My tailless whip scorpion (Damon variegatus) came in the mail 3 days ago and about a day after I noticed that there was an egg sack. what do I do?

[Zeypher]

I have a few questions as I'm quite a beginner in keeping arachnids so here goes,

1) Is the egg sack even fertilized? could she have just produced one without it being fertilized?

2) Should i change the temp/humidity in order to up the chances of the eggs surviving? (in other words, is there anything that I should change in my setup at all)

3) Is it possible to keep this species in a communal setup once the babies have grown?

4) Finally, i know this is far out in the future, but, is there any website/person I could sell them too? because I'm pretty sure I don't need 15+ whip spiders.

Any suggestions or answers are greatly appreciated, even if it is broader and your knowledge is more with spiders or scorpions. Thanks!

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

If the eggs are good and the babies survive, you should have no trouble unloading them.

Is that substrate dry? If it's anywhere near as dry as it appears, you need to wet it down. Amblypygi are prone to dessication. Moist substrate ALWAYS.

 

[Zeypher]

If the eggs are good and the babies survive, you should have no trouble unloading them.

Is that substrate dry? If it's anywhere near as dry as it appears, you need to wet it down. Amblypygi are prone to dessication. Moist substrate ALWAYS.

Thanks, I spray it down once or twice every day, should i do it more?

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Thanks, I spray it down once or twice every day, should i do it more?

Mist alone is useless - it evaporates too quickly. Damp substrate maintains an even moisture level in the enclosure. Your babies and possibly your momma will almost certainly die if you rely on misting. The entire substrate depth should be damp. Not drenched so that it's swampy, but moist to the touch all the way through. You can mist too if you really want (I don't bother), but the important thing is the damp sub.

 

[Zeypher]

Mist alone is useless - it evaporates too quickly. Damp substrate maintains an even moisture level in the enclosure. Your babies and possibly your momma will almost certainly die if you rely on misting. The entire substrate depth should be damp. Not drenched so that it's swampy, but moist to the touch all the way through. You can mist too if you really want, but the important thing is the damp sub.

alrighty, sounds good. thanks!

 

[Zeypher]

Mist alone is useless - it evaporates too quickly. Damp substrate maintains an even moisture level in the enclosure. Your babies and possibly your momma will almost certainly die if you rely on misting. The entire substrate depth should be damp. Not drenched so that it's swampy, but moist to the touch all the way through. You can mist too if you really want (I don't bother), but the important thing is the damp sub.

Accually, another question, will she eat during this period? should i even try to feed her?

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Accually, another question, will she eat during this period? should i even try to feed her?

There's no harm in offering food - just be sure to remove it if she doesn't take it in the first few hours.

Incidentally, I notice some of those eggs look very dark - I suspect (but don't know for sure) that this may indicate they're not viable. @wizentrop will be of far more use here than me.

 

[Zeypher]

There's no harm in offering food - just be sure to remove it if she doesn't take it in the first few hours.

Incidentally, I notice some of those eggs look very dark - I suspect (but don't know for sure) that this may indicate they're not viable. @wizentrop will be of far more use here than me.

Yeah that’s what I was thinking as most pictures of eggs like these ones are much lighter in color, hopefully the other eggs are still viable. I wasn’t planning on having babies (at least the moment I got her ) but nonetheless all this help is greatly appreciated and any other suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[wizentrop]

Like Albiero suggested, those 5 black eggs are dead. Sometimes this alone can make a female discard the sac and eat it.
It is possible for Damon females to produce a sac without mating - in that case the eggs will not develop and the sac will be discarded.
She might not take any food at this stage. You can offer some, but don't be surprised if there is no reaction.

 

[Zeypher]

Like Albiero suggested, those 5 black eggs are dead. Sometimes this alone can make a female discard the sac and eat it.
It is possible for Damon females to produce a sac without mating - in that case the eggs will not develop and the sac will be discarded.
She might not take any food at this stage. You can offer some, but don't be surprised if there is no reaction.

Awesome, thanks

 

[Zeypher]

@wizentrop another quick question, and I thank you for all your help, she haven’t moved, at least that I’ve seen, from her hiding place under the rock. Is this normal behavior? Should I be concerned? I lifted it up to check on her and she moved a little, but I didn’t want to disturb her.

 

[wizentrop]

Normal. Since this is a brooding female, it's best to keep disturbances to minimum. Monitor the humidity level, but that's it.

 

[Banshee05]

btw this is no variegatus, or even a member of the species group. This is a western African species.

 

[Zeypher]

btw this is no variegatus, or even a member of the species group. This is a western African species.

That’s just what it said on the website that I bought her on, underground reptiles. Also, what temp should I keep her enclosure at? It’s around 75 during the day but can get down to 65 during the night. Is that bad? Should I get a heat pad to get her at 75 24/7?

 

[Zeypher]

update: this morning I made sure everything was okay and checked on her, but she didn't scooch away like she usually does, instead she just sat there. I went to pick her up and she still didn't move. She died last night. I don't know why or how, but it was probably my lack of care somehow. I thank all of you for helping me, and I want to know one final thing, is there any way to save the babies? I know it's a long shot as most of them are probably dead anyway, but I want to make sure that I'm doing as much as I can. @Banshee05 @wizentrop @Albireo Wulfbooper

 

[mantisfan101]

Medius don’t take to shipping well, it was probably shooken up before you got it...sorry to hear that, it always sucks when a pet dies

 

[Zeypher]

Medius don’t take to shipping well, it was probably shooken up before you got it...sorry to hear that, it always sucks when a pet dies

Yeah, that's what I figured. thanks for replying.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

update: this morning I made sure everything was okay and checked on her, but she didn't scooch away like she usually does, instead she just sat there. I went to pick her up and she still didn't move. She died last night. I don't know why or how, but it was probably my lack of care somehow. I thank all of you for helping me, and I want to know one final thing, is there any way to save the babies? I know it's a long shot as most of them are probably dead anyway, but I want to make sure that I'm doing as much as I can.

The eggsac was already looking pretty rough, and I don't think people have had much success in hatching from a deceased mother.

Sadly, wild caught animals, which this almost certainly was, have low survival rates due to stress of shipping, inappropriate storage, etc. If you decide to keep another amblypygi (which I would encourage you to do, because they are wonderful animals), get it from a breeder who specializes in captive bred amblypygi - you can sometimes find them in the classified ads right here on Arachnoboards, and make sure you research their care (again, lots of great threads here) and provide an appropriate environment.

 

[Zeypher]

The eggsac was already looking pretty rough, and I don't think people have had much success in hatching from a deceased mother.

Sadly, wild caught animals, which this almost certainly was, have low survival rates due to stress of shipping, inappropriate storage, etc. If you decide to keep another amblypygi (which I would encourage you to do, because they are wonderful animals), get it from a breeder who specializes in captive bred amblypygi - you can sometimes find them in the classified ads right here on Arachnoboards, and make sure you research their care (again, lots of great threads here) and provide an appropriate environment.

thanks, ill are sure to do a lot more research-wise, and if i ever need your help again ill start a new forum, thank you forr all your help.

 

[wizentrop]

Sorry to hear that the animal died. I want to reiterate what others have said before me - this in any shape or form was not your fault. It is very likely that the whip spider was already stressed and weak from transit, especially if it was brooding an egg sac.