What Happened to my H. flavidulus?

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
Just a few weeks ago, I bought 1 2i H. flavidulus and it came another freebie of the same size and type. I have them in small deli cup-like containers, with a mix of about 2:1 ecoearth to colored calcium sand (not sure if calcium sand makes a difference, probably not). I feed them once every few days with a cricket that I cut the head off of. Figure they could scavenge. One of them is hiding under it's bark like normal and is very much alive, but this one was acting strange. It came out to get a drink, so I sprayed one side of the enclosure lightly to give them water. The next few days, I found it out with it's tail straight behind it still alive. I decided to spray again in case it wanted some water and was dehydrated, but today I found it had died in the night. The other one is doing fine, but I want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong for the other. Very sad about this, it is my first time I have worked with any invert this small :( Here are pics of the enclosure and the scirp itself. Nothing that I can tel is wrong with it.

Thanks, Abyss
 

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TheScorpionMan

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
190
Just a few weeks ago, I bought 1 2i H. flavidulus and it came another freebie of the same size and type. I have them in small deli cup-like containers, with a mix of about 2:1 ecoearth to colored calcium sand (not sure if calcium sand makes a difference, probably not). I feed them once every few days with a cricket that I cut the head off of. Figure they could scavenge. One of them is hiding under it's bark like normal and is very much alive, but this one was acting strange. It came out to get a drink, so I sprayed one side of the enclosure lightly to give them water. The next few days, I found it out with it's tail straight behind it still alive. I decided to spray again in case it wanted some water and was dehydrated, but today I found it had died in the night. The other one is doing fine, but I want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong for the other. Very sad about this, it is my first time I have worked with any invert this small :( Here are pics of the enclosure and the scirp itself. Nothing that I can tel is wrong with it.

Thanks, Abyss
I recently lost a 2i H. Flavidulus as well. i couldn't pin point why but i have 3 others doing fine. Sometimes things just die it seems.
 

Ranitomeya

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
255
Calcium sand is usually composed of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is abrasive. It can abrade the exoskeleton of an invertebrate and cause it to lose moisture faster--leading to dehydration.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
Calcium sand is usually composed of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is abrasive. It can abrade the exoskeleton of an invertebrate and cause it to lose moisture faster--leading to dehydration.
Would it be a huge issue? I don't have any other sand right now, so if I provided a water dish, would that be alright?
 

Ranitomeya

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 11, 2012
Messages
255
Hydration through drinking is not instant. Water has to be absorbed through the gut before the scorpion can be considered rehydrated. If abrasion is bad enough, it might not be able to hydrate itself fast enough if kept in a lower humidity environment. Think about it as bleeding through thousands and thousands of small, but deep cuts that never scab or heal. You're probably not going to be able to rehydrate yourself fast enough to replenish the loss of fluids.
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
Calcium sand is also very fine and powdery (like baby powder) which might be able to clog the book lungs.
 

Kayv

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Messages
375
Do not keep any inverts on calcium sand. Actually do not keep anything on calcium sand. I don't even know why they still make this stuff. Simply put, it causes death.
 

skorpidious

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 18, 2016
Messages
21
Just a few weeks ago, I bought 1 2i H. flavidulus and it came another freebie of the same size and type. I have them in small deli cup-like containers, with a mix of about 2:1 ecoearth to colored calcium sand (not sure if calcium sand makes a difference, probably not). I feed them once every few days with a cricket that I cut the head off of. Figure they could scavenge. One of them is hiding under it's bark like normal and is very much alive, but this one was acting strange. It came out to get a drink, so I sprayed one side of the enclosure lightly to give them water. The next few days, I found it out with it's tail straight behind it still alive. I decided to spray again in case it wanted some water and was dehydrated, but today I found it had died in the night. The other one is doing fine, but I want to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong for the other. Very sad about this, it is my first time I have worked with any invert this small :( Here are pics of the enclosure and the scirp itself. Nothing that I can tel is wrong with it.

Thanks, Abyss
O my goodness, sorry for your loss
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
Do not keep any inverts on calcium sand. Actually do not keep anything on calcium sand. I don't even know why they still make this stuff. Simply put, it causes death.
Seems like a trip to the local pet store to pock up,real sand is in order then! Don't want anything to happen to the other scorp...
 

G. Carnell

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 27, 2003
Messages
3,611
in my experience.. you sometimes get random losses at low instars with Hottentotta
I've seen it in H.minusalta, H.buchariensis and H.polystictus - deaths like yours with no apparent reason

good luck with the remaining scorps!
 
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