G pulchra sling sudden death, no curl?

[CasualCoffee]

Back in March I purchased a G. pulchra sling, roughly 1/2" DLS, and it had been doing great! Or so I thought. Last night I went to do my "before bed T check" and noticed it at the bottom of it's burrow, not moving at all and at an awkward angle. Sort of like it was sitting on it's spinnerettes, legs in a normal position if it had been standing, but...well, it wasn't. It was upright...and not propped against anything really. So, naturally this got me concerned. I gently prodded a leg hoping for a reaction and - nope. Not even a twitch.

It WAS definitely in pre-molt this week, but it wasn't on it's back in a molt position, nor did it have it's legs curled in a death curl. I left it be, but this morning it's not moved at all. It's legs are still not even curled. Is it possible it died without curling? It has been eating like a champ since I got it, last fed a week ago, refused a pre-killed cricket this week (as I said, pre-molt behaviours and also shiny black butt patch), and "acting" normally. I had checked on it before work at 2pm and then when I came home at 9pm, so it had to have died between 9pm and 2am because it wasn't at the bottom of it's burrow when I got home from work but that's where I found it before bed.

This is the third sling I've had of a similar size (the other two are my B boehmei who is now ~ 3" DLS and my other G pulchra who is about 2.5" DLS) and I am comfortable in my husbandry skills for these as slings, so I am just heartbroken and confused as to why this seemingly healthy little one would just up and die - and not even death curl. Anyone else ever have this happen *without the curl*? His sac mate belongs to a friend and is fine right now.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Unfortunately, there's always behind the corner 'mere' bad luck as well to consider, even if we prefer to not think about this.

Slings are also more delicate than their juve/adult counterpart/s (Captain Obvious, uh) so they need always a special 'eye' of attention, but, sometimes enter the old good rule: poop happens, and then you die.

Don't beat yourself too much, and, if you can, post a couple of pics of said sling enclosure, just for add a detail in this discussion.

 

[CasualCoffee]

It was still in a vial because it was so small, so the normal sling vial set up - air holes poked in the lid, filled most of the way with Eco Earth, it dug a small burrow straight down the side of the vial from the little starter I gave it, had a small leaf for a "hide" that it never used. I would drip a few water droplets on the side of the vial and on the leaf (to make sure it didn't just soak into the soil) but the enclosure wasn't kept moist, and too small for a water dish. I am looking on my phone now for pictures but the ones I've got are pretty crap and from March.

Picture taken at night w flash, munching on a cricket a few days after I got it. It may actually be less than 1/2", I'm bad at tiny measures. That's a 2" vial.

Top down view from around the same time, before it started burrowing. Even then it still spent most of it's time out in the open and aside from the day I got it, never used the leaf to hide under. My larger pulchra does the same, ignores it's hide and the little burrow it made 99% of the time and just hangs out in the open.

 

[PidderPeets]

Spiders don't always curl when they die. The death curl is more likely to occur if the spider is dehydrated.

Are you 100% sure the sling was dead and not attempting an upright molt? Sure, they usually molt on their backs, but there's occasions where they'll molt at just about any angle possible.

If it truly is dead, it could have just had difficulty trying to molt, and died in the process. It's unfortunate, but it just happens sometimes.

Did you let the substrate dry out a little since when you took those photos? I actually think it looks too moist in there, especially with such little ventilation. That could potentially be another cause.

 

[CasualCoffee]

Spiders don't always curl when they die. The death curl is more likely to occur if the spider is dehydrated.

Are you 100% sure the sling was dead and not attempting an upright molt? Sure, they usually molt on their backs, but there's occasions where they'll molt at just about any angle possible.

If it truly is dead, it could have just had difficulty trying to molt, and died in the process. It's unfortunate, but it just happens sometimes.

Did you let the substrate dry out a little since when you took those photos? I actually think it looks too moist in there, especially with such little ventilation. That could potentially be another cause.

Those pictures were from the first week or so that I had it back in March, after that I didn't wet the substrate, just did the normal droplets on the side of the vial and one on the leaf to make sure it did have a little spot to get water from guaranteed. From when I found it at around 2am to when I got up this morning it was still in the exact same position, unchanged at all after roughly 10 hours, and at that point I did check it again - it is most definitely dead.

I regret that I don't have a more recent photo of the vial to show what it looked like as compared to when it first was set up.

 

[viper69]

They don't all make it.

 

[Andrea82]

Sounds like it was setting up for molting but something went wrong. Molting is not without risks, and it doesn't take much to go wrong. From your posts, I don't see anything you could have done differently that you caused this.
Severely unlucky I'm afraid, so sorry

 

[CasualCoffee]

They don't all make it.

Sounds like it was setting up for molting but something went wrong. Molting is not without risks, and it doesn't take much to go wrong. From your posts, I don't see anything you could have done differently that you caused this.
Severely unlucky I'm afraid, so sorry

Thank you both. I have lost a few small slings in the past of different, more "fiddly" species but they were ones that never really ate well when they arrived and were kind of weak from the get go, however I know this species is not a particularly delicate one even as slings and since it was such a healthy little critter... it's hard to accept I guess. I was pretty attached to this little one already. Thank you again for looking over my posts.

 

[Ivike22]

same thing happened to me
sudden pulchra death
wasn’t eating for 8months
asked everyone,tried everything
but wasn’t expecting the death!
I flipped it up,she died sitting by water dish.
sub was moist,always full water dish
i don’t get it
it was my first spider