thruthetrees
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- May 9, 2011
- Messages
- 107
:cry: I got this little guy a few months ago. The guy that owned it was killed in a hit/run a few months prior to the family rehoming 2 of 4 C. schioedtei w/me. They were rehoming them because they didn't know how to care for them. They had 0 water and totally dry substrate. They were labeled as P. cambridgei. I set them up w/arboreal enclosures immediately w/moist substrate and water (like I keep my P. irminias)... when I took them out to rehouse, I knew immediately they were not Psalmopoeus and was able to ID as C. schioedtei pretty quickly.
The other one has molted 2x since I got them (first molt was within days). This one, no molts. It has eaten about 6x since I got it (refused a few meals here and there). They always, always have water in bottle caps and 2/3 moist substrate. They are usually in their dirt/webs and hate light... This morning I got home and this guy was above his burrow. I was going to try to snap a photo, and very carefully turned the enclosure... He looked a little weird (crumpled up a little) but I've seen some of my avics in weird positions at times... so I didn't really think anything was wrong yet. Then I saw moist white stuff on his mouth parts--I had seen him out 2 days before (I didn't notice any white stuff but he darted into his burrow so fast I might have missed it).
I moved the enclosure a little more so it would actually notice (I thought I was just being very sneaky...) and it didn't move... Then I knew something was wrong. I put an ICU together really quickly and grabbed some Q-Tips--the white stuff wiped right off--the little fella threw a threat display with his first pair of legs and bit the Q-tip. I used 3 or 4 Q-tips and gently wiped his mouth parts (the q-tips were moist) to make sure it was clean... knowing how much they hate light, I put him in the closet with a heat blanket (NOT on the ICU, just near it because it was about 65 here today--it was on a low setting and the ICU never got over 75F). I was too concerned with cleaning him and getting him into a dark quiet place to take photos... He wasn't moving well when I put him in the ICU (very slow/draggy hind legs) but at least was alive enough the throw a threat and grab the q-tip.
About an hour ago I checked him (around 10 hours of him being in the ICU) and he was not in a full curl but already smelled bad... He moved 2 legs a bit so I shut the closet. I figured I would check once more before bed & get some pics in the hopes he could rebound & I might be missing something or doing something wrong. He is really curled up now I am certain he's a goner Of course I will wait a day or 2 before trash (it already smelled and it was still alive...).
Should I put it in the freezer? I think it's barely alive still but I don't want it to suffer... :cry:
Here is a photo just now ("he" is around 2.5")
And, his enclosure (the lid has a 2" vent)
I was crying when I put him in the ICU this morning... Now I am sobbing like a baby--I don't think there is anything left to do to help him (aside from maybe the freezer? :cry and am scared/sad someone will confirm this terrible and probably obvious fact of impending death :cry:
Can anyone shed some light as to why this would happen? As far as I know, none of my other Ts have white stuff on their mouths. I have been here all day and when I have seen a T in view, I have inspected (I have mostly arboreals so that makes it easier to see the mouth parts... nobody else is acting weird, etc...) I put the ICU in another part of the house just encase. I don't think it's nematodes from what I have read & don't think mites--I didn't see anything moving. The white stuff did smell bad though... Again, it wiped off very easy (the q-tip sucked it up).
Does the enclosure look alright? (It was due to be misted in the next day or so, I would mist the substrate 1-2x a week depending on how moist it was)... There was a fuzzy/molding cricket bolus in there--I check enclosures every day or 2 for water & cleaning (as needed!! I don't bother touching my Ts enclosures unless there is a bolus, or empty water, etc and then use tongs to get that stuff out...) He must have tossed the bolus/part of cricket out yesterday after I left.
Is it possible he was in the wrong conditions for too long before I got him? The other one is doing just fine & kept the same way... Fed the same things (LPS crickets & dubias from my colony). Anything I am missing that may have caused or contributed to this?
I can't stop sobbing... I've had a horrible 2 weeks, I spent 5 days sick in the hospital and have been slowly recovering. This just took the horrible to a whole new level...
:cry:
The other one has molted 2x since I got them (first molt was within days). This one, no molts. It has eaten about 6x since I got it (refused a few meals here and there). They always, always have water in bottle caps and 2/3 moist substrate. They are usually in their dirt/webs and hate light... This morning I got home and this guy was above his burrow. I was going to try to snap a photo, and very carefully turned the enclosure... He looked a little weird (crumpled up a little) but I've seen some of my avics in weird positions at times... so I didn't really think anything was wrong yet. Then I saw moist white stuff on his mouth parts--I had seen him out 2 days before (I didn't notice any white stuff but he darted into his burrow so fast I might have missed it).
I moved the enclosure a little more so it would actually notice (I thought I was just being very sneaky...) and it didn't move... Then I knew something was wrong. I put an ICU together really quickly and grabbed some Q-Tips--the white stuff wiped right off--the little fella threw a threat display with his first pair of legs and bit the Q-tip. I used 3 or 4 Q-tips and gently wiped his mouth parts (the q-tips were moist) to make sure it was clean... knowing how much they hate light, I put him in the closet with a heat blanket (NOT on the ICU, just near it because it was about 65 here today--it was on a low setting and the ICU never got over 75F). I was too concerned with cleaning him and getting him into a dark quiet place to take photos... He wasn't moving well when I put him in the ICU (very slow/draggy hind legs) but at least was alive enough the throw a threat and grab the q-tip.
About an hour ago I checked him (around 10 hours of him being in the ICU) and he was not in a full curl but already smelled bad... He moved 2 legs a bit so I shut the closet. I figured I would check once more before bed & get some pics in the hopes he could rebound & I might be missing something or doing something wrong. He is really curled up now I am certain he's a goner Of course I will wait a day or 2 before trash (it already smelled and it was still alive...).
Should I put it in the freezer? I think it's barely alive still but I don't want it to suffer... :cry:
Here is a photo just now ("he" is around 2.5")
And, his enclosure (the lid has a 2" vent)
I was crying when I put him in the ICU this morning... Now I am sobbing like a baby--I don't think there is anything left to do to help him (aside from maybe the freezer? :cry and am scared/sad someone will confirm this terrible and probably obvious fact of impending death :cry:
Can anyone shed some light as to why this would happen? As far as I know, none of my other Ts have white stuff on their mouths. I have been here all day and when I have seen a T in view, I have inspected (I have mostly arboreals so that makes it easier to see the mouth parts... nobody else is acting weird, etc...) I put the ICU in another part of the house just encase. I don't think it's nematodes from what I have read & don't think mites--I didn't see anything moving. The white stuff did smell bad though... Again, it wiped off very easy (the q-tip sucked it up).
Does the enclosure look alright? (It was due to be misted in the next day or so, I would mist the substrate 1-2x a week depending on how moist it was)... There was a fuzzy/molding cricket bolus in there--I check enclosures every day or 2 for water & cleaning (as needed!! I don't bother touching my Ts enclosures unless there is a bolus, or empty water, etc and then use tongs to get that stuff out...) He must have tossed the bolus/part of cricket out yesterday after I left.
Is it possible he was in the wrong conditions for too long before I got him? The other one is doing just fine & kept the same way... Fed the same things (LPS crickets & dubias from my colony). Anything I am missing that may have caused or contributed to this?
I can't stop sobbing... I've had a horrible 2 weeks, I spent 5 days sick in the hospital and have been slowly recovering. This just took the horrible to a whole new level...
:cry: