUBE]yyrzvXsraAo[/YOUTUBE]
The following are some stats which i hope to help those who has plans to breed them, they are in accordance to my preference and may varies with yours.
Hence, whatever works for you should be fine
Btw, please pardon my poor english.
-----------------------------------------------
Preparation for the mating enclosure:
1. Size of tank
It is about 30cm by 15cm by 25cm (length x width x height)
Imo, this should be the minimal size, larger enclosure will do fine as well. just ensure ample hides are provided.
2. Types of "platform" for the male to deposit his spermatophore.
A small piece of flat slate and a long piece of bark.
3. Substrate
Mixture of dry coco peat/fine sand of 40/60. Pure sand substrate works well too. (A tiny portion dry forest moss is added for aesthetics purpose only)
Substrate depth is 4-5cm.
Mating preparation for the Female:
1. Female has been relocated to the mating enclosure (as seen in the mating vid above) 1 week after its most recent molt to adulthood (7th instar).
2. Female has been left in that enclosure to get accustomed to the surroundings for a period of 3 weeks. I prefer not to rush things for the female.
3. Total number of adult B.lateralis roach offered was 3 in a time span of 3 weeks. All 3 adult roaches were taken.
You might have heard that we should always keep the female well-fed to avoid hostility towards the male but i prefer not to "over-do-it" to the point she's as FAT as a heavily gravid female (when she has not even been mated with a male)
Mating preparation for the Male:
1. Male is left undisturbed for a min period of 1 month after his recent molt to adulthood (7th instar)
2. Total number of adult B.lateralis roach offered in the time span of 1 month was 3, but only 2 was taken. In my experience, adult males does not gorge themselves like adult females. They tend to exercise control by having regular feeding intervals and keeping themselves in "shape". Of cos, there might be exceptions too.
How to start the mating process for the couple?
1. As you have heard, always introduce the male to the female's enclosure, you are right with that. If the female is hidden within her hide, you may let her be and allow the male to locate her all by himself and "extract" the female out from the hide after he has tracked down her pheromones.
2. Introduce the male to the female's enclosure with minimal stress to the male (e.g. do not hastily pick the male up by the tail (using a pair of tongs). There are a few ways to do the transfer. Personally, i prefer to let the male walk onto a platform (by his own efforts) and lift the whole bark/slate with him on it. Of cos, using your hands like me is bad example. I did so as my hands have a better grip as compared to using a pair of tongs. A suggestion might be to wear thick gloves or whatever methods which you are comforatable with.
Just remember to place great emphasis on your own safety. Ensure you are doing it over low grounds and with ample space all around you and an empty deli-cup nearby (as standby in the event that the male scorp was dropped)
3. Place the male gently at the other corner of the tank from the female, it is not necessary to plant him right in front of the her. Usually, if the couple is sexually ready for mating, the male will detect the pheromones from the female and engage in the mating within minutes. The mating session can be as short as within 15 minutes (in my scenario) or as long as 1-2 days. This is dependent on how co-operative is the female and how long does the male takes to secure a "suitable spot" to deposit his spermatophore. If there is too much delay from the male, e.g. more then 1 day, the female may lose interest and initiate a "break-up" from the "mating dance"
What should be done after the mating has completed:
1. Observe if there is hostility from the female.
It is very rare for the female to cannibalize on the male but some female does exhibits hostility towards the male once the acceptance of spermatophore has been completed.
E.g. From my experience, my AA Tunisia and Hectors females does go cranky and chase the male right up to a corner. I had to stop her stings and advances with a pair of tongs while allowing the male to retreat back to his hide. After several mins has passed, the female does cool down and no hostility has been observed. Of cos.. to be safe, you may relocate the male after the mating has completed. Up to individual.
Try to ensure ample hides (min 2-3) are readily available in the mating enclosure.
However, there are examples of a "peaceful endings" right after a mating session.
E.g. This Androctonus bicolor pair of mine actually shared a single hide within minutes after their mating session.
They even ate side by side from each other!
Another good example of 0 hostility after the mating session are my 8th instar Parabuthus transvaalicus females. The males does not exhibit any fears (by retreating quickly) after the mating session as well. (Check out the P.trans mating vids on my youtube channel to view)
I hope those interested in breeding this awesome species of FAT-tails may find my info useful.
I might have missed out on the portions of what you are interested to know. Feel free to pm me, i'll share what i know if it is within my knowledge.
I wish you luck in breeding these gorgeous speciemens
Regards,
GS
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