okay. something is seriously wrong. i need help fast.

[klawfran3]

my OBT started acting strangely yesterday, by staying on the sides of the container it is in. i thought it was because of it's recent rehousing, but i think I'm wrong. very, very wrong. i looked over about 15 minutes ago to see it on it's back! now you may be thinking "it's molting," but let me tell you, it molted a week and a half ago. I know for a fact. there is no physically possible way it could be molting again. i tapped on the container, to which it proceded to run very lopsidedly (like it was drunk) around the container until it tripped and fell on it's back again. it then laid there pulsing its legs while they slowly curled up onto it. naturally, i was awestruck, because i love this little tarantula (it's about an inch long, give or take), and i don't want to lose it. what's going on with it, what do I do, and how can I help? could it be DKS?

right now it's sitting on it's web, albeit right side up, but it's legs are pulled in close.

UPDATE------

It seems to have a long trail of silk coming out of it. could this be a part of it? like, the trail is a good six inches long.

 

[Biollantefan54]

Sorry, I have no idea Just make sure there is water in there, I am not sure though. Hope it gets better.

 

[klawfran3]

i just noticed that WHEREVER it goes it leaves a trail of silk, which it seems to be constantly getting caught on. it has done this twice in the past two minutes.

 

[pperrotta03]

Sounds like DKS but im not sure...hopefully an expert can get in on this one. I know that with birds, when they molt, sometimes think that they need to molt again way too soon after, and they act very weird when they do this, but normally its not a big problem. Not saying that birds and Ts are the same, just an idea.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

my OBT started acting strangely yesterday, by staying on the sides of the container it is in. i thought it was because of it's recent rehousing, but i think I'm wrong. very, very wrong. i looked over about 15 minutes ago to see it on it's back! now you may be thinking "it's molting," but let me tell you, it molted a week and a half ago. I know for a fact. there is no physically possible way it could be molting again. i tapped on the container, to which it proceded to run very lopsidedly (like it was drunk) around the container until it tripped and fell on it's back again. it then laid there pulsing its legs while they slowly curled up onto it. naturally, i was awestruck, because i love this little tarantula (it's about an inch long, give or take), and i don't want to lose it. what's going on with it, what do I do, and how can I help? could it be DKS?

right now it's sitting on it's web, albeit right side up, but it's legs are pulled in close.

UPDATE------

It seems to have a long trail of silk coming out of it. could this be a part of it? like, the trail is a good six inches long.

Show us a Video, Dks is the symptom we don't actually know what the disease is.

 

[klawfran3]

i'll try to get a video. give me a while. it won't be easy

nevermind that was really easy. here it is
poor bruce....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty-QSfg3SYM
when i stopped filming he spazzed out, rolled over, and stayed like that for a bit.

 

[Poison Breed]

ICU that spider right away.

 

[klawfran3]

working on it!

---------- Post added 09-24-2013 at 09:10 PM ----------

I just realized that it could be dehydrated. it hasn't eaten for a while and, as it is an obt, it webs up it's water dish so much that it is impossible to fill again. i had been misting but i don't think that was doing anything. when it flipped over again, i used an eye dropper to put a bead of water between it's fangs. it instantly stopped moving and stretched its fangs. i think that might be it. oh I hope it is. it's going into an ICU as I speak.

---------- Post added 09-24-2013 at 09:21 PM ----------

it's in the ICU, on it's back, with a droplet of water in it's mouth. now what?

 

[Silberrücken]

While it is in ICU... completely clean out the container... new sub, new waterdish, clean container. Add some stuff in there for it to climb on, as well.

Good luck - I hope your OBT will recover.

 

[GForce14063]

Did you use any special cleaners on the cage. Use only common dish liquid when cleaning it is very mild and rinse with hot water several times. Dehydration could be it quarantine him if you have other species.

 

[Rhodin]

To me it really appeared to be displeased with how wet the ground was, almost like it was walking weird because it didn't like the feeling of it. It also looked like there was a bit of mold in one corner of the container?

 

[spiderengineer]

here is the problem with this situation. you moved him a few days after he molted and he is still Harding up and getting use to his new body. so he is not on his A game right now so I wouldn't call this DKS. to me its a freshly molted spider who was taken out of his safe place to harden up and now he is out in the open exposed and vulnerable that would freak any one out. so all this on the video is not necessarily surprising. he is trying to run away from things, but right now he has two left feet, because he is essentially relearning how to walk all over again. combine that fact they they are speed freaks he is going to trip and fall

 

[hearsemadam]

poor guy, he has too much height in that container and every fall isnt good for him. get him into a size appropriate container soon.

I do have to ask - why would you tap on its container? to me that seems like it would disturb them. just picking up the container gently will make a tarantula move a bit.

 

[P. Novak]

As most have said already, with any freshly molted spider you should not rehouse or disturb for awhile post molting. This is a very delicate time for them and can literally be stressed to death. So, as others have recommended, put this T calmy and carefully into an ICU unit (clean and plain container with only slightly moist paper towels and a water dish. As well as proper ventilation). Once it's placed in there put it somewhere where it can't be disturbed for a few days. As far as it being potentially showing DKS have you used any chemicals recently (think of cleaners, flea/tick preventivites for your other pets, etc.)?

 

[klawfran3]

here is the problem with this situation. you moved him a few days after he molted and he is still Harding up and getting use to his new body. so he is not on his A game right now so I wouldn't call this DKS. to me its a freshly molted spider who was taken out of his safe place to harden up and now he is out in the open exposed and vulnerable that would freak any one out. so all this on the video is not necessarily surprising. he is trying to run away from things, but right now he has two left feet, because he is essentially relearning how to walk all over again. combine that fact they they are speed freaks he is going to trip and fall

the sling is so small that he was already hardened up enough, I think. pitch black fangs and a darker colored body seems to be a good give away...
and this is not normal "I hate my new substrate" behavior. they don't stay on their backs when flipped over. they should immediately right themselves and find a new escape. plus, he isn't looking good at ALL. I woke up and he was on his back slightly curled. i lightly tappe dthe container to make sure, and it's legs waved a bit and then went still. I don't have high hopes.


one more thing. i get it I may have moved him too soon. stop ranting. I get it. gorrammit people.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

the sling is so small that he was already hardened up enough. pitch black fangs and a darker colored body seems to be a good give away...

Listen to the advice given without snark. If you're asking for help, it is poor manners to reject what people are saying to you. SE is spot on with what he said.

 

[klawfran3]

poor guy, he has too much height in that container and every fall isnt good for him. get him into a size appropriate container soon.

I do have to ask - why would you tap on its container? to me that seems like it would disturb them. just picking up the container gently will make a tarantula move a bit.

he wouldn't respond to picking up th container. the only way he would respond was to tapping. stimuli isn't doing really anything to him anymore.
and they height is 1 1/2 his leg span. it's appropriately sized.

---------- Post added 09-25-2013 at 06:05 AM ----------

poor guy, he has too much height in that container and every fall isnt good for him. get him into a size appropriate container soon.

I do have to ask - why would you tap on its container? to me that seems like it would disturb them. just picking up the container gently will make a tarantula move a bit.

he wouldn't respond to picking up th container. the only way he would respond was to tapping. stimuli isn't doing really anything to him anymore.
and they height is 1 1/2 his leg span. it's appropriately sized.

---------- Post added 09-25-2013 at 06:06 AM ----------

To me it really appeared to be displeased with how wet the ground was, almost like it was walking weird because it didn't like the feeling of it. It also looked like there was a bit of mold in one corner of the container?

that wasn't mold. it was a bit of cotton ball that must have come off a qtip.

---------- Post added 09-25-2013 at 06:10 AM ----------

Listen to the advice given without snark. If you're asking for help, it is poor manners to reject what people are saying to you. SE is spot on with what he said.

broski, I'm not being snarky. I assumed that when a tarantulas body colored up and it's fangs darkened it is hardened. as in I read this somewhere. sorry if it sounds rude that I was stating information that I thought I knew.

 

[advan]

here is the problem with this situation. you moved him a few days after he molted and he is still Harding up and getting use to his new body. so he is not on his A game right now so I wouldn't call this DKS. to me its a freshly molted spider who was taken out of his safe place to harden up and now he is out in the open exposed and vulnerable that would freak any one out. so all this on the video is not necessarily surprising. he is trying to run away from things, but right now he has two left feet, because he is essentially relearning how to walk all over again. combine that fact they they are speed freaks he is going to trip and fall

SE is spot on with what he said.

I'm going to disagree, this spider is not healthy. Spiders have full mobility after only a few hours after molting, even shorter for some depending on size and species.

OP: It could be anything from dehydration, an environmental factor, to a problem that happened during the molting process. Just keep it in the ICU, well hydrated and hope for the best.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

I'm going to disagree, this spider is not healthy. Spiders have full mobility after only a few hours after molting, even shorter for some depending on size and species.

OP: It could be anything from dehydration, an environmental factor, to a problem that happened during the molting process. Just keep it in the ICU, well hydrated and hope for the best.

True, and some don't. It is absolutely possible disturbing the spider too early post molt led to this conditon as well. I have had this happen to me before, so I unfortunately speak from experience. Is it absolutely the case here? Possibly not, but it isn't an unlikely thing.

 

[advan]

True, and some don't. It is absolutely possible disturbing the spider too early post molt led to this conditon as well. I have had this happen to me before, so I unfortunately speak from experience. Is it absolutely the case here? Possibly not, but it isn't an unlikely thing.

Sorry to hear that. May I ask what makes you believe it was your doing?