Tequila had babies!!!

So, on Monday, March 28th, I came home on my lunchbreak to find that Tequila had about 35 scorplings on her back!

I was floored. I've given advice to others in the past on how to care for scorpions and their scorplings, but found I was quickly forgetting all the advice I had given. I also came to realize that there is little information online as well.

So here it is.

Scorpion births are amazing, to say the least. Scorplings are live born through the females genital orpiculum. They then travel to the backside of mom and stay here for the first few weeks of their life. Interestingly, in some species, the scorplings will align themselves to specific directions (ie, all facing forward). Others, such as the Centruroides gracilis, just pig-pile on top of mom and call it good.

Now, if your scorpion has a bunch of scorplings on its back, consider this a compliment. Gravid scorpions will not give birth unless the environmental conditions are appropriate. Think back over what you have done the last couple days in regards to misting, feeding and heating your scorpion. You'll want to continue doing things the same way.

It is of the upmost importance not to disturb mom for a long as the scorplings are with her. Scorpions have been known to cannibalize their young if they are heavily stressed or if environmental changes are too abnormal. The most important thing to remember is that you have obviously been doing things perfectly the last few days, and that you need to continue just as you have.

A couple days after birthing, try offering mom a cricket. She might take it, she might not. This seems to vary depending on the species. Most C. gracilis have known to go the entire time without eating after birthing. Mom may also take the cricket and pass it on to her young, though it may take a few weeks for her to do that. She knows what to do, just make sure you offer her something every few days.

After a few weeks, you'll see your little ones venturing out from mom's back. They'll usually quickly return, but after some time, they'll start staying away a little longer until they stop returning all together. At this point it is important to start separating the scorplings from their larger mother. She can again turn cannibalistic if she is annoyed enough and start killing her babies. Little plastic deli-cups, Tupperware containters, small KritterKeepers, etc, make great homes for these little scorpions.

Hopefully this has been some help. I'll be adding and editing as Tequila's lil guys grow, so stay tuned!