Starting Out: A Beginners Diary

Congrats on your new addition

Very nice scorpion you got there!
Scorpions are indeed very "different" compared to the more conventional pets but much more rewarding imo.

Congrats!
Welcome to the addiction!

Haha, thanks guys. I appreciate you all following my thread and chipping in with support.

I have tried feeding him again last night but today the cricket is still alive. Im kinda nervous now as its such a nice Scorpion and it seems happy other than this fast its on.

Looking good man.

Don't worry about it not eating yet. Try offering a cricket again in a few days.

Callum B wrote:

Don't worry about it not eating yet. Try offering a cricket again in a few days.

+1
Scorps go on very long fasts when they want to, my one Parabuthus granulatus male went 6 months without food. As long as it doesn't lose condition everything is good.

So its been a week or two since my last post and s/he still wont eat. Thought thats not my biggest concern at the moment....

The scorpion has climbed the background entirely and is sitting atop of it. Like, a centimetre from the roof and I cant convince it to come back down. No, he climbed up...so he should be able to climb back DOWN right? Or is it time for me to mount a rescue?

How long has he been up there?

Two evenings. He loved climbing it half way then walking back down. 2 nights ago he went to the top and hasn't came back down. Im mildly concerned.

Has he wedged himself in somewhere? If it was me I would just take him down.
Another possibility is that he likes the conditions up there(I could be wrong) and that its either too cold or something down at the bottom.

shadowfoot wrote:

If it was me I would just take him down.
Another possibility is that he likes the conditions up there(I could be wrong) and that its either too cold or something down at the bottom.

+1

What kind of background do you have?
To avoid possible injuries, I wouldn't put anything climbable as background.

He is still up there. Im not very worried about temperature. The thermometer says its 26 at the side of the tank away from the bulb. I am however, concerned about getting him down.

The background is a foam background that came with the tank. He can climb it so Im surprised he hasnt climbed back down. Im quite concerned. Its also stopped me trying to feed him as he is way higher than the crickets would be.

The best would be to just take him down and maybe remove the background like Dolby suggested.

hey, just read through these postings, pretty awesome.

but now I'm wondering, how is your scorp doing?

Diary #11

So I have spent the last month-odd with the wee guy and there has been some interesting developments.

Firstly, I have destroyed and removed that background after having to push him into a jar to get him off of it. He is now happily in his burrow with no more acrobatics going on.

Secondly....he is starting to eat! I left him alone for a fortnight, no food nothing, then I tried to feed him again and he dove at the cricket I threw in. Since then, he has been eating atleast once a week and still seems happy in his burrow.

Things are looking up!

Great to hear!
Following this thread was awesome and the happy ending made it even better!
I read somewhere that S.mesaensis are ferocious feeders (dont know if this is true) so it was just a matter of time

what an awesome thread, very interesting to read, my 2 scorpions love to climb, but mine are forest scorps, plus im sure they have some kind of memory as 1 of mine got to the edge of a branch felt around that it couldnt go further and turned around, i mean if fish have a memory then surely scorps must have lol, i look forward to reading more.

Hi all, [I hope its ok to bump this thread]

So I have been gone for about 6 months and had the scorpion himself for about a year. Today, he died. 

Of course, these things happen. The last two days he has been outside of his burrow, acting slower than usual and today he is laying neatly, with his tail outstretched behind him.

He was WC and I assume this is a death from old age. I really cant think of anything I did wrong.

So, I have had my first scorpion for just over a year and now, my confidence a little rattled, I will have to remove him from the tank and think of getting someone new. What a huge decision!

Sorry to hear that.

my condolences

Thanks guys.

Im tempted to maybe try and get a Desert Hairy? I enjoyed scorpion husbandry and I really dont want to get out of the hobby.

Good choice for a second scorpion. It's definately different care and a nice way to gain experience with desert species. Just try to get an adult specimen juvs are hard keep in captivity.

I like the thought of something a little bigger. I am already reading the caresheet for them and it is quite useful as usual. Doesn't sound too much different from Mesaensis.

Im going to redo the whole tank also methinks.

Sorry hear. Great choice for your second!

Im really paranoid I did something wrong. But I cant think of anything for the life of me.

I only had him a year but he was wild caught, was eating fine, no real mycosis, temperature was warm.