Not sure is my Scorpion is dead or about to molt

[8ball947]

My Asian forest scorpion hasn't moved or changed position for about 2 or 3 days. But my tank is not dry. I sprayed it everyday and I'm still spraying it since I'm not sure if it's dead or not. I have a substrate that's supposed to be meant for them. It even says on the bag. I think it's soil based or something. At least it feels like soil when touched. And this is my first time having a scorpion. It hasn't molted yet since I got it. And I got it in November. And this is now January. So I only had it for a few months. I can't take a picture right now. Cause I'm at work. Can someone please help.

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

The substrate should be moist not wet, clumpy but not drippy. Proper temps are 75F-85F. Otherwise, you need to post a pic really. It could be molting or could be dead hard to say but the species can have quite a sedentary lifestyle.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

spraying is useless if the substrate isn’t moist down deep. It needs to be deep and damp.
beyond that we can diagnose nothing without photos.

 

[8ball947]

spraying is useless if the substrate isn’t moist down deep. It needs to be deep and damp.
beyond that we can diagnose nothing without photos.

I'll post a picture when I get off work tonight.

 

[The Snark]

Our Asian Forest started acting weird before getting fat. He started moving less and spent more time out of his hide. He’s now not moving at all. Does any one have an idea as to what could be wrong with him?

At present, this is what virtually all AFS are doing. Shut it down, conserve energy, and wait for the bug fests in May after the first heavy rains. Hiding in nooks or cranny's or buried deep in the bone dry substrate with most of SE Asia a parched desert. The usually verdant green forests and jungles an unprepossing uniform tan-brown - typical of the tropics which often swings from arid to deluge in a matter of weeks. We have no spring here, no autumn. Trees can loose their leaves in a matter of days and be covered in new growth within a month. The seasons are cold and dry, the hot season and the rains.
An oddity here is during the hottest driest months, summer in the temperate climes, is when most of the trees start flowering. No spring rains and everything bone dry. Animals are very scarce as there is no food or forage. Imagine the east coast suddenly dropped into a desert. An extreme example of the compressed seasons are the huge Rain trees, Albizia Saman. In the period of about three weeks in February they go from green leaves to bare branches to filled out new leaves and starting to flower. Autumn into summer into spring in less than a month.

And along the same seasonal lines, the AFS scorp keepers on AB start complaining their animal is laconic or hiding and doesn't move for days. The fact they have one of if not the most slow metabolisms of all animals isn't known or ignored. Quite capable of going without food or water up to six months, rousing themselves in May into July to pig out on bugs then go off for some romance.
And please, keep in mind, there is only one species of AFS out in daylight - dead. Between the birds then the ants they don't stand an ice cubes chance in hell.

 

[8ball947]

The substrate should be moist not wet, clumpy but not drippy. Proper temps are 75F-85F. Otherwise, you need to post a pic really. It could be molting or could be dead hard to say but the species can have quite a sedentary lifestyle.

I did some research before I got the scorpion. So I know how moist the substrate has to be. And I know how much the temperature and humidity has to be. And I also know when they're about to molt they don't move. But I don't know how long they don't move for. That's why I don't know if it's dead or just about to molt.

 

[coolnweird]

I did some research before I got the scorpion. So I know how moist the substrate has to be. And I know how much the temperature and humidity has to be. And I also know when they're about to molt they don't move. But I don't know how long they don't move for. That's why I don't know if it's dead or just about to molt.

With the information given there's no way for anyone to know. When in doubt wait it out

 

[8ball947]

Here's 3 pictures one of my scorpion, one of temperature and humidity gauge, and one for the heating pad thermostat.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Here's 3 pictures one of my scorpion, one of temperature and humidity gauge, and one for the heating pad thermostat.

Straight tail laid out flat like that is generally a bad sign. A scorpion preparing to moult will typically be hiding underground, not laid out flat on the substrate in the open.

 

[8ball947]

Straight tail laid out flat like that is generally a bad sign. A scorpion preparing to moult will typically be hiding underground, not laid out flat on the substrate in the open.

Does that mean she's dead?

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Does that mean she's dead?

Either dead or close to it would be my guess. You can test for a response by gently touching her with a long set of tongs or something.

 

[8ball947]

Here's a video of me touching it with tongs or giant tweezers.

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

It is dead. The substrate looks too damp at least on video (needs to be clumpy not drippy). The terrarium may have been too cold the thermostat setting may have not been accurately heating the terrarium. You need to perform a temperature reading. Maybe set the thermostat to 80F or 85F instead. Do you live in a place that currently experiencing a cold winter or is the room the scorpion is housed-in often chilly? The thermostat setting may not have been producing enough heat. What type of heating are you using? I hope it is not a heat mat especially if you are experiencing a cold winter. Heat mats are solely designed to create basking spots for reptiles not to raise temperature of the terrarium. They are the worst source to use to raise the temperature in terrariums. Also, you can cutdown some of the ventilation by 50%-60% to trap in any heat but you do want to remove too much ventilation otherwise you are going to invite molds.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Yup, that is an ex-scorpion. Sorry.
And yeah, substrate looks too wet. Can’t say if that’s the cause of death, could be there was a pre-existing problem, but it certainly wouldn’t have helped.

Edit: I just noticed the thermometer seems to be reading 60F? That’s pretty darned chilly, if it’s accurate.

 

[8ball947]

I read online that the heating pad needs to be 70 to 75 degrees on google. And all the pros on YouTube say the tank needs to have a warm side and a cool side. So if the scorpion gets to hot it can move to the cool side. And they also said to use a heating pad on one side of the tank. And not on the bottom. Cause scorpions also borrow to get cool if it's to hot. I keep the tank in my bedroom on my dresser. My bedroom is usually pretty warm. I've had the scorpion since November a little before the 18th (got it as a birthday gift to myself). And the scorpion has been fine until now.

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

I read online that the heating pad needs to be 70 to 75 degrees on google. And all the pros on YouTube say the tank needs to have a warm side and a cool side. So if the scorpion gets to hot it can move to the cool side. And they also said to use a heating pad on one side of the tank. And not on the bottom. Cause scorpions also borrow to get cool if it's to hot. I keep the tank in my bedroom on my dresser. My bedroom is usually pretty warm. I've had the scorpion since November a little before the 18th (got it as a birthday gift to myself). And the scorpion has been fine until now.

You can't trust Google care sheets they are just generic copy pastas ad nauseum. The optimal temp to keep a AFS is 80F -/+ 5. Yes, I use a lamp and place at one end of the terrarium. The substrate should be 4"-6" kept 100% moist (clumpy but never drippy). If your room remained relatively toasty so far the scorpion should have been perfectly fine. But remember the thermostat temperature setting may not accurately represent the temperature in the terrarium. Also, your scorpion looks to be adult (without any size reference) and wouldn't be molting anymore.

Temperature: 80F -/+ 5
Substrate: 4"-6" depth always moist (clumpy but not drippy)

^ Under these conditions a AFS should thrive and live a full healthy life and it should always properly molt without fail too.

It may have died of any undiscernable reasons including old age (if it was adult), hard to say.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I read online that the heating pad needs to be 70 to 75 degrees on google. And all the pros on YouTube say the tank needs to have a warm side and a cool side. So if the scorpion gets to hot it can move to the cool side. And they also said to use a heating pad on one side of the tank. And not on the bottom. Cause scorpions also borrow to get cool if it's to hot. I keep the tank in my bedroom on my dresser. My bedroom is usually pretty warm. I've had the scorpion since November a little before the 18th (got it as a birthday gift to myself). And the scorpion has been fine until now.

the temperature for the heating pad depends on the conditions in the room, but 70-75 isn’t warm enough to create a decent gradient. If your room is warm then either your thermometer (which is reading 60F) is inaccurate and thus useless, meaning you have no idea what the true temperature In there is, or you have a very different idea of warm than most people. The cool side should not be lower than 70F, and most people will set the warm side to at least 80. 60 is just way too cold for these tropical animals.

 

[8ball947]

Thanks for your help and advice. I plan on getting a new Asian forest scorpion tomorrow. I have made some adjustments based off some of the things you have told me. I added some more substrate to counteract the extra moisture. And I changed the thermostat for the heating pad to 80 degrees for the warm side. But I'm not really sure how I can change the cool side from 60 degrees to 70 degrees? Any ideas? And is the tank supposed to be 70% to 80% humidity?

 

[Outpost31Survivor]

Thanks for your help and advice. I plan on getting a new Asian forest scorpion tomorrow. I have made some adjustments based off some of the things you have told me. I added some more substrate to counteract the extra moisture. And I changed the thermostat for the heating pad to 80 degrees for the warm side. But I'm not really sure how I can change the cool side from 60 degrees to 70 degrees? Any ideas? And is the tank supposed to be 80% humidity?

Do not fret about humidity %s, hygrometers are universally trash unless you are willing to pay hundreds. Focus on temperature and substrate depth and moisture, your scorpion will be all good I promise.

 

[8ball947]

Do not fret about humidity %s, hygrometers are universally trash unless you are willing to pay hundreds. Focus on temperature and substrate depth and moisture, your scorpion will be all good I promise.

I've been spraying the tank once or twice a day to try to keep the humidity up to around 70% to 80%. Could that be why the substrate got too wet? I realized there were also pools/ puddles of water under the hides.