7 Rescued from tarantula hawk... Help!

NoviceAO

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Okay I have seven (yep, 7) tarantulas who were stung by tarantula Hawks on September 9th. They were seen being dragged across the road and were taken in. So now I have these little guys who no doubt we'll need some nutritional support while the paralytics wear off (hopefully). I'm happy to post pictures or videos, but I need help with knowledge on how to help these little guys out. I read today that I can flip them on their backs and place a droplet of water just over their fangs and wait for it to be consumed. Is this okay? How much is too much? How long can they safely stay on their backs? Has anybody gone through this before?
 

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Vanisher

Arachnoking
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Wow! B albiceps! Was all 7 stung the same day, by the same wasp? I think the venom causes permanent damage, but i am not sure? It may sounds harsh, but as much as i love tarantulas, i dont know if it is right to interfer in nature? It is a hard question, and maybe i would do the same thing you did? But back to the question. I think the tarantulas sre paralized for life, but i am unsure?? Good luck!
 

Vanessa

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Wow! B albiceps!
Those are an Aphonopelma species, the OP is in the states.

Lots of people have done it with Aphonopelma species with great success, although I have only known of situations where one at a time were found.
I agree with @Vanisher that it wasn't right for you to prevent the wasp from doing what it's purpose is, despite the fact that it is difficult not to save the tarantulas. You have never done this before, and might not be successful, so they might die anyway and your interference did nothing for any of them.
If I came across that many, I might have grabbed one or two, but I wouldn't have deprived that wasp from doing it's job entirely. Please do a google search, and a search on this forum as well, because the information is out there at your fingertips. A lot of effort is going to be needed on your part to pull them through, so you might as well start making that effort by searching online.
 

Vanisher

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Aha! At first glance i really thought they where albiceps! Yes as you said, taking one or 2 is ok, but not all of them. The wasp just do what it have to do to get food for its larvea!
So you mean that the venom wears off after a while Vanessa?
 

CommanderBacon

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A friend of mine recently rehabbed a tarantula from a Pepsis sting back in May. It just recently started eating on its own, so that was a lot of time spent rehabilitating them. He's kept track of its progress on his Facebook page (he goes out with his kids, so it's very kiddy-themed):
https://www.facebook.com/thesonoranexplorers/

Anyway, good luck!
 

NoviceAO

Arachnopeon
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A friend of mine recently rehabbed a tarantula from a Pepsis sting back in May. It just recently started eating on its own, so that was a lot of time spent rehabilitating them. He's kept track of its progress on his Facebook page (he goes out with his kids, so it's very kiddy-themed):
https://www.facebook.com/thesonoranexplorers/

Anyway, good luck!

Im talking to him now!!! Thanks!

Wow! B albiceps! Was all 7 stung the same day, by the same wasp? I think the venom causes permanent damage, but i am not sure? It may sounds harsh, but as much as i love tarantulas, i dont know if it is right to interfer in nature? It is a hard question, and maybe i would do the same thing you did? But back to the question. I think the tarantulas sre paralized for life, but i am unsure?? Good luck!
No, they were all different, along a long stretch of road. Ive been researching like a beast these past 2 days, hoping I can help them. Our intention was simply to move the tarantula away from the wasp, but they were everywhere and we didnt know they used paralytic until we were driving them up the road. Then I felt bad and was stuck with the decision to intervene, I'm responsible for them now.
 
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CommanderBacon

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Good luck to you! That's a lot of Ts to care for, but if you are caring for one, caring for all of them shouldn't be much more work.
 

Vanessa

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So you mean that the venom wears off after a while Vanessa?
Yes, but it takes many months. I believe that it has been an average of about six months before they get to the point where you are positive that they are going to make it and they start eating on their own.
Doing this is a real commitment and people should be aware of that. I understand that empathy kicks in and you don't want them to die that way, but it is going to be a long stretch of watering them and feeding them manually before you know if they're going to pull through.
I don't think that there is any real follow up on any of them years later, though. I don't even know if I have seen a case where the people who saved them had them moult successfully. So, I don't know how they are affected long term. Follow up always seems to end when they are back to eating on their own and acting relatively normal.
 

mack1855

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A.hentzi most likely.Did you collect them around Campo,La Junta,Las Animas area?
You do know they are males,correct?Because if you found them on the road,they are looking for
females.Im going to say,IMO,you probably should have let nature do its thing.
Not being critical,but your effort is pointless.
 

Arthroverts

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Interfering with the native ecosystem like that can be detrimental to it in the long run. I understand your motives, but in this instance that is too many. The tarantula hawks will simply find another tarantula. This is quite frankly nature taking its course, and I don't think you needed to rescue 7 of them, especially considering they will likely spend the rest of their lives in captivity without breeding and will have no positive affect on local tarantula populations.
See what I'm saying?

That's just my two cents.

Thanks,

Arthroverts
 

CommanderBacon

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A.hentzi most likely.Did you collect them around Campo,La Junta,Las Animas area?
You do know they are males,correct?Because if you found them on the road,they are looking for
females.Im going to say,IMO,you probably should have let nature do its thing.
Not being critical,but your effort is pointless.
Dude, your entire post is critical. I also don't see any evidence that they are all male. Friends of mine have found females stung by Pepsis, too.

In any case, it can't be helped now. OP needs help with rehabilitation. Being told "your effort is pointless" is not helpful.
 

mack1855

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Being told "your effort is pointless" is not helpful.
Dude,did you not see where I said,not being critical???.And if the OP thinks I was being critical,they
sure don't need you to defend their post.
Also,since you jumped on this,do a little research on T,s in Colorado.
Your not going to find many females running around the roads,they are in their
burrows.
 
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Vanessa

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I read today that I can flip them on their backs and place a droplet of water just over their fangs and wait for it to be consumed. Is this okay? How much is too much? How long can they safely stay on their backs? Has anybody gone through this before?
Looking at your photo again, there are about half with extremely small abdomens who might not make it, even giving them water and food manually. They aren't going to take water and food at all in the beginning - not until some of the paralysis wears off. The others, with plumper abdomens, are more likely to make it.
You might have a 50/50 chance with them.
 

CommanderBacon

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Dude,did you not see where I said,not being critical???.And if the OP thinks I was being critical,they
sure don't need you to defend their post.
Also,since you jumped on this,do a little research on T,s in Colorado.
Your not going to find many females running around the roads,they are in their
burrows.
According to OP, they were found being dragged across the road by tarantula hawks, not "running around the roads" individually. The color variation between specimens in OP's photo looks like possible sexual dimorphism to me. I can only tell for sure that one is male, and 2-3 others that I would guess are male. What are you seeing that indicate that these specimens are all male?

I am not going to claim to be an expert on A hentzi, but I do know people have found paralyzed female specimens, so it's not unheard of. Is it less likely that they are female? Of course. But it's possible, and beating OP up about caring for these spiders at this point is childish to me. What do you want them to do? Toss them out?
 

mack1855

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beating OP up about caring for these spiders
Once again,my friend,where did I beat him up?IMO,he should have left the outcome to the natural order of things.
He has them,hes got a plan to drip water on them.And if they survive..then what??.Tell us please?.
Do I return the survivors back to S.Colorado,where they will mate,or,be stung by another T.Hawk.
Please.
 

CommanderBacon

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Once again,my friend,where did I beat him up?
IMO,he should have left the outcome to the natural order of things.
I 100% agree, but that didn't happen. OP already expressed regret that they interfered. What is telling him after the fact that "your effort is pointless" meant to accomplish?

Stuff like this is going to happen sometimes. It can't un-happen. Saying things like this to people in order to make them feel worse about their mistake is unnecessary and unhelpful.

He has them,hes got a plan to drip water on them.And if they survive..then what??.Tell us please?.
Do I return the survivors back to S.Colorado,where they will mate,or,be stung by another T.Hawk.
Please.
That's obviously up to OP. They've already accepted responsibility for their misguided decision and are in contact with someone who has already successfully rehabilitated a tarantula from a Pepsis sting this year. Whether they keep them or re-release them is up to them.
 
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