Treating Sick and Injured Emperor Scorpions

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Reptile and amphibian keepers know how hard it is to find veterinary care for their pets, but those who keep scorpions  face even greater difficulties.  I found one or two vets willing to experiment while working at the Bronx Zoo, but in private practice your options are just about non-existent.  What little we do know has resulted from trial and error, and is constantly evolving.

Pre-dating the dinosaurs, scorpions are a hardy lot, and rarely present us with health problems (at least any that we can identify). Spiders are a bit more prone to illness and injury, and some fine work has been done by private keepers (virtually none by vets, however).  Much of what follows is drawn from conversations with spider keepers, and from my own and others experiments in scorpion health care.  In this regard, Sam Marshall’s chapter on spider first aid in his fine book Tarantulas and Other Arachnids is a must read for scorpion fans.

Warning: Seek the advice of an exotic animal veterinarian before attempting treatment…you may get lucky and find an invertebrate expert!

Under no circumstances should you restrain a scorpion by hand in order to treat it.  Even species known to be “harmless” can inflict fatal stings on allergic individuals. Always use long-handled tongs to restrain the animal and seek the assistance of a competent helper.  Please write in for information on chilling scorpions or the use of carbon dioxide or ether as an anesthetic.

Cuts, Punctures and Cracks

Trauma-induced damage to the exoskeleton is not common, but may occur after fights between individuals of greatly differing sizes or when a scorpion is dropped (note: scorpions should be transferred after being prodded with forceps into a plastic box; carrying via tongs is risky, and they should never be free-handled).

Injured tarantulas often lose a good deal of blood, or hemolymph as it is more properly termed. Scorpions seem less likely to bleed profusely, but any loss through a wound can be serious.  Oozing cuts can be sealed with a bit of clean plastic held in place by petroleum jelly.  Petroleum jelly alone may suffice if the animal removes the plastic “band aid”.  Superglue, which has been used successfully on tarantulas, is also worth considering. 

Scorpions that have lost hemolymph should be offered water to drink.  Scorpions move in part by adjusting their hemolymph pressure; water should help to restore normal fluid levels.

Leg Loss

Scorpions do not, as far as we know, readily shed legs when under attack as do spiders.  Lost limbs may grow back, albeit in a smaller or deformed state.  Loss of body fluids is the main concern (please see above).

Shedding Problems

Dry conditions can cause a scorpion to become trapped in its old exoskeleton, or to retain pieces of it.  This is especially common in rainforest-adapted species such as Emperor Scorpions, but can occur in desert dwellers as well.  Desert scorpions should be provided with a large shedding box or cave provisioned with damp moss.  Terrariums housing Emperors and similar scorpions should be kept extra moist when the animals shed. 

If your scorpion has difficulty shedding, first try covering the tank top with plastic, and misting heavily; the animal may then continue on its own.  If this fails, you can sometimes remove bits of old exoskeleton with a forceps, after misting the scorpion.  Reptile shedding aids are also worth investigating.

Fungus

We know nothing of the fungal infections that can inflict scorpions. Fungus is rarely a problem with Emperor Scorpions, but may appear in arid-adapted species that are kept in moist conditions. Fungal infections appear as flat or fuzzy grey to white patches on the exoskeleton. 

Drying out the habitat, or moving the animal to a drier environment, is the best option.  Human anti-fungal powders have been used with some success on tarantulas, and may be worth trying if the fungus persists.

Mites

Tiny white mites usually appear in moist scorpion terrariums at some point. These are almost always harmless, and feed upon decaying organic matter in the tank.  Huge populations can potentially pose problems for shedding scorpions, but this is rare.  Please see the article linked below for information on controlling mites. 

Please check out my posts on Twitter and Facebook.  Each day, I highlight breaking research, conservation news and interesting stories concerning just about every type of animal imaginable.  I look forward to hearing about your interests and experiences as well, and will use them in articles when possible.

Please also post your questions and comments here…I’ll be sure to respond quickly. 

Thanks, until next time,
Frank Indiviglio

Further Reading

Time-Lapsed Video, Scorpion Shedding

Mites in Scorpion Terrariums

Tarantulas and Other Arachnids

Asian Forest Scorpion image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Chris Huh
Emporer Scorpion image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Danny Steaven

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