An Unexpected Death (Harpactira pulchripes)

[Ungoliant]

I had hoped that the spate of bad luck I experienced a few months ago was over. However, today I found my juvenile Harpactira pulchripes dead in her enclosure. She molted only three months ago, so I don’t think she was having a bad molt. I haven’t noticed any alarming behavior from her, although last time I fed her (a week or two ago), she was less enthusiastic about food than usual. I am careful to make sure that she has access to fresh water, especially during the recent cold spell (with the heat running more than usual and drying out dishes).

As you can see from this photo, her abdomen looks rather sunken. I’m not sure how quickly that happens after death. (She was alive a couple of days ago, and I do not smell any decomposition.)


When I flip her over, her mouth looks odd. I don’t know if she just got some feces on her mouth (there were a lot of feces underneath her when I lifted her out). Does this look like cause for concern? As a precaution, I have separated her enclosure from the others and sterilized my tools.


Any thoughts?

 

[viper69]

It looks odd.

However anything out of “normal” is deemed odd and suspect even if not a cause.

 

[Gilligan]

I'm so sorry for your loss, loosing one so unexpectedly is heartbreaking!

 

[l4nsky]

I think you're living out most people's nightmare here and I don't think I can even conceptualize how gut wrenching these events really are. There has to be some causal link. Are you still treating your kitten with selamectin? Did you ever find out more history about the house?

 

[Ungoliant]

I think you're living out most people's nightmare here and I don't think I can even conceptualize how gut wrenching these events really are. There has to be some causal link. Are you still treating your kitten with selamectin? Did you ever find out more history about the house?

We do give our cat topical selamectin once a month, but he is mostly an outdoor cat and spends little or no time in the vicinity of the tarantula enclosures. (He only comes inside for short, supervised visits, and he is not allowed inside at all for three days after the medicine is applied.)

I can’t be sure what may have been used in or around the house before we bought it. We did thoroughly clean the room where the tarantulas are temporarily staying (until we complete kitchen renovations so I can have my office space).

I can’t identify a cause. It’s really making me worry about the rest of my tarantulas and whether I should even be in this hobby anymore.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

My sincere condolences on your losses! I can't imagine how frustrating and disheartening it must be to not know the reason why.

I know this is extreme, but so is letting go of all your T's. Have you considered maybe building a tiny house for them, or insulating a shed and installing some sort of air purifier, heater, A/C?

 

[Gilligan]

I can’t identify a cause. It’s really making me worry about the rest of my tarantulas and whether I should even be in this hobby anymore.

Don't give up on the hobby because of this, your passion for these creatures can be clearly seen by your care for them. I can understand your thinking of stopping though, that's a natural response.

I can’t be sure what may have been used in or around the house before we bought it. We did thoroughly clean the room where the tarantulas are temporarily staying (until we complete kitchen renovations so I can have my office space).

Can you move your tarantulas to a trusted person's house to see if it is in fact environmental?
Also, could they have come into contact with anything during the moving process itself? Or has your county or town sprayed for anything overhead or by the road?

 

[TheHeretic]

I'm not trying to start anything between you and the workers in your home, but did they have unsupervised access to the T room? I was in the industry for a long time and its not uncommon for things like this to happen... sadly almost common to hear guys stories about messing around where they shouldn't be and doing things they shouldn't. Its not unheard of for an a-hole to give a Customers pet alcohol or drugs or worse if the Customer is "hard to work with". I've never done it and I always told guys who did they were a-holes...but its not uncommon. Pouring vodka in fish tanks, feeding dogs and cats pot, beer... or worse.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Have you checked your heater? I have a super sensitive sniffer and found a minor gas leak in my heater after everyone else in my house told me I was crazy. Assuming they would be more sensitive to gas/carbon monoxide leak than us (and may be a warning sign)

 

[TheHeretic]

Have you checked your heater? I have a super sensitive sniffer and found a minor gas leak in my heater after everyone else in my house told me I was crazy. Assuming they would be more sensitive to gas/carbon monoxide leak than us (and may be a warning sign)

Natural gas isnt poisonous in its raw form. The chemical orderant used to alert Humans isnt either. The gas to air ration for a spider to be sick or dead would be 100x of times more then to a human. so if there is veryt little air to breath and its all gas, sure they will die, as would a Human. Now as for carbon monoxide, its only produced when a flame is burning improperly. Something has to be physically interfering with the natural release of energy. For this to occur on a flame one of two things must be happening. 1- a Luminous flame (Yellow orange flame) that gives off light, the outter part of the flame must be touching something. The process with leave carbon build up on the item and in the process produce CO. It also produces an aldehyde that humans can easily smell. Again the amount produced to effect a spider would be a 100 of times that effective to humans. Birds on the other hand are easily effected by both aldehydes and CO. This is why they are used in mines as an early warning system. A gas (NP/LP) heater makes a Bunsen flame. This is a non-light producing flame that has two blue cones. The inner cone must be interfered with in order for it to make CO, but unlike the Luminous flame, little to no Carbon build up can be noted on small CO producing flames. This is why a CO detector in a kitchen can go off when no real threat to humans or birds exist. The CO is there but not to a degree life is in danger. Spiders use almost no O2 and even in a CO rich environment they can survive longer then we could.

can you guess what I did in the construction industry...LOL

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I stand corrected. Thank you for schooling me, @TheHeretic . Always a good day when you learn something new!

 

[TheHeretic]

I stand corrected. Thank you for schooling me, @TheHeretic . Always a good day when you learn something new!

well you were on to something, a gas leak is a dangerious thing. you dont want one at all..small or not. it can build up inside a wall..and then..boom.

 

[Frogdaddy]

It’s really making me worry about the rest of my tarantulas and whether I should even be in this hobby anymore.

This is crazy talk and needs to stop immediately. You're a good and conscientious keeper. You'll root out the cause, hopefully sooner rather than later. But never question your ability or husbandry. You belong in the hobby and it would be worse off without you.

 

[Ungoliant]

Thank you to everyone who has responded.

Have you considered maybe building a tiny house for them, or insulating a shed and installing some sort of air purifier, heater, A/C?

We do not have the manpower to build any accessory structures right now. My husband has his hands full with renovations to the home.

Can you move your tarantulas to a trusted person's house to see if it is in fact environmental?

Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone nearby who would take in my tarantulas.

Also, could they have come into contact with anything during the moving process itself? Or has your county or town sprayed for anything overhead or by the road?

I don’t think they would have been exposed to anything during the move. It was only a mile away, and we transported them in our own car.

The county sometimes sprays for mosquitoes in the summer, but I usually keep a schedule of their routes so that I can make sure we aren’t opening the windows or running the A/C at the time. We live about 300 feet back from the road, so I think a lot of it would settle or dissipate before it reaches here, but you can never be too cautious.

I'm not trying to start anything between you and the workers in your home, but did they have unsupervised access to the T room?

No workers have been here at all. My husband is doing all of the renovations.

Have you checked your heater?

The furnace is in good working order.

 

[Gilligan]

Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone nearby who would take in my tarantulas.

I don’t think they would have been exposed to anything during the move. It was only a mile away, and we transported them in our own car.

The county sometimes sprays for mosquitoes in the summer, but I usually keep a schedule of their routes so that I can make sure we aren’t opening the windows or running the A/C at the time. We live about 300 feet back from the road, so I think a lot of it would settle or dissipate before it reaches here, but you can never be too cautious.

Dang. Sorry to have not been any help so far, you have probably thought of all of this already. Don't give up hope yet! Do you think it could be the soap or cleaning supplies you use?

 

[spideyspinneret78]

It's just so strange. It seems like it would have to be either a toxin or a pathogen. Just a huge mystery. I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

We do give our cat topical selamectin once a month, but he is mostly an outdoor cat and spends little or no time in the vicinity of the tarantula enclosures. (He only comes inside for short, supervised visits, and he is not allowed inside at all for three days after the medicine is applied.)

I can’t be sure what may have been used in or around the house before we bought it. We did thoroughly clean the room where the tarantulas are temporarily staying (until we complete kitchen renovations so I can have my office space).

I can’t identify a cause. It’s really making me worry about the rest of my tarantulas and whether I should even be in this hobby anymore.

You have way more experience than I have or ever will. You'll get through this, I know you will.

I've been absent from arachnoboards for a while now as I too had some horrible things happen and I severely doubted myself with my tarantulas.

It took me a while to get over the tragedies I had. I can't really say that I ever will 'get over' what happened. It's amazing the attachment we keepers have with our tarantulas. We know that these animals have no capacity to care about us or even know we are caring for them. Yet these animals fascinate us enough to want to care for them.

My heart goes out to you. I can tell you have doubt with yourself. I understand but don't think like that. You're going through some hardship with your T's and you'll pull through it. You are too valuable with your knowledge to stop keeping T's. We newer keepers need experienced keepers like you. Stay strong, don't doubt and if you ever discover the cause of your T's death share with us so all of us keepers learn,

PS. I know this is from Dec. 31 but I hope all is well with you.

 

[Olan]

I am terrified of the once a month flea medications. I have to give it to my cat occasionally, but try to do as little tarantula maintenance as I can during that time. The fact that it stays on the cat for a whole month makes me think that just soap and water will not get it off your hands.

Sorry to hear about the losses, especially Bulldozer. I got my pulchra Turbokid at about the same time as you did if I remember correctly.