Dead Crawshayi

belewfripp

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
344
I'm a moron. I have been extremely busy lately, working a new job and helping my wife out at her job at night, not having much free time and in general being pretty tired. I usually feed and water my Ts once a week but recently it had been two weeks since I'd done so due to my vanishing time to do anything. This situation has occurred 2 or 3 times in the past so I wasn't unduly alarmed, as my Ts are either tolerant of xeric conditions or have nice deep burrows to retreat into and seal up to keep moisture loss to a minimum. Unfortunately for me, one of my baby C. crawshayi had stopped utilizing its burrow and with the heat going most of the day and my schedule keeping me from getting to the Ts until yesterday, it was only a matter of time before it croaked.


The worst part is, Friday afternoon I quick looked in at some of my more fragile Ts and this particular crawshayi was walking around and looked fine. So I said to myself, Saturday when I pick up the crickets and the snake food, I'll get these guys fed and watered. Unfortunately, the spider apparently was in less good shape than he/she appeared and I found it curled up last night. I tried to rehydrate it, and have had it prosoma-down in a shallow water dish all night, but I'm not seeing any signs of improvement.


On top of that, one of my P. chordatus is dying from some kind of poisoning. I wash my hands like a madman before doing anything with my Ts and am at a loss to explain it. My only conjectures are that a cricket contaminated with something may have been fed to the spider a few weeks ago or that something got into the lid or bottle part of the gatorade bottles I use for watering. The thrashing and contortions and spastic activity are clearly evident, though. I moved the spider to a new tank, with new water dish and new substrate in a different room, just in case, but I think its too late. I feel like an utter idiot and feel awful for those two Ts.


Adrian
 

Tarantula Lover

Psalmopoeus Lover
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 21, 2002
Messages
1,373
hey

i am sorry to hear about your baby sling! It was not your fault, hope you feel better!

James
 

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 17, 2002
Messages
3,952
I'm sorry for your losses...that really sucks.
Here's something to let you know other people do idiotic things too.
I am T sitting 5 tarautulas for someone. Night before last, the H maculata adult female escaped. I hadn't put the lid on properly after feeding her. So far, no sign of her anywhere.
It would be bad enough if it was my own, but this person entrusted her Ts to me....
I emailed her immediately, she was really nice about it, and told me that she had escaped before, and gave some tips about possibly catching her.
I still feel crappy though :(
 

Devildoll

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
267
i'm sure it wasn't your fault buddy...

a C. crawshayi should have been able to go 2 weeks... they are usually pretty hardy....

i know it was a sling, but still..... it could have been anything.
 

Gillian

Arachnoblessed
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
1,123
Adrian,
:( I'm so sorry..I was just writing to a friend of mine, about my dead Desert Yellow millie; for me, at least, its a Hell of alot easier to find them esacaped or, have them go off and die like cats do, rather than find them dead...At any rate..I'm sorry..
Peace,
Gillian
 

belewfripp

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
344
Thanks for the kind words, folks.

Immortal: Hope you find that maculata, the only one I had escaped and I didn't find it until it had been long dead. Hopefully yours will turn up.

Devildoll: I forgot to mention this, but for a few of the Ts it had been about 7-8 days only, my younger blondi and the other slings get a look-in and water through the top of the tank if it is going too long, but it had been 2 weeks since it had a proper watering and feeding. Thanks for letting me know it should have been able to make it, maybe it wasn't my fault after all.

Gillian: Sorry to hear about your millipede, was it sick or just die from old age?

Adrian
 

Gillian

Arachnoblessed
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
1,123
Adrian,
I'm not sure. I bought 3 adults and, 2 babies, together. When they got here, this one was not as active as the other 2 adults. I shouldn't have had them send regular 4 day mail, more than likely. I just found it dead. No warning, nothing...
Peace,
Gillian
 
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