I need help, is my scorpion premolt, sick, or slowly dying?

Help Me

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 18, 2020
Messages
18
My scorpion hasn't eaten for a little more then three months now. That was worrying, but he doesn't seem that thin, he seems plumper than when I first got him but not fat like the premolt scorpions on google and youtube. I try to feed him a worm every week, but he just ignores it, or acts really aggressive towards the tong, not the worm, and sometimes even takes the worm in his claws and flings it away. Once he even killed one, just to leave the body on the ground. I just assumed he wasn't hungry. But today when I woke up I realized he was wandering about his enclosure. I thought nothing of it, until just a few minutes ago. He started rubbing his stinger, telson, whatever it is against his chelicerae and pincers. I lightly poked him with my tong and he stopped. Then he started the chewing motion with his chelicerae. After a while he started chewing on his pincers, that's him grooming himself right? Then just a few minutes ago he went into his 'sleeping' position. That's what I associate it with. Claws, legs pressed against his body, and tail curled up against his back. Just right now he started chewing at nothing again. What do I do? He's a Heterometrus spinifer, in a ten gallon tank with 4 inches of substrate. He's my first invert, so I'm a newbie in this hobby.
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,606
Photos of the entire enclosure and the animal, please. It helps a lot with being able to narrow down if there's an issue.

Plump scorpions not eating for months on end is normal. It may not like worms - have you tried other types of prey, like crickets or roaches? And please stop poking your scorpion with tongs, it's very rude :lol:
 

Grace18

Arachnopeon
Active Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2020
Messages
33
I don't think that it's unusual scorpion behavior. Scorpions don't always need to eat a lot, I usually feed mine about once a week or in every two weeks. (Depending how large the cricket I'm feeding it is). Sometimes scorpions will kill their prey but not eat it. My scorpion once killed a cricket but then it dropped it on the ground and walked away. Also, have you tried feeding your scorpion without using tongs? Perhaps the scorpion is stressed by being 'tong fed' and would prefer to hunt down its prey rather than have it be pushed on them. If you leave the worm or if you get different more 'lively' prey items like crickets, the scorpion might eat it when it feels like it. My scorpion chews its pinchers when it cleans itself and also uses its stinger sometimes to get stuff that's stuck on it off. So, in essence, try to leave food in your scorpions enclosure (If you only tried feeding it through the use of tongs) or simply leave him be and see how he behaves. Also, my scorpion was 'chewing at nothing' as well but he is perfectly fine. Maybe your scorpion is cleaning his fangs.
 

Help Me

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 18, 2020
Messages
18
I don't think that it's unusual scorpion behavior. Scorpions don't always need to eat a lot, I usually feed mine about once a week or in every two weeks. (Depending how large the cricket I'm feeding it is). Sometimes scorpions will kill their prey but not eat it. My scorpion once killed a cricket but then it dropped it on the ground and walked away. Also, have you tried feeding your scorpion without using tongs? Perhaps the scorpion is stressed by being 'tong fed' and would prefer to hunt down its prey rather than have it be pushed on them. If you leave the worm or if you get different more 'lively' prey items like crickets, the scorpion might eat it when it feels like it. My scorpion chews its pinchers when it cleans itself and also uses its stinger sometimes to get stuff that's stuck on it off. So, in essence, try to leave food in your scorpions enclosure (If you only tried feeding it through the use of tongs) or simply leave him be and see how he behaves. Also, my scorpion was 'chewing at nothing' as well but he is perfectly fine. Maybe your scorpion is cleaning his fangs.
I've used crickets, he leaves them be. I put some crickets in and they all died on their own before he ate any of them. He used to eat with and without tongs, but since September he's stopped eating all together.
 
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Hakuna

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 20, 2020
Messages
210
Misting only gets the top layer wet, pour water into the substrate and use that drainage layer the way it is intended.
 

Ferrachi

Arachnoprince
Joined
Feb 2, 2020
Messages
1,014
@MrGhostMantis is correct, the substrate is dry and misting won't solve it...

Sometimes they just won't eat for months... just make sure you remove any prey it doesn't eat after 24 hours, especially if they're crickets
 
Last edited:

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,606
Misting is nearly useless on its own. Wet the substrate. With moist substrate you reduce the need for misting, keep the humidity more consistent, and improve the health of the animal.
 
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