Scorpion not eating/barely active

AluminiumGoat

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
6
Hey guys, I recently found a Marbled Scorpion (Lychas Marmoreus) wandering around in my house. I had been searching for a scorpion for quite a while, so I had some basic knowledge on how to contain them, however I’m a bit stuck. The scorpion has rather small pettiness without the comb-like structure, so I am guessing it’s a female. In its habitat, I have a coco-peat substrate which is somewhat damp but crumbly, and I have a small sponge as I read they could drink from it. I check up on it at night to see if it’s moved, but it is barely active. I have tried to feed it various small insects including crickets, all either alive or freshly killed, no larger than half of its body size (being 2cm). In the terrarium, I have a couple dead leaves, sticks (roughly finger-width) and a small pile of rocks/pebbles, along with the sponge. I have only had this for 2 days so I’m not expecting it to eat but, when roughly should I start feeding it? Do I need a heating mat/lamp for it? Should I need a humidity/temperature gauge for it? It isn’t exactly getting adequate sunlight either. The temperature is roughly 24°c and humidity varies from 30-70%.

What should I change/do to improve the conditions in the terrarium? I’m not very experienced 😅 image.jpg
 

AluminiumGoat

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
6
Hey guys, I recently found a Marbled Scorpion (Lychas Marmoreus) wandering around in my house. I had been searching for a scorpion for quite a while, so I had some basic knowledge on how to contain them, however I’m a bit stuck. The scorpion has rather small pettiness without the comb-like structure, so I am guessing it’s a female. In its habitat, I have a coco-peat substrate which is somewhat damp but crumbly, and I have a small sponge as I read they could drink from it. I check up on it at night to see if it’s moved, but it is barely active. I have tried to feed it various small insects including crickets, all either alive or freshly killed, no larger than half of its body size (being 2cm). In the terrarium, I have a couple dead leaves, sticks (roughly finger-width) and a small pile of rocks/pebbles, along with the sponge. I have only had this for 2 days so I’m not expecting it to eat but, when roughly should I start feeding it? Do I need a heating mat/lamp for it? Should I need a humidity/temperature gauge for it? It isn’t exactly getting adequate sunlight either. The temperature is roughly 24°c and humidity varies from 30-70%.

What should I change/do to improve the conditions in the terrarium? I’m not very experienced 😅 View attachment 408011
Pectines**
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,606
Sponges breed bacteria, in case you were wondering why that advice was given.

I am not experienced with this species, but since it's found primarily in moist microhabitats, you'll want to keep the substrate moist. You can add a small water dish to provide extra water if it needs it. It's possible since you caught it in your home that it's just not doing well for reasons outside your control, but if you're going to keep it, the best thing you can do is read as much as possible about their care, and leave it alone to settle in.
 

AluminiumGoat

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
6
Sponges breed bacteria, in case you were wondering why that advice was given.

I am not experienced with this species, but since it's found primarily in moist microhabitats, you'll want to keep the substrate moist. You can add a small water dish to provide extra water if it needs it. It's possible since you caught it in your home that it's just not doing well for reasons outside your control, but if you're going to keep it, the best thing you can do is read as much as possible about their care, and leave it alone to settle in.
Ok, I wasn’t too sure… thank you.

Yeah I’ll keep reading around and might add a water dish. Do you know anything about humidity and if I should add a temp/humidity gauge?
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,606
Ok, I wasn’t too sure… thank you.

Yeah I’ll keep reading around and might add a water dish. Do you know anything about humidity and if I should add a temp/humidity gauge?
Most humidity gauges are not very accurate, and are typically irrelevant to most of the animals we keep - since this species usually lives under bark in a moist micro environment, I would suggest forgetting the humidity meter and instead concentrating on ensuring that the substrate stays moist and there are moist crevices available for it to hide in. I’m not sure what the ideal temperature range is for this species, either - if you find that out you will know if you need supplemental heating, and this whether you need a thermometer (you should never use supplemental heating without a thermometer as many heating methods can cause dangerously hot spots)
 

AluminiumGoat

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
6
Most humidity gauges are not very accurate, and are typically irrelevant to most of the animals we keep - since this species usually lives under bark in a moist micro environment, I would suggest forgetting the humidity meter and instead concentrating on ensuring that the substrate stays moist and there are moist crevices available for it to hide in. I’m not sure what the ideal temperature range is for this species, either - if you find that out you will know if you need supplemental heating, and this whether you need a thermometer (you should never use supplemental heating without a thermometer as many heating methods can cause dangerously hot spots)
Thanks, I have roughly 3cm of substrate covering the bottom so do you think I should make it deeper before making crevices?

Most places I’ve read recommend 22-28°c, so I’m pretty sure I won’t need the supplemental heating, thank you for the help though. Much appreciated
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,606
I assume this species doesn’t burrow, but you will find that having more substrate makes it easier to maintain moisture. Personally I’d double the amount of substrate for that reason alone.

I do want to reiterate that I am not familiar with this species, so anything I say is to be taken as extremely general information about the broad maintenance of a habitat *type*.
 

AluminiumGoat

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
6
I assume this species doesn’t burrow, but you will find that having more substrate makes it easier to maintain moisture. Personally I’d double the amount of substrate for that reason alone.

I do want to reiterate that I am not familiar with this species, so anything I say is to be taken as extremely general information about the broad maintenance of a habitat *type*.
Thanks for your help, I have doubled the substrate and I’ll see how it goes. I’ve made some crevices and it’s gotten
 
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