More babies!!! Babycurus jacksoni

SeanCasey · More babies!!! Babycurus jacksoni

Well, I got this B. jacksoni from Francisco a few months back (before the Anaheim show) and it has steadily grown in size. I sexed it as female (easy with this species), and I kept thinking it was possibly gravid, but i althought thought maybe it isn't mature so it will moult (scorps stop molting when mature), or maybe just fat.

Well, last night I saw a very fat scorpion. Tonight I was checking it and see a large number of babies on her back. Unfortunately she is in her hide which I cant move without disturbing her so no pictures yet, but I think this is a pretty good size brood.

I have a few other scorps that I think could be gravid as well so I might have more babies comming soon. As soon as I can get pics of the B. jacksoni babies I'll post them.

ftorres

Hello Sean,
Congrats on the new babies.

can't wait to hear the baby count.

regards
francisco

SeanCasey

All I have to say is if I thought I enjoyed this hobby before there is something about seeing a bunch of babies that makes it even more enjoyable!

SeanCasey

Update:

Tried to get a picture, and got one crappy one. Anyhow, at a quick glance I would estimate a minimum of 20 babies, probably more. They are just PILED on her back.

Anyhow here is the out of focus image:

Celeste

Aren't the babies just *adorable*?! :-)

SeanCasey

Update: I managed a rough count of babies and counted 17. There might have been more, but since many of them are stacked on top of each other it is hard to tell. As of last night they were all 1st instar still. I bumped the humitidty up as they all looked about ready to go to 2nd instar in the next 24-48 hours.

DeniseCasey

Jules

Update! Have the babies molted and left mom's back yet?

I'm not much of a scorp person but considered getting this species because I'm interested in a nice communal set-up. Would this be a good species to do that with?

SeanCasey

Babies have been 2i since Tuesday. Still on the mothers back. Last night the mother was out roaming her enclosure with the babies on her back (some hanging on to her underside, guess they ran out of room up top). I expect that they will begin leaving her back soon.

Jacksoni's are communal as adults, but I would be cautious about keeping juvies together. Jacksoni's are supposed to be fairly easy to breed as well.

On a side note one of my Babycurus Gigas appears to be gravid as well and my Hadrurus Arizonensis Pallidus has just closed off her burrow (and is VERY gravid looking) so maybe she is gettig ready to pop as well. My female Hottentotta Trilineatus looks possibly gravid. I hope so since the male recently died (appears to be natural death).

Jules

WOW! You are going to be swimming in scorpions!

I'll definitely have to read up more on the jacksoni. Is there another species that is especially tollerant of living in a communal set up?

SeanCasey

Lychas Infuscatus seems to be fairly communal as adults, a few Centruroides sp. are communal (some arn't though), Emperor's are fairly communal and it seems the Hetermetrus Laoticus are communal (I keep my male and female together and 90% of the time they are sharing hides).

Jules

Thanks! I will have to check out those various species. I'm not a huge fan of emps just because they are more boring compared to that cute little local girl I have.

WBurke17

How bout Z.fuscus? they are very communal and have about the same requirements as jacksoni, and 2 boot I still have some for sell or trade if anybody is interested.
Alot of Hottentta are communal aswell

SeanCasey

Good point Warren. Many Hottentotta's are communal and are pretty cool scorps.

SeanCasey

Update:
Babies are off of moms back and seperated out. It seems like they left the mother during the day. My count was much lower than anticipated. I only had 12 and in a picture the night before there was at least 15. So probably a few of the weaker babies became lunch. I had placed a couple a medium crickets in the enclosure to keep the mom full. She ate one. While I was taking the babies out I found this little 2i baby halfway eaten through the head of a medium cricket (4 times the size of the little guy). He must have been hungry!

All 12 babies did feed off of pinheads after seperation so it looks like they are all healthy.