Bad molt deformed tail

whitewolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
615
Temps are 80-84 during most the day, 87 on the high side, and 75 at night. The humidity is low and I only give them water once a week to keep them from drowning in it. Ok so a month or so ago I had one of last years babies go threw a bad molt. The entire metasoma to the tip of the aculeus was covered in a stuck molt. I tried an easier approach at first and noticed then it was dragging it's tail then. Started with just a bump in humidity for a few days and only the last two segments freed itself. Then I went with an ICU approach and after a couple of days of the tail getting good and damp I tried rubbing it off with a paint brush and Q-Tip to no avail. Finally I tried snipping off the molt which only helped a little since I only freed the velson. What I found when I freed the tail was it was badly deformed as well as her continuing to drag it behind her for another couple of weeks. Well after watching her for a month drag it behind her, walking in circles, not eating, and it getting hung on cage decor which made her fall over on her back I debated on terminating her or taking a chance and removing the tail. No other sibling or scorpion in the tank has anything like this and there was 10 adults and siblings housed with her. She is also the smallest of the brood. Well I decided tonight to snip off what was dragging and keep her separate. She is now able to run around perfectly fine and even ate, of course I gave it to her on tongs but still she ate. I know someone else had a problem like this a long time ago but anyone got any ideas what may have caused it. I did dab the last segment left with super glue even though there was no blood in hopes that nothing will get in there and set off a secondary infection. Hers was not hollow either I noticed and I remember the last post I saw like that being hollow.

Yes I know it wont grow back, she may not be able to mate or catch prey on her own, and blahh blahh blahh but I decided to remove the dead limb and keep her around as a pet rather than popping her in the freezer.

Warning removed tail below!!!! No pictures of the actual removal.












You can't really tell by the pictures but it is indented in several places and twisted slightly. The tail would not bend at all even after removal. Yes that is a heat mat. No it's not on. No it doesn't even work. It's was used as a background for pictures. Before anyone chimes in about a heat mat.





Normal female just for comparison
 
Last edited:

Galapoheros

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 4, 2005
Messages
8,982
That's too bad. I keep some desert stuff, Centuroides, Parabuthus, Diplocentrus. I keep it dry and airy, but the humidity is pretty high, they do fine this way over here. They get rid of waste from the end of their tail though, super glue ...don't think it will live long.
 

whitewolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
615
That's too bad. I keep some desert stuff, Centuroides, Parabuthus, Diplocentrus. I keep it dry and airy, but the humidity is pretty high, they do fine this way over here. They get rid of waste from the end of their tail though, super glue ...don't think it will live long.
Sorry... Liquid Band aid not super glue. :wall: The pink stuff. I have it stuck in my head complaining about it being as messy since I stuck two fingers together getting it open. Least I didn't glue my lips together this time opening it with my teeth. But anyway yeah I don't expect it to live long but figured I'd give it a shot so I could say I tried.
 

RyoKenzaki

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
204
Wait, isn't removing the whole metasoma will actually kill the scorpion???
I had similar problem last time but only the last segment and telson was stuck, i use a small pin needle to crack the exo and slowly removed all of it
The segment and telson are badly twisted but it recover in the next molt just fine
 

whitewolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
615
Wait, isn't removing the whole metasoma will actually kill the scorpion???
I had similar problem last time but only the last segment and telson was stuck, i use a small pin needle to crack the exo and slowly removed all of it
The segment and telson are badly twisted but it recover in the next molt just fine
Not sure. :? Kinda why I asked. The entire tail was stiff with no movement. I couldn't bend the segments at all myself. I got mostly all the molt off thinking the molt was interfering with her ability to bend it but nothing. It's not totally hollow but it is dry hard stuff, not a powder but dry chunky stuff, inside if that makes since. Some kind of rot maybe? Dang why didn't I take a photo of it. I think the post I am thinking of was a claw, but I remember it being an old post.
 

whitewolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
615
Great now I am up wondering how scorpions poop. I have seen scorpion poop but not seen them do it. You know finding info on that is not as easy as you think.

Best search ever.

Well I guess I will terminate her in the morning since it seems either way she was destine to die if she couldn't pass stool in the first place. Poor girl. Thanks Galapoheros turned out to be a good nagging question of the night.
 
Last edited:

RyoKenzaki

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
204
Probably u left it with the molt stucked for too long, i removed mine right away when i notice it get stuck
Once the new exo harden, the stucked part will get suppress by the old exo and will stop functioning soon
If i were in your situtation, i would probably leave it because i've seen picture of scorpion living without it tail, though not the whole segment like yours but i will bet on every chances
 

ryan88

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 12, 2006
Messages
42
It will eventually die, better to put it out of its misery.:8o
I had a Adut male Centroroides nigrescens with its last segment stuck in its exuvium tried to help it and winding up cutting its tail. It die after 2 weeks.. But i was able to mate him with 3 females and produce 3 broods.
 

Michiel

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
3,478
put it in the freezer. The end of the gut is in the metasoma (what is often wrongly named as tail) , so now it has no endgut and cannot defecate. It will die rapidly.
 

Treynok

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 17, 2009
Messages
202
I wouldn't freeze it. While it does normally defecate out the end of it's tail just behind the telson, I have seen documented cases of scorpions missing most of their tails and still being alive for several years in captivity. It would be an interesting thing to see how it comes out of it considering it feels no pain / can't suffer anyways. If it isn't having trouble getting around I'd see how it starts to recover / doesn't recover before taking further action. In these cases I believe the scorpions stopped "bleeding" on their own though if you didn't remove it at a segment and had to use liquid bandaid that may have been worst than letting it go. Like I said though it would be worth seeing the outcome.
 

RyoKenzaki

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
204
Everyone have different view when it comes to terminating your ill animals, just do whatever u think is right then, Whitewolf
I wish u luck :)
 

Anubis77

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 15, 2005
Messages
281
I caught an immature Centruroides sculpturatus with a missing metasoma a few years ago. It lived for a week if I remember right. Ate fine, but, with an organ injury like that, there's little to no chance it would have survived. You might get some more life out if it if you stop feeding, but then it comes down to a matter of the time to starvation. Starvation or impaction if you do feed.
 

whitewolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
615
Yeah I put her down this morning. No point in dragging out a slow death. I have done very little with scorpions as far as research lately since I have been more focused on the T's and reptiles. I appreciated the advice everyone gave though. Way better than the reactions I expected. :clap:
 
Top