R.I.P. my dear vinegaroon :-(

[Will0W783]

I feel like a complete heel. I have owned a very plump and happy vinegaroon for two years now. He was quite the character, waving his little pincers around and darting out of his hide whenever I would come in the room. I rarely held him, but would sometimes handfeed him crickets that were too slow to spark his interest on the ground.

Yesterday I was holding him, looking him over, and he just jumped out of my hand....he fell onto the concrete floor of my snake room and sprayed vinegar everywhere. Three hours later he was dead. :no:

It was completely my fault, and I can't stop thinking about the poor little fellow. I buried him outside in the leaves.

[Snakefood]

wow, i'm sorry:(

[Will0W783]

It was horrible to see....if I hadn't insisted on holding him to show him to my friend who was there, he would still be alive today. I've held him before with no incidents- he usually just sits still- but yesterday he was on the go.

Arachnids just can't handle a fall it seems. I've never dropped one before- I have had 7 T's in my life and several scorpions, and I've heard the horror stories of them falling and exploding, or dying several days later from internal injuries, but I always hoped it'd never happen to me.

[alessia55]

I'm sorry Kim :( It's never easy to lose a pet, no matter what the circumstances *Hugs*

[NASAAN101]

Will0W783,
I'm sorry for your lost! :(
Nikki

[Will0W783]

Thanks guys.

[SnakeyJay]

Condolences... X

[BarelyBreathing]

Oh no! I'm very sorry to hear this.

[shaunyboy]

i'm sorry to hear about your vinegaroon

please don't beat yourself up kimberly,as you give great care to your collection,accidents happen pal

cheers shaun

[NASAAN101]

Kimberly,
what are vinegaroon! i've never heard of them!!!
Nikki

[Lankyrob]

So sorry for your loss, i also dont know what they are tho? Do you have a picture?

[Wolfus_305]

Aww, i'm so sorry to hear this, don't beat yourself up about it too much though, it was an accident and you didn't intend for anything bad to happen

[SpOoKy]

Sorry to hear this Kim :( Please don't beat yourself up too much, I am sure most people have a story of an accident that they feel horrible about. It sucks but it happens.

[jaleely]

*hugs* Accidents happen...doesn't make it any easier though : (

[Will0W783]

I don't think I ever actually took a picture of him- but they are also called "whip-tail scorpions." They are an arachnid, but not a true scorpion. They look like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zgcjHRLUJ8Q/TZodVp5GasI/AAAAAAAAAdc/ocPJa7QEpDI/s1600/vinegaroon1.jpg

They are pretty harmless- they can't actually pinch you and they have no stinger. Their only defense is to excrete concentrated acetic acid (vinegar) from their bums, hence the name "vinegaroon."

[Will0W783]

Thank you guys for all the kind words. I've never had an animal die as such a direct result of my actions....it really hurts and I still feel badly. I think the worst part was that it took several hours after the fall for him to go.
I'm sure he was happy for the most part though- he was a curious little creature and very fat and happy. Maybe someday I'll get another one, but not right away.

[NASAAN101]

hey Kim,
Again, I'm sorry for your lost!!! he's cute!!!
Nikki

[Will0W783]

Thanks, Nikki.

[MoreliAddict]

Sorry for you loss, Kim.

Do vinegaroons hop? Also, would you ever see one in New Jersey?

We once had very odd looking bugs in the basement of our old house in Jersey. They looked like a cross between a cricket and a spider, they would walk very awkwardly and could hop several feet in the air. We moved away years ago and still have no idea what they were.

[TalonNC]

Sorry for you loss, Kim.

Do vinegaroons hop? Also, would you ever see one in New Jersey?

We once had very odd looking bugs in the basement of our old house in Jersey. They looked like a cross between a cricket and a spider, they would walk very awkwardly and could hop several feet in the air. We moved away years ago and still have no idea what they were.

I know exactly what your talking about...we have those here in NC...i call them DEMON Crickets...they look menacing...

would seem them held up in only outdoor storage units...

Willow I'm sorry for your loss.....hard to think something with that kinda of shell would be harmed by a not much of a fall...

[Will0W783]

He fell about 4 feet straight onto a solid concrete basement floor, and it was his soft butt that went. :(

I don't know if vinegaroons could be in NJ and NY, but I think it's unlikely, as they need fairly high temperatures. They are native to the southern US.

Do you guys have any pictures of the "demon crickets"? They sound pretty cool.

[Will0W783]

Vinegaroons don't really jump...they have no rear leg strength for a spring, but they can dart and hop up a few inches.

[jaleely]

Willow...it may not make you feel any better, but in a way a good thing to come of it is it's a reminder to me to be careful with all my bugs. I usually sit on the floor with them, but have been known to walk around and that would be about a good 4 foot drop or so. I will take this to heart and take it as a reminder to not do that. I know how i would feel, and i'm sorry you had to go through it. I'll try to let your little guy remind me to take care of mine! Now that i think about it i haven't been very careful with them lately, so at the very least, thank you for sharing to remind us all about what could happen :(

[Will0W783]

That's why I put this thread up Jaleely. :)
If I can save others from losing their arachnids this way, then it wasn't a complete waste. It's easy to get comfortable with our animals, and take more and more risks. It's a tough lesson to learn, but one I'll never forget.

[SerpentLust]

I'm so sorry to hear that, I lost my Vinegaroon last winter and was devastated, he was by far the coolest creature in my home.

Don't beat yourself up

[TalonNC]

attached of picture of demon cricket.. :sad:

[Will0W783]

TaloNC, that is one awful-looking cricket thing....it really does look demonic. I hate crickets...I keep venomous snakes and arachnids and even have pet hissing roaches, but I cringe and gag whenever I have to catch a cricket that got loose. I freak out if they jump on me too...ick. They're just all squishy and crunchy and nasty....they squash each other and then they smell like pee and warm guts....*gag*

[MoreliAddict]

So this thread prompted me to do a bit of bug research lol

This may have been what was in my basement in NJ, not 100% sure but they do have resemblance. Camel Cricket:
http://bugguide.net/images/cache/9LHZPLZZVLIRRHPRKHIRKHMRPLJLYZPRKHMZCLHZCZ4RSHERSH XRULQRULZZNL7RFZ6RQH4RSH5ROZ7RWLFLJZYL.jpg

To make things worse, they're very clumsy, so they'll even accidentally bump into you when jumping and trying to get away.

[millertime89]

I'm so sorry for your loss Kim, whip-tails are one of the few arachnids I would ever consider owning, I remember seeing you post more pics of him, he was such a cool little bugger.

[NASAAN101]

That's a spider-Cricket! the only reason i know that is, I would rescue them!!

[Skits]

I'm sorry for the loss of your vinegaroon. Accidents happen so don't feel bad about it :(

attached of picture of demon cricket.. :sad:

This is my new reason to never move out of canada. :p I already hate normal looking crickets. Apparently they're called camelback crickets as well. *cringe*

[millertime89]

you wanna see something creepy with "camel" in the name? I give you the camel spider...
http://utahpests.usu.edu/uppdl/images/uploads/Solifugae%20%20Richard%20L%20Coviello%20UC%20Davis %20IPM.jpg

[Will0W783]

Camel spiders are terrifyingly awesome! I actually want one, but they only live for 2 years, and are not readily available in the pet trade. :(

[Skits]

They didn't look so bad on that picture...until I googled them. :O_o: Their fangs being in the front like that though is quite creepy.

[NASAAN101]

I'll stay with my Snakes, thank you!
Niki

[nokturnelle]

I'm so sorry! Vinegaroons are awesome creatures!