Playing dead or back from the dead???

[IguanaMama]

I went to bed last night crying hysterically (and when Jodi crys, Jodi crys LOUDLY!!!). I thought I killed my spider. Not just any, but one of my favorites.

I was trying to teach myself how to sex ventrally. I have a spider that I'm not sure of the sex and I wanted to know if it was a he or she. It is a RCF G. rosea. So, I took out all my Grammys, one at a time, and held them in the cupped position while studying their undersides with a jeweler's loupe. I know the sex of most of them, from the molts or from how I bought them, so I thought by studing the ones I know are male vs. female, I would learn my lesson.

Well, I learned my lesson indeed. One of my mature girlies didn't want to be cupped. But I was determined. I knew she was a she and I wanted to study she parts. I was in the bathroom (best light in the home) and she bolted from my hand, I let her run on me for a bit but she jumped from me to the bathroom sink--not a far jump at all, but still a jump. I was upset, but she seemed fine. I let her walk on me a bit more before putting her back, to make sure she was really ok. About ten minutes later I checked on her. She wasn't moving. I picked her up, she was completely limp. I flipped her over, wiggled her limp legs--no reaction. She was dead. I cryed--LOUDLY. I flipped her over again, put a drop of water by her fangs, to see if maybe she was just dehydrated from running, but nothing. Limp, dead for sure, I thought. I gentley layed her back in her enclosure, figuring I would just handle her disposal in the morning. WaaWaaWaa.

I woke up early, my first thoughts were of how I could have done this to such a magnificant creature. I was sick to my stomach. Usually, I read the spider's signs and if they aren't really calm, I won't handle. I ignored the signs and I wasn't careful with her. I was on a mission, I wanted to look at her "privates". Anyway I got out of bed, went straight to her and there she was--ALIVE! She is moving around. She responds to my touch. Now she is not being really active, but she is definitely not dead. I know that she is not out of the woods, I will not rest easy until at least a week passes. But, what's up??? Was she really sick and recovered over night or was she playing dead/feigning death?

 

[Bedlam]

After all the chaos she might've used playing dead as a defense mechanism. Never heard that spiders do that but this certainly sounds like it. OR it could've just been another case of a rosie being a weirdo!!

Regardless, happy to hear she's ok.

 

[syndicate]

ive yet to witness a tarantula "play dead" but ive seen true spiders do it all the time.hope everything works out allright for ya

 

[ChrisNCT]

My P. chordatus and some of the asians would apear dead and then you gently touch them they bolt around in circles and bear their fangs.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=69142

In short: sometimes Ts are just weird, and my G. aureostriata is apparently no different.

 

[Juraki]

ive yet to witness a tarantula "play dead" but ive seen true spiders do it all the time.hope everything works out allright for ya

My A.seemanni has played dead on me more than once, the two times it fooled me, I used clean soda straw and gently touched the back legs, nothing.. I then tried a little more force, at one point actually lifting one side of the t completely off the substrate, I got absolutely NO reaction from this and was very nearly convinced I had a dead seemanni. One last test, I gently blew on it and it darted across the tank like a flash. It's only gotten me with that twice, and if it ever does croak I'll likely not be sure unless it's in obviously curled under, and end up leaving it for crying wolf so many times.

 

[IguanaMama]

OK, so Ts play dead??!!?? I am still shaken up and worried. I was carrying her around in my hand for a good 3 to 5 minutes, while she appeared dead. I was rolling her over and over, I took her into the kitchen and dripped water from a teaspoon onto her fangs while she was cupped in my hand and upside down--with no reaction. I pulled on her legs, they were completely limp and lifeless!!! I put her in her enclosure and even shook it a bit, she rolled from one side to another completely lifeless. THIS IS BIZARRE! I keep checking on her, just incase, but she seems ok. I wish she was spunkier, but she moves around and reacts to me blowing on her. I don't want to lift her, just in case. I will be nervous until her next molt, I guess. Your stories make me feel better, but obviously, I'm still freaking out about it.

 

[Code Monkey]

I've not heard of Ts exhibiting thanatosis, but I have a story that may explain or at least be related.

Too many years ago, my brother knocked an adult female B. smithi off of a dresser in her kritterkeeper (with aquarium gravel as substrate, so the potential energy of this projectile with my spider in it was really high). I was sure she was dead at first as well since she was on her back completely limp. But, no death curl, no external injuries, so I left her be.

After a day or so, I was rewarded with an ever so slight wiggling of the tarsi. So I watered her on her back manually and after about 2 weeks she finally regained enough strength to right herself.

My interpretation was that she was, for lack of a better word, in a coma because of the severity of the internal injuries. As testament to how injured she was, she didn't moult for something like 2.5 years after the fall.

In your case, it wasn't so much of a coma as simply knocked unconscious. Glad it worked out well for you and the spider

 

[Juraki]

I've not heard of Ts exhibiting thanatosis, but I have a story that may explain or at least be related.

Too many years ago, my brother knocked an adult female B. smithi off of a dresser in her kritterkeeper (with aquarium gravel as substrate, so the potential energy of this projectile with my spider in it was really high). I was sure she was dead at first as well since she was on her back completely limp. But, no death curl, no external injuries, so I left her be.

After a day or so, I was rewarded with an ever so slight wiggling of the tarsi. So I watered her on her back manually and after about 2 weeks she finally regained enough strength to right herself.

My interpretation was that she was, for lack of a better word, in a coma because of the severity of the internal injuries. As testament to how injured she was, she didn't moult for something like 2.5 years after the fall.

In your case, it wasn't so much of a coma as simply knocked unconscious. Glad it worked out well for you and the spider

I suppose then in my case it's simply an A.seemanni that is VERY difficult to spook without blowing on it. Have you ever had a tarantula do anything similar to mine Code Monkey? I'm guessing not since I was still pretty new at keeping inverts when I got that seemanni, and you would know the difference between a dead t and a boring one. All my other T's react to the slightest disturbance but this seemanni is like a rock when I do cage maintenance. Not even the slightest movement, I even accidentally dripped water on it when replacing it's water dish last week and it didn't flinch.

 

[Gesticulator]

Wow Jodi, I do hope she makes a full recovery. Perhaps she was "stunned" by the jump? Or needed to recoop? Whatever the reason, I'll keep my fingers crossed, I know how much you love your babies.

 

[IguanaMama]

Thank you CM. I think that's exactly what is going on with my girl. My instincts tell me that after the fall, she was still able to run around, but then she might have gone into shock or something because of an internal injury. Then, I hope, overnight she begain to heal. So your story is inspiring. I've been out all day, and I just checked on her, she is still alive.

Yes, Terri, I love all my babies, they are all precious to me. But as typical of my luck, it had to happen to one of my most expensive, nearly impossible to replace girls.

 

[Sheri]

I kinda wonder if it was just a reaction to being overstimulated.

Surely, you've seen the overzealous OBT throw a threat posture and just stay that way for minutes at a time - even when the threat is behind it's brilliant display. Or the spiders that postures - right on over - and stays that way.

Seems their little nervous systems are easily overwhelmed.

Of course, just a theory...