Scorpions that eat regurlarly

[Butterbean83]

The Scorpion species I've had, give me the impression that Scorpions often go a long time without eating randomly, even when not in premolt. Are there any that do eat regularly, like a Scorpion version of an A geniculata or LP? I can't find nothing mentioning a Scorpion like that. It doesn't mean I want to overfeed my Scorpion just that I can feed it once a week unless it's in pre molt and so I know pre molt is more predictable then aswell and I don't think that it may not be in the best health, a lot that are available seem to be wild caught so I wonder if there is anything wrong when they fast like that as it happened with an S Palmatus I had. My Cheloctonus jonesii at least eats now and then but is still a Scorpling, they're really slow growers though and can be in pre molt for a long time.

I've got a H Silenus coming. I guess it saves me buying Livefood as much and I just feed my Ts and Mantis and feed my Scorpion when it will eat and if the food is still there the next day I take it out or feed it to the H himalayana sling.

Thankyou.

 

[Mustafa67]

The Scorpion species I've had, give me the impression that Scorpions often go a long time without eating randomly, even when not in premolt. Are there any that do eat regularly, like a Scorpion version of an A geniculata or LP? I can't find nothing mentioning a Scorpion like that. It doesn't mean I want to overfeed my Scorpion just that I can feed it once a week unless it's in pre molt and so I know pre molt is more predictable then aswell and I don't think that it may not be in the best health, a lot that are available seem to be wild caught so I wonder if there is anything wrong when they fast like that as it happened with an S Palmatus I had. My Cheloctonus jonesii at least eats now and then but is still a Scorpling, they're really slow growers though and can be in pre molt for a long time.

I've got a H Silenus coming. I guess it saves me buying Livefood as much and I just feed my Ts and Mantis and feed my Scorpion when it will eat and if the food is still there the next day I take it out or feed it to the H himalayana sling.

Thankyou.

My H A Palladius is active at night but doesn’t eat often

 

[Butterbean83]

Yeah it seems to be pretty much across the board with Scorpions as a whole that they can fast a fair bit. Whereas my H himalayana sling has had a fruit fly and three red runner nymphs already this week and it's only about a centimetre and a half, and my A geniculata... Well... You know how they eat... There doesn't seem to be Scorpions that eat like that, they all seem to eat like the Aphonopelma genus at best when you compare their feeding habits to Tarantulas.

 

[Mustafa67]

Yeah it seems to be pretty much across the board with Scorpions as a whole that they can fast a fair bit. Whereas my H himalayana sling has had a fruit fly and three red runner nymphs already this week and it's only about a centimetre and a half, and my A geniculata... Well... You know how they eat... There doesn't seem to be Scorpions that eat like that, they all seem to eat like the Aphonopelma genus at best when you compare their feeding habits to Tarantulas.

H Himalayana is a T on my wishlist. Pictures of it look stunning, does it behave like a typical asian burrower? I just got a small juvie Chilobrachys Huahini recently and it’s a really facinating T. Made a burrow and webbed up all of its enclosure.

To be honest I think sadly my Aphonopelma Chalcodes eats better than my scorpion.

 

[jennywallace]

My Aphonopelmas definitely eat better than my scorpions. I've got 3 scorps and none of them eat very much at all - 2 Heterometrus and a Paravaejovis spinigerus.

 

[poizoni]

Most buthids will accept prey pretty often and with a good feeding response

Definitely more frequently than genera from other families, e.g. hadrurus, heterometrus, etc… which is one of the main reasons I don’t generally enjoy keeping those

 

[Joey Spijkers]

Some Buthidae genera are the better eaters in my experience. For example the larger Centruroides species, Tityus stigmurus, Grosphus grandidieri. Fun thing with Tityus species is they're communal, so every week there will be at least a few that eat, but honestly in my stigmurus communal almost all of them ate consistently.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Yeah it seems to be pretty much across the board with Scorpions as a whole that they can fast a fair bit. Whereas my H himalayana sling has had a fruit fly and three red runner nymphs already this week and it's only about a centimetre and a half, and my A geniculata... Well... You know how they eat... There doesn't seem to be Scorpions that eat like that, they all seem to eat like the Aphonopelma genus at best when you compare their feeding habits to Tarantulas.

I had an emperor scorpion that would eat as much as my tarantulas, rip lost it like 10 years ago. Got it as an old adult male.

 

[Butterbean83]

H Himalayana is a T on my wishlist. Pictures of it look stunning, does it behave like a typical asian burrower? I just got a small juvie Chilobrachys Huahini recently and it’s a really facinating T. Made a burrow and webbed up all of its enclosure.

To be honest I think sadly my Aphonopelma Chalcodes eats better than my scorpion.

I have a H himalayana sling, not even 2 cm and it eats really well, just moved it from a sling pot into a small dip/sauce pot last night. They like to web, and they are quite voracious and feed pretty well, they don't get very big, I've seen people say 4" and some say 5" max for females. They're a nice looking T, pretty fast but otherwise (by old world standards) pretty docile if that's the right word, or not as defensive as other old world species... So I hear, I can't tell yet as mine is just a sling.

My huahini, I'm moving on. It's hit and miss with Dubias it will take or leave them but will eat Crickets. I don't see it out often and I've not noticed any burrows it just seems to retreat to its hide a lot and web itself in there and you'll know it's been out when you see the webbing isn't there as much. Mine is a 10 cm female so still some growing to do.

I thought that may be the case, they don't seem to eat much at all, I think with A Chalcodes it's because they're such slow growers and can be in premolt so long. I find my C jonesii Scorpion doesn't eat too often. Yeah they seem a good little T the H Himalayana from what I've seen of it so far.

 

[The Snark]

Some Scorpions have the slowest metabolism of all animals. Overfeeding can significantly alter the animals metabolic functions. Synthetic environments and abnormal intakes of food can create unique animals outside of established norms.

Scorpions regulate their energy metabolism towards increased carbohydrate oxidation in response to dehydration - PubMed

Scorpions successfully inhabit some of the most arid habitats on earth. During exposure to desiccating stress water is mobilized from the scorpion hepatopancreas to replenish the hemolymph and retain hydration and osmotic stability. Carbohydrate catabolism is advantageous under these conditions...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Scorpions live slow and prosper - Nature

A low metabolic rate and a diet of one's young is a recipe for desert success.

www.nature.com

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S109564331200102X

 

[Butterbean83]

Some Scorpions have the slowest metabolism of all animals. Overfeeding can significantly alter the animals metabolic functions. Synthetic environments and abnormal intakes of food can create unique animals outside of established norms.

Scorpions regulate their energy metabolism towards increased carbohydrate oxidation in response to dehydration - PubMed

Scorpions successfully inhabit some of the most arid habitats on earth. During exposure to desiccating stress water is mobilized from the scorpion hepatopancreas to replenish the hemolymph and retain hydration and osmotic stability. Carbohydrate catabolism is advantageous under these conditions...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Scorpions live slow and prosper - Nature

A low metabolic rate and a diet of one's young is a recipe for desert success.

www.nature.com

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S109564331200102X

It's not so bad now that I know it's nothing usually to worry about so I will just think of it as more food for the Ts and will mean Livefood will last longer. Just have to make sure I try them now and again. How do they grow from such little food? With H silenus, the one I have on its way is large Juvenile to young adult, Should I just offer it one or two medium Dubias now and then when it will take it?

 

[Butterbean83]

My Aphonopelmas definitely eat better than my scorpions. I've got 3 scorps and none of them eat very much at all - 2 Heterometrus and a Paravaejovis spinigerus.

When they do eat is it large prey items? It's strange how they manage to grow

 

[Butterbean83]

H Himalayana is a T on my wishlist. Pictures of it look stunning, does it behave like a typical asian burrower? I just got a small juvie Chilobrachys Huahini recently and it’s a really facinating T. Made a burrow and webbed up all of its enclosure.

To be honest I think sadly my Aphonopelma Chalcodes eats better than my scorpion.

I just read this again and with the burrowing, mine hasn't really burrowed much yet as a sling, maybe very slightly under the substrate but I can't see any clear holes and it's mainly out and about. I've seen some people say there's is pretty visible for an old world while others haven't seen there's for months.

My huahini is visible more lately. I hope the H himalayana does stay out a fair bit it's interesting to watch.

 

[The Snark]

How do they grow from such little food?

The short answer is their nearly unique ability to adjust their metabolism to their environment, food quality and availability. The long answer is a biology 1.5 credit semester course focusing on metabolic functions, regulation and causes of dysfunction.
Or super simplified, mom nature made some industrial grade animals with built in automatic adaptation. All about management of circadian and circannual rhythms.

 

[jennywallace]

When they do eat is it large prey items? It's strange how they manage to grow

Hi, No it's just mealworms at the moment. Both the Heterometrus are only about an inch long, so don't need big prey items. The Paravaejovis is a bit bigger, but even that I also just give mealworms or a small cricket.

 

[Diao]

The general consensus is that buthids are the better eaters, but my Gigantometrus, Heterometrus, and Pandinus are all all seemingly infinitely ravenous, Pandinus being at the top of that list.

I have a few P.imperator communals and one with 6 sub-adults gets 50-60 large crickets every week or two. I usually thing feed them individually because as soon as I open the lid they come running and pile on top of each other under me, waving open chela to grab the crickets. If I don't ring feed them one by one they will literally hank them from each other's claws, even already fast and mouth full of other crickets.

G.swammerdami seem to be much better eaters when young and growing than after they mature. I have a mature female that won't eat in front of me at all, while an enclosure next to her with a few 5i are shoving crickets in a fast as they can find them. The attached picture is of one of them with 9 large crickets.

 

[HOITrance]

All of mine, especially my hottentotta spp, are excellent eaters....EXCEPT my Androctonus bicolor...i swear i dont know how it even got fat, because it only eats every month or so