Is my vinegaroon ok??

[Cheetohs2082]

A couple weeks ago Caraxes my vinegaroon started hanging out on the edge of his enclosure and stopped digging. He was also refusing food, but he’s very plump so I didn’t worry.
A couple days ago i found him unresponsive and unable to stand. I panicked and discovered his enclosure was completly flooded, the top inch or so of substrate was damp but everything underneath was filled with water. I don’t know how i didn't notice, i was misting about once a day and i guess there wasn’t enough ventilation.
at first i thought he was dead, but after changing the substrate and putting him in his cave he now waves his antennae slightly when I blow on him.
Is it possible he is molting, and because the substrate was too wet he decided to go into molt on the surface?

either way I will not be checking on him for awhile, as if he is molting it will stress him right?

this is him in his cave. No death curl, all his limbs are extended. I removed the cork bark to take the picture.

 

[NocturnalSkies]

The only way the container would become flooded like that is due to lack of ventilation which can suffocate inverts. Spraying once a day is too much. A lot of time the water ends up collecting on the bottom of the substrate and the top looks dry but the enclosure in general is actually moist. Sounds like the Vinegaroon was trying to avoid flooding conditions on the bottom of the substrate and maybe it’s moving in the new cup because it’s able to breath now when it wasn’t before due to the lack of ventilation.

 

[Smotzer]

i was misting about once a day and i guess there wasn’t enough ventilation.

Yes you can never really do things like add moisture daily on a routine without ending up in a situation like this. Thelyphonida do not need to be misted regardless, they just need to have the substrate moist so add more water in small amounts as not to flood only when it begins to dry.
But the unresponsiveness can easily come from stagnant conditions, too wet and not enough ventilation is easily more harmful over long periods of time than too dry occasionally.

I never add moisture for any of my 9 Thelyphonida on a schedule only when the color begins to change or they begin to feel a bit lighter.

hopefully it is not in poor health and it recovers well and molts for you this winter. Only time will tell!

The only way the container would become flooded like that is due to lack of ventilation which can suffocate inverts.

That’s not quite true this happened because water was added on a schedule despite it already being moist leading to a swamp the lack of ventilation just didn’t help the situation.

 

[Cheetohs2082]

Yes you can never really do things like add moisture daily on a routine without ending up in a situation like this. Thelyphonida do not need to be misted regardless, they just need to have the substrate moist so add more water in small amounts as not to flood only when it begins to dry.
But the unresponsiveness can easily come from stagnant conditions, too wet and not enough ventilation is easily more harmful over long periods of time than too dry occasionally.

I never add moisture for any of my 9 Thelyphonida on a schedule only when the color begins to change or they begin to feel a bit lighter.

hopefully it is not in poor health and it recovers well and molts for you this winter. Only time will tell!


That’s not quite true this happened because water was added on a schedule despite it already being moist leading to a swamp the lack of ventilation just didn’t help the situation.

Thanks!

are they normally pretty inactive when they’re down in their caves? I’m just worried that it is still not really moving, it just barely raises it’s legs when blown on.

 

[Smotzer]

Thanks!

are they normally pretty inactive when they’re down in their caves? I’m just worried that it is still not really moving, it just barely raises it’s legs when blown on.

Yes when they are underground they are fairly stationary, no need to blow on it!