A Few Quick Questions

Whatsup guys, new here just posted in the Intro section and I have a few Q's. I have a young female emp that appears to have a broken aculeus.

1. Will the aculeus grow back after a molt? I know she's young because the telson is still a yellowish color and shes only 3-4in in length.

2. I've changed the substrate to beaked moss from regular sand to increase humidity. Should I put soil underneath the moss or anything else? Would sand work underneath it? It just seems weird as it is.

And these are the things that I'm mainly wondering:

3. Shes not eating anymore. When I got her I fed her a cicada which she demolished immediately and then a few days after that she munched a june bug. Now she hasn't eaten anything in about 3 weeks. She seems to not have much interest in crix and also seems to have a difficult time catching them. So now I've switched to dubia roaches and all she does is cuddle with them lol. After researching a bit I've learned that emps are finicky and will often go a while before feeding again. My question here though is that the roaches burrow into the moss or sand. When she gets hungry will she find them? I just cleaned and changed the substrate to the moss and put two roaches in. One of them burrowed all the way to the bottom. Will it surface again? Also the hide that Ive been using is a weird porous type of rock that the roaches hide in. Again, will this present a challenge for my emp when shes hungry again?

Any input is appreciated.

Papoose wrote:

Will the aculeus grow back after a molt? I know she's young because the telson is still a yellowish color and shes only 3-4in in length.

How much of the aculeus are we talking about. It'll be good if you can post a pic on the affected part.

Papoose wrote:

I've changed the substrate to beaked moss from regular sand to increase humidity. Should I put soil underneath the moss or anything else? Would sand work underneath it? It just seems weird as it is.

Sand is out. As for usage of moss, not that it would cause immediate health issues to your Pandinus imperator..
But I would suggest a full substrate change to pure coco-fibre/ coco-peat substrate, a good 4-6 inch nicely packed down and dampen. It'll enable the scorpion to burrow more effectively.

Papoose wrote:

Shes not eating anymore. When I got her I fed her a cicada which she demolished immediately and then a few days after that she munched a june bug. Now she hasn't eaten anything in about 3 weeks. She seems to not have much interest in crix and also seems to have a difficult time catching them

The scorpion's agility to capture it's prey is related to her level of hunger. She does not seem hungry at the moment.
How does she look now, probably on her way to her next molt. Btw, where did you get that cicada/bug you feed her with?

Papoose wrote:

My question here though is that the roaches burrow into the moss or sand. When she gets hungry will she find them?

Papoose wrote:

Also the hide that Ive been using is a weird porous type of rock that the roaches hide in. Again, will this present a challenge for my emp when shes hungry again?

I would say it's a tougher find but yes, ultimately.

Papoose wrote:

I just cleaned and changed the substrate to the moss and put two roaches in. One of them burrowed all the way to the bottom. Will it surface again?

Probably yes or they might just die halfway and get the area of substrate infested with mites..
For roaches, B.lateralis is a good choice for those who hated burrowing feeders

Thanks for the advice.

The cicada was found in my back yard. It was of a pretty good size but i fed it to her after removing the wings (seemed cruel but it was going crazy and was very strong) and she munched all of it down quickly. Something that Ive read since doing that is that feeding scorpions random bugs is often a bad idea because they may contain parasites that could make her sick (why i bought some roaches). I really hope shes not sick and just readying for a molt. Also she was kept communally. Do you think she could be gravid? Or do they have to mature more before thats possible?

As for the aculeus, its just the very very end of it. it pinches all the way but without the sharpest end point, if you can picture that. If not, ill try and get a pic tomorrow. Ive stressed her out enough for the day.

[quote=Papoose]Something that Ive read since doing that is that feeding scorpions random bugs is often a bad idea because they may contain parasites that could make her sick (why i bought some roaches)[/quote]

That is correct. You should not feed them anything capturer in the wild.

[quote=Papoose]Do you think she could be gravid? Or do they have to mature more before thats possible?[/quote]

They have to be mature. If she's "plump" she's probably getting ready for a molt.

I changed the substrate to pure, damp coco fiber today and tonight is the most active I've seen her since I got her. She appears to really like the change. I also went and picked up some superworms to see if she'd eat, but she shows no interest.

I should add that after some thought and looking at more pics of other emps Im not sure if she's actually a she. Tomorrow I'll post a pic of the pectines for some insight on the matter and also a pic of the broken aculeus.

I have one pic that I took a few weeks back when the substrate was still sand, but it really doesnt show much (to me it really looks female in it though).

Here are pictures of the aculeus.

The aculeus probably will not grow back. Partial regeneration of limbs can happen in very young individuals, but not in scorps nearing adulthood. (And your scorp appears to be close to and adult.)

Well I guess I dont have to worry about being stung. You really think shes close to adult? Shes still seems really little for an emp.

What's it's length from the tip of it's carapace to the tip of it's telson. It's telson is orange, so it's a sub-adult.

Id say 3.5-4.5 inches including the tip of the tail. I was under the belief that adult emps had a mesosoma length of 4-5 inches. You think she will reach that?

Size can vary greatly between emps. Some are "monsters" and will reach sizes of over six inches, while others stay in the "normal" range of 4-5 inches.

Is that Including the tail?

Yes.
Scorpions are measured from the tip of their carapace (head) to the tip of their telsons. (stinger)
So, don't include pedipalps in the measurements.