Yesterday I ventured into a pet store and, as always, found myself by the tarantulas. 4 albo's, nothing unusual, THEN I saw the juvenile Ephebopus Uataman. Immediately bought it. Got it home, and BOY she is in rough shape. Severely shrunken abdomen, missing a leg, definitely been through the wringer. Have her set up on lots of damn substrate, starter burrow, everything I could. She won't burrow, just sits in the corner in a stress curl. Any advice or experience would be GREATLY appreciated to keep her alive and happy. I will be very upset if I lose her.
E. Uataman in rough shape
- Thread starter speedykat
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KaroKoenig
Arachnobaron
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Love that typo. Got a water dish? Also,you sure it's a she, and not a ruffled old male? Photos would be helpful.
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Was this a pet store rescue?
All you can do is attempt to make sure it’s hydrated, and wait it out.
All you can do is attempt to make sure it’s hydrated, and wait it out.
My bad lol didn't mean to curse. Pretty small, I don't think it's an adult yet. Best pic I can get since he/she won't move. I don't want to provoke a teleporter lol.
Yes, pet store rescue. Had the poor thing under heat lamps, no substrate at all, and a dry sponge.
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I normally don't purchase from pet stores, but...a few months ago I had stopped to pick up supplies for a few of my other pets. They had a Ephebopus Uatuman marked down. She was missing a leg, pedipalp, and she was stressed. I talked them down, took her home and placed her in an appropriate enclosure. It took her over a month to settle in. She finally created a burrow, started taking food and started to act like a "normal" Ephebopus. She molted a couple of weeks ago and looks great. So anyway, in time she should settle in.
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Good luck! The only advice- never buy a sub-standard product. It only tells the owner what they do is ok
I know... but I couldn't just walk away. Would have eaten me up inside to leave the poor baby like that.
I will say my other 2 T's are pet store rescues. A. Seemani and T. Albopilosum. The Seemani is doing fantastic and the Albo is a psycho, but healthy. I've never seen such a defensive Albo in my life. Threat postures, tapping, bit my tongs, and flicks hair so much it's now bald!
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That’s what they all say. Unfortunately that’s the small picture.
Maybe you save one- but your purchase directly contributes to the likely death, and certainly their current crappy husbandry behavior based on what I wrote above. You’re an enabler really, despite good intentions.
So in the big picture, from my point of view, you may win the battle not the war, but you’re helping the enemy. And that’s not good IMO.
How did this happen? Specifically how did tongs come in proximity so that a T could bite them. That’s how a T can die of starvation.
Good way to put it. I definitely see what you're saying. I did give the guy working there a hell of a lecture for the condition of the spider. Also got the price down to 40 instead of the 60 they were asking. Either way, I saved a life so that makes it worth it to me.
I dropped in a superworm, it started burrowing immediately, and I went to retrieve it. T darted over and grabbed my tongs. Believe me, I checked immediately to make sure she's not hurt and now crush the superworm's heads so that doesn't happen again.
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I agree with Viper. She was only $5, but makes me just as culpable. Other then her, I now only purchase from small time breeders, and avoid buying from imports.
I'm always in pet stores since I have other animals to feed and care for. But I certainly am going to start getting my T's from a good breeder. Trying to decide on Fear Not or Jamie's Tarantulas. Any one have any experience with Michigan Arachnids? I live in Michigan and could just drive to pick them up.
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Never used Michigan never heard of them
I’ve used all the big names, AND don’t forget the classifieds here. Plenty of board members actually supply the big name T vendors
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Michigan Arachnids no. But he does post on here once in awhile. There are alot of excellent sellers in the classifieds. Always check reviews before buying, and steer clear of places such as Backwater, Strictly, and a few others I'm drawing a blank on. Fear Not is good place as well.
The Grym Reaper
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That's normal for a newly housed fossorial, they tend to take longer to settle in to new enclosures than other species so it could be several weeks until it actually burrows.
Thanks! This is my first fossorial, so that helps reassure me a bit!
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I have an Ephebopus uatuman that's around 5 inches dls now. When I first received her, she was in pretty poor condition. She came from a reliable seller, by all accounts, but sometimes things happen in shipping. After a day or two she looked much better, but still just huddled in a tight little ball in a corner. She wouldn't eat crickets or roaches, but after a week or so she accepted a few large mealworms I left overnight with their heads crushed.
After 3 or 4 weeks, I woke up one morning to find a bunch of webbing surrounding the starter burrow I had made for her. Most of the substrate had been piled into her water dish, of course. Since then she's been fantastic. She spends most days in her burrow, but often comes out at night for a stroll, or to fill her water dish with substrate. It's fun to watch her hunt her prey, and she had definitely surprised me a couple of times with how fast she can be.
Keep the substrate deep and slightly moist, include a few decorations for your little friend to hide behind or under until they feel up to making a burrow, keep the water dish clean and full, and otherwise just be patient. From my experience, though I'm far from an expert, they can take a little time to settle in.
After 3 or 4 weeks, I woke up one morning to find a bunch of webbing surrounding the starter burrow I had made for her. Most of the substrate had been piled into her water dish, of course. Since then she's been fantastic. She spends most days in her burrow, but often comes out at night for a stroll, or to fill her water dish with substrate. It's fun to watch her hunt her prey, and she had definitely surprised me a couple of times with how fast she can be.
Keep the substrate deep and slightly moist, include a few decorations for your little friend to hide behind or under until they feel up to making a burrow, keep the water dish clean and full, and otherwise just be patient. From my experience, though I'm far from an expert, they can take a little time to settle in.
Thank you! That's definitely reassuring and helpful!!
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<Admin Note:>
User experiences with sellers can be found in the Reviews section of the site. If a user has a completed experience to share about a recent transaction with a seller, they should be posting it in the corresponding review item. Each of the vendors that you mentioned has a review item where you can research users' experiences with them:
Fear Not Tarantulas
arachnoboards.com
Jamie's Tarantulas
arachnoboards.com
Regards,
MrD