Pink toes getting lathargic

[Geocycle]

So recently my pinktoe was out and she jumped, when she did I think she broke one of the nails on her hands as the paw was wet. She stumbled a little but eventually the wetness went away after she cleaned her leg and all seemed well for many days. I have been trying to feed her since but seems to have been avoiding eating until about a day or two ago. The food seems to be gone now but when I went to take her out to clean her tank today which she always seems to love she wasn't really moving much, and I was nudging her plant in tank which is webbed up when I did she crawled a little but far slower than usual and she fell onto the web about a centimeter. Not a long fall so I knew that wouldn't have hurt her. I kept nudging her legs and shed just let me move them she didn't realy try to stop me which is not like her she was never taken out of her tank by the previous owner so she's normally a tad on the flighty side. I took her out now and she s walked around a bit and seems okay but even still her in tank behavior has worried me. Could she be stressed, I watched her try to eat a few days ago and her tank is so webbed she had a hard time catching her food so maybe it's just that but idk, she looks healthy.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Sounds like she may have been damaged internally from the fall, has happened before. You really shouldn't handle man...I see you even had it on your face. Not the smartest move.

Glad you shared though, hopefully some of the newer keepers will understand why handling is so frowned upon. Especially with this genus...

 

[Geocycle]

I agree with you about handling, i do hope she is internaly stable. The one on my face is my first T. I had stopped handling any and all tarantulas for recreatuon after that incident and only take them out for cleaning containers and putting them in another tank. Otherwise I let the one in question walk my bed earlier. She's moving fine now she just doesn't seem to like the concept of coming out, she seems very skeptical instead of ready to explore and enjoy stretching her legs. If this was just a scare I'd rather let it sink in as something permanent of not handling them for recreation again.

 

[Geocycle]

Sounds like she may have been damaged internally from the fall, has happened before. You really shouldn't handle man...I see you even had it on your face. Not the smartest move.

Glad you shared though, hopefully some of the newer keepers will understand why handling is so frowned upon. Especially with this genus...

Also I changed my photo so as to not encourage that behavior. Keeping them safe is more important than some interesting photo op.

 

[Thekla]

Just out of curiosity... why do you have to take your Ts out, when you clean the enclosures?

 

[Garth Vader]

It is most likely pretty stressful for your T to be moved around. They do not benefit from it in any way. There really isn't a reason to take a T out of the enclosure unless you are doing a rehouse, in which case you can carefully move them in a container to prevent any escapes or jumping. For cleaning and maintenance you can use tongs and just work around the T.

As you saw with your avic, they jump quickly and it could really harm them if they land on something hard.

I hope your T ends up okay and doesn't have internal injuries from the fall. My avic is pretty chill most of the time- not a lot of movement and it turns down feeders sometimes. A T being lethargic might be a T Just chilling and conserving energy, especially if they are nearing a molt. Hopefully that's all it is for your T.

 

[Geocycle]

I cleaned her enclosure a few minutes ago, she had webbed it up to the point it was almost impossible to clean and the substrate seemed to be way to old. I got her off someone who donated her to a shop, she has definately had the most personality out of all the T's I've taken care of or interacted with. I moved her into a transfer tank while the substrate is drying. I also moved my Laciodora Difficlis into a new tank, did not handle her. I only do this when I have to actually clean the tanks due to their refuse being unreachable. And not wanting to possibly harm them in the process of cleaning.

 

[Geocycle]

It is most likely pretty stressful for your T to be moved around. They do not benefit from it in any way. There really isn't a reason to take a T out of the enclosure unless you are doing a rehouse, in which case you can carefully move them in a container to prevent any escapes or jumping. For cleaning and maintenance you can use tongs and just work around the T.

As you saw with your avic, they jump quickly and it could really harm them if they land on something hard.

I hope your T ends up okay and doesn't have internal injuries from the fall. My avic is pretty chill most of the time- not a lot of movement and it turns down feeders sometimes. A T being lethargic might be a T Just chilling and conserving energy, especially if they are nearing a molt. Hopefully that's all it is for your T.

I'm really glad for all the feedback. Honestly the positive points are something I'm glad to have encountered in the community. Have since stopped handling overall. The only reasons I move or direct interact with them is re housing and deep cleaning tanks after over 6 months of them living in it if it's gotten to hard to clean or there's too much webbing to clean the sides or the possibility of mold. The guy I got my female avic a from didn't clean the tank, and I could definately smell a pungent scent coming from the tank. He hadn't cleaned the refuse in the tank when the shop she was donated to got her so they had to and they were on the verge of cleaning it before I got her and said I would. So that's where I'm at now, I have had her in a transfer tank and she seems to have a different energy about her now. Again thanks for your points, when she jumped she only grabbed onto some sheets on a comforter on my bed so I think I'm just just thinking it. Either way I'm not handling them anymore it's not a good idea and I don't want them getting hurt.

 

[Nightstalker47]

@Geocycle Good man. Best of luck with her, hope she recovers.

 

[PidderPeets]

I cleaned her enclosure a few minutes ago, she had webbed it up to the point it was almost impossible to clean and the substrate seemed to be way to old. I got her off someone who donated her to a shop, she has definately had the most personality out of all the T's I've taken care of or interacted with. I moved her into a transfer tank while the substrate is drying. I also moved my Laciodora Difficlis into a new tank, did not handle her. I only do this when I have to actually clean the tanks due to their refuse being unreachable. And not wanting to possibly harm them in the process of cleaning.

You shouldn't have to fully change the substrate, and ESPECIALLY not if it means you have to routinely destroy it's webbing. They set things up how they want them, so when you completely swap out the sub and destroy the webbing, the T is essentially now in unfamiliar territory and it gets stressed out. You honestly shouldn't have to do more than just pulling food scraps and maybe wiping up poop if you so choose. There's people on here with decades old substrate.

Additionally, the only reason I can think for the substrate smelling is that it's not being kept dry like it should, so mold and boluses are causing a smell. I've had my Avic in the same substrate for 9 months and it's never smelled. Mold should not be able to form in a properly set up Avic enclosure.

If it's webbing up heavier than usual (and/or sealing off the Web tunnels it makes), it could be in premolt and wants to be left alone.

Hopefully none of that came across as too rude, as it wasn't my intention. I just don't want you putting your T at unnecessary risk of injury or undue stress

 

[The Grym Reaper]

As mentioned above, there's no need to do twice yearly deep cleans. I just pick out boluses, clean any poop off of the front door and clean the water dish as needed, some of my Ts have been in their enclosures on the same substrate for a year or so and are fine.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I don’t handle my Ts and hairs irritate me and it’s dangerous for the spider. But if you don’t do it over a soft surface or a pillow could be even a aboreals last jump. Old world aboreal, obt seems tougher tho never seen one die from a fall. All escapes were during rehouse or bad lid. So I don’t handle them just mistakes.
I bet hissing cockroaches would be cool to handle or leapoard geckos.
Despite there furious tank like reputation tarantulas are not as strong , or durable as giant centipede, beetles , or scorpions. Probably weakest armored giant inverts.
Japanese are sick in head kill these poor bugs in fighting contests no wonder Asians are causing mass extinctions of sharks and exotics.
More megafauna died in Roman gladiator stadiums then exist in wild today. Poachers killed the most , and trophy hunters.
Same thing happens to inverts for collecting displays in museums and zoos.