Perpetual Premolt

[tyrel]

My female flatrock scorpion (Hadogenes paucidens) seems to be in perpetual premolt. She she has been fasting since November 11, 2006. Even before that she only ate a cricket every few months. Yet since I got her on September 20th, 2006, she has looked full to bursting. Well, as full to bursting as a flatrock could be. :}

I had a thought a couple days ago though. I have heard of a light misting triggering a molt in some deset scorpions. I have been wary of trying it though, as her cage has little air circulation and would take ages to dry out again.

Should I just let nature take its course, or could a light misting trigger a molt in a flatrock? If it could, could I move her to a more ventilated temporary enclosure while I do it, or would the stress prevent her from molting?

 

[Bayushi]

what is the length of the flat rock and can you see the new tergites under the old Exo?

 

[tyrel]

what is the length of the flat rock and can you see the new tergites under the old Exo?

She measures exactly two inches from her mouth to her rump. She would be even shorter, but her bulk has stretched the tergites apart quite a bit.

I can't see any new tergites under her skin, but on the other hand, I don't really know what I'm looking for. Her skin has very dark pigment that might prevent me from seeing anything though.

 

[H. cyaneus]

Hey,

Hadogenes is one of the slowest growing scorpions in the world. I had a friend who had a H. troglydtes who was in premolt for 3 years, dunno what happened to it though.

You might have to wait a while.

Mike

 

[tyrel]

Hey,

I had a friend who had a H. troglydtes who was in premolt for 3 years, dunno what happened to it though.

You might have to wait a while.

Thanks. I'll just leave her be for a few more years then.

Seriously, I don't think there is an animal in the world that takes less maintenance than a flatrock.

 

[polphot]

I got a 2i, V. spinigerus on long pre-molt too. it had stopped eating since early-April and its as fat as it can get. And it just molted this 17th of May. Dunno what i did as it was my first to care for V.spinigerus scorpling, but i tried to change substrate and did a few droplets of water on the sand every 3 to 4 days. OR maybe they just molt soo long.

 

[Dom]

Hey Tyrel is it fatter than this one? She's been looking like that for awhile. I had another that looked like that and just shed one day without any tweaking of heat/humidity parameters although I had tried cooling/ reheating and raising the humidity. Does yours have a water dish? Mine just drank some water and is even fatter than in the pics and now REALLY looks like she's about to explode. I'm hoping that is a sign of an imminent molt.
I'm not sure what you mean by female sub-adult since apparently they can't be sexed until they are full adults. If you have a way of sexing sub-adults I'd love to hear about it.
As far as the V. spinigerus go I've had 2I go for months before molting. I got a 3I in November and it still hasn't molted.

 

[Aillith]

How the hell does that thing walk?

 

[Mark Newton]

I would say a long pre molt condition like that is unnatural. I have had the same issue with rock scorpions in Australia until I discovered that in the wild that seal themselves off underground for the molt. Not many scorpions molt in the open due to predation. What does this mean? Small enclosed spaces have high humidity, even in dry environments. The scorpion needs a small place where it can seal off to the outside world. If an arid scorpion DO NOT add water, evaporative water loss from the scorpion will create the necessary humidity. I transfer them to small vials and add a touch of soil with a couple of drops of water..thats all..literally. Might be worth a try with your species....no holes in the vial either...sealed.

 

[tyrel]

Hey Tyrel is it fatter than this one? She's been looking like that for awhile. I had another that looked like that and just shed one day without any tweaking of heat/humidity parameters although I had tried cooling/ reheating and raising the humidity. Does yours have a water dish? Mine just drank some water and is even fatter than in the pics and now REALLY looks like she's about to explode. I'm hoping that is a sign of an imminent molt.
I'm not sure what you mean by female sub-adult since apparently they can't be sexed until they are full adults. If you have a way of sexing sub-adults I'd love to hear about it.

No not quite that fat! :} The tergites on mine still meet, but just barely. I do keep her with a water dish,though.

As for sexing, that has been a source of great confusion for me. I thought I had a male/female pair as one had a tiny tail, and my larger one had a thicker, more robust one. Then I decided, after seeing a photo of a male and female side by side, that they were both female. I attributed the larger one's tail to being more mature. Now you tell me that they cant be sexed untill adulthood, I'm confused all over again!