Scorpion Trouble D:

ok So I don't have a lid on my Aquarium, but it is a 30gal, and my Scorpion--Sasori--is still a juvenile. He has no way of getting out. However, my gf left my bedroom door open one day, and noticed my cat jumping out of my scorpions aquarium. She then yelled my cats name and I ran to my room. I used my cricket tongs and moved all the substrate around, and Sasori was nowhere to be found. That left only one thing... my cat took my scorpion out of the tank.

I proceeded to look under my bed when I got an idea. I grabbed my booklight and looked under my dresser. I hadn't held my scorpion yet, and it was the only one at the pet store that had never been handled so he was kind of angry... a lot. However, this time he was calm. He had his tail up in a neutral way while under the dresser. I slid him out, and picked him up with the tongs. As I was about to place my hand under him he slipped...

I then picked him up, placed him in my hand, and placed him in his enclosure. He barely even moved. I feared the worst. My cat was fine. No pinch, or sting marks. He didnt make a pain noise, and hasnt been acting weird. My scorpion hasnt been moving. The substate was a little dry so i sprayed his enclosure, and wet him. Nothing. I then figured, maybe hes like my crickets. when i walk my crickets home--i live in canada so its winter and full of snow--they seem dead when i get home. put them in their enclosure, and they are fine in a few hours, so i moved Sasori next to his heat pad. My room is a little cold.

I left him alone overnight, and nothing. I thought he was dead. I picked him up and placed him in my hand. His telson moved. I put him away. At a later tiem he had moved like 2cm. I picked him up, and he was even moving from one hand to the next... for like 30s. Then went still again.

I have no idea whats wrong, nor what to do. If it helps at all I've had him since Octobre, and he has never molted.

Any ideas?

Your cat might have severely injured him. Keep a close eye on him.

And kick your cat.

honestly? i have a spray bottle to mist my Scorpion's enclosure. I emptied the whole damn thing on my cat, then i kicked teh damn thing... >.>

is there anything I should look out for?
should i try feeding him? D:

im really worried D:

lol

Well, what you can try doing is leaving him alone. Make sure the entire substrate is moist, but not wet and make sure it's kept at the right temperature or at least warm. Don't bother it by picking it up or anything and if you wish to try feeding it, put in crickets, but remove them if your scorpion doesn't bother with them. Don't leave the crickets in there because with the state your scorpion is in, the crickets might make a meal out of it.

how long should i leave the cricket in for?
other than picking it up should i make sure it's near it's heat pad?
like coax it there or something? my room has gotten kinda coldish
his tail is laying flat too, not off to the side.
ill see if i can get a pic shortly.

Leave it in for 24 hours, it'll either find it's way into your scorpion's mouth, or it'll be ignored.

Don't nudge it or bother it. He'll find his own way to a warmer zone, maybe very slowly but as long as he's moving of his own accord it shouldn't matter for the time being.

After that it's just a waiting game. Leave him be for a few days then have a look.

ok so give him 1 cricket
check next day. if cricket is still alive, remove
wait a 2-3 days by leaving him in my room, door closed, light off, then check on him

what if he still hasnt move or done anything?
its already been 2 nights

Leave it a few more nights and then if nothing has changed assume the worst.

I heard somewhere that dead scorpions smell rank (probably here), so check for foul odors.

ok

this could have been avoided if a mesh reptile aquarium top wasnt 60$ >.<
i hope i can get a new one if this one does die D:

You could always improvise with the top. Get some window screen, which is really cheap at Home Depot, and put it over the top. Secure it with something with some weight, that won't fall into the tank. Like some books or something. =P A book on each end holds the screen down, but leaves space open for air.

but if my cat stands on it itll just fall in
i might give my dad the measurements of my aquarium and see if he can make me one
he can get screens from work since they use them on the machines there or sometihng

EDIT:
btw I love your avatar :3

When I had my first desert hairy I had the same thing happen with my wife's cat, and didnt have the money for a pricey lid, so I opted for some screen and binder clips. You can evenly space an entire box of clips around the top and it should hold pretty good if the same thing happens again. Not a permanent fix, but it'll do in a pinch.

thanks Taledus, and ColouredPencils :3
ill try that!
binder clips

Kind of like ColoredPencils' idea, you can get metal mesh and cut out the right shape and do w/e you need to do to have it secure on the tank. You can also try making a top with plexi glass by having it cut. Improvise!

thanks for all the ideas :3
ill see what I can do!
i didnt really need it until Sasori was more of a burrower than a climber, and my cat didnt really go into the tank until recently.

Forgot to mention that I used the medium clips. This allowed me to go over the entire lip of the aquarium and hold right on the glass. I was only using a 10 gallon at the time. You might measure the width of the entire lip on your tank to ensure you get clips that will go all the way over.

Thanks Taledus!
I h ave a 30gal ^^;
figured get a nice big one, so if i ever want a second I'd be good
ive got two hides even haha

Ramenuzumaki wrote:

Thanks Taledus!
I h ave a 30gal ^^;
figured get a nice big one, so if i ever want a second I'd be good
ive got two hides even haha

lol your scorpion lives in a mansion! You can fit a lot more than just 1 in there

haha
i just wanted him to be comfortable

EDIT:
i dont know a whole lot about scorpion social habits
i know for turtles if you house more than one in a tank they could potentially kill eachother
may not happen for a few years but itll happen
the reason why they bask together is a safety thing "If im with 7 other turtles odds of me getting eaten drops a lot!"

is it safe to house more than one scorpion? are they social? will they interact/enjoy one another's company without wanting to kill eachother sometimes down the line?

if you do get two make sure they are the same size and offer enough food for both because they will sometimes fight over the same feeder. but don't expect them to love each other. but they should get on

I have 10" cricket tongs, couldnt I just hand them their own cricket?

I dont use tongs..i just pick the feeders by hand..hehe

I'd imagine if you just dropped two or three in the tank there wouldn't be much scrapping over food.

Sounds good. Sasori still hasnt moved a millimetre

Is there a rotten smell coming from the tank?