Managing D. Medius Humidity

[chasmlurk]

I recently purchased a tailless whip scorpion (Damon Medius) and I have some questions as to how I can best keep the enclosure as humid as it needs to be, whilst disturbing the specimen as little as possible. I thought I had been doing a decent job at keeping the humidity up for the past week, but yesterday I noticed she has migrated from her usual cork bark hide to the very bottom of the bark, with her face right near the substrate. From what I have picked up on other threads, this could be an indicator that the humidity needs to be bumped up.

I am spraying everything pretty heavily twice a day, but the substrate probably needs to be more thoroughly soaked. It was pretty damp when I initially prepared the enclosure, but has since dried out. I guess my biggest question is, how can I get the substrate wet in the entire enclosure without having to take out the cork bark or the WS. OR, is it acceptable to take the WS out of the enclosure for a bit so I can adequately wet the areas that she would normally occupy?

 

[Dry Desert]

I recently purchased a tailless whip scorpion (Damon Medius) and I have some questions as to how I can best keep the enclosure as humid as it needs to be, whilst disturbing the specimen as little as possible. I thought I had been doing a decent job at keeping the humidity up for the past week, but yesterday I noticed she has migrated from her usual cork bark hide to the very bottom of the bark, with her face right near the substrate. From what I have picked up on other threads, this could be an indicator that the humidity needs to be bumped up.

I am spraying everything pretty heavily twice a day, but the substrate probably needs to be more thoroughly soaked. It was pretty damp when I initially prepared the enclosure, but has since dried out. I guess my biggest question is, how can I get the substrate wet in the entire enclosure without having to take out the cork bark or the WS. OR, is it acceptable to take the WS out of the enclosure for a bit so I can adequately wet the areas that she would normally occupy?

Pour a jug of water directly into the substrate in wherever is easiest place, the water will find its own level. Spraying is okay for plants, no good for keeping the substrate moist.

 

[schmiggle]

Pour a jug of water directly into the substrate in wherever is easiest place, the water will find its own level. Spraying is okay for plants, no good for keeping the substrate moist.

Beat me to it. With a damp substrate you should have no humidity issues. Make sure the bottom is saturated without the whole thing getting muddy--no puddles at the surface. Good on you for reading up on other threads and knowing what to do!

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I use a turkey baster to pour water in without splashing it everywhere

 

[chasmlurk]

Thanks, everyone! I poured a good amount of water in there yesterday and it seems to have resolved the issue. I recently introduced some springtails as well. Do you think that will that be sufficient to prevent mold from growing?

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Thanks, everyone! I poured a good amount of water in there yesterday and it seems to have resolved the issue. I recently introduced some springtails as well. Do you think that will that be sufficient to prevent mold from growing?

Some mould is inevitable in such a moist enclosure even with springtails, but it’s important to know that moderate amounts of environmental moulds are not harmful to your amblypygi. If you see a big fluffy mould starting, you can simply scoop or pluck it out.

 

[chasmlurk]

Good to know! How often, if ever, do you change out substrate? Sorry if these questions are silly. I've only owned reptiles before this

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Good to know! How often, if ever, do you change out substrate? Sorry if these questions are silly. I've only owned reptiles before this

Not silly at all
I only change out the substrate when I need to move my animals into a larger enclosure, or when there’s a really massive mycelium load in the substrate. The latter is mostly just because I find it unsightly. For an adult, there’s really no reason to change the sub more than once a year (and even that is far more than they’d care about). It causes a lot of stress to the animal, and unless there’s an actual problem, it’s not generally worth it for me.

 

[chasmlurk]

That's perfect, less work for me, haha!

I am already worried about overstressing my WS, as I've heard they're easily stressed and I'm sure she's not fully adjusted to her enclosure yet. Unfortunately, I noticed the large piece of cork bark I am using as a background has a number of holes that crickets are getting stuck/lost in. At first I was glad to see them disappearing, but now I'm almost certain they go missing before she even has a chance to get to them. I've ordered a flat background piece that should be arriving soon. I'm especially worried because the piece that needs to be replaced is the one she is most frequently perched on.. Do you have any tips on replacing it, while stressing the WS as little as possible?

 

[Dry Desert]

That's perfect, less work for me, haha!

I am already worried about overstressing my WS, as I've heard they're easily stressed and I'm sure she's not fully adjusted to her enclosure yet. Unfortunately, I noticed the large piece of cork bark I am using as a background has a number of holes that crickets are getting stuck/lost in. At first I was glad to see them disappearing, but now I'm almost certain they go missing before she even has a chance to get to them. I've ordered a flat background piece that should be arriving soon. I'm especially worried because the piece that needs to be replaced is the one she is most frequently perched on.. Do you have any tips on replacing it, while stressing the WS as little as possible?

Don't fuss too much. If the background you've ordered is for an Exo Terra Viv then they are great for crickets to hide behind. Leave the cork bark in place, your WS will find the crickets when it's hungry, don't make things too easy, let it hunt naturally as it would in the wild. Leave it to settle and adjust to its new environment.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I’m going to somewhat disagree with DD there - live prey left in the enclosure can stress out the amblypygi even more. These are pretty delicate animals. Live prey can also injure or kill a moulting amblypygi. If they’re hiding in holes in the bark and if the amblypygi isn’t close to moulting, I wouldn’t panic over them too much, but if you see them running around all over and the amblypygi isn’t going for them, they should be removed. You’ll have to use some judgement here.

If you decide to replace the cork, the easiest way I’ve found is to slowly lift the cork with the amblypygi still on it. It might teleport to the other side of the cork or run onto your hand if it panics, but just move slowly and steadily. Place the new cork in the tank, then position the old one above it, and gently urge the amblypygi to walk in that direction. Remember that they generally walk sideways. Since you’re inexperienced, you may want to do this in a bathtub in case something goes wrong so you can quickly recapture the animal.

 

[Dry Desert]

I’m going to somewhat disagree with DD there - live prey left in the enclosure can stress out the amblypygi even more. These are pretty delicate animals. Live prey can also injure or kill a moulting amblypygi. If they’re hiding in holes in the bark and if the amblypygi isn’t close to moulting, I wouldn’t panic over them too much, but if you see them running around all over and the amblypygi isn’t going for them, they should be removed. You’ll have to use some judgement here.

If you decide to replace the cork, the easiest way I’ve found is to slowly lift the cork with the amblypygi still on it. It might teleport to the other side of the cork or run onto your hand if it panics, but just move slowly and steadily. Place the new cork in the tank, then position the old one above it, and gently urge the amblypygi to walk in that direction. Remember that they generally walk sideways. Since you’re inexperienced, you may want to do this in a bathtub in case something goes wrong so you can quickly recapture the animal.

I agree with your point on leaving crickets in the enclosure, though probably best not to continue feeding until others have gone. This is the main reason I never use crickets. For what they are, too much hassle, and never worth the risks involved.

 

[chasmlurk]

If the crickets were running around the enclosure for a time and it were clear the WS wasn't interested in feeding, I would remove them. However, they simply go missing and never resurface. I understand that might just be hiding, but there's a part of me that wonders if they're getting caught in a particular hole and dying inside the bark. Not sure how logical that is though.

I definitely don't like the idea of crickets just hanging out in there and bugging the WS, whether I can see them or not.

 

[Dry Desert]

If the crickets were running around the enclosure for a time and it were clear the WS wasn't interested in feeding, I would remove them. However, they simply go missing and never resurface. I understand that might just be hiding, but there's a part of me that wonders if they're getting caught in a particular hole and dying inside the bark. Not sure how logical that is though.

I definitely don't like the idea of crickets just hanging out in there and bugging the WS, whether I can see them or not.

Probably the best way forward now is to not feed anymore, wait until your background arrives, then carefully - during the day time - catch up WS in a cricket tub or similar container, place in a quiet dark place and re do your enclosure. Fit the new background, making sure there are no side gaps, and clear out the rest of the tank. If you wish to reuse the cork bark give it a good wash in boiling water, then return to the tank. Going forward keep the feeding to 2 prey items twice a week and go from there.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

If the crickets were running around the enclosure for a time and it were clear the WS wasn't interested in feeding, I would remove them. However, they simply go missing and never resurface. I understand that might just be hiding, but there's a part of me that wonders if they're getting caught in a particular hole and dying inside the bark. Not sure how logical that is though.

I definitely don't like the idea of crickets just hanging out in there and bugging the WS, whether I can see them or not.

Hiding or being eaten. Unlikely but not impossible that they'd get caught in a hole and die there. I've had a handful of crickets die from getting themselves trapped somewhere stupid. I'd love to feed roaches instead, but they're illegal in my city.

 

[chasmlurk]

Thanks for all your help! I'll replace the problematic cork bark when my new piece comes in. I'm just going to try to leave everything alone as much as I possible outside of that, with the hope that it all sort of ends up being fine. I tend to overthink things if you can't tell, lol.

 

[aphono]

Super nice you've been reading and making proper changes for the medius!

Slightly disagree about no puddles above- IME no problem with presence of puddles. Sometimes I'll make a mistake and pour in so much water it's more like a mini flood in there. No issues with that either... To my understanding, water bowls might be discouraged out of concern of the whips getting stuck in the water(?). Which can happen, however it also can happen with a regular misting(do recommend trying not to get water directly on the whipspiders during misting).

Related to that: water dishes. I'm mixed on whether to recommend them or not. They are not absolutely necessary in general. On the other hand I've had many of a tough time convincing new owners of WC import medius to wetten their enclosures enough. Some seem either resistant or hesitant. In these cases, it probably would help the animals to have a water dish present.. so they can drink if they need more water(yes- they actually can drink from a dish). But that doesn't "cure" the too low humidity issue though. That's partly why I mention things like 'pour more water in! Puddles are fine if they happen!' The presence of puddles hopefully indicates the substrate is sufficiently wet throughout the enclosure. Better that than insufficiently wet and keeping the animal dehydrated/stressed.

If the substrate seems to be evaporating fast, too much ventilation is the problem. It happens with the screen top glass enclosures here- particularly with the front door opening types- exo terra talls for example. Covering the top will help a lot with that. I use a regular plastic cling wrap and put it across the entire top as ambient humidity is naturally a bit low here.

When your medius is fully recovered and settled in, it will(usually) be more obvious when it plans to eat that night or not after dropping prey in. When hungry, their whips will go in motion either immediately or within minutes. Pointing a whip in the general direction of prey, either 'standing up' or moving body around are practically surefire dinner's here! signals. Staying put, not moving whips or not very much.. more likely not planning on dinner.

It's pretty reliable so I know whether to leave the prey in or take it out without needing to leave prey overnight and check the next day. To be clear, this 'works' with fully recovered, settled in specimens. Stressed specimens don't necessarily show signals of interest so fast.

Also it's a common thing for new specimens to seem hungry or excellent eaters and then... not eat for weeks, sometimes many weeks. That's normal, as long as the abdomen is plump by amblypygi standards.

 

[chasmlurk]

Super nice you've been reading and making proper changes for the medius!

Slightly disagree about no puddles above- IME no problem with presence of puddles. Sometimes I'll make a mistake and pour in so much water it's more like a mini flood in there. No issues with that either... To my understanding, water bowls might be discouraged out of concern of the whips getting stuck in the water(?). Which can happen, however it also can happen with a regular misting(do recommend trying not to get water directly on the whipspiders during misting).

Related to that: water dishes. I'm mixed on whether to recommend them or not. They are not absolutely necessary in general. On the other hand I've had many of a tough time convincing new owners of WC import medius to wetten their enclosures enough. Some seem either resistant or hesitant. In these cases, it probably would help the animals to have a water dish present.. so they can drink if they need more water(yes- they actually can drink from a dish). But that doesn't "cure" the too low humidity issue though. That's partly why I mention things like 'pour more water in! Puddles are fine if they happen!' The presence of puddles hopefully indicates the substrate is sufficiently wet throughout the enclosure. Better that than insufficiently wet and keeping the animal dehydrated/stressed.

If the substrate seems to be evaporating fast, too much ventilation is the problem. It happens with the screen top glass enclosures here- particularly with the front door opening types- exo terra talls for example. Covering the top will help a lot with that. I use a regular plastic cling wrap and put it across the entire top as ambient humidity is naturally a bit low here.

When your medius is fully recovered and settled in, it will(usually) be more obvious when it plans to eat that night or not after dropping prey in. When hungry, their whips will go in motion either immediately or within minutes. Pointing a whip in the general direction of prey, either 'standing up' or moving body around are practically surefire dinner's here! signals. Staying put, not moving whips or not very much.. more likely not planning on dinner.

It's pretty reliable so I know whether to leave the prey in or take it out without needing to leave prey overnight and check the next day. To be clear, this 'works' with fully recovered, settled in specimens. Stressed specimens don't necessarily show signals of interest so fast.

Also it's a common thing for new specimens to seem hungry or excellent eaters and then... not eat for weeks, sometimes many weeks. That's normal, as long as the abdomen is plump by amblypygi standards.

Thanks for the tips! I do have a small water dish in there right now, but I think I'm doing a pretty job at keeping the up without it, so I may end up taking it out. The substrate has stayed pretty wet with the supplemental misting since the last time I poured water in. I haven't noticed the WS moving back down toward the substrate since then either.

I rarely, if ever, see the WS without moving the cork bark it hides behind. I have watched its silhouette drink water droplets off the walls in the dark twice, and the first night I had it, I saw that it had moved out to the front of the cork bark in the open when I wasn't home (quickly moved back after I turned on the lights, of course). I'm not sure if the behavior will change with time, or if I've just got a particularly timid specimen. With that said, however, I don't know if I'll be able to watch for that behavior as a way to assess interest in feeding.

 

[chasmlurk]

Hello all, sorry this is an old thread. My damon medius seemed to be doing really well there for a few months, but things don't seem to be going well right now.

Two months ago, my home flooded and I had to move d. medius to a relative's house for a time. I was was still able to care for it there, but I believe it began to display signs of dehydration. It started to hang out in the bottom corner of the enclosure, behind the background. The enclosure was always pretty wet, but I added a significant amount of water to the substrate and brought it to the brink of puddling after finally getting back home a few days ago.

Unfortunately, my medius has still been relatively close to the substrate in the same corner, so I'm concerned something may be wrong. Right now it is basically face down in the dirt. Any idea what could be wrong here? Is it possible it is not displaying signs of dehydration? Thanks in advance

 

[Edan bandoot]

Maybe offer it some water droplets (spray/mist) to drink from or a temporary waterdish, I've personally seen my diadema drink from both droplets and a dish before.