So about march of last year i got my first spider, my avic avic and he was very energetic and agile. I understood he was a male when he molted in june of 2016 ajd he looked very thin and long legged typical of males and had the boxing gloves. Now i knew this was his final molt but i was confused because hes still on the small side (about a 3.5 inch legspan not completely sure more or less) well about a year later which is today he is resting on his joints and still alive but i understand he might be dying. My friend got him from petco so i cannot say for sure how old he is. I would like to preserve him since he was my first so any advice on preserving and helping the old man feel a bit more comfortable?
Aging avicularia
- Thread starter tswizzzl
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Venom1080
Arachnoemperor
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slowing down, not eating, shrinking abdomen. sounds like a old MM winding down.
Yeah the abdomen is shrunken. For months now
Venom1080
Arachnoemperor
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yup, thats how it goes.
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I always thought it was a bit on the sad side how MM wither away like that.
KezyGLA
Arachnoking
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I do too. More so because they dont live long in comprison to females, but everyone feels this way I suppose. Its not fair that they go so soon but I guess thats just life for them.
The females go out like that too.
I lose a very old F G. porteri last year. It seemed to fall apart like dead flowers at end. I now have old female G. sp. North that is going the same way now
The females go out like that too.
I lose a very old F G. porteri last year. It seemed to fall apart like dead flowers at end. I now have old female G. sp. North that is going the same way now
dragonfire1577
Arachnodemon
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Yeah a year is about normal for male avics he's probably just going to reach the end of his lifespan soon not anything you could prevent.
Andrea82
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I have a MM P.cambridgei, who is almost two years mature now and is fading like that as well. I keep him comfortable warm and quiet, and keep his waterdish full, providing some extra droplets to drink from. MM have a higher need of water since they don't get so much fluids from prey due to their limited feeding. I give him mealies or superworms, or even waxies. Anything that is easy to take down for him. He sometimes climbs around, but is staying in one place more and more. (giving me a heart attack because, thinking he passed and touching him lightly, he snatches the brush and goes into threatpose in the blink of an eye!)
I think AB has some posts on taxidermy, you could try finding them by using the search function.
I think AB has some posts on taxidermy, you could try finding them by using the search function.
Anoplogaster
Arachnodemon
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Sorry to hear..... but death is a part of life, after all I'd say the best thing you could do is minimize the noise and movements, and make sure the water is full.
So, I work in museum collections. There are a few things you could think about doing to preserve his remains, depending on what you want the final product to be. The absolute easiest thing to do is drying. Once you are sure he has passed, you can position him on a piece of cardboard in the position you want him to stay in, and give him a few days under the sun. Make sure you pin him down so he doesn't blow away (they get very light when dried). If the weather doesn't permit you to do that, you can achieve the same thing in a pilot-lit oven. The pilot light itself is usually enough to dry the air around the specimen. Or place him near a furnace.
Another option that I think you might like would be making a plastic mount with polyester casting resin. Very easy to order the stuff on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Environmenta...8&qid=1487530662&sr=8-7&keywords=castin+craft
There's a whole process on it. You'll need the resin, a suitable mould, a set of micro mesh pads, and sandpaper. And some plastic polishing compound to give it that ultra clear shine. None of this is terribly expensive, but you need to know what to get. If you're interested in doing this, PM me and I can detail what to do. It takes a bit of practice to get it down. So don't try to cast your spider on your first experience with resin (assuming you haven't worked with resin before). You can always keep him frozen until you are ready to cast him.
I'd say the best thing you could do is minimize the noise and movements, and make sure the water is full.So, I work in museum collections. There are a few things you could think about doing to preserve his remains, depending on what you want the final product to be. The absolute easiest thing to do is drying. Once you are sure he has passed, you can position him on a piece of cardboard in the position you want him to stay in, and give him a few days under the sun. Make sure you pin him down so he doesn't blow away (they get very light when dried). If the weather doesn't permit you to do that, you can achieve the same thing in a pilot-lit oven. The pilot light itself is usually enough to dry the air around the specimen. Or place him near a furnace.
Another option that I think you might like would be making a plastic mount with polyester casting resin. Very easy to order the stuff on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Environmenta...8&qid=1487530662&sr=8-7&keywords=castin+craft
There's a whole process on it. You'll need the resin, a suitable mould, a set of micro mesh pads, and sandpaper. And some plastic polishing compound to give it that ultra clear shine. None of this is terribly expensive, but you need to know what to get. If you're interested in doing this, PM me and I can detail what to do. It takes a bit of practice to get it down. So don't try to cast your spider on your first experience with resin (assuming you haven't worked with resin before). You can always keep him frozen until you are ready to cast him.