Do Scorpions Know When They Are About to Die?

[shade]

I currently own several emp. scorps. and recently I have had a few of them die. I have noticed that with the past few that have passed away, for several days before they expire they will spend all their time outside the burrow. Eventually I will check in the enclosure to find it dead. I noticed this same behavior with one of my girlfriends scorps. and I told her to see if it dies soon after, and sure enough it too died. I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this same behavior? I think they may some how know and leave the burrow to keep it clear for the other scorps. that share the same burrow.

 

[VILLY 73]

Mine have been out of it's burrow for 2 days and I've just checked it and i think it's dead:8o (it feels very flexible tho so maybe it's getting ready to molt? )

 

[Juliancito]

......

I currently own several emp. scorps. and recently I have had a few of them die. I have noticed that with the past few that have passed away, for several days before they expire they will spend all their time outside the burrow. Eventually I will check in the enclosure to find it dead. I noticed this same behavior with one of my girlfriends scorps. and I told her to see if it dies soon after, and sure enough it too died. I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this same behavior? I think they may some how know and leave the burrow to keep it clear for the other scorps. that share the same burrow.

It could be problems in the moulting process...maybe due to low humidity...:? ...do you have some pictures of the scorps enclosure that you can share???
Or how about some kind of intoxication due to bad food....i mean if you noticed that behavior in a " few " of them and they actually died..it has to be something that all of them are going trought.

 

[fiveohatch]

mine will stay our for a day or two at a time quite often.

i've decided to quit worrying when he seems to be doing weird things.

 

[Chi]

I think Scorpions like many other animals know when they are going to die.

 

[shade]

Some of my scorpions DO spend the occasional day or two walking around the enclosure from time to time, but eventually go back in the burrow. The ones that I presume are about to die, spend 5 days to about a week (if not longer) outside the burrow, without ever appearing to go back in. They may when I am at work or something, but whenever I am home and in the room with them, they are outside walking around. After I find their limp bodies, I leave it in the enclosure a day or two to make sure it isn't molting, they weren't. The last 2 to die were as far as I know, adult males and probably done molting. Although the one that died before those was a medium female, and probably could have had some more molts later in life. It may perhaps be bad food, old crickets??? Or possibly low humidity, but I try to keep that pretty regulated. Unfortunately though I do not have any pics of the enclosure to share, but I can tell you it is a 20 gallon long tank, with a divider in the middle seperating it into two 10 gallon halves. I had my 3 adults in one side and 7-8 small ones in the other. I had my medium female, and my adult male exhibit this ODD behavior before dying, and when my girlfriend's adult male started to do the same thing, I told her to keep an eye on it and see if maybe it dies too. A couple days later it too was dead. My girlfriend does live out of state and uses a different tank setup, has a different food supply, and keeps her tank very close to an actual humidifier keeping constant comfortable levels. We have two completely different setups, very far appart, but have had exactly the same result in the manner of their deaths, being out for a long time until they pass away (Her's was out for at least 2-3 weeks). I feel that perhaps they may somehow sense when they will die (because of humidity, bad food, whatever) and leave the burrow so as not to clutter the area for those it was sharing it with (sounds good anyway).

 

[1/2]

I noticed similar behaiour from my first scorpion, but never thought to much about it since I had no experience. But since you mention it I start to wonder. Please let me know if you find out more.

 

[emperor]

strange behaviour

I have an emp scorpion that's acting VERY strangely. it has been since i got it...
it's quite weak, and doesn't seem interested in food. i've held a mealworm for it to eat, and it just shies away.
also, it does this weak little shuffling dance thing sometimes.
i've found it upside down a number of times, and i was told this is a sign of moulting... however, the shop owner said that it had already moulted!
it's still alive and kicking, if weakly. but i'm concerned. is there anything i can do?
right now, he's in a plastic container in front of me with a mealworm in it. he seems energetic enough now, but completely uninterested in food.
oh yeah, the other thing is he and the two other emp's i have don't really mix. the female and male i had already are nearly inseparable, but this one is always outside of the burrow on his own.

 

[shade]

Reply to Emperor

I don't really know anything about the behavior that you have described. How old is your scorp? Is it a young one? A juvenile or an adult? Are the ones that don't get along along both males? I think they may be. My males would fight and chase each other from time to time, especially before they had dug a burrow. Afterwards they would all live together fine and I would rarely see them out, let alone fighting. Those of mine that died did not seem to have much interest in food for a time before they passed away. How long has it stayed outside the burrow, uninterested in food? From my experience you may want to keep an eye on it, it may have the result as mine have. Although my scorps didn't ever really appear "weak", they seemed to act as usual, wandering around the tank, until I finally found them dead. Hope your scorp's attitude/ health improves. Let me know what happens. :?

 

[emperor]

i'm not really sure how old he is, but he's smaller then the other male, so i'm guessing a bit younger. he's got a slightly reddish brown colouring to him, which is a bit strange, but the shopkeeper did identify it as an emperor, and he looks the same aside from that. the colouring i suppose may have something to do with moulting. and i'm not sure how long it's actually been since he moulted. i've had him a few months though.
they don't fight, but he just doesn't stay with the others at all. they've shown no signs of aggression to him that i've seen, i think they accept him, but he just wanders about the tank.
he may just be insane i guess! i'll post an update if i see a change, thanks!

 

[subzero.xml]

whats the average life span of emperor? and life span of H.spinifer?