URGENT!!!

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Bugboy3092

Strategus
Ok, so I dug my D. Tityus male out of the substrate this about an hour ago, and he seemed limp and unresponsive. I think it might have gotten a little cold last night, so I put him under a heat lamp, a few moments later, he starts motoring his back legs uncontrollably, flipping over and seemingly trying to walk backwards. I take him out from under it, and put him in a bin without substrate. A few minutes later, hes still motoring his back legs and flipping over, so I put him under the heat lamp again. After about 30 seconds of this, his back legs are motoring like crazy, and his middle legs and front legs are starting to move, so I take him out, then all legs are moving, but only the back pair seem even slightly controlled, the front and middle pair dont seem to grip or move in any sort of pattern. So I put him under again, and once again he starts motoring, so I take him out, and he seems a bit better, but not much, theres no pattern in his movement, and so I put the female in there with him, hoping hell mate, he simply runs right over the female without taking notice. Now, a while later, hes still in the bin with the female, hes not moving anything but his antennae, he has his front legs spread out, so Im wondering if hes back to normal? I just picked him up, and he seems to be gripping my hand like normal, but hes not moving much. Also, this whole time hes had the musky scent that you often smell on wild caught individuals (mating pheromone?) please help, maybe he'llbe fine, but I dont want this to happen again. Thanks!

 
This is a textbook example of Moribund Insect Behavior. Dying insects first become increasingly slow-moving, lethargic, and appetite-lacking. They eventually start behaving less and less coherently until they are unable to walk; after a while (this part can sometimes take days) even the limb-thrashing ceases and the insect gives up its ghost.

In my experience, moribund insects tend to be irreversibly doomed unless they are willing to eat. Trying to force an appetite-less bug to take food does not work; it must want to eat

 
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I don’t think so, he’s not very old either, he seemed to be back to normal last time I checked (a few hours ago) so I don’t know what’s going on? It did seem to eat earlier.

 
Just making sure you don't have any pesticides or residue on anything in the area that you are keeping the beetles. In my experiments in my lab, when we check the LD levels for insecticides, moribund insects tend to have all kinds of movements that can come and go day by day. If the head and/or thorax is limp, then that's usually a sign that stuff isn't going well with the nervous system at that end of the insect. Keep us up to date with how he's doing, I'm interested to see what happens.

 
Last night he seemed back to normal, and Im certain there arent any pesticides (its mecynorrhina substrate) I havent checked on him this morning yet. I have his container on a heat pad.

 
Glad to hear he seems to be back on his game. I had this happen to my male D tityus as well less than a month after he exited overwintering. He was completely unresponsive, even if flipped on his back and poked between his legs; his only movement was twitches of the antennae. I pretty much placed him directly on top of a jelly cup and bumped up the humidity in his tank, and luckily he bounced back after a day or two. That was about 4 months ago, and he's still going strong, so my fingers are crossed for you!

 
Well, sad news, it would appear that the male and female are dead. I’m going to check on them later tonight, but it looks bad, really bad. The female is limp, and the male was stiff at first but after a few seconds under the heat lamp loosened up.

 
Sooo, im starting wonder what’s going on. I chacked on them this morning, and they’re perfectly fine! I’m starting to wonder if they’re often just tired when I check on them? Idk, hopefully they breed.

 
This is not ordinary exhaustion. They displayed behaviors only severely moribund bugs normally would.

Are environmental conditions swinging between extremes in the cage?

 
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