# Help!  I think my tarantula has a fungus!



## jacobj (Sep 2, 2004)

I've had my Chilean Rose for 10 years (since I was 7) and never had problems before, but now she appears to have a fungus growing on her exoskeleton.  It's white and fibrous, and looks almost like her silk, except it appears to have fungal hyphae.  Has anybody run into this before?  What can I do?


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## cichlidsman (Sep 2, 2004)

do you or did you keep her tank moist?


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## jacobj (Sep 2, 2004)

Depends on how moist you mean.  I mist the inside cage walls lightly every other day, and keep a water dish, but that's it.  It isn't any moister than it's been in the past.


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## David_F (Sep 2, 2004)

There's really no need to mist a G. rosea enclosure.  They like it dry.  As for what to do, you could try to brush it off though I don't knowif it would get rid of it completely.  If you do try it, keep up with it and hopefully the problem will clear up with the next molt.


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## Elizabeth (Sep 2, 2004)

If it is a fungus, they don't just brush off. Dryness is what keeps fungi in check.  

I would stop misting completely and make the whole set-up as dry as possible, except for the water dish. 

As for the fungus on the T -     If it is growing on your T, then your T innards may be the moisture source soon, if not already. If it is just a surface thing, maybe a dry set-up and a careful dab of powder on the spot will save it until the next molt?

I hope you get more ideas.


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## cichlidsman (Sep 2, 2004)

Elizabeth said:
			
		

> If it is a fungus, they don't just brush off. Dryness is what keeps fungi in check.
> 
> I would stop misting completely and make the whole set-up as dry as possible, except for the water dish.
> 
> ...


i agree.  once the the fungus cant get the moisture from the tank, it may try to get it form the spider.


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## cichlidsman (Sep 2, 2004)

is there any fungus around the book lungs?


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## 8leggedrobot (Sep 2, 2004)

I have to say, I was noticing something similar on my rosehair the past few days, just on the underside of her abdomen. It looks like it might just be her hairs, but they are paler there than anywhere else on her so it has me a bit concerned. I posted awhile back and said that there was a mildew underneath her hide rock, so I moved the EBT (evil bitey thing) into a new home, no water dish... but, I'm using that damned bed-a-beast stuff you buy in brick form and stick in a pot of water to cause it to expand... I squeezed the water out of her substrate before putting her in there until it felt totally dry to me, but I'm still afraid this stuff is the culprit. The only thing I can do is not use B-A-B anymore, or let it dry for several days before moving her in. :8o There was mildew under the hide rock again after a few days, but I cleaned that spot out days ago and all seems fine for now. But the light hairs on her abdomen have me wondering what to do now... I guess I'll just wait and see.


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## Malhavoc's (Sep 2, 2004)

Is there any fungus known to be parasitic towars invertabrates?


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## cichlidsman (Sep 2, 2004)

Malhavoc's said:
			
		

> Is there any fungus known to be parasitic towars invertabrates?


not sure for invets, but fungus for fish is or like an infection.


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## Nicole (Sep 2, 2004)

If you stick that bed-a-beast stuff in the oven it will dry it out pretty quickly, then you just have to wait for it to cool and deal with the "earthy" aroma it produces!   

Nicole


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## 8leggedrobot (Sep 2, 2004)

Thanks, I didn't think to stick it in the oven.  LOL!

Now I just have to contend with my mom as I go to stick a pan of dirt in her 1 month old new oven... 

 ;P


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## jacobj (Sep 2, 2004)

Whoops, looks like the whole thing was probably a false alarm.  The stuff brushed off really easily with a small model-painting brush.  I looked at it closer and it's probably just airborne dust collected over time.  She didn't have any on her underside, so I'm not too worried now, but I'll keep an eye on her and reduce the misting.  Thanks very much for helping me out, it had me really worried.


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## Joe1968 (Sep 3, 2004)

thats good to hear. i'm still amazed you have her for 10 years now, great job!!! was she a sling when you got her?


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## Elson (Sep 3, 2004)

Misting is not necessary...they like it dry , so stop misting ur T.
As i know , some species from wet tropical regions will require a higher humidity level. If the amount of humidity is too low there is a chance that when the spider molts it could split its exoskeletonand bleed to death. :}


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## jacobj (Sep 3, 2004)

I think she was an adult when I got her, no idea how old.  What's a sling?

I live in Wisconsin, and it gets extremely dry here in winter, so I better mist once a week then, and around molts.  She molts about every 3 years, ever since moving to WI.  She used to molt every year when we lived in San Diego.  I wonder why the difference.

I read in a G. rosea article online (someone also posted it in another thread recently), that in Chile fog banks would occasionally roll into the desert, so I'll try to simulate that in winter with occasional misting.  I'll also start varying the length of time I leave her light on according to the seasons.  Maybe I can help her get on a more frequent/regular molting schedule.


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## MilkmanWes (Sep 3, 2004)

Not to harp on the no misting thing, but look at where roseas come from. Near desert or desert conditions - pretty arid and hostile environment. Rainfall or even significant precipitation is rare for them so you should not have to recreate the effects.


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## jacobj (Sep 3, 2004)

Are you sure of completely no misting?  I was thinking about once per week, not often.  And I don't mist lots, just a dusting on the walls, like fog dew.


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## xelda (Sep 3, 2004)

Malhavoc's said:
			
		

> Is there any fungus known to be parasitic towars invertabrates?


I'm sure there are a lot but I'm not too familiar with the subject.  The only example I can think of are with leaf-cutter ants.  They farm and eat fungus, but this fungus is suceptible to infection from another fungus which is known to quickly wipe out entire colonies.  Luckily, the ants have evolved a symbiosis with certain bacteria that are kept in special cavities within the ants' bodies.  The bacteria help protect the ants from fungi.  Pretty cool how their agriculture and antibiotics predate humans.   ;P


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## Mikeymike (Sep 3, 2004)

DONT mist your rosea tank! never ever ever!! they hate this, they live in the desert, thats all they'll ever know, rain and mist will just confuse them or stress them out.

Mist the tank like once a YEAR in case it wants to like drink from the glass, otherwise, a water dish will provide enough humidity for each molt.

a sling is a spiderling, a baby tarantula.


Mikey


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## jacobj (Sep 3, 2004)

OK, thanks.  I'd been misting the cage walls (never her) daily for the first 9 1/2 years at the pet store's recommendation, and she seemed to do OK, but I'll lay off.  I trust hobbyists more than pet stores.

What are your thoughts on the best substrate?  I've been using vermiculite for 10 years, then recently experimented with potting sand, and just switched back to vermiculite when I cleaned the cage yesterday.

How about plants in the cage?  I know no cactus, but would a leafy plant improve the air?


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## Randy (Sep 3, 2004)

misting is okay provided that the ventilation is god enough, i mist my tanks alot but dont have problems with fungus unles th ventilation isnt that good..


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## David_F (Sep 3, 2004)

Just to give you an idea of why misting isn't necessary for G. rosea:

Arica, in Chile, has the lowest annual rainfall in the world at 0.008mm.

The driest place in the world is the Atacama Desert in Chile.  Rain falls between two and four times every century.

There's more information about this desert online.  Since the range of G. rosea covers part of this area of Chile I'd bet they don't need the misting every week.  Maybe try once every 40 or 50 years.


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## tarantula666 (Sep 3, 2004)

misting is not really neccesary with rosey's 
i only mist slightly when they are about to molt.
a waterdish is required . i've seen my rosey's drink regularly.
as for substrate , i keep it bone dry.


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## Joe1968 (Sep 3, 2004)

jacobj said:
			
		

> I think she was an adult when I got her, no idea how old.  What's a sling?
> 
> sling is a slang word for baby Ts.


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