Dead or molting?

[Maddelyn K]

Hello!

I recieved a Rose Hair from an acquaintance almost a year ago. The exact age is unknown, but I was told "maybe around 5 years."
Recently, she hasnt been eating much.

In short, I left for work this evening and came back to fill up her water dish and she was still. Legs are curled under. I'm inclined to believe she's passed on, but it's an agonizing situation.

I would hate to bury her (definitely not a MM) without being completely sure.

 

[lostbrane]

Pictures please. They will help a great deal. Sounds like a death curl though, however it may not be too late. You might try flipping it gently over and putting a drop of water on it’s mouth in case it’s just severely dehydrated.

Depending on the size of your probably G. porteri, that guess of 5 years might be inaccurate to horribly inaccurate.

How have you determined it is not a MM?

 

[Maddelyn K]

It was a death curl. I just don't understand what happened. She was fine earlier

 

[Arachnophoric]

It was a death curl. I just don't understand what happened. She was fine earlier

About what size was she? And did your acquaintance disclose where they got her from? It's very hard to tell how old a tarantula is just by looking at it, aside from what phase it's at in its life (sling, juvie, adult, etc.) and if they got it from a pet store it could easily have been much older than 5 years. It sounds like the T was starting to slow down and could have just passed from old age.

However, I would suggest throwing a picture of the Ts enclosure up so we can rule out any husbandry mistakes that could have lead to an untimely death, as well as a picture of the tarantula itself if you haven't disposed of it yet. "Rose hairs" (usually a Grammostola porteri, rosea, or sp. North) are incredibly hardy tarantulas that can last a very long time in inappropriate setups, but it catches up with them eventually and unfortunately a lot of popular sources for finding care on tarantulas (pet stores, Google searches for care sheets, etc.) tend to be sorely inaccurate.

 

[Vanisher]

Hello!

I recieved a Rose Hair from an acquaintance almost a year ago. The exact age is unknown, but I was told "maybe around 5 years."
Recently, she hasnt been eating much.

In short, I left for work this evening and came back to fill up her water dish and she was still. Legs are curled under. I'm inclined to believe she's passed on, but it's an agonizing situation.

I would hate to bury her (definitely not a MM) without being completely sure.

5 years old you say? A 5 year old G rosea is still maybe just adult if a female, a male is adult at this age. When i bred those, the offspring was about adult at this age. Males matured after around 4-5 years and females around 6 years depending on how much they ate, some individuals matured earlier, some more lately. It sounds like a male you have. But sometimes sellers says a tarantula is younger than it actually is.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

Really need a picture to know, as others suggested try turning the T over and putting a few drops of water on the mouth, it may be dehydration. However it is possible it’s old age.

 

[Anoplogaster]

I’ve seen a G. porteri that the owner was CERTAIN was a female, until he matured. Unless you were told by someone who really knows tarantulas, we have to assume that being a male was still a possibility.

I would like to see a picture of the spider and enclosure as well. Sometimes, the answer is pretty obvious.

 

[Theneil]

Did you use any sort of heat source sucj as a heat mat, lamp, rock, etc.? Using such items is probably the fastest/easiest way to dehydrate a tarantula, especially if used without a thermostat. Another possible cause would be falling. Hiw high is it from the lidto the top of the substrate?

Pictures of the entire setup will help help people make more educated guesses.