P. lugardi Slings Update!

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This is an update to my Pterinochilus lugardi (Tanzanian Blonde Baboon) slings that hatched August 19th, 09. After separating and molting to 2i, I ended up with 39 active healthy little babies. There about 3/8″ now and some are eating. There climbing and webbing up there deli-cups.

When they hatched, there were between 80-90 babies. When I went to separate them into deli cups (1st instar), I noticed bout 25 or so had died in the original enclosure they hatched out in. A few days after separating, I lost another 21. I don’t know the reason. They just swelled and died. Everything was right from what I have read and viewed on breeding and rearing slings.

The whole process was awkward from the beginning. Most breeders pull there sacs at around 25 days. I think because I had kept the mothers environment somewhat moist because of the eggs, along with high temps caused the eggs to hatch early, approx. 20 days.

I never pulled the sac, instead pull mom. Made sure the substrate was moist for high humidity. When I separated is when I noticed most of the dead had got stuck under the substrate and webbing. One interesting thing I noticed is that when they are 1st instar, they can’t climb very well if at all and they don’t start eating or webbing until 2i.

I raised many slings before, but this is a 1st from egg. I always planned on breeding tarantulas in a few years, but this female P. lugardi was shipped gravid, possibly unknown to the seller. It’s been a great learning experience.

If I have any left after existing requested orders, I will post them on my website here. If you have any questions regarding my experience with raising slings from eggs, comment and I’ll help where I can.

All comments need approval before being posted, so spam, hate, offensive, etc… will be deleted. Thanks for reading, Greg Hagedorn.

A Couple New Additions!

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Tityus stigmurus 2i

Received two Tityus stigmurus 2i (molted twice) scorpions today from Thiscordia on Arachnoboards.com, very positive. They arrived in great condition, alive healthy and very active. They were shipped in a small vial together with moist packing material. This species is “Parthenogenetic“, meaning they can reproduce without a male, so cool. This species is from the Buthidae family, so they are “hot”, in other words very venomous and should never be handled. Extreme caution should be used at all times while feeding and maintaining there enclosure.

Tityus stigmurus 2i

Tityus stigmurus 2i eating roach

Valid comments on/about/experience are all welcome. Spam, hate, offensive, etc… will be ignored/deleted. Thanks for reading, Greg Hagedorn.

Centruroides sculpturatus Update 2

This an update to my Centruroides sculpturatus (Arizona Bark Scorpion) babies. They are now 3i far as I can tell. Still a few 2i as well. There getting bigger and eating well. Started with 14, down to 12 now. As you can see in the video, their pretty active.

I have had people ask how I care for this species. It’s not difficult. C. sculpturatus a small species of scorpion, no bigger than 3″. Now even though there native to Arizona, where its hot and dry, your probably thinking, water not needed. Wrong, all desert species require water to survive. For scorpions, even desert dwellers, if you don’t provide some kind of moisture, they will desiccate and dry up

I keep a full 2oz deli cup of water in the enclosure to provide some humidity. They need some humidity to molt. To provide moisture, besides the food they eat, I mist the bark 2-3 times a week. I have them on play sand and pieces of bark off a Joshua Tree work well for a hide.

Important note about Centruroides sculpturatus. They don’t only hide under bark, rocks, etc…they cling to the underside as well, an accident waiting to happen. So when cleaning, feeding, or examining these scorpions in their enclosure, be sure to use tongs, etc… to pickup or move there bark hides. Otherwise you may be in for a painfull, rude awakening.

The Centruroides sculpturatus (Arizona Bark Scorpion) is said to be the most venomous scorpion in North America. Its venom can cause severe pain (accompanied with numbness and tingling) in adults, lasting between 24 to 72 hours. I heard some describe stomach cramps durring this time frame. You may also experience loss of breath for a short period of time. Due to the extreme pain from these little beauties, some victims describe a sensation of electrical jolts after being stung. Fatalities from this scorpions sting in the USA are rare. Mainly limited to small animals (including pets), small children, and adults with a weak immune systems.

DISCLAIMER:
C. sculpturatus are not recommended for beginners due to the nature of this species. I am not an expert on scorpions. The info herein is from my own personal experience with this species, a little common sense and extensive research done via the Internet. Always do your research before going out and catching or buying this species. It could be a painful experience otherwise.

All valid comments and questions welcome. Thanks for reading, Greg Hagedorn.

Centruroides sculpturatus 2i feeding video!

Update video showing one baby, now 2i, eating a 1/8″ B. lateralis roach nymph. Just happened to catch the axtion afterit had caught and stung the roach. Amazing how strong those little roaches are. You’ll see how the roach drags the scorpion across the sand hanging on for dear life. The noise in the background is the swamp cooler.

Thursday, July 16, 2009