Birthing issues

[TheWolfOfTartarus]

So on the 14th my Asian forest scorpion randomly had a baby and she looked like she was giving birth to another but it got stuck so I left her alone And just misted the tank and filled the water bowl but then 2 days later she decided to try and eat the baby but I saved it from her pincers and put it in a cup with a moist paper towel and after a day the other baby that was stuck disappeared(I assume she finished giving birth and ate them some time while I was at work. I heard it was difficult for them to survive without the mother and today the other baby died. But what I'm worried about is that she still looks like she's bulging like she might have more and now she moved around a little but mostly she's just chilling with her tail laid down flat just kinda dragging behind her. I'm just wondering if she's okay?

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Photos of the animal and the enclosure please.

 

[TheWolfOfTartarus]

Photos of the animal and the enclosure please.

Gotcha

So here's her set up and her tail

Here's a picture of her, I haven't seen her move her tail in 8hrs even she usually strikes the tongs

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I’m afraid I don’t have experience with birthing scorpions, so I can’t offer advice specific to that. However, I strongly suspect that the root of the problem is moisture. The enclosure is not set up properly for this species. Unfortunately, many incorrect setups that may be survivable under normal circumstances can be a huge detriment under any kind of extra strain or major life events such as moulting and birthing. In this case you have an enclosure that is not providing a sufficiently humid environment for this animal.

I don’t know if the babies or the mother can be saved at this stage - hopefully someone with some experience in this will come along. However, if you want to give them a fighting chance, I’d start by pouring water directly into the substrate so it’s moist all the way through, and if you have a fully mesh screen on top, cover ¾ of it with plastic wrap or something.

For future reference, this species needs several inches of moist soil to burrow though. They lose moisture to the air quickly, and one of the ways they protect themselves from dehydration is by spending time in their burrows. Misting the surface of the substrate does basically nothing for them because it evaporates too quickly. Deep, moist substrate is key.

 

[TheWolfOfTartarus]

I’m afraid I don’t have experience with birthing scorpions, so I can’t offer advice specific to that. However, I strongly suspect that the root of the problem is moisture. The enclosure is not set up properly for this species. Unfortunately, many incorrect setups that may be survivable under normal circumstances can be a huge detriment under any kind of extra strain or major life events such as moulting and birthing. In this case you have an enclosure that is not providing a sufficiently humid environment for this animal.

I don’t know if the babies or the mother can be saved at this stage - hopefully someone with some experience in this will come along. However, if you want to give them a fighting chance, I’d start by pouring water directly into the substrate so it’s moist all the way through, and if you have a fully mesh screen on top, cover ¾ of it with plastic wrap or something.

For future reference, this species needs several inches of moist soil to burrow though. They lose moisture to the air quickly, and one of the ways they protect themselves from dehydration is by spending time in their burrows. Misting the surface of the substrate does basically nothing for them because it evaporates too quickly. Deep, moist substrate is key.

Okay thank you for letting me know, I'll try adding more moisture too the soil
I gave he about 6 1/2 inches of dirt on half of the tank but I'll try filling the whole tank with to 7 inches. Hopefully it's not too late

 

[Joey Spijkers]

The enclosure doesn’t look super dry to me, but I can only see the surface. Usually the surface is slightly dryer than the rest, and it still looks damp. The hide doesn’t allow for much burrowing under it though, which makes moisture regulation more difficult for the scorpion since there is no humid burrow.

What about temperatures? If temperatures are too low, there can often be complications with embryo development and birthing. The temperature should be around 24-30 C (75-85 F). Especially for gravid females, a warmer spot around 27-30 C (80-85 F) increases the chances of success significantly.
At this point, with her dragging her metasoma, I’m afraid she doesn’t have much time left.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

The enclosure doesn’t look super dry to me, but I can only see the surface. Usually the surface is slightly dryer than the rest, and it still looks damp. The hide doesn’t allow for much burrowing under it though, which makes moisture regulation more difficult for the scorpion since there is no humid burrow.

What about temperatures? If temperatures are too low, there can often be complications with embryo development and birthing. The temperature should be around 24-30 C (75-85 F). Especially for gravid females, a warmer spot around 27-30 C (80-85 F) increases the chances of success significantly.
At this point, with her dragging her metasoma, I’m afraid she doesn’t have much time left.

it looks damp, but they mentioned they'd been misting, which to me means its entirely possible only the surface is damp. Regardless, it's clearly not a proper setup.
Thanks for the info - I didn't realize embryo development depended on warmer temperatures. Not that I'm planning to breed mine anytime soon, but you never know

 

[TheWolfOfTartarus]

The enclosure doesn’t look super dry to me, but I can only see the surface. Usually the surface is slightly dryer than the rest, and it still looks damp. The hide doesn’t allow for much burrowing under it though, which makes moisture regulation more difficult for the scorpion since there is no humid burrow.

What about temperatures? If temperatures are too low, there can often be complications with embryo development and birthing. The temperature should be around 24-30 C (75-85 F). Especially for gravid females, a warmer spot around 27-30 C (80-85 F) increases the chances of success significantly.
At this point, with her dragging her metasoma, I’m afraid she doesn’t have much time left.

I was afraid of that smh but thank you for the info. And the tank temp is 80-85

 

[TheWolfOfTartarus]

She was dead when I came home, but thank you for the info guys. I'll know better for next time

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I’m sorry for your loss.

 

[Joey Spijkers]

it looks damp, but they mentioned they'd been misting, which to me means its entirely possible only the surface is damp. Regardless, it's clearly not a proper setup.
Thanks for the info - I didn't realize embryo development depended on warmer temperatures. Not that I'm planning to breed mine anytime soon, but you never know

Yeah, true. I’d have to see it from the side to really tell.
And yes, gravid females always seek out the highest temperature in the enclosure. Heterometrus aren’t super sensitive to it like some other scorps, but the chance of something going wrong is significantly higher if temps are too low.

She was dead when I came home, but thank you for the info guys. I'll know better for next time

Bummer man . If you choose to get another Heterometrus, I think reading this post may help you to do it better in the future: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/a...ginner-questions-tips-things-to-avoid.350273/