greenbottle help!!!

[TheWidowsPeak]

ok when I got home from work my greenbottle was on its back... well its been an hour since then and there has been no movement whatso ever... do you guys think it is dead... I poked one of its legs and there was no response... I can see where the back has unhinged but the spider hasn't started to come out yet... can some one please help... oh yeah and I sprayed down the webbing on the other side of the container to raise the humidity a bit...

 

[rosehaired1979]

If its not molting I would say it is dead if there is no movement at all sorry about that. Course I could be wrong.

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

ok sorry about the false alrm it has started wigglin' and will probably finish within the hour Ill post some pics here in a few

 

[deifiler]

Erkk! Don't poke moulting spiders!!

Just the other day my little (1.5inch legspan before it moulted) E.achypus was in the same position; back split open. Anyway, it took a further four or five hours for the little thign to emerge fully.

 

[rosehaired1979]

Well I hope the molt is successful and your not the only one to think when a spider is on its back you think its dead my husband has done that before to.

 

[Cooper]

sometimes Ts can take a day to start coming out, it is probably pumping hemolymph to all joints to help make it comeout....(not sure on this, heard on diff thread)

 

[defour]

A T on its back is almost never dead, and if the legs are splayed then there's no need to do anything but wait. If it IS dead, it'll still be dead tomorrow, after all. In any case, poking it only serves to satisfy the keeper's curiosity, and does nothing for the spider. The tarantula lives by its own schedule. This is why I usually don't watch my spiders molt; it stresses me out. I keep thinking it's taking too long and that there must be a problem. The only times I would mess with a molting T are if no progress had been made for a LONG time (which is a sticky judgement call) or if it's upright. I made the mistake of not turning one over once, and I wont do that again. I don't know if it would have made everything better, but it couldn't have hurt.

If T's are smarter than we think and get poked while molting too often, they may start banging on the bathroom door when they think we've been in there too long. I would go into my recommendations on the proper intervention in those cases, but that's a post for TWH.

Steve

 

[RugbyDave]

14 hours for a 4" male G.rosea a couple months ago.

Ya just gotta let em go and do their thing. Steve said it best with "they'll still be dead tomorrow".

This is going to sound sarcastic, but i'm calling for a sticky on Molting.

It should be titled:

"IF YOUR T IS ON ITS BACK, ITS NOT DEAD"
and then a couple of bullets about molting procedures.




personally, i've only read of 2 or 3 cases of them dying on their backs. And even then, its usually been molting related, although there was one report i read on MNHerp (i think) about a non molting T dying on its back... i'll have to dig for that one.

when they die, they usually curl their legs up underneath. The death curl is obvious. they just look dead

peace
dave

 

[Phillip]

agreed...

As has already been said Ts don't die on their back unless hung up in a molt. When you see one on it's back simply raise the humidity if needed by misting the side away from it or topping of the water dish and wetting the substrate on the far side. And leave it alone. Disturbing one in mid molt is never a good thing.

Phil

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

well I know that a T on its back is not normally dead...but I have seen a rosehair flip over and unhinge its back and die and never get any progress. so it just looked like it was molting but after 24 hours I was positive it was dead that is why I was worried. but it emerged fully and every thing ids fine.

 

[RugbyDave]

there you go then!

peace
dave

 

[Sean]

i had a parahybana take 6 hours that was the longest i just misted the tank alittle and i think that helped

 

[LPacker79]

One of my G. roseas was on her back for 12 hours before her carapace even popped. At the time I was completely freaked out as it was the firs time any of my T's had molted.
I don't think anything surprises me anymore!

 

[vulpina]

Hopefully everything turns out well, I agree with everyone I'd let it set 24 hours before touching the spider, if it is dead it will still be dead and if it is just molting slow you don't risk harming the T.

Andy