P. Imperator illness (Mycosis?)

DanHalen

Arachnobaron
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Sep 25, 2005
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483
Hey guys, first off, my camera is broken - I'll try and source another one a little later. Yesterday I obtained (which I'd put money on) a heavily gravid P. Imperator from a local pet shop - who certainly doesnt look particularly healthy - She is slow, unresponsive, and has trouble keeping her tail upright.

The pet shop staff had no idea what to do, so I took her, and put her in a T style ICU (but slightly wamer & more humid) After a while in ICU she picks up substantially, cleans herself, is alot more active, stilts to help regulate temperature, drinks from a little misting, can keep her tail upright etc... But in a standard enclosure, she unfortunately has trouble doing all of these things.

On closer inspection I noticed a patch of dark discolouration on one of her sides, which lead to to believe a mycosis had taken hold. I checked her book lungs and couldnt notice any sign of infection, but thats not to say their isnt one I guess.

Please correct me if I'm wrong (as I'm much more of a T person than a scorpion person) I assume the warmer, more humid environment is helping her to breath alot easier (assuming that an infection is present in her book lungs)- she acts like a healthy one would, just a little less defensive. But surely keeping her in ICU will help promote the growth of the infection right?

From what I've read, I guess it may be a lost cause, but do you guys think I should keep it up and see if she gives birth before she passes?

Cheers
-Dan
 

quiz

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 27, 2006
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1,189
It's not mycosis bro. They live in humid environment.
 

EAD063

Arachnoprince
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Oct 3, 2006
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Sounds like you bought a dehydrated scorp..glad you got her going though. Is the pet store reputable and was there a water dish in the tank? Also how was it housed in the petshop, very humid in they're setup or no?
 

DanHalen

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Sep 25, 2005
Messages
483
Sounds like you bought a dehydrated scorp..glad you got her going though. Is the pet store reputable and was there a water dish in the tank? Also how was it housed in the petshop, very humid in they're setup or no?
The pet shop has been going for a long time - I actually got my first G. Rosea from there 11 years ago! Their heart is in the right place but their invert husbandry still leaves something to be desired ( tarantula sponges should pretty much say it all), however their reptile husbandry is very respectable.

The scorps are housed communally, and heated via a blue lightbulb during the day, and at night it is switched off but the exotics section generally is still warm enough.

In regards to hydration there is a large communal water dish, but it is filled with a very damp moss. In general, it wasn't particularly humid, but then again it never has been and the scorps seem to live (and mate in fact - as I've seen a few dancing incidences) seemingly ok.

I dont think she's out of the woods however. She only perks up in ICU. I checked on her last night and saw she was very active (as normal) and put her in what would be her normal enclosure. This morning, I found her very inactive and "flacid" so to speak, and immediately put her back in ICU again, where she is now. She can stilt, and raise her telson seemingly ok, but she's nowhere near as defensive as I'd expect a gravid emp to be (unlike my other one who was *very* defensive) - I guess these things would take time (I've criminally ignored scorpions to be honest, and has relatively little experience with them - unlike T's which are my main passion)

In regards to mycosis, maybe I was being paranoid expecially as Emps evolved in a humid environment - but none the less, the black discolouration on the membrane has me concerned, especially with her weak stature & out of character behaviour - I certainly hope she is just dehydrated (it's so much easier to tell with T's - you just look at the abdomen), as I would love a clutch - as my last didnt go particularly well.

Then again, I suppose it may just be her time - Maybe they dont "selectively decide" not to bear children after a certain age?

What do you guys think? Just keep her confined to ICU for a few days - changing the paper towel substrate daily?

This is where I'd love to hear people posting about similar experiences which have worked out well in the end... :D But I'm not counting on it.

Cheers guys
-Dan
 

EAD063

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Messages
1,415
Well the only emp I still have in is a fairly old gal, you can tell just by looking at her. She also has some blackness on her membrane but to me it looks like spare pieces of cuticle, I attribute the spots on mine to just being an old hag.

She gave birth in the late months of summer and was mated again during the fall. She ate her mate a tad more than a month ago and when I relocated her from the big tank to her own little cubicle, she acted weird for a couple weeks, not moving a lot, not eating too much, wasn't really bothered by anything.. but then returned to normal.

All you can really do is make sure the habitat is very humid and there is always water to drink and make sure she is warm enough. Make sure she has a place to hide also, because if she feels vunerable she may keep still to avoid "giving herself away".
 

EAD063

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Oct 3, 2006
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As for an ICU setup, you should just mimic the setup I have my gravid, old hag in. It's a 2.5 gallon, bought for approx 8$, 4 inches of peat, (I cut one of the expandable bricks in half), a coconut shell for a hide and a small dish for water.... The small tank came with a glass lid so there isn't much of a need to worry about humidity, but when you have no ventilation in a tank you need to be very very careful not to let stagnant air stay in the tank, I usually just take the top off of her tank for 3 or 4 hours a day.
 
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