Sick T

[Lakota]

so I have a lovely little pink toe that I adore. She's been a peach of a Tarantula and has been doing fine. Normally I use coconut bark

She's webbing but being spastic in movements. Im trying to figure out how to include a video of the movements normally she's slow precise and great at motion. I am new at keeping I used to have arachnophobia but now have a love for these little guys does this look like dks to you? Or have you ever seen anything like it? If so did they survive? Any suggestions that you can offer? My sling and my Goliath are doing fine she's the only one with issues. She's isolated ICU with warmth and humidity. Not sure if there is more that I can do video is uploading for you any help is appreciated

She flipped on her back earlier and wouldn't get up seems sluggish and when she walks drunk

 

[JoshDM020]

Sounds like you messed with a tarantula getting ready to molt.
ICUs are the best way to kill an Avicularia species. Theyre very sensitive to moisture in a low ventilation environment. Your best bet wouldve been to leave it in its enclosure.
Unless its flipped onto its back again, you should most definitely put it back into its normal enclosure.
Edit to add: Pictures of the spider and its normal enclosure would be very helpful. A lot easier to post than videos.

 

[Lakota]

Sounds like you messed with a tarantula getting ready to molt.
ICUs are the best way to kill an Avicularia species. Theyre very sensitive to moisture in a low ventilation environment. Your best bet wouldve been to leave it in its enclosure.
Unless its flipped onto its back again, you should most definitely put it back into its normal enclosure.

Got it thank you! I was told it was something else I took your advice and put her back in I'll watch her now again thank you!

 

[JoshDM020]

Got it thank you! I was told it was something else I took your advice and put her back in I'll watch her now again thank you!

I added this to my previous post but ill say it again, pictures of the spider and enclosure could help us identify any other possible issues. If you got your advice from a pet store, that will most definitely assure that youre doing something wrong. Very few pet stores know how to properly care for spiders.

 

[Lakota]

This is Aphrodite the T in question there is water in there for her to drink but I thought an up close of her would be better. I just misted today carefully and such. I removed her decor so you could see her, she was behind the skull

 

[boina]

Yes, @JoshDM020 is right: ICUs are a very efficient way to kill Avics. High humidity without VERY good ventilation is an efficient way to kill Avics.

Without pictures there's no way anyone can tell if this is a normal molting process or something more sinister, sooooo... pics please?

 

[JoshDM020]

This is Aphrodite the T in question there is water in there for her to drink but I thought an up close of her would be better. I just misted today carefully and such. I removed her decor so you could see her, she was behind the skull

If you could do us a huge favor and get the entire enclosure in a picture, that would be wonderful. I mean no disrespect, but it looks like youve been a victim of misinformation.
It also does look pretty plump, so I'd imagine it is in fact trying to molt.
Once you get a picture of the whole thing, just try to disturb it as little as possible for a few hours.

 

[Lakota]

This is Aphrodite the T in question there is water in there for her to drink but I thought an up close of her would be better. I just misted today carefully and such. I removed her decor so you could see her, she was behind the skull

If you look you can see

Yes, @JoshDM020 is right: ICUs are a very efficient way to kill Avics. High humidity without VERY good ventilation is an efficient way to kill Avics.

Without pictures there's no way anyone can tell if this is a normal molting process or something more sinister, sooooo... pics please?

I posted one hopefully it went through alright here is an upclose of her again and once more thank you for taking time

 

[Lakota]

If you look you can see

I posted one hopefully it went through alright here is an upclose of her again and once more thank you for taking time

 

[Lakota]

Here's the whole thing she's behind the skull hide

 

[darkness975]

@Lakota From what I can judge so far based on the information and images provided you are keeping your Avic spp. incorrectly. This is likely due to misinformation being given to you from a pet store or some such location. It sounds like it is trying to molt but you have interrupted it.

Avics do not need high humidity. Humid stuffy cages kills them (not joking).

Your Enclosure is far too barren for your Avic. It needs plants around the top to use as anchor points for its webbing.

That skull is also an inadequate hide. With the proper amount of plant cover on the top areas of the Enclosure the spider will hide among them and construct its tube web(s) for hiding.

 

[Lakota]

From what I can judge so far based on the information and images provided you are keeping your Avic spp. incorrectly. This is likely due to misinformation being given to you from a pet store or some such location. It sounds like it is trying to molt but you have interrupted it.

Thank you I sent pictures of the enclosure she usually likes to climb as well but has been at the bottom. I'm so glad I came here! You guys are awesome

Avics do not want (or need) high humidity. Humid stuffy cages kills them (not joking).

Your Enclosure is far too barren for your Avic. It needs plants around the top to use as anchor points for its webbing.

 

[Lakota]

I put her plant back in here is the enclosure in its full mess and how it looks normally

 

[boina]

Here's the whole thing she's behind the skull hide

Uh-oh. That enclosure is not at all suitable for an Avicularia. They are the one genus that's completely arboreal and will, if given a choice, hardly ever come down on the ground. They need stuff to climb on - like bark - and they need decoration in the UPPER regions of the cage to make their web in. The plant is a good thought but not optimal the way it's placed. Then they need plenty of ventilation and under no circumstances a heat lamp directly on top of the cage - the lamp will dessicate them pretty fast, especially if she climbs up.

Right now dehydration could really be a major problem, so put her front end in a water bowl - tarantulas can't drown - as a first aid measure.

 

[JoshDM020]

Here's the whole thing she's behind the skull hide

Not as bad as i was expecting but still some issues.
Get that lamp away from the enclosure. No spider needs a lamp, they cause rapid dehydration and can cause some nasty burns.
There needs to be a lot more stuff like cork bark to climb on and leaves to web on.
The substrate looks loose and way too moist. Sub should be packed tight and dry.
That skull ornament probably isnt as big a deal as it would be for a terrestrial, but its still not something i would risk personally.
Heres a picture of my enclosure as an example of what decoration should generally look like

20170421_113646

• JoshDM020
• Apr 23, 2017
• 1

A. avic enclo

Ive modified it a little since this was taken so that the corkbark extends all the way to the top.


Now, i will say this, the only thing that needs to be fixed IMMEDIATELY is the heat lamp. Get rid of it ASAP. The rest can wait until after it molts and hardens up.

 

[Lakota]

Uh-oh. That enclosure is not at all suitable for an Avicularia. They are the one genus that's completely arboreal and will, if given a choice, hardly ever come down on the ground. They need stuff to climb on - like bark - and they need decoration in the UPPER regions of the cage to make their web in. The plant is a good thought but not optimal the way it's placed. Then they need plenty of ventilation and under no circumstances a heat lamp directly on top of the cage - the lamp will dessicate them pretty fast, especially if she climbs up.

Right now dehydration could really be a major problem, so put her front end in a water bowl - tarantulas can't drown - as a first aid measure.

Man the pet store was... ugh wrong. How would you place the plant? Lamp is removed now and I'll make her drink asap!

 

[Lakota]

Heat lamp

Not as bad as i was expecting but still some issues.
Get that lamp away from the enclosure. No spider needs a lamp, they cause rapid dehydration and can cause some nasty burns.
There needs to be a lot more stuff like cork bark to climb on and leaves to web on.
The substrate looks loose and way too moist. Sub should be packed tight and dry.
That skull ornament probably isnt as big a deal as it would be for a terrestrial, but its still not something i would risk personally.
Heres a picture of my enclosure as an example of what decoration should generally look like

20170421_113646

• JoshDM020
• Apr 23, 2017
• 1

A. avic enclo

Ive modified it a little since this was taken so that the corkbark extends all the way to the top.


Now, i will say this, the only thing that needs to be fixed IMMEDIATELY is the heat lamp. Get rid of it ASAP. The rest can wait until after it molts and hardens up.

is gone!!! She's crawled into the plant and seems settled when she molts I'll do what you all are suggesting

 

[JoshDM020]

Man the pet store was... ugh wrong.

That is the norm. If i were you, id make another thread to check if your other spiders are in ok setups or if they need some fixing as well. Needless to say, if they have heatlamps, turn em off.

 

[Lakota]

That is the norm. If i were you, id make another thread to check if your other spiders are in ok setups or if they need some fixing as well. Needless to say, if they have heatlamps, turn em off.

Got it! Thank you again for answering my post I feel like an idiot. But I want what's best for my guys

 

[boina]

Man the pet store was... ugh wrong. How would you place the plant? Lamp is removed now and I'll make her drink asap!

I'm really sorry for this - pet stores are really awful when it comes to tarantulas. You Avic doesn't really need a lamp - room temps are perfectly fine, unless you or someone around you loves to crank up the AC.

All the best for your spider. I hope she'll be fine