Pandinus bibliothecarius
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2023
- Messages
- 4
So. It has finally happened. After nearly 11 months of maintaining a functioning vivarium, I finally acquired a lovely Heterometrus spinifer (see images attached), per my intent nearly a year ago. She hides all day, eats about once every two weeks, and appears generally responsive and happy given nocturnal observations up to this point. The enclosure (see images attached) is 20 gallons, features a variety of plant life, includes a water dish, two cork bark hides, a temperature gradient, and a variety of hardscape features. She prefers the cork hide on the left, which is the cooler of the two, given the heatpad's location on the right side (along the wall, not the bottom, obviously) of the tank.
Two springtail colonies were added to each side of the enclosure over the course of the last several months, both with successful propogation. However, since adding the AFS, I have attempted to mitigate the humiditidy to the recommended 75-85%. Prior, it was always at 99%, which kept the moss and sprintails happy, but I suspect is a bit much for the larger arthropod. A few weeks ago I was still seeing the springtails near the water dish, on the odd bit of charcoal, or crawling amongst the mosses. But no longer...
So I've returned to the isopod consideration as a cleanup crew, as they seem altogether more resilient. But the three colonies I currently manage (Dairy Cow, Zebra, and Giant Canyon) all feature abundant juvenile populations (still tiny and pale), which makes me worry about them bothering the scorp, were I too add them. I'm fairly certain she is finished molting, given her dimensions, but I'm not confident and am hesitant to risk the little guys feeding on her when she's all soft, vulnerable, and probably embarassed by her relative nudity.
Anyway, this thread will likely result in the same series of recommendations for/against as I've seen in other posts, but I thought I would solicit a little feedback and discussion nonetheless.
Many thanks, in advance, for your thoughts!
Two springtail colonies were added to each side of the enclosure over the course of the last several months, both with successful propogation. However, since adding the AFS, I have attempted to mitigate the humiditidy to the recommended 75-85%. Prior, it was always at 99%, which kept the moss and sprintails happy, but I suspect is a bit much for the larger arthropod. A few weeks ago I was still seeing the springtails near the water dish, on the odd bit of charcoal, or crawling amongst the mosses. But no longer...
So I've returned to the isopod consideration as a cleanup crew, as they seem altogether more resilient. But the three colonies I currently manage (Dairy Cow, Zebra, and Giant Canyon) all feature abundant juvenile populations (still tiny and pale), which makes me worry about them bothering the scorp, were I too add them. I'm fairly certain she is finished molting, given her dimensions, but I'm not confident and am hesitant to risk the little guys feeding on her when she's all soft, vulnerable, and probably embarassed by her relative nudity.
Anyway, this thread will likely result in the same series of recommendations for/against as I've seen in other posts, but I thought I would solicit a little feedback and discussion nonetheless.
Many thanks, in advance, for your thoughts!
