Cat knocked over husbands tarantula

[Ohgodno]

Okay,
So I admittedly know NOTHING about tarantulas. However my husband has one he’s had for seven years now and loves very much.
He had it sat up on a shelf (and has for 5 years) and last night our cat (who we have had the same amount of time) apparently wanted to screw up everything and knocked over the enclosure between 5-6:30 this morning, I did not find the spider, just what I’m assuming is a molt that was under some of the “dirt” (I’m not even sure that’s what they are called), but no spider....

Is there any certain way to try to find these things or am I screwed? I was hoping to find it for him before he got home (he does know all of this happened btw lol).


I guess my main question is, can they survive a 5 ft fall? Do they like to hide under things?!? Do I need to keep my other animals out the house until it’s found?!


Im sorry that I’m EXTREMELY uneducated on this topic but figured I should come to people who know what they are talking about.

 

[Spaceman]

If your husbands T managed to survive a 5 ft tall that would be impressive.. normally they die from short falls. If it’s not in the dirt then it’s alive (unless your cat ate / killed it). I’d lock up your cat so it doesen’t eat it, and so a full search of that room.. or maybe your house. Look under crevices and anything with a gap in it. If it’s arboreal look in higher places and that’s your best bet. Good luck.

 

[Ohgodno]

If your husbands T managed to survive a 5 ft tall that would be impressive.. normally they die from short falls. If it’s not in the dirt then it’s alive (unless your cat ate / killed it). I’d lock up your cat so it doesen’t eat it, and so a full search of that room.. or maybe your house. Look under crevices and anything with a gap in it. If it’s arboreal look in higher places and that’s your best bet. Good luck.

He said it’s a female Texas Brown? And the cat may have killed it but I’m not sure he would eat it, but honestly who knows at this point. I’m just desperately trying to find it alive.

 

[Spaceman]

Ok. That species isn’t arboreal which is better I guess, so like I said earlier, small spaces on the ground or crevices would be your best bet.
Be prepared to be surprised if you move a box, or a shelf and it’s right behind it

 

[Ohgodno]

Ok. That species isn’t arboreal which is better I guess, so like I said earlier, small spaces on the ground or crevices would be your best bet.
Be prepared to be surprised if you move a box, or a shelf and it’s right behind it

Okay, I’ll get to looking! Thank you so much.

 

[Spaceman]

Good luck

 

[jrh3]

I would search all the corners of the room. If he had it for that long it should be easier to find than a sling. Because it will be of some size.

Just remember it’s not the cats fault. The cat was just doing what cats are instinctively programmed to do.

 

[Ohgodno]

I would search all the corners of the room. If he had it for that long it should be easier to find than a sling. Because it will be of some size.

Just remember it’s not the cats fault. The cat was just doing what cats are instinctively programmed to do.

oh my cats a pain in the butt, but he’s my pain in the butt lol. I’m not mad at him, I’m just hoping I can find the spider. And yeah, I honestly don’t pay a ton of attention to it so I’m not sure of it’s exact size, but I do know it’s not a tiny one by any means.

I’ve searched the room the spider is in, (a small laundry room off of our kitchen) and haven’t yet seen it. But I’m hoping it’s just hiding somewhere.

 

[Brachyfan]

Hope you find the tarantula. I don't know your cat but I would monitor it for respiratory distress. It might have gotten haired.

Try putting a water dish out for the spider. And if you don't find it by night time then I would get a flashlight out, turn off the lights and look in corners and under stuff. I don't know if all tarantulas eyes glow under light but my P sazimai's certainly do. If nothing else they dislike bright light and may cause the t to scurry for cover They are usually more active at night.

 

[dangerforceidle]

Can you post a photo of the "moult" that you found in the substrate?

 

[chanda]

If it's a laundry room, lie down on the floor with your eyes as close to floor-level as possible, and shine a flashlight underneath the washer/dryer. It may be hiding under there. (Of course, getting it out if that's where it is will be no easy task, because moving the appliances would risk injuring the spider - your best bet would be probing with something soft like a Swiffer duster to try to coax is out.)

If the door connecting the laundry room to the kitchen was open at the time of the incident (which I imagine it was, since it seems unlikely you'd lock the cat in there) then pretty much your entire house needs to be searched - and despite being a "terrestrial" tarantula, the spider can climb, so it might not be found at floor level. It could easily climb up stairs, furniture, cupboards - or even walls or curtains. I've seen (wild) Aphonopelma like your husband's spider halfway up stucco exterior walls and wooden fences before - and even found one in a tree. It's not that they can't climb - just that they shouldn't climb because they aren't as good at it as arboreal species - and they can't handle falls nearly as well.

Check any place that's small and dark - inside shoes, underneath any items that are on the floor, behind or underneath beds, sofas, and other furniture and appliances, behind the trash can, in closets, on bookshelves behind or on top of the books. You can even (with your husband's help) gently flip over sofas and easy chairs or other furniture that's hollow inside to check if the spider crawled up inside. It does happen - we had a bat get into the house one time. It disappeared completely - but later turned up (dead) inside a recliner chair.

Good luck! I really hope it survived both the fall and the cat and is safely recovered!

 

[Ohgodno]

So I’ve been looking but so far nothing. he should be home in a few hours and we will continue the search! I just feel so awful for the poor little thing.

Can you post a photo of the "moult" that you found in the substrate?

Yes! One second!

Can you post a photo of the "moult" that you found in the substrate?

 

[Spaceman]

Does the “molt” have any meat on it or bones? A part of me thinks that’s the T.

 

[Ohgodno]

Does the “molt” have any meat on it or bones? A part of me thinks that’s the T.

No it’s hollow and crunchy

 

[aprilmayjunebugs]

There's a recent thread you should look for, titled Albo on the loose, that had some really good suggestions and they actually ended up finding it
That said, it blows my mind that you've lived in the same house as a tarantula for 7 years and don't know anything about it, lol.

 

[Ohgodno]

There's a recent thread you should look for, titled Albo on the loose, that had some really good suggestions and they actually ended up finding it
That said, it blows my mind that you've lived in the same house as a tarantula for 7 years and don't know anything about it, lol.

I’m not particularly fond of it at all, but he loves it & that’s what matters, so it lives here lol

There's a recent thread you should look for, titled Albo on the loose, that had some really good suggestions and they actually ended up finding it
That said, it blows my mind that you've lived in the same house as a tarantula for 7 years and don't know anything about it, lol.

Also, he had it 2 years before we moved in together and I was not about to tell him to get rid of it. So long as he knew I wasn’t going to mess with it lol

 

[Brachyfan]

Does the “molt” have any meat on it or bones? A part of me thinks that’s the T.

Thats what I was thinking at first too. But I would guess it's the molt cause a t that fell 5 ft would just pop and not go into a death curl. The cat might have caused a death curl but more than likely would eat or maim it. If the op says hollow and crunchy my money is on a molt!

 

[Ohgodno]

Thats what I was thinking at first too. But I would guess it's the molt cause a t that fell 5 ft would just pop and not go into a death curl. The cat might have caused a death curl but more than likely would eat or maim it. If the op says hollow and crunchy my money is on a molt!

Yeah the legs are hollow and the center is as well. And it’s pretty crunchy. I don’t know much about them, but i truly don’t think this is it. Lol

 

[aprilmayjunebugs]

Also, he had it 2 years before we moved in together and I was not about to tell him to get rid of it. So long as he knew I wasn’t going to mess with it lol

<3 now that's love for the record, it also blows my mind he has only one, lol. Nobody here has just one it seems. Accept me, but that is soon to change hopefully. Anyways, I hope that other thread helps!

 

[Ohgodno]

<3 now that's love for the record, it also blows my mind he has only one, lol. Nobody here has just one it seems. Accept me, but that is soon to change hopefully. Anyways, I hope that other thread helps!

He had 2, a rose something... but it was a lot older and died.

he also has a snake, and turtle, leopard geckos.. lol

and I have 5 dogs and my trouble causing cat. We don’t have room for much more lol