Instar periods?

I'm sure it varies from Scorpion to Scorpion, but can anyone tell me what is the estimated time between each instar for Androctonus A. ?

Pluto, GS this one's for you!!!

Morning!

I went thru Pluto's breeding thread. He hasn't updated since the few that hit I3,but his dates went like this:

Born 8/24
Instar 2 on 8/27
Some hit instar 3 on 9/3.

Does that help?

Thanks Anna, I actually have some of his that were born 8/24. I'm just trying to get an idea about when I should look for the next molt. I know each one is longer than the last.

Thanks again!
Tim

Ah ok.

Well you'll have to keep us updated then LOL

You bet!

It depends on a number of variables actually. Temperature and availability of water, frequency and nutritional value of feed are the two biggest factors. Some will depend on the individuals genetics like how you can have a tall brother that hits his growth spurt in junior high where as your other brother is shorter and didn't grow much until high school. Average time to maturity for Androctonus australis is around two years.

Thanks Street! I'm keepin' the temp between 85 & 90 F during the day 75-85 at night. I've been feeding 'em grasshoppers, since I lost one after a molt and a cricket eat half of it.

It also depends on your feeding habit bro

If you powerfeed them, expect them to grow more faster than usual.


But for my own experience, I'd say they are a little bit hardy cause mine wont still molt. Its the 2nd month of her with me and believe me she is so stout but still she ate.

Well, goodluck on your AA bro

Annababe wrote:

Morning!

I went thru Pluto's breeding thread. He hasn't updated since the few that hit I3,but his dates went like this:

Born 8/24
Instar 2 on 8/27
Some hit instar 3 on 9/3.

usually young instar takes about 2-3 days to harden up their exo (molt skin) and gets ready to feed..

Even if it's under powerfeed and with/without "hotbox".. its considered rare for a young instar to go through the process of fattening.. pre-molt and then proceed to molt from 2 to 3.instar in 4-5 days (after subtracting 2-3 days for the hardening of exo.

The cons of communal setups is you can't monitor who eats faster/more and hence, there might be a slightly larger "time gap" between molts.. this poses risk of cannibalism (E.g. Scorpling A, which feeds at a faster rate will most likely hit a molt sooner.. but when it molts, it is vulnerable to Scorpling B, who is still going through the fattening process and am still on the lookout for food!)

tfleming is right that the scorp's molting intervals differs from each keeper. Likely due to the difference in enclosure settings such as optimal temp/ humidity settings etc.

My scorplings of the same batch usually molt close to each other (individual housing in tacklebox/ deli-containers) provided that they are fed in the same intervals and under the same enclosure settings.

I've yet gotten a full lifecyle of an A.australis but these's are what i've recorded for a specific specimen:
They are under powerfeed mode (preys are offered as and when the scorplings are hungry) with no hotbox.

1.instar >> 2.instar: 6 days
2.instar >> 3.instar: 21 days
3.instar >> 4.instar: 22 days
4.instar >> 5.instar: 26 days
5.instar onwards > Monitoring in progress

On a separate specimen:

5.instar >> 6.instar: 80 days
6.instar >> 7.instar: 105 days
7.instar >> 8.instar (female): 180-270 days (on average)

The final molts of 6 to 7.instar(male) or 7 to 8 instar(female) has much a larger time gap..
Longest i've came across is with the final molt of an 8.instar female A.australis hector,
and it took about 6-10 months... Truely a test of patience for keepers!

Hope it helps

This is exactly what I was looking for. Just a guide line. It's not a perfect world, but this really gives me something to go on.

Thanks GS!!!

No prob. I'm sure many are interested to know your communal A.australis' developments.
Keep up updated in your thread mate

Thanks GS! That's great info....

Ok, I have 2 AA's that appear to be right on time for the 3i-4i molt between 7 and 8 weeks. I have 2 more that are lagging behind. Communal tank! Any thoughts?

I'd say NO. AA's are prone to cannibalism

I'm sorry I guess I should have been a little more specific. What I meant was all 4 are in the same tank, they are the same age, why is one group lookin' as if they are about to molt, when the other don't even look close. Same tank, plenty of food, why aren't they lookin' as if are going to molt?

I have batches of scorplings which molt in very close intervals (within 1-3 days) to each other...BUT.. they are all in individual enclosures. Of cos, with all other factors remaining the same, e.g. same frequency of feeding, water supply and temperature/ humidity.

Maybe you have already observed, in a batches of scorplings, not all of them have the same personality. E.g. even though they belong to the same specie, some are more aggressive and readily to pounce on preys... while some other are just skittish/ defensive and are contented in sharing food or feeding on lifeless preys (e.g. headcrushed crickets)

In a communal setup, the "stronger" ones will most likely fatten up quickly and proceed to the pre-molt phase..

However, there are scenarios whereby a communal setup of scorplings can have close molting intervals to one another.. this happened with my Centruroides margaritatus. I provided lots and lots of barks and dumped in lumps and lumps of roach nymphs weekly.. All individual scorplings seemed to get fattened up uniformly. They are adequately spaced out to feel at ease and even molt close to each other.. from the first molt skin to the last one observed.. the interval was only 4 days.

Hope it helps

I've had really big differences between molts. i.e. my H.tamulus all molted to 3i within 3 days. Now one of them has molted a month ago to 4i while the others are still on premolt. Same with C. hentzis, I had one specimen hit 4i and other one reaching 3i only a few days later.

Well GS you came through once again. But what a difference a day makes. All 4 are really fattened up and look pretty much the same now. I can't say I'm not concerned about leaving them together in the same enclosure, but I'm more curious to see how they do together. All well fed, plenty of places to hide. Temps between 80 to 85 degrees F, humidity between 60 to 80 %. I'll feel much better once they hit 4i.

Hi Bros, not to worry.. even scorplings from the same batch has different "personality" and some have different growth rate as well.. there are some who has close molting intervals.. and there are those that i recalled... with molting interval difference of up to a few months.

I seem to have more "stability" (in terms of close molting intervals) in the captive born breed specimens from my own. As long we provide the correct enclosure setting, the rest might be up to the scorps... i'm okay with them having different molting interval.. so long they do not die on me.. i'll be happy

GS wrote:

... i'm okay with them having different molting interval.. so long they do not die on me.. i'll be happy

That's all that is important, really.

I agree! I just don't want them to die!