Tailless whip scorpion - bad molt??

[abarli65]

My son’s tws molted yesterday and we noticed his petapalps are deformed. He is now black and they have not changed shape at all. Is this guy toast? Any reasons this would have happened? My son is totally bummed that his tws may not be able to feed and die.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Yup, looks like your friend there had a rough go of it. On the bright side, it should still be able to successfully eat, though it may need a bit of help. If it struggles to catch prey with those mangled pedipalps, you can slow down the prey by hobbling it, or even offer freshly killed (still twitching) prey. If you can nurse it through to the next moult, those palps should come back just fine.

Moulting issues *can* be (but aren't *always*) a result of insufficient moisture - Check your substrate moisture level, and maybe start offering some dribbles of water on the cork periodically so it has the option to drink if it needs to.

 

[abarli65]

Thank you for that info. Good to know he could be OK. He just got a bigger enclosure, which will enable the housing of some larger water bowls. Yes, we feel he may not have been getting enough water as he was constantly near the small water dish. He is now in a 12x12x18 exo terra. We will cover the top some to hold in moisture. My son does spray daily, but we will keep a better eye on humidity.

Such a strange creature. A very good addition to the rest of the creepy crawlies in his room.

 

[wizentrop]

That's unfortunate. I don't see this as a sign of incorrect humidity levels. It appears that either something interrupted during the molting process, or the animal suffered a hit or a fall while molting.

Unfortunately I must disagree with Señora Wulfbooper, this whip spider will not be able to handle food at all, since its pedipalps are too curved outwards to hold onto and bring food towards the mouth. Curved whips means that the animal also has no way to detect what is around it, making it blind and helpless. The only way to feed it will be forceful, shoving pre-killed prey in its face. Because whip spiders have poor vision this will cause stress, especially in the long run. I've had animals like this one in the past that I was trying to keep alive. They all ended up the same way, succumbing to stress and malnutrition.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

 

[abarli65]

Thank you. That expectation has already been set, so hopefully he will not be too upset if/when things go south. We will just have to move this guy onto the pin board.

 

[wizentrop]

Don't be discouraged - molting issues are the No.1 problem with whip spiders, followed by egg sac failures. Even experienced keepers have recurring issues, sometimes it is our fault and sometimes it is beyond our control. They are still amazing animals to observe and very rewarding to keep.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Don't be discouraged - molting issues are the No.1 problem with whip spiders, followed by egg sac failures. Even experienced keepers have recurring issues, sometimes it is our fault and sometimes it is beyond our control. They are still amazing animals to observe and very rewarding to keep.

I'm curious, Gil, have you ever tried something like a cricket slurry in a little cup for severely injured amblypygids? Knowing what I know of them it seems unlikely that it would work, but it seems like it would be worth at least trying out...

 

[Scorpiobsession]

I'm curious, Gil, have you ever tried something like a cricket slurry in a little cup for severely injured amblypygids? Knowing what I know of them it seems unlikely that it would work, but it seems like it would be worth at least trying out...

There's a thread about this for tarantulas, it's worth a try. What's the worst that could happen? I think it would work best with wax worms or mealworms since they're high in fat and juicy.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

There's a thread about this for tarantulas, it's worth a try. What's the worst that could happen? I think it would work best with wax worms or mealworms since they're high in fat and juicy.

That's what made me think of it. I know amblypygi are far less inclined to drink from water dishes than tarantulas, and far less likely to eat pre-killed prey as well, so it does seem less likely to succeed, but it might be worth at least giving it a shot.

 

[wizentrop]

Might worth a try, although I'm a bit skeptical. For sure it will work for many spiders and other arachnids, but Amblypygi don't really go for liquids...

 

[Wolfram1]

Not entirely true, if they have direct access to the water via a piece of corkbark they will drink

just lean the corkbark from within the waterbowl to the rest of their climbing structure. This will require more waterchanges but at least when held communaly as is possible with Euphrinichus bacillifer i have been able to observe them drink quite regularly at a friends colony of 50+ animals.

my own are still much smaller and kept in 2 20x20x20 boxes there i have seen them drink from the top and sides after spraying.

they usually molt upside down so it is important to provide them with a space they can molt in but i am sure you got that down anyway.

personally i would just cripple a roach or cricket or even prekill one

with my setup i have observed them dropping half a prey item when they were full to bursting and others scavenging the carcass

 

[abarli65]

Well, he is already a goner. Sad to see him go. My 10yr. old was sad, mad, and now excited about pinning him in a new box. lol. Our local store does not carry this kind any longer, but I guess he has a different one in mind. Such is the life of a bug kid.

Thanks again for the info!