GBB sling. Is he sick?

[MandyBuz]

I have had my GBB for over a year and he’s still small as I o Ly feed my slings once to twice a week as that’s all they usually want.
I don’t keep a water dish but rather lightly spray and put droplets on the web.

I noticed last night that my GBB was at the bottom of its terrarium (still in a small one) which is usually not there it’s usually up in its web at the top and I noticed that the live small cricket that I put in with it was just crawling over it and it would move and flinch a little but eventually I got the cricket out and I moistened the bottom of the substrate around where the tarantula is in case it’s dealing with dehydration.
I also moved it to my bathroom in my water closet at the top and turned the heat on to about 72 because I keep it colder in my space to see if that would help.
This is a very typically flinchy and fast along but he’s not moving much.
He usually molds up in his web. So I don’t know what’s going on his abdomen is bigger like he’s going to know that I’m noticing that he is just not moving and it looks like on one side he’s slightly starting to curl his legs and I’m getting worried.
Am attaching photos.
What are your thoughts?
I usually keep all my spiders in just regular terrarium type containers just fine watering them about once a week and they’re kept in my closet which is a large walk-in closet on a shelf. I have not move them anytime recently they’ve been in there since this summer so for over three or four months.
Do I need to rehouse or leave alone and keep hydrated and warm. I don’t know how to ICU.

Thank you,
Mandy

 

[Tarantulafeets]

Gbbs prefer it dry, so I would stop spraying and add a small waterdish. A bottlecap will do.

 

[MandyBuz]

Yes I’ve always kept it dry other then a slight bit of water in the webbing for the spider. I just moistened it recently at the bottom in case he was dehydrated.

 

[coolnweird]

I really suggest adding a water dish! If your T is indeed dehydrated, a clear, unobstructed source of water will allow it to recover more quickly than damp sub will

 

[viper69]

They live in very xeric conditions

plump abdomen though

hard to say what’s going

ICU- bad!

 

[Spoodfood]

Rehouse into something dry with a water bottle cap water dish. Put it in something with more ventilation as well. In all honesty, it’s probably getting ready to molt. That’s probably one of the fattest slings I’ve ever seen.

 

[cold blood]

Aside from the moving it to the bathroom (never do this), you are doing fine. Humidity isn't something you should even be thinking of and temps just need to be 70f...nights can get a little cooler, but with young ts, its generally best to keep them at that 70f minimum. Heating can be done, but it needs to be done properly. Heating an entire room or area is usually best, other methods can work, but heat sources should never be in direct contact with the t enclosure, but there are many options available that can work.

 

[MandyBuz]

I moved him to ICU. Picked him up gently and no movement. He is soft and I think his spinnerets moved done but no movement at all. He’s always moved a lot and been flinchy.
No full curl just looked like the photos. I’m very sad about this.

 

[darkness975]

I moved him to ICU

Please never do this. It does not help but rather it makes things worse.

 

[MandyBuz]

What else is there to do? I’ve seen others do it safely. But he’s not moving and was just limp.

 

[MandyBuz]

I open the ICU and it smelled so bad. I just put it together lastnight. The spider is not moving and not curled.

 

[Neonblizzard]

What else is there to do? I’ve seen others do it safely. But he’s not moving and was just limp.

ICU's are an outdated dangerous means of attempting to rehydrate a tarantula, you can achieve the same thing by flipping the T over, using a pipette to drip a drop of water onto their mouth parts, and repeating the process if the T takes the water in.

This is easier if they are bigger, but you can also dip the tarantulas face into a water dish leaving the abdomen out and doing it that way.

Putting your T on wet paper towels will only run the risk of causing the T to not be able to breath while doing little to rehydrate the T

 

[Neonblizzard]

I open the ICU and it smelled so bad. I just put it together lastnight. The spider is not moving and not curled.

If it smells in the ICU It's safe to say they are dead sorry.