A. Seemanni strange behavior

The Minataur

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
3
Hello!
I'm pretty new here, but I've been keeping a handful of Ts for a few years now (A. Seemani, A. Metallica, G. Rosea, B. Vagans). I'm seeing some (to me) inexplicable behavior from the A. Seemanni and I was hoping that maybe someone here could help me out.
She stopped eating for a few weeks after we moved to a new house so we moved her to a new enclosure. She ate once that I know of after that but her abdomen has shrunken considerably. Two or three weeks ago, I observed her "tap dancing" at prey if it got close. This has happened at every feed for the last couple of weeks. Today she didn't seem to be able to control her movements at all. All of her legs would jerk and move and she had her bedding clutched as if she was trying to lift the substrate and silk mat (she always webs up everything) with her fangs.
I put her in ICU and now she is just sitting with her knees tucked up over her head.
There doesn't seem to be much else I can do. I'm starting to wonder if "she" is actually a male at the end of his life (The abdomen of the two molts "she's" had have been completely destroyed in the molting process. My notion of the sex is based on what the seller told me.).
Does this behavior sound familiar to anyone? Is there anything else I can do?
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
Post a good picture of Her/Him including front view of pedipalps. Also check for tibial hooks under the two front legs.
 

The Minataur

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
3
Thank you for reminding me about the tibial hooks. I had forgotten about them.
Checked for them and did not find them.
A picture from the front is virtually impossible right now and the slightest vibration and she tucks her legs up tight but since I was able to check for the hooks, I'm guessing that the seller was right about the sex.
She spent 2 1/2 days in the ICU and there did seem to be some improvement. The towel inside had gotten dirty so I've dampened her substrate, returned her to her enclosure, and put her in a warm, dark place for today.
Her abdomen looks significantly fuller which is good. She still curls up and thumps around spasmodically at any stimulation though.
Would there be any harm in putting her back in the ICU? Is there anything else you can think of I can try?
 

Crone Returns

Arachnoangel
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Messages
990
Thank you for reminding me about the tibial hooks. I had forgotten about them.
Checked for them and did not find them.
A picture from the front is virtually impossible right now and the slightest vibration and she tucks her legs up tight but since I was able to check for the hooks, I'm guessing that the seller was right about the sex.
She spent 2 1/2 days in the ICU and there did seem to be some improvement. The towel inside had gotten dirty so I've dampened her substrate, returned her to her enclosure, and put her in a warm, dark place for today.
Her abdomen looks significantly fuller which is good. She still curls up and thumps around spasmodically at any stimulation though.
Would there be any harm in putting her back in the ICU? Is there anything else you can think of I can try?
I wouldn't. Is she in premolt? We really need to see the enclosure and her.
I have a juvie Aphonopelma seemani BCF who's been hidden forever in her vast cave system. She's molted, but won't come out. I leave water for her, but no food. She won't eat it.
My juvie Grammostola pulcripes moves sub around with her fangs and legs All. The. Time.
 

The Minataur

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
3
It would be strange if she was in premolt as she only molted two months ago. As long as we've had her, she only molts once a year. As for moving substrate around, I know what you mean! We have a little B.Vagans who is Very into construction!
What I meant by clutching the bedding was that it seems involuntary. Like her fangs just grab at something while she taps and kind of bounces around. It's terrible to watch.
I will 100% get some good pics for you, but I'm afraid I've stressed her too much today already so I will take some tomorrow. The enclosure is pretty standard. It's a "Bugarium". 4 or so inches of coco fiber, a little lego "house" to hide in and a plastic plant (solid plastic not silk) to build on. Water dish with fish gravel in it that she endlessly webs over so the water seeps in to the substrate. You know. The usual.
 

The Minataur

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
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If it is of any use, she seems to be able to direct her movements now. She is still very twitchy but can move into her hide. This was something she could not do two days ago.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
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Jan 19, 2014
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13,223
Was she fed wild caught food? Could she have been exposed to fumes of any kinds...like a freshly painted room perhaps? Was she, could she have been, exposed to cold in the move?

And just to be clear, the lack of tibial hooks doesn't mean it is or is not female, it just means its not a mature male...only mature males get them, along with emboli...which are better to look for as some species don't have hooks.
 

The Minataur

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
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She has never been fed wild caught food. In the last 6 months, the coldest the room has gotten was 69 F (I keep a record). No fumes that I am aware of. No new paint, no chemical cleaners.
Fair enough about the maturity. We have had her for 3 years and she has grown a little each molt. I will try to get that head-on pic.
We do have cats and they do get a spot on treatment. There is a hand-washing protocol before handling anything having to do with the inverts, but that could easily have been neglected at some point.
The cats DO NOT get to come into the room. Being cats, someone may have sneaked in at some point, but the tanks are on a rack up off of the floor, and I've never seen cat hair on it.
The Ts are exclusively fed bait crickets as we don't have any pet shops that sell live crickets nearby. The crickets are fed a variety of vegetables, but mostly corn meal.
All moisture comes from either distilled or purified water. NEVER tap (we have pretty hard water so we don't use it for much).
Sphagnum moss was added to her substrate while she was in ICU. Humidity in the tank is being kept higher than usual and nearly all ventilation has been cut off. No further improvement with the T yet. She may have deteriorated a little even.
When I left this morning, the ambient temp in the room was 72 F and 74 F in her enclosure.
Might raising the temp help?
 
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The Minataur

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
3
Here are the promised pics. Tried to get one from the front, but she flipped around and started twitching. I'll just leave her alone for now or maybe I'll put her back in ICU. I am at a complete loss.
This my first time posting pics so please excuse me if I do it weird.
 

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The Minataur

Arachnopeon
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Apr 13, 2016
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Well. She's in a death curl now. Thank you all for responding.
I'll just have to keep a weather eye on the others.
 

The Minataur

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
3
Could she have been exposed to fumes of any kinds...like a freshly painted room perhaps?
cold blood, I just realized something enormously obvious. We just had our entire bathroom torn out and put back in about a month back. Even the tile was torn out because of moisture that had been seeping in underneath. There was mold and everything. The put an air-mover in for a week before they put everything back in. The bathroom is next door to the bug room. It would be no wonder if the mold, the air-mover, or the demo/construction had something to do with this. They painted too.
 
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