Wont get down!

[Lyle Beach]

What should I do? My A. seemani climbed himself up on to the top of the screen. He has been hanging there for 12-14 hours.

I tried to get him down but he won't budge. I slid open the lid and put a wide serving spoon underneath to catch him if he fell. And then tried to get him to release his feet with a spatula... But he will not let go!

What should I do? He's been up there for a long time!

 

[Code Monkey]

Just leave him alone. It looks like the substrate is high enough that he won't injure himself if he drops, and odds are he'll calmly go over to the glass and climb down at some point.


With the exception of a bad moult or a bleeding injury there is almost nothing you will ever *need* to do for your tarantula as far as it being in its cage being a tarantula.

 

[PapaSmurf]

i'd leave him alone,if there any crickets in there remove them sometimes when Tarantulas arent hungry they will run from the cricket or roach and check for anything else that could be bothering him, My G.rosea will run and climb up the side on his container when theres cricket in his cage, also heres something else did you spary him when you were misting his cage?that could of pissed him off and thats why hes hanging like, be sure not to spary them if thats the problem since that will stress them really bad.

 

[Angelo]

you might wanna consider changing the top of your cage. the tarantulas "claws" can get caught in fine mesh wired tops.

 

[luther]

Once or twice a year I catch my B.smithi upside down playing arboreal and poking her legs up through the vent holes. It's like a cheap B movie effect when seen from above. She gets down after a while and gets a grip on herself.

Your substrate looks to be high enough for her to be safe if she makes a mistake up there :}

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Angelo
you might wanna consider changing the top of your cage. the tarantulas "claws" can get caught in fine mesh wired tops.

That depends on whether it's galvanized or not. The mesh is only a problem when the *mesh* isn't galvanized or otherwise coated such that you have are left with an open weave. That's how they get caught, the claws work their way between two pieces of overlapping wire.

 

[Betty]

Houdini, my G. rosea, likes to explore every couple months or so. She can sit there in one spot like a rock, and then one day I can hear little grating noises and I catch her upside-down, probing the holes. She'll hang there for a few hours or even overnight, and then climb back down. Those eight legs are pretty strong and support the spider well, so unless you see your spider hanging by one, obviously trapped, it'd leave it be.

When I was little, dad's pet curlyhair would climb upside-down and start prying holes in the screen. It was really interesting to watch her tug and tug.

 

[Lyle Beach]

Originally posted by Jguy001
i'd leave him alone,if there any crickets in there remove them sometimes when Tarantulas arent hungry they will run from the cricket or roach and check for anything else that could be bothering him, My G.rosea will run and climb up the side on his container when theres cricket in his cage, also heres something else did you spary him when you were misting his cage?that could of pissed him off and thats why hes hanging like, be sure not to spary them if thats the problem since that will stress them really bad.

I took the crickets out.

I don't spray the T or the substrate with water. I keep the terrarium dry with a full water dish.

The only thing that I can think of, is that the terrarium is divided in half with a plexi-glass divider... maybe the T's are getting stressed out knowing each other are there??

 

[Lyle Beach]

Originally posted by monantony
I'd shoo it down myself. And then replace the lid. Too many times I have found my auratum dangling by one leg from the screen. I like them to have 8 legs myself ;-)

T

I tried.... there is no moving him. I touched him everywhere... on the abdoman, the legs, even up by his fangs/mouth... it doesn't even phase him.

he has gotten himself stuck up there a few times... most of the time he ends up getting caught up by one leg. This is the first time that he has gotten all the way up there.

I think he thinks he is an aboreal! Must be a personality disorder! lol

 

[Lyle Beach]

Originally posted by monantony
Sometimes I take the lid off and turn it so iI can put it down to the substrate and then I try and shoo him ...
T

I cant do that. I have a glass terrarium with a "slide in" lid.... so I can'd slide the lid off without sqishing him between the lid and the glass.

You would think with me poking and proding him in all those places he would get defensive and try to bite/flick hairs or something. But he just tightens himself up, closer to the screen?? :?

 

[Pixie]

My b. smithi used to always do that! About once a week, I would find her hanging on to the screen top.

I used to panic when I found her like that but soon stopped.

Now I only panic if she's dangling from one leg, otherwise I know she can get down by herself.

Pixie

 

[Lyle Beach]

Any thoughts on why he doesn't move when I prod him? I mean he moves a little... but not like my G. rosea would! The rosea will scoot the heck out of there, where as the A. seemani just moves his leg slightly... :?

 

[Sheri]

This may sound crazy (why do so many of my posts start off this way??) but it seems that the T's can willingly (or unwillingly) go into almost a trance-like state where nothing (even prodding) moves them. When you observe this sluggishness its hard not to fear that the T is dying but I have observed this behaviour with 3 T's now, and they all seem to come out of it fine despite the lack of responsiveness.
Any other observations on "T Zen and the Art of Scaring the Crap out of your Owner"?

 

[DnKslr]

LOL! Looks very familiar!

Look at what my 6" P cancerides does

She wouldn't come down either. I got her to let go once and placed her back on the bottom. I came home from work and she was right back up there. She came down on her own. I thought it was the substrate but she had already been in the keeper for over a week so my guess is she was just exploring.