Hello everyone,
I purchased a subadult male H. silenus (labeled as "Asian Forest Scorpion") from Petsmart in January 2024. I normally don't buy animals from chain stores, but I had known this particular individual since fall of 2023.
Before I completed my purchase, I made sure to do proper research for the genus. I had also kept U. mordax with success before, so I did have some kind of previous scorpion experience.
My H. silenus settled in quite well and was completely healthy until now. This morning, I found him laying next to his water dish in a semi-curled posture. He was moving slightly, but in a strange manner that concerned me. His shell was displaying slight brown coloration, which was unusual compared to his normal jet black look. I am unsure if he is dying or molting.
In addition, about two weeks ago, he started wandering around his enclosure very often instead of sitting in his hide. He would lay in the open during the day, and wander restlessly almost every night. Before that, he was quite sedentary.
I wasn't too concerned about this, since I thought that it might be seasonal behavior. However, I am now wondering if this has anything to do with what is happening right now.
His enclosure is a 5 gallon storage bin with 80% ventilation restriction. A heat mat on the side of the tank keeps temperatures a consistent 75F to 76F, and the enclosure is always humid due to 2.5" of moist substrate. I would have added more, but he never showed any interest in burrowing.
I feed him half of a large dubia roach every two weeks, and he has been eating fine. There is a large and shallow water dish that is always full. He has no external parasites or injuries that I can see and has never had a fall in my care.
I have included a picture of my scorpion below. Is he molting, or is he dying? And if the latter is the case, what could the reason be?
There's one thing I am sure about, though-- I am never buying live animals from Petsmart again.
I purchased a subadult male H. silenus (labeled as "Asian Forest Scorpion") from Petsmart in January 2024. I normally don't buy animals from chain stores, but I had known this particular individual since fall of 2023.
Before I completed my purchase, I made sure to do proper research for the genus. I had also kept U. mordax with success before, so I did have some kind of previous scorpion experience.
My H. silenus settled in quite well and was completely healthy until now. This morning, I found him laying next to his water dish in a semi-curled posture. He was moving slightly, but in a strange manner that concerned me. His shell was displaying slight brown coloration, which was unusual compared to his normal jet black look. I am unsure if he is dying or molting.
In addition, about two weeks ago, he started wandering around his enclosure very often instead of sitting in his hide. He would lay in the open during the day, and wander restlessly almost every night. Before that, he was quite sedentary.
I wasn't too concerned about this, since I thought that it might be seasonal behavior. However, I am now wondering if this has anything to do with what is happening right now.
His enclosure is a 5 gallon storage bin with 80% ventilation restriction. A heat mat on the side of the tank keeps temperatures a consistent 75F to 76F, and the enclosure is always humid due to 2.5" of moist substrate. I would have added more, but he never showed any interest in burrowing.
I feed him half of a large dubia roach every two weeks, and he has been eating fine. There is a large and shallow water dish that is always full. He has no external parasites or injuries that I can see and has never had a fall in my care.
I have included a picture of my scorpion below. Is he molting, or is he dying? And if the latter is the case, what could the reason be?
There's one thing I am sure about, though-- I am never buying live animals from Petsmart again.
for your loss.