New brood of 28 Hadrurus arizonensis

[mstalcup]

My brood of H. arizonensis is doing great. They are very active, digging and eating aggressively. I am wondering if I should limit the amount they are eating. None of them has refused food. I have fed each of them a pinhead cricket and a baby Dubia roach in the past week. I think they still want more. Can someone tell me how long it takes them to go from i2 to i3 and what measures I should take during this time? Also I'm interested to know what to expect as they grow and molt to i3 (whenever that will be). Thanks

 

[buddah4207]

Young of the species are pretty dependent on Subterranean moisture so having a false bottom and enough that they can dig would be in my mind advisable

 

[mstalcup]

Young of the species are pretty dependent on Subterranean moisture so having a false bottom and enough that they can dig would be in my mind advisable

Thank you very much. I'm not clear what you mean about a false bottom. Does that mean there is standing water under a perforated floor of the substrate layer, designed to keep the bottom of the substrate from getting too dry?

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

Thank you very much. I'm not clear what you mean about a false bottom. Does that mean there is standing water under a perforated floor of the substrate layer, designed to keep the bottom of the substrate from getting too dry?

I think what he means is something like that. Just take some aquaponics plant balls (not sure what they are called) and lay a small layer of those below the sub. It will hold the water that comes down from the sub AND keeps the humidity up underground. Really easy to do too

 

[The Toecutter]

Too cool, I lost both my H.arizonensis a couple of months ago. Truth be told they're probably one of my fav scorps to keep. Good luck with your brood. If you're of a mind to sell some when they get some meat on them let me know.

 

[mstalcup]

I think what he means is something like that. Just take some aquaponics plant balls (not sure what they are called) and lay a small layer of those below the sub. It will hold the water that comes down from the sub AND keeps the humidity up underground. Really easy to do too

Thank you very much. I will try the water crystals under the sub. I already have the water crystals, which I use to provide water for my roaches.

 

[mstalcup]

Too cool, I lost both my H.arizonensis a couple of months ago. Truth be told they're probably one of my fav scorps to keep. Good luck with your brood. If you're of a mind to sell some when they get some meat on them let me know.

I'm sorry you lost both your H. arizonensis. I will let you know for sure and wish you better luck with them in the future. Cheers.

 

[shining]

Thank you very much. I will try the water crystals under the sub. I already have the water crystals, which I use to provide water for my roaches.

Not water crystals, hydroballs. They are balls of clay used at the bottom to promote better soil drainage and to keep a water reservoir to moisten the soil from below.

Let me gather some links so you can have a better idea.

 

[shining]

Hydroballs.
http://petus.imageg.net/PETNA_36/pimg/pPETNA-5147528_main_t300x300.jpg
If you go to a hydroponic or gardening store you could find it for cheaper than the pet store brand.

Here's a link to a thread full of useful info and pictures.
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/h-arizonensis-molting-preparation.251900/

 

[mstalcup]

Not water crystals, hydroballs. They are balls of clay used at the bottom to promote better soil drainage and to keep a water reservoir to moisten the soil from below.

Let me gather some links so you can have a better idea.

I have bought the hydroballs. Thanks a lot.

 

[darkness975]

@mstalcup nice looking specimens in those pictures.

 

[mstalcup]

@mstalcup nice looking specimens in those pictures.

Thank you. I think so too! I'm working to keep them happy.

 

[2nscorpx]

You probably already know, but H. arizonensis are difficult to raise in captivity. It's likely an issue regarding moisture gradients that is difficult to replicate. Just make sure that the substrate is deep and, yes, using a false bottom with either the hydro-balls or even just gravel might help. Since the species is difficult to raise in captivity (I must admit that I've never kept H. arizonensis), there's probably not much confirmation on growth rates. I'd assume that Hadrurus have a moderate growth rate, and so juveniles probably take a little over a year to fully mature. I don't know about individual moults.

Oh, and congrats on the new litter! It's not often one sees Hadrurus juveniles in captivity.

 

[mstalcup]

You probably already know, but H. arizonensis are difficult to raise in captivity. It's likely an issue regarding moisture gradients that is difficult to replicate. Just make sure that the substrate is deep and, yes, using a false bottom with either the hydro-balls or even just gravel might help. Since the species is difficult to raise in captivity (I must admit that I've never kept H. arizonensis), there's probably not much confirmation on growth rates. I'd assume that Hadrurus have a moderate growth rate, and so juveniles probably take a little over a year to fully mature. I don't know about individual moults.

Oh, and congrats on the new litter! It's not often one sees Hadrurus juveniles in captivity.

Thank you very much. I have heard the same thing about Hadrurus. Problems during molting seem to be the main issue. My juveniles are eating like mad. I have built separate enclosures for each. Each enclosure is made of two 14 oz. deli cups. The top cup has their burrowing substrate, which is a mixture of play sand and excavator clay. It has many holes in the bottom covered by a thin layer of tiny gravel. The bottom deli cup contains water, hydroballs, and a thin layer of pebbles at the top to create a flat surface. So I just put one deli cup inside another. I am using the bowls from plastic spoons as hides, but they stay below the surface a lot so I'm not sure if I need the spoon bowls. Maybe I should remove the spoon bowls to prevent moisture from being trapped near the surface.

 

[Desert scorps]

As many have already said this species is quite difficult to raise due to the molting problems. There are 2 methods that I think would work in trying to get them to molt properly. The first one, being the false bottom set up with the hydroballs. The second one is actually much easier and has been tested by a friend of mine, he's gotten quite a few to molt successfully just keeping them in about an inch of sand and he puts a small cap of standing water in with them. Shallow enough so they don't drown, of course. But he said he fills it, lets it dry out for a few days and fills it again. He also has tried other methods like misting a small portion of the enclosure but that was not successful. The only thing he has been successful with was a small cap of standing water. If you decide to try it, good luck! And those are so adorable! I've seriously never seen a 3i arizonensis. I love the colors haha