Mordax Deaths

I checked my new little u. mordax last night during feeding and discovered 2 of them had died. One was the last to molt Mike

I'm perplexed as conditions were good. I know it just happens sometimes, but I'm really watching them closely as I absolutely hate losing scorpions!!!

That sucks -- I'm really sorry to hear that man.

I'm not hugely surprised by the "runt." I've noticed that when scorpions take a long time relative to siblings the chances aren't great, but they all seemed to be doing alright.

Maybe try taking them away from where your heat source is, just in case.

yeah, the smaller ones will usually perish.. especially if they are kept together.

sorry about that bayss.

that sux. to play off Mike's post - what temps are you keeping them at? temp and humidity are a big part of mordax care as they are native to the northwest where it's fairly humid and the temps don't get too high.

scorpion111 wrote:

yeah, the smaller ones will usually perish.. especially if they are kept together.

I don't think he was housing them together - we had this conversation in my post when I got mine from Mike.

I didn't think the heat would lead to deaths, but I think it might be a wise precaution to move them after seeing two die this soon.

Mr. Mordax wrote:

I didn't think the heat would lead to deaths, but I think it might be a wise precaution to move them after seeing two die this soon.

would it not be possible to have the heat dry out the fresh exo or higher humidity drown the fresh exo (especially in the runt)?

I'm having a hell of a time right now maintaining my rh so I'm constantly misting a corner or two of my enclosures but as far as temps go I'm keeping them at about the temps they would be used to in the wild around birthing season.

Rasputin wrote:

would it not be possible to have the heat dry out the fresh exo or higher humidity drown the fresh exo (especially in the runt)?

I dunno . . . the runt molted in January (there was one other that never made it to 3I). Lots of humidity shouldn't be a problem, and I've had them do fine when it dried out a bit as well.

The only thing I can think of is maybe that the heat was too much for them to handle instead of just upping their metabolisms.

U. mordax, being from where it's from, may only experience metabolism boosts at gradual temp elevations - ergo: a temp boost that may be too high could possibly shock the system. ultimately, that's an opinion based on theory but it's a sound idea.

The humidity is good...my hygro says 90% inside of container after misting and the temps have ranged from 78F to 81F. The inside feels cool on the sand/coco fiber...it is not warm to the touch like the b. jacksoni substrate. The rock inside is also cool...so they should have some temp variation to find a spot they like. I did move them all away from the side closest to the b. jacksoni drawer right away as the warmer temp ftom that drawer was my thought also. The 2 that died were the containers closest to that side. The temp outside was not noticeably higher on the thermomter sitting there...but there might have been some build up in the container...I'm guessing.

All 6 are doing well tonight and are plump. There is not condensation on the sides and lids in the u. mordax containers, but I'm assuming that is because it is not too warm. I have also opened the drawer to allow more air flow. You would let them dry out sometimes? Should I let that happen or keep it moist? What about a waterdish? I will keep my fingers crossed and just keep checking...wish me luck...no more deaths...no more deaths...

It sounds like the warm was just a little too much for the two closest to it, especially since one was behind schedule relative to his siblings. If the others are all plump and away from the direct impact of the heat, I doubt deaths will continue to be a problem.

If there's no condensation, but the substrate feels moist, then it should be fine. The 40-dram vials I had them in each had five small holes punched in the lid to allow for airflow. The only time it ever got very dry was when I had them in smaller containers as 2I and some of the lids didn't fit properly -- the ones that dried out faster just burrowed to the bottom to find a spot to their liking (same as the adults will do), so if you like seeing them, keep it on the moist side.

I've never offered any of mine a water dish, adults or juveniles. It gets pretty damp where they're native but there's not often standing water on the surface (they usually live on slopes). As long as there's ambient humidity they shouldn't dehydrate.

Thanks...I agree...the only thing I can think of is that the heat in those 2 containers built up. I'm keeping the others away from that side with the drawer open...temp was 78 this morning. Here's a blurry pic