Feeding the newborn

I have an adult female with 15 babies. They are a few weeks old now, and it looks like they are starting to molt. How do I feed them? I gave the mother a medium dubia roach a few days ago, but I didnt watch her eat it. Does she give it to the babies somehow? Or do I need to give them some too? Or are they not even big enough to eat yet? How often do I need to feed them?

Congrats!


First instar scorps (1I) do not need to eat. As I understand they aren't even capable of eating yet as their mouth parts (chelicerae) are not fully developed. After their first molt (2I) if you don't separated them from the mother she'll hold the food for them. I'd still recommend using pre killed. I placed dead crickets in front of the mother's burrow. Don't worry if she doesn't take it. As she and her babies get hungry they'll go get it. If you do separate I've had success feeding the juvies using pre killed crickets. Mangle a cricket and leave it in the enclosure. They'll scavenge it when they find it.

BTW, what species is this? Some species are prone to cannibalizing their brood mates.

They are Emperors. I am getting a little worried, because it has been a few weeks since they popped out of her, and they are starting to look.... different. Their shapes are more defined, and they look a little more brown. I cant tell, though, if they are molting, and I dont want to mess with them too much. If they get knocked off of the mother, will they be able to get back on?

First off, they must be 2I right now. They should be able to move and climb, even if they choose not to. Don't worry about them falling off. That's only a problem at 1I, when they look like like grubs/maggots. The darkening/defining is normal, but doesn't mean they're getting ready to molt. When they are ready for their next molt you'll see the tergites (the plates on the back) stretch apart as the scorp outgrows its skin. See the pics below,

Timeline for molts will vary by conditions. More food + warmer temps = Faster Growth
I kept mine roughly at 80-87 F. I didn't keep track of feeding other than that I know I was removing uneaten crix after every feeding.

My brood popped May 31st
Molted to 2I June 8th
Molt to 3I started on July 27th - Finished with the last molt on Aug. 11th.
The difference in when each one molted would be due in part to their communal setup. Some got more food than others.

Below is a picture of a 2nd and a 3rd Instar. You can see which one is 2I and coming up on a molt, and which one is already at 3I.



Currently, they've been getting less food, and been kept colder. Looks like 4I may be a month or more off still. This is a recent pic.

Sounds like your brood already molted to second instar...which is cool you can start seperating them soon. They'll start climbing off her back in a few days. Feed them fruitflies (might be to small for emps), baby crickets, baby roaches, ect.

I tossed in some maimed lateralis roaches, but the mother was not happy and didnt recognize it as food, or simply didnt want it. I hope the babies, some of which are off her back now, can find them before they die and rot. However, in her thrashing, the mother was stepping on some of the babies. Is this a large threat to them? They look like 2I now, but they are the color of pasta; a light tan. They have definitely molted, but will they start to get normal colors at 2I? Or will that only happen at 3I?

They'll darken over time. Mine were a dark brown when they molted to 3I. Even now they don't appear as black as my mature Emps under normal lighting.

As for thrashing, IDK. I've seen Mom pick up 2I scorps without damaging them. Either way I would try not to disturb her unless you have to. If she's happy with she'll sit and chill.