Can't keep Brachypelma smithi alive

[A guy]

I am completely baffled by my complete inability to keep Brachypelma smithi alive.
By now, I've had 3 female small juveniles of this species die out of nowhere. Two have died a few days or about a week after molting and one suddenly became sluggish despite regularly eating and overall was doing great.

Now, I'm on my 4th small juvenile female. This one seems to be sharing the same fate with the 3 others before. It molted and is now looking like it's slowly deteriorating aswell.

I don't know what the absolute heck is going on! I can raise and breed T. seladonia from sling but can't raise B. smithi.

I keep them basically "textbook style". Mid 70s temps, dry substrate, an always full waterdish that's overflowed from time to time.

Am I just unlucky?

 

[TheraMygale]

for my own knowledge, what is juvie size range for you, with brachypelma.

i doubt i can teach you anything. The only difference i can tell, with them in the wild, is they are in burrows. I am watching the b smithi in the wild from andrew smith.

do you mind sharing a photo of your enclosure?

for some reason, i think they need more moisture in the soil. Not everywhere, but more then just an overflowed water dish.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Do you use any cleaning chemicals near the spiders enclosure?

 

[viper69]

Am I just unlucky

Maybe

If you can do sela, you can do these pet rocks!

I think something is up with husbandry environment etc that is known to you, and or bad luck- which would be very, very odd.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

I am completely baffled by my complete inability to keep Brachypelma smithi alive.
By now, I've had 3 female small juveniles of this species die out of nowhere. Two have died a few days or about a week after molting and one suddenly became sluggish despite regularly eating and overall was doing great.

Now, I'm on my 4th small juvenile female. This one seems to be sharing the same fate with the 3 others before. It molted and is now looking like it's slowly deteriorating aswell.

I don't know what the absolute heck is going on! I can raise and breed T. seladonia from sling but can't raise B. smithi.

I keep them basically "textbook style". Mid 70s temps, dry substrate, an always full waterdish that's overflowed from time to time.

Am I just unlucky?

Have you bought all the B. smithi from the same place?

Is it an online seller or individual breeder?

 

[A guy]

Maybe

If you can do sela, you can do these pet rocks!

I think something is up with husbandry environment etc that is known to you, and or bad luck- which would be very, very odd.

I can't figure out what it is that I'm doing wrong. I have B. boehmei and baumgarteni at the same time as my first smithi, they're all kept with identical husbandry and those ones are thriving.

for my own knowledge, what is juvie size range for you, with brachypelma.

i doubt i can teach you anything. The only difference i can tell, with them in the wild, is they are in burrows. I am watching the b smithi in the wild from andrew smith.

do you mind sharing a photo of your enclosure?

for some reason, i think they need more moisture in the soil. Not everywhere, but more then just an overflowed water dish.

About 2" or so, maybe smaller but already showing colors.

I've also watched his Brachypelma documentary multiple times.

When I overflow, I make sure that the substrate does get a good amount of moisture.
It's kept in a typical delicup. Nothing special.

Do you use any cleaning chemicals near the spiders enclosure?

Nope, just water and a cloth to wipe. Also to note, they're on the same shelf as my other Brachypelma

 

[A guy]

Have you bought all the B. smithi from the same place?

Is it an online seller or individual breeder?

Same dealer. All basically directly from Mexico but from different import batches.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Same dealer. All basically directly from Mexico but from different import batches.

Interesting

I don't believe it's anything you're doing.

My suspicion is from the seller. If not the seller I question the originating exporter. Something is not sitting right with me.

Another thing that I always suspected for quite a while is air transport. Whether pressure difference from high altitude or mis-handling of cargo by personnel. Maybe severe turbulence or maybe all three combined. I just ponder on it sometimes as it's difficult to prove.

 

[A guy]

Interesting

I don't believe it's anything you're doing.

My suspicion is from the seller. If not the seller I question the originating exporter. Something is not sitting right with me.

Another thing that I always suspected for quite a while is air transport. Whether pressure difference from high altitude or mis-handling of cargo by personnel. Maybe severe turbulence or maybe all three combined. I just ponder on it sometimes as it's difficult to prove.

This actually makes sense to me. Another important thing to mention is I've picked them up from the dealer just a few days after they've arrived from Mexico. Although, all of them have molted with me multiple times. Hence why I was able to sex them out

 

[Arachnophobphile]

This actually makes sense to me. Another important thing to mention is I've picked them up from the dealer just a few days after they've arrived from Mexico. Although, all of them have molted with me multiple times. Hence why I was able to sex them out

There was one breeder I bought multiple slings from. Out of eight, six died. Some died the next day after receiving them and the others took a week to a month for others.

My suspicion on those were 1. Desiccation - next day after receiving some 2. Weak genetics due to saving every sling from the sack and not letting nature take it's course. Inbreeding and/or insufficient packing of the vial. Maybe all of that and nothing I can prove except packing of the vial. Those and air transport.

 

[A guy]

There was one breeder I bought multiple slings from. Out of eight, six died. Some died the next day after receiving them and the others took a week to a month for others.

My suspicion on those were 1. Desiccation - next day after receiving some 2. Weak genetics due to saving every sling from the sack and not letting nature take it's course. Inbreeding and/or insufficient packing of the vial. Maybe all of that and nothing I can prove except packing of the vial. Those and air transport.

Unfortunately, I know that that's the only thing we can throw, theories.

 

[fcat]

You feeding everyone from the same feeder stock?

Did they die within the same molt cycles? Like did one die, the others not molt yet, and then die?

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Unfortunately, I know that that's the only thing we can throw, theories.

Agreed, next to impossible to prove.

B. smithi is a hardy T so you having this misfortune with multiple ones leads me to my speculations. I have a hard time thinking it was anything in your husbandry.

 

[A guy]

You feeding everyone from the same feeder stock?

Did they die within the same molt cycles? Like did one die, the others not molt yet, and then die?

Yup, everyone is fed the same thing.

Oh they were from different batches. I didn't have them all at the same time. But they did die at the same size. From 1/2" they were doing fine. When they hit almost 2 inches, that's when the complications started.

 

[fcat]

Yup, everyone is fed the same thing.

Oh they were from different batches. I didn't have them all at the same time. But they did die at the same size. From 1/2" they were doing fine. When they hit almost 2 inches, that's when the complications started.

I believe there are pesticides that are designed to interrupt the molt/prevent healthy molt as their mechanism...not sure if symptoms would appear first.

 

[A guy]

I believe there are pesticides that are designed to interrupt the molt/prevent healthy molt as their mechanism...not sure if symptoms would appear first.

But if it was pesticides, then some other specimens from the same shelf would get affected, no? But it's literally just them

 

[A guy]

Agreed, next to impossible to prove.

B. smithi is a hardy T so you having this misfortune with multiple ones leads me to my speculations. I have a hard time thinking it was anything in your husbandry.

Exactly, I really don't know why I keep "killing" a hardy species when I have other species that are harder to keep that are thriving

 

[viper69]

I can't figure out what it is that I'm doing wrong. I have B. boehmei and baumgarteni at the same time as my first smithi, they're all kept with identical husbandry and those ones are thriving.


About 2" or so, maybe smaller but already showing colors.

I've also watched his Brachypelma documentary multiple times.

When I overflow, I make sure that the substrate does get a good amount of moisture.
It's kept in a typical delicup. Nothing special.



Nope, just water and a cloth to wipe. Also to note, they're on the same shelf as my other Brachypelma

In that case it’s bad luck given your other species

 

[fcat]

But if it was pesticides, then some other specimens from the same shelf would get affected, no? But it's literally just them

I was considering feeder exposure, as long as everyone is subjected to the same parameters and stock...has successfully molted...then you could rule that out.

I'm going to go home and put mine on suicide watch now...mine were captive bred in the states though.

 

[A guy]

I was considering feeder exposure, as long as everyone is subjected to the same parameters and stock...has successfully molted...then you could rule that out.

I'm going to go home and put mine on suicide watch now...mine were captive bred in the states though.

I don't think it was the feeders since my whole collection is fed on the same stock.