do avics die more easily than others?

[spiderworld]

I havnt hade a prob with my avics dieing! but i struggle to resell them here!
People say they dont want them because they die easy! i know that
they die because they dont keep them properly, but whats your guys
take on this?

 

[Londoner]

I'm not sure I buy into the whole SADS thing. There's always a reason for a T dying. I'd say that most times it's due to owners (unknowingly) doing something wrong in the set-up (humidity, ventilation etc).

I've raised Avics from slings to adulthood with no deaths. I just wet the sub every few days and make sure there are ventilation holes in the sides of the enclosure and at substrate level to allow for cross-ventilation. I think a lot of people restrict ventilation because they think it has to be really humid in the set-up which leads to stagnant air and mold problems.

Just my thoughts on the matter .

 

[CAK]

I have a bunch of avics and many slings. I have only had one die on me and it was kind of a freak thing. I really had no explanation other than a genetic misfire!

All my other ones do just fine! But I keep the vials and the substrate moist and feed once a week just like everything else and all mine are thriving.

What I don't understand are the people that DO lose spiderlings all the time! What is hard is trying to troubleshoot their issues over these forums....


but as for me, I haven't had many issues at all!


Joe - CAK

 

[spiderworld]

I'm not sure I buy into the whole SADS thing. There's always a reason for a T dying. I'd say that most times it's due to owners (unknowingly) doing something wrong in the set-up (humidity, ventilation etc).

I've raised Avics from slings to adulthood with no deaths. I just wet the sub every few days and make sure there are ventilation holes in the sides of the enclosure and at substrate level to allow for cross-ventilation. I think a lot of people restrict ventilation because they think it has to be really humid in the set-up which leads to stagnant air and mold problems.

Just my thoughts on the matter .

I agree with what you are saying! but whenever i have avics for sale a whole bunch of people say 'no thanx those guys die for nothing' and i have plenty people saying that all the time. but not with any other t's. thats why i wonder if they all dont keep them correctly or do they infact die easerly?
Ive herd of sudden death with avics! or is this silly?

 

[WARPIG]

I have many Avis, I have good luck rearing them and I don't see much difference between their mortality and those of any other slings.

I have noticed that not all slings are created equal, some will grow much quicker than others and some remain runts by comparison.

I currently have A versi, A minatrix, A biceogi, A versi slings and they all follow the same pattern. Not all slings are designed to make it.

My biggest frustration is having the runts refuse to eat. When this happens IME they almost always die. But the pct. of slings that die is small.

I have never had (thank goodness) a mass die-off of Avi slings.

Example, I had an A avi sac more than a yr ago, I kept 10, I still have 8 of those. Now some are huge while others look like second instar. They all eat once a week and get misted twice a week, no special care.

Now the two that died were tiny in relation to their sac mates and refused to eat when food was offered.

Hobbyists have to take into consideration that we as hobbyists are artificially inflating the number of Avis that would have made it in the wild. Most of the runts would never make it if not for our care. Even then, they may not and will not make it.

When the MYTH that Avis are hard to take care of takes hold, its tough to break.

My two cents and strictly my experience.

PIG-;P

 

[Londoner]

I agree with what you are saying! but whenever i have avics for sale a whole bunch of people say 'no thanx those guys die for nothing' and i have plenty people saying that all the time. but not with any other t's. thats why i wonder if they all dont keep them correctly or do they infact die easery?
Ive herd of sudden death with avics! or is this silly?

I think it's possibly one of those instances where something happens to a few hobbiests and gets passed around by word of mouth and the internet and is just accepted to be the case. Who knows? It would be interesting to know if the people who won't take the Avics off you have ever kept them before, or are just going by what they've heard.

 

[Skullptor]

When the MYTH that Avis are hard to take care of takes hold, its tough to break.

I agree it being a myth. I find that most of those who have avis that die, are relatively new to the hobby and most die from the same thing...improper keeping. Specifically, the ventilation of sling enclosures.

 

[spiderworld]

I agree it being a myth. I find that most of those who have avis that die, are relatively new to the hobby and most die from the same thing...improper keeping. Specifically, the ventilation of sling enclosures.

But then whats the explanation that i only hear this about avics? if they are just as easy to take care of as the rest ('no special treatment') that some of you say! and its from almost all levels of keepers.
Thats what makes me think that they do die more easerly, or sudden death?

 

[WARPIG]

But then whats the explanation that i only hear this about avics? if they are just as easy to take care of as the rest ('no special treatment') that some of you say! and its from almost all levels of keepers.
Thats what makes me think that they do die more easerly, or sudden death?

Then how do you explain your own success???

PIG-

 

[Londoner]

But then whats the explanation that i only hear this about avics? if they are just as easy to take care of as the rest ('no special treatment') that some of you say! and its from almost all levels of keepers.
Thats what makes me think that they do die more easerly, or sudden death?

Quite possibly because Avics tend to be a genus favored by novices along with Grammostola, Brachypelma and Aphonopelma. `seeing as Avics require more humidity than the other three, there's more chance of a newb getting the conditions wrong........a possible explanation?

Edit: This wouldn't apply to slings though, so maybe not lol.

 

[spiderworld]

Then how do you explain your own success???

PIG-

Very experienced! lol

But i myself have lost more avics than any other sp in particular!
not many but more so. even when kept properly

 

[BlackCat]

I've never lost an Avic, but I did have 2 close calls with my A. purpurea sling when she was about 2". Both times it happened after she had polished off a small meal worm. She had plenty of water and humidity, but I noticed her pacing her enclosure, even walking through the water dish and on the moist substrate but never stopped to take a drink... until she was in a full death curl and in an ICU (different than the standard paper towel set up).

It took about 15 mins for her to go from pacing to curled, and I suspect that she would have been gone within the next 30 after that.




I have seen in a lot of Jon3800's videos, he has mentioned that he has a lot of trouble keeping Avic slings alive. I wouldn't say that experience has anything to do with keeping them alive, as he is someone I would consider to be a very experienced T keeper.

 

[BrettG]

Never had any issues,and we have over 15 adults,and 200 slings at the moment.A few are going to die due to getting stuck in molts,etc,but they should NOT just drop dead like so many here think.Just follow any tutorials WARPIG has,and you should be fine.

 

[Redneck]

I only ever lost one.. It was an A. versicolor.. Since then I have had over 100 avics...

Back when I lost the avic.. I was only a month or so into the hobby.. I honestly think there had to be something I did.. Some kind of mistake I made.. But I dont remember for sure..

 

[kevin88]

When I first started I had a few avic slings and slings of many other T's. After only a month I lost the avic slings. I have never had a problem raising slings ever.....except for the avics. It was due to a ventilation/humidity issue. I keep my slings in vials with holes in the lid. Now I have some avics again, but I keep them in small hobby cubes with tons of holes on two opposite sides for cross ventilation. Seems to have solved my problems. Just my personal experience...

Kevin

 

[Arachnethegreek]

My very first t was A. Avic. I'm going to assume female because I got it at about the 2.5 inch mark and she lived to a ripe old age of four. People have issues with them not only because tropical arboreal habitat issues, but also because their lifespan is so much shorter than average (eg. A Rosie that lives 15-20 years)

 

[Ms.X]

I havnt hade a prob with my avics dieing! they die because they dont keep them properly

But i myself have lost more avics than any other sp in particular!
not many but more so. even when kept properly

Hmm, I smell a bit of a contradiction here. First you said that you haven't had any issues with Avicularia deaths. Then later, you say that you've lost more Avicularia than specimens from any other species (I assume you were referring to genera). So which is it? You haven't had problems with deaths from this genus, or have you?

Just based upon reading and personal experience, I believe S.A.D.S. (Sudden Avicularia Death Syndrome) to be a myth. I am quite sure that it is caused by problems with husbandry. I have lost a few of these guys in my time, but the fault was mine in one way or another.

I also would be very interested in exploring Londoner's hypothesis regarding this genus being favored by those that are new to the hobby and have more experience with the husbandry requirements of New World terrestrials. I never thought about it that way before, but I think this point is very valid.

I don't think that anyone selling members of this genus would have a difficult time moving their stock due to concerns of death among the potential buyers. There are plenty of people who are seeking to add these guys to their collections all of the time, and not worrying about the potential for S.A.D.S. It may be that it would be more difficult to sell some of the more commonly bred/available species, but that's just supply and demand...the same with all genera.

 

[NikiP]

I think there's a whole other factor to the avic death thing.

People have the notion they are hard to care for, so they worry. What do most people do when they worry? They mess with things.

Honestly I think most people that worry about their avics tend to mess with their enclosures more. Making sure they ate, making sure they are still moving, making sure they have plenty of misting, making sure they have plenty of holes, changing containers, etc.

I don't think that anyone selling members of this genus would have a difficult time moving their stock due to concerns of death among the potential buyers.

Maybe his supply & demand is different in his country?

 

[AudreyElizabeth]

I think there's a whole other factor to the avic death thing.

People have the notion they are hard to care for, so they worry. What do most people do when they worry? They mess with things.

Honestly I think most people that worry about their avics tend to mess with their enclosures more. Making sure they ate, making sure they are still moving, making sure they have plenty of misting, making sure they have plenty of holes, changing containers, etc.

I also think that this is a contributing factor.

 

[spiderworld]

Hmm, I smell a bit of a contradiction here. First you said that you haven't had any issues with Avicularia deaths. Then later, you say that you've lost more Avicularia than specimens from any other species (I assume you were referring to genera). So which is it? You haven't had problems with deaths from this genus, or have you?What im saying is, i havnt had as many deaths as most of my
clients have had with them. its prob at about the 30% mark of all avics i sell die!
If i for instance get 50 spiderlings of 5 diff genera, & i sell each one to a diff persone i know that im deff going to have a whole bunch of people call me
to say their t peged! i know this because its hapened without fail for years. but know calls about the other 4 sp. And even if i keep them for some time,
as ive done befor cause holding them back to get a little bigger. Hopping that when i sell them a little bigger i wont have as many come backs. I will even have a couple deaths(not as many as when i send them out) but i deff will have more deaths with them! even if its one or 2, but i have no deaths with any of the others. & yes i agree people take them home and fidgit with them, but they do that with other t's aswell! why dont the others die?
I deff would say avics die easier than any other genera.