Piggen
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2016
- Messages
- 3
Hi all!
I'm new to this forum. I received a captive born Heterometrus petersii from a friend some weeks ago. I'm keeping it in a plastic terraria with damp earth as substrate, orchid bark and some bark for cover.
I read "Arachnomania - The general care and maintenance of tarantulas & scorpions" by Philippe de Vosjoli (1991). The book states that at each successive molt about one third of all scorpions die, and the mortality rate becomes greater as the animal becomes larger.
Given that my young scorpion will undergo at least seven molts to reach sexual maturity the prospects of it ever getting ther looks quite bleak! So, to the point:
1. Can these mortality rates be confirmed by scorpion breeders on this forum?
2. Is there anything that can be done to improve the survival rates during molting? My first thoughts is that such mortality rates in the wild during molting would not be sustainable for the species. So if not, we're clearly missing out on a factor that are present in the wild which makes the molting process more survivable.
Thanks in advance!
I'm new to this forum. I received a captive born Heterometrus petersii from a friend some weeks ago. I'm keeping it in a plastic terraria with damp earth as substrate, orchid bark and some bark for cover.
I read "Arachnomania - The general care and maintenance of tarantulas & scorpions" by Philippe de Vosjoli (1991). The book states that at each successive molt about one third of all scorpions die, and the mortality rate becomes greater as the animal becomes larger.
Given that my young scorpion will undergo at least seven molts to reach sexual maturity the prospects of it ever getting ther looks quite bleak! So, to the point:
1. Can these mortality rates be confirmed by scorpion breeders on this forum?
2. Is there anything that can be done to improve the survival rates during molting? My first thoughts is that such mortality rates in the wild during molting would not be sustainable for the species. So if not, we're clearly missing out on a factor that are present in the wild which makes the molting process more survivable.
Thanks in advance!