My baby asian forest died and I feel absoloutley horrible

[AncientTrilobite]

I was gone for the weekend on a camping trip and went to check on my pets today. While my ball python, 3 geckos, and tarantula were doing fine, I found my baby asian forest head down in the substate, shriveled, not moving, with its legs tucked under its body. I had bought at the end of August, but everytime I tried feeding the damn thing, IT would refuse food I was offering and go and hide under the leaves in its critter keeper. It kept going on like this for months without me ever being able to get it to eat. I tried everything I could including smaller enclosures, putting food on the substate, putting food in bottle caps, and I was misting the enclosure fairly regularly. I didn't have heat since it was a plastic critter keepern I had it in (and didnt want to risk the plastic melting and starting a fire), but the ambient temperature of my apartment was 75F. Because of this I'm fairly sure it died from starvation and I don't know else I could have done to make it eat, but I feel terrible that this animal died under my care. While I really want to raise a scorpion, I feel really discouraged about ever trying to raise one ever again and Im worried that the next one I buy will die just like this one. Is it possible that I just get a really sold an unusually stubborn individual, did I really mess up somehow, or are baby scorpions simply a lot harder to raise than adults?

 

[Tarantuland]

They don’t all make it

 

[Dry Desert]

They don’t all make it

Especially when the husbandry is crap.
How many more cries of woe are we going to have before it sinks in about doing even basic research.
.
@Ancient Trilobite
It didn't occur to you that your young scorpion hadn't eaten for 6 and a half months that possibly something was not right with your husbandry, like not eating as too cold, not eating as humidity wrong, not eating due to not feeling secure in its hide.

Before even contemplating buying another, read care sheets, there are plenty on this forum.

It would be wonderful if people came onto the forum the first time saying how well the creature is doing, after reading good care sheets, not the crap on YouTube, instead of all the new postings saying " my xxx is dead and I don't know what I've done wrong."

I have kept hundreds over the years and the only time I've lost some young is when as a temporary measure some were kept together, then I only lost one before they were separated.

They DON'T just die.

If healthy, alert looking ones are purchased and kept correctly they will be fine.

 

[bjjpokemon910]

Especially when the husbandry is crap.
How many more cries of woe are we going to have before it sinks in about doing even basic research.
.
@Ancient Trilobite
It didn't occur to you that your young scorpion hadn't eaten for 6 and a half months that possibly something was not right with your husbandry, like not eating as too cold, not eating as humidity wrong, not eating due to not feeling secure in its hide.

Before even contemplating buying another, read care sheets, there are plenty on this forum.

It would be wonderful if people came onto the forum the first time saying how well the creature is doing, after reading good care sheets, not the crap on YouTube, instead of all the new postings saying " my xxx is dead and I don't know what I've done wrong."

I have kept hundreds over the years and the only time I've lost some young is when as a temporary measure some were kept together, then I only lost one before they were separated.

They DON'T just die.

If healthy, alert looking ones are purchased and kept correctly they will be fine.

Homie you need to get some air and maybe some good company…bro’s husbandry really wasnt as bad as you are making it seem, you just like to log onto your favorite website and belittle people who ask questions I see you do this frequently. Babies DO die sometimes even with proper husbandry! there is a reason Arachnid’s have multiple babies at once! Because survival is tough for them! Even in good conditions

 

[Dry Desert]

Homie you need to get some air and maybe some good company…bro’s husbandry really wasnt as bad as you are making it seem, you just like to log onto your favorite website and belittle people who ask questions I see you do this frequently. Babies DO die sometimes even with proper husbandry! there is a reason Arachnid’s have multiple babies at once! Because survival is tough for them! Even in good conditions

The company I keep is just fine, thanks.
It's just the crap " company" on this " my favourite website" that pisses me off.

And don't worry I shan't be logging in again to read pathetic do gooders trying to quantify other people's crap.

Have a lovely day, I'm off out to enjoy quality time with. adults

 

[bjjpokemon910]

The company I keep is just fine, thanks.
It's just the crap " company" on this " my favourite website" that pisses me off.

And don't worry I shan't be logging in again to read pathetic do gooders trying to quantify other people's crap.

Have a lovely day, I'm off out to enjoy quality time with. adults

Wow you made me feel so bad about myself i might go cry myself to sleep…”do gooder” bro anytime Someone criticizes you you say and do the same thing, ya make a snarky remark and then get salty when you get the same energy lol. Oh and btw Your Pets aint the company I was talking about . You have no humility and you come at people like you’re the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[AncientTrilobite]

Babies DO die sometimes even with proper husbandry! there is a reason Arachnid’s have multiple babies at once! Because survival is tough for them! Even in good conditions

Thank you for giving me constructive response/answer. I'm new to the arachnid hobby and this was the first scorpion I ever kept (hence its death devastated me) and I'm just trying to get answers about what could have gone wrong

Are desert species any more hardy than tropical species? While I was misting nearly every day, I live in a pretty dry climate and the humidity falls very quickly. I'm wondering if that anything to do with it and whether I should try a dry climate species like Hadrurus arizonensis if/when I get another scorpion.

 

[ForTW]

*Disclaimer* Don't Take this advice when your scorpling is in pre-/postmolt.

They need to feel secure to eat and this is one of the "Not so easy to Archive" parts in keeping humid scorpions.
When it come to a Situation where i See vitality dropping i forcefeed my animals.

Cut Off the head of whatever you try to feed and put the prey that the Cut touches the mouthparts.

This can Change the mind of many and they will Grab it If hungry.

 

[kadupul]

*Disclaimer* Don't Take this advice when your scorpling is in pre-/postmolt.

They need to feel secure to eat and this is one of the "Not so easy to Archive" parts in keeping humid scorpions.
When it come to a Situation where i See vitality dropping i forcefeed my animals.

Cut Off the head of whatever you try to feed and put the prey that the Cut touches the mouthparts.

This can Change the mind of many and they will Grab it If hungry.

This was exactly how I got one of my slings to finally move onto his new feeders.

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

I am sure if you gave it another shot it would be fine. They are fairly simple and easy to raise:

75F-85F

A few inches of moist substrate (clumpy not drippy). Misting is not necessary and a waste of time just keep proper temps and proper substrate depth and moisture. Remoisten substrate whenever necessary by pouring water directly into substrate.

Cork bark hide (assists in providing a stress-free environment)

Full waterdish (drown proof escapable)

 

[coolnweird]

Try not to beat yourself up too much, we all make mistakes and experience losses! The death may have had something to do with husbandry, or it may not have. I lost a C. versicolor sling early on in the hobby partly because of a mistake I made with ventilation, partly because it wasn't a strong specimen. The only thing you can do is double check your research and try again if/when you feel up to it!

 

[The Snark]

Interesting thread.every post on it may be right or partly right. I've got a dead juvenile in the carport right now. No clue why it died. But it is out of hibernation at least month early.

 

[bjjpokemon910]

Thank you for giving me constructive response/answer. I'm new to the arachnid hobby and this was the first scorpion I ever kept (hence its death devastated me) and I'm just trying to get answers about what could have gone wrong

Are desert species any more hardy than tropical species? While I was misting nearly every day, I live in a pretty dry climate and the humidity falls very quickly. I'm wondering if that anything to do with it and whether I should try a dry climate species like Hadrurus arizonensis if/when I get another scorpion.

Desert species tend to be more difficult to take care of because even though they are an arid species because they are still babies and they still require a decent amount of moisture. So a beginner could have trouble balancing it out. Also H. arizonensis is known for having molting issues and are also very prone to mycosis, so I wouldn't recommend that as your first arid species.

 

[Morpheus]

Desert species tend to be more difficult to take care of because even though they are an arid species because they are still babies and they still require a decent amount of moisture. So a beginner could have trouble balancing it out. Also H. arizonensis is known for having molting issues and are also very prone to mycosis, so I wouldn't recommend that as your first arid species.

This is interesting. I haven't looked after a desert species myself, but I've read a fair bit about scorpions in general. I had assumed, perhaps wrongly, that a desert species would be easier to keep due to not needing to maintain high humidity, and with the substrate basically being sand, very low rates of mould growth etc. as long as there is sufficient burrowing depth and a fair amount of moisture deep in the substrate and a regular supply of drinking water, it's environmental requirements are met (notwithstanding any furnishings etc.). This is just conjecture on my part as I have no experience with desert species, but just an interesting thought.

In my experience keeping high-humidity species, it can be a nightmare balancing ventilation and humidity, keeping the substrate drying out without overwatering, mould growth due to heat and humidity... mushrooms! (not harmful but damned annoying). Anyway, I've been thinking about a arid/semi-arid species for a while, such as an Opistopthalmus sp. for this reason, apart from the fact they're beautiful. Again, I defer to more experienced folk on this.

 

[darkness975]

Desert species are not that hard to keep. But younger ones going through molts do need a location of more humidity than adults.

 

[CRX]

Without reading most of the above. I am lazy . I probably shouldn't keep animals. I admit that about myself. All that being said, I've had a little AFS for a year and a half now, hes gone through 3 molts, and I barely take care of him. I make sure he always has water, I make sure his substrate (peat/coco/sand mix) is always moist and he always has a full water bowl.

I have to prekill his prey sometimes. Sometimes he simply refuses to take live prey. I could see him starving if I never offered prekilled.