Signs of an unhappy and unhealthy scorpion

what are some behaviors or signs that your scorpion is stressed, unhappy, or unhealthy.

I think I already know some of the answers (and mine is perfectly happy for those concerned) Just want to see what you guys have noticed

Tail dragging and general lethargic behavior, if it's too dry it'll stay near the water dish, if too wet it may attempt to climb walls or stand on any objects in the tank, etc. It depends on what the issue is.

Also for desert scorps, signs of mycosis. If you have any desert scorps and you are unfamiliar with it you can search for it on this site.

Noo my scorpions is unhappy my scorps is trying to climb >,<

It is normal to see them "climb he walls" at night. Nothing to worry about.

Sometimes they climb or arch up to get more heat. But it's not because you aren't' providing enough they just like to stretch out and bask at times.

I've found that a scorpion trying to roam day and night is clearly not being provided with something it needs. A happy scorpion is usually an invisible one for many hours of the night and pretty much all of the day.

what if its daytime yet you're keeping your scorpions in a dark place yet it is 'climbing the walls' is that normal?

I have been having some minor concerns about my desert hairy scorp aswell.
When I first got her/him (still trying to determine sex, wil post a pic up when I load them into pc) she (to save argument for now since its called Matilda lol) was very active on a night digging all her hides out and under any rock she could find in there and though the day she would just hide. At the minute she seems very lethargic, shes not digging out her hides and doesnt seem to be eating ( I do know they can fast for long periods), she is just slowly wandering around her tank.
I changed her tank out just before xmas, put new hides in and sand etc.. and she hasnt dug any out. I live in a caravan and have put up winter curtains which has made it quite dark through the day and about a week before xmas we had a power cut right in the middle of a cold spell and to give you an idea of the temp drop, there was a 2 inch icicle on the end of the kitchen tap and it sent my bearded dragon into that brominide(?) state (I was out that night so didnt know).
All the animals made full recovery with alot of tlc, but matilda has been this way ever since.
Could it just be the fact that its winter here and the temp has dropped along with having heavy curtains and a darker room or is it something else??

I have most of my inverts in a heated closet with a light set to 12 hours on and 12 hours off. If your lighting situation is too far off you might consider a light on a timer for supplemental light. They are cheap and easy to use.

Ian, I'm not sure how a desert hairy would take below freezing temps. I would try to keep her warm and give her a day/night light cycle and see how she does.

It was the power cut that caused the temp drop, which was out of my control with not been there otherwise I would of put the fire on to heat the room up.
I will look into setting up a light source for her/him(?), especially for next winter.
Since we are having such a mild winter I am considering putting the summer curtains back up which will bring a lot more light into the room.
All my tanks are on controlled heat mats and theres only the scorp tanks that dont have controlled lighting. This is why part of my concern started, why wasnt Matilda (scorp) digging to get to the heat source if she was cold??
I have been watching her very closely tday with been at home all day and she is quite active, but in a stop/start kind of fashion and not digging.
I'm going to leave her food in for a couple more days and if she doesnt eat it then I'll remove it for a week before trying her again incase its just anoying her.
Thinking about it.. you could be right, she could be confused with it been so dark for her, maybe thats why shes active then not at the wrong times. mmmmmm

Is it pos to set up the likes of a basking light through the side of a tank? there isnt enough room to fit it in the tank or to point it down from the top.

Your scorps will not dig for heat they are hardwired to dig to get cooler. Which is why most people don't recommend putting your tank on top of a heat pad but rather on the back or side of your tank.

I would think a red heat lamp shining through the side of the tank would help. Have it on one side of the tank so there will be a warm and cool side.

All my animals are out on display, so control of the tank temp hasn't been too much of a prob (unless I have a power cut an not here lol), I put the heat mat under the tank (but not touching it) to make sure the substrate didn't get cold due to being in a caravan and air vents are under the side units the tanks are on, I also buried the thermostat control into the substrate to make sure it doesnt get too hot/cold. I've kinda had to bend a few general rules due to being in a van and not a house to make sure all my animals are the most comfortable they can pos be.
Its been a bright sunny day today (all be it cool) and I've had all the curtains open from an early time to let as much light in as pos and she has been out basking in the light, so I def think its to do with that. I also gently touch her chlea with my tongs and she reared up to attk and there is no other visible signs of sickness or anything, so I actually think she's ok and its just as you said a light issue. I'll get on to that straight away.
Thankyou all for your time and input, much appreciated

Glad to hear that!

Remove the heat mat from under your Haddy tank. A scorpion tank should never be heated from below, plus, your Haddy doesn't need warm substrate during the winter.

I think what you're seeing is more related to temperature than to light. The temps in the Sonoran Desert this time of year are in the 50F range during the day and the 30F range at night. Under these conditions, most H. arizonensis barricade themselves in their burrow and don't eat or venture out for several months. Once the temperature rises in the spring, they return to their normal activities. My Haddy exhibits this behavior each winter when I turn off the IR lamp heating her enclosure. Right now, she's been hidden away for a month and I don't expect to see her until around March.

The cool temps your Haddy experienced may have put her into hibernation mode, then you raised the temps from below and got her all confused. I think if you remove the heat mat and let your tank cool down to room temp, your Haddy will probably hibernate for the winter. She will certainly be less stressed.

I wonder how cold it is down in there burrow where they hibernate? Also, do you feel it is necessary to let them hibernate in captivity or can one keep them at a constant temp all year?

I've wired in a heat lamp, heres a pic of wot i've done (if I can get it right lol)



Matilda is in the tank on the right, I just have crickets in the laft tank until I get another pandinus imperator for it.

I've reduced the heat thermostat to min, but am a little skeptical to turn off completely because of what the tank is sat on and how cold it can get, in the desert the ground retains a certain amount of heat and arisonensis have been found 6ft underground (which has to hold a certain amount of warmth for them).

I do agree with what you are saying and I know certain things in animals are hard wired into their biology, but she is captive bred as far as I know, do you think this would make some difference on how she is used to living?

Are we ok having this conversation herre or do we need to move it to another part of the forum, I need the input you are giving me and its good to bounce ideas off people to get a good understanding, and I am fairly new to looking after scorps.

also if this pic comes out huge like the last 1 I posted on sexing scorps, could you tell me what I am doing wrong lol

I'll remove her food for now aswell and feed the crickets to the beardy, again this is something I'm a little skeptical on because I know the shop I got Matilda from fed her twice a week and I'm not sure they took the hibernation into account, again do you think this would make a difference to things?

at least I got the pic right lol

robert44 wrote:

I wonder how cold it is down in there burrow where they hibernate? Also, do you feel it is necessary to let them hibernate in captivity or can one keep them at a constant temp all year?

I would expect that it's cooler than the day time high and warmer than the night time low, but I don't have any hard data. I'm pretty sure it's not going to be warm.

I'm not sure if a hibernation (or "cool down") period is necessary for H. arizonensis, but the consensus seems to be that it's beneficial for their optimal health. It's what they do in the wild, so why not let them do it in captivity? I'm sure there are people on here who keep their Haddy's warm all year since hibernation is seldom mentioned in most care guides, maybe one or two will describe their experience?

Edit: This discussion should probably be in a separate thread.

ian.baxter wrote:

I've reduced the heat thermostat to min, but am a little skeptical to turn off completely because of what the tank is sat on and how cold it can get, in the desert the ground retains a certain amount of heat and arisonensis have been found 6ft underground (which has to hold a certain amount of warmth for them).

If it's warm enough for you, it's warm enough for your Haddy. The depth of the burrow has more to do with following the moisture line as the desert dries out than it has to do with temperature.

ian.baxter wrote:

I do agree with what you are saying and I know certain things in animals are hard wired into their biology, but she is captive bred as far as I know, do you think this would make some difference on how she is used to living?

I doubt that she's captive bred, if so, she's quite rare. The vast majority of Desert Hairys available in the trade are wild caught. This is because they are extremely hard to raise from birth in captivity and they are so plentiful in the wild. The instinct to go dormant during cold weather is hard wired and will be present in both captive bred and wild caught specimens.

ian.baxter wrote:

Are we ok having this conversation herre or do we need to move it to another part of the forum, I need the input you are giving me and its good to bounce ideas off people to get a good understanding, and I am fairly new to looking after scorps.

Here is as good a place as any. After reviewing the title, we are getting a bit off topic. Maybe starting another thread would be appropriate.

ian.baxter wrote:

I'll remove her food for now aswell and feed the crickets to the beardy, again this is something I'm a little skeptical on because I know the shop I got Matilda from fed her twice a week and I'm not sure they took the hibernation into account, again do you think this would make a difference to things?

She won't eat while she's in hibernation. If she's still active, offer her 1 or 2 crickets a week. You can't over feed her but you can make her fat.

Thanks shebeen!

Thanks Shebeen

Soz for late reply, I'll look through general topics and move it over there to continue it further if needed

I've started a new topic called "An open topic/conversation on captivity care for scorpions"

Kinda leaves it open to change through the discussion