Dead/dying Rosie - what happened? :[

[Nymphenee]

I work at a local pet store and unfortunately my bosses haven't been taking very good care of his Ts. They're great when it comes to everything else but they've proven many times to be clueless with Ts. (My boss, also the owner of the store, actually thought that it would take a year for my .5" B. emilia to mature and he's convinced males live just as long as females. ) I finally convinced the owner to let me change the substrate and add water dishes, but I may have been too late for one guy. I found him in a death curl.

Things to note about his condition:

-He looked like he was due for a molt (bald spot)
-Moist, bark substrate
-Many dead crickets surrounding him - possibly stressed out?
-No water dish - dehydration? (Further supported by the fact that all the other Ts rushed to their water dishes as soon as I put them in there.)
-Very, very tiny abdomen (but not bumpy, so maybe not dehydration?)
-The T is probably about 4", so it's by no means an adult.
-He barely moved.
-There are two very small white kind of scabby things on him - one by his mouth and the other on his abdomen.

I immediately moved him into an ICU and told my (other) boss I was taking him home to try and revive him. My boss was surprised saying that he was just due for a molt and it was nothing to worry about. That previous night I had just witnessed my B. emilia's molt from beginning to end (missed the flip though) and he certainly acted or looked nothing like that. Before he molted, he also never acted or looked like that. So I tell my boss that it's probably dehydration and convince him to let me bring it home.

I moved him into a better ICU (the other was a makeshift) and pipetted some water into his mouth and let the shower run for a bit to increase the heat and humidity in there. He responded well to this and was moving more (like legs curling/uncurling a bit). I eventually moved him into a warm, dark spot. I left him alone overnight and gave him some more pipetted water in the morning, where he was unresponsive.

His abdomen is currently very squishy and he hasn't moved at all. His legs, which were still movable at one point are now completely stiff. He doesn't smell yet, but he's probably dead or on the way out.

So, I'm distraught right now and I'm trying to figure out what happened. The condition he was kept in was absolutely dismal and I can think of quite a few reasons as to how that could have caused his condition. However, I still feel like it's my fault entirely. I feel like my boss was right and maybe he was just acting oddly because of premolt and maybe he was so close that my bothering him killed him. But does a healthy tarantula go into a death curl (and it was definitely a death curl - his legs were tucked under him) before a molt? I've heard brachy's can become lethargic, so could this apply to Rosies as well? If he wasn't super close to a molt and I handled/annoyed him during premolt, would that cause serious issues? (death)

I hope you guys could tell me what you think happened. This was my first time dealing with a death curl. I want to know if I overreacted, causing his death, or if I was doing the right thing but it was just too late.

edit: just saw this thread, and "my" Rosie 1) didn't have molting mat 2) it was definitely not cleaning itself. Just thought that might be necessary info

 

[Mack&Cass]

Do you happen to have a picture? From the sounds of it, you did the right thing, however you were just too late. During premolt, T's do act a bit more lethargic, but do not curl. You said that he had a bald spot, was it dark? If it was, then he was probably in premolt, but if it was still light then chances are good that he had yet to enter the premolt period, or was in very early premolt. Keep us updated, and if you can upload some pictures, that would be great...especially of the areas where you say there are "scabby things".

Cass

 

[Xian]

Hey, First of all. You did all the right things here.

As you stated, you saw that the T's were not being kept anywhere close to proper conditions. You can't take advice from the pet store owner or the other guy, as far as the T molting. You didn't cause the death. If the T is indeed dead, you were just too late on the scene.

I would try and pour water in it's mouth, and repeat every couple of hours, until you are sure it is dead or alive, one or the other.

Kudos on getting all the others proper substrate and water bowls.

Of course the Brachy will not mature in a year, and we all know that males don't live as long as the females, but the owner would say that just to be able to sell the males at full price to the unsuspecting first-time buyers.

I am personally dealing with a pet store aquired rosea, red color phase, that is in terrible condition!!!! It has been in an ICU for two days. It was in a death curl, but would still slightly move when I blow on it. It actually stood up today, after being curled for two days. But I still don't know how it's going to turn out?????

You did the right things in this case.

 

[Nymphenee]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it.

Here's some pictures, Cass:

Him curled up

His rump, I don't know how dark "dark" is for Rosies, since I'm used to my B. emilia having jet black spots.

The spot by his mouth.

The one on the underside of his abdomen.(Above the spinnerets.)

Xian, first of all I hope your guy turns out all right!

And I don't think my bosses say that in order to sell more. They really do care for their animals and always let the buyer know what they're getting into, I believe it's just that they've been misinformed.

I'm going to keep giving him water and maybe he'll improve, it hasn't even been a day yet.

 

[Xian]

Do your best, that's all you can do.

I was generalizing when speaking of pet store owners. It should be pretty easy for you to bring them up to speed on keeping T's then.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Nymphenee]

They've been receptive to my information so far so hopefully things will be good.

And thanks!

 

[Xian]

They've been receptive to my information so far so hopefully things will be good.

And thanks!

You are more than welcome!
And Thanks For Making A Difference At The Pet Store!

 

[arachnoobie]

awe that rosie was so much fuzzier and cuter then mine