Help me save my P. subfusca and E. murinus!!!

[MrsHaas]

... so I received a package with nine tarantulas from my friend three days ago. We opened the box immediately, it was not left on our porch at any time and this package contained two adults, one Juvie and six slings. The two AFs were a P. subfusca lowland and an E. murinus. When we opened the package and pulled away the paper towels (which had dried out during the shipping I am sure), she seemed completely lifeless. Very limp and in a death curl:



We put her in an ICU just incase and low and behold she started moving - a teeny flick of a leg or a twitch from her spinnerets. We immediately put her on her back in the ICU and are dripping water into her mouth every few hours. We do see her mouth open and fangs move. We now have her resting in a dark, warm, quiet place. Hoping she'll pull thru!

Next, we open the E. murinus. I saw a picture of her being packed:


So I figured I was going to unpack a fiesty fang-flashing flurry! But she barely moved either as we unpacked her. She wasn't in a death curl and I knew she was alive but she seemed almost daze and shell shocked from the trip I would imagine. It's been three days I believe and she still hasn't recovered, she is also in an ICU along side the subfusca. I put a large dish of water in the E. murinus' ICU and coaxed her finally onto the water dish so she could drink. I came back an hour later to check on her and she has slid down off the side of the water bowl and was resting there, with her mouth out of the water. And her limbs seemed almost stiff tho she was clearly alive and moving them slightly. But no attitude, little movement, and possibly not drinking.

So far I haven't see any progress in either tarantula since I recieved them 3 days ago.

Please, someone, can u give me advice on how to save these beautiful girls? I really hope they make it!!

Thanks in advanced!!

 

[MrsHaas]

Should I flip over the murinus and try to hydrate her in the same way as the subfusca?

 

[Tarantula20]

Because of the fact that we know so little about tarantula medical care all you can really do is keep them in their ICU's make sure there water dishes full and make and keep the paper towels damp. Besides that you just have to cross your fingers be patient and hope.

Could they have been exposed to any chemicals that you know of?

I don't think I have enough experience to give a good answer to your question about flipping her over but im pretty sure the general consensus in these situations is to leave them alone

 

[cold blood]

Any time I have a t in that condition, the first thing would be to administer water droplets at the base of the fangs.

Good luck.

 

[MrsHaas]

Any time I have a t in that condition, the first thing would be to administer water droplets at the base of the fangs.

Good luck.

Do does that mean I should flip the murinus on her back and drop water in her mouth too? That's how I'm hydrating my subfusca.

 

[viper69]

Do does that mean I should flip the murinus on her back and drop water in her mouth too? That's how I'm hydrating my subfusca.

Yes, and that's all you can do- hope for the best.

Have you contacted the seller, you may need to be reimbursed.

I don't think the seller had much experience shipping Ts, or shipping Ts to a dry and hot area.

Do you know if the shipper checked what the weather forecast was supposed to be across the USA for the shipment?

 

[MrsHaas]

Yes, and that's all you can do- hope for the best.

Have you contacted the seller, you may need to be reimbursed.

I don't think the seller had much experience shipping Ts, or shipping Ts to a dry and hot area.

Do you know if the shipper checked what the weather forecast was supposed to be across the USA for the shipment?

I will get in contact with her. And yes it was her first time shipping. I don't blame her, she did her best. If the sub and/or murinus dies she will reimburse me I'm sure. But for the mean time I'm just trying to keep these guys stable!
I will flip the murinus on it's back. Once it is healthy again it should be able to flip back over on its own, right?

 

[Trenor]

I will flip the murinus on it's back. Once it is healthy again it should be able to flip back over on its own, right?

Yes, if it gets better it'll flip back over on it's own. Good luck.

 

[Kymura]

Posting to follow- hoping for the best for these guys

 

[Storm76]

Hope they'll pull through! Best of luck, they're both great species to have in a collection!

 

[Sana]

How are they doing?

 

[MrsHaas]

No progress.
Sub:

Murinus:


Sub is still drinking but curled. Murinus still had the same bubble of water on her mouth from last night so she hasn't drank, but I ever so lightly blew on her to see if she was responsive and I got an upside down, weak, semi-threat pose(u can see her fangs spread wide in the picture if u zoom in - the pic is crappy and dark sorry).

The waiting game continues...

 

[Sana]

It looks to me like they are both a little less curled then in the first pictures. Could be my imagination but if they are that would certainly be labelled as progress. You've got this girl, you're an amazing mom to all of your critters (especially the one with two legs). There isn't anyone out there that can do better by them.

 

[Poec54]

There's info & videos on line how to pack & ship tarantulas. There's no reason for yours to have come in that condition. That's not 'doing her best.'

 

[MrsHaas]

It looks to me like they are both a little less curled then in the first pictures. Could be my imagination but if they are that would certainly be labelled as progress. You've got this girl, you're an amazing mom to all of your critters (especially the one with two legs). There isn't anyone out there that can do better by them.

Awe thanks lady.

So I'm considering trying to give them both some "cricket soup" if it would help...

Can anyone tell me the best way to make/administer this or another/better form of nutrition?

I am not sure if it will help or if it's the right thing to do in this position, but I am willing to try everything I can!

All suggestions and advice would be warmly welcomed!!

 

[viper69]

Awe thanks lady.

So I'm considering trying to give them both some "cricket soup" if it would help...

Can anyone tell me the best way to make/administer this or another/better form of nutrition?

I am not sure if it will help or if it's the right thing to do in this position, but I am willing to try everything I can!

All suggestions and advice would be warmly welcomed!!

No one knows for sure what's up w/your Ts. So any suggestions are just guess work/worked for me type stuff.

I doubt it would help because they weren't taking in water, and insect goo is more viscous than water obviously.

Take some superworms, cut them in half, and push out their insides like toothpaste, apply to Ts mouth. OR dilute that w/water and then apply.

Do you think they are alive? At this point, I would think they are dead.

If that murinus is an adult female, it looks too thin to have been shipped personally.

 

[louise f]

Sorry to hear that <3 i hope they pull through

 

[MrsHaas]

No one knows for sure what's up w/your Ts. So any suggestions are just guess work/worked for me type stuff.

I doubt it would help because they weren't taking in water, and insect goo is more viscous than water obviously.

Take some superworms, cut them in half, and push out their insides like toothpaste, apply to Ts mouth. OR dilute that w/water and then apply.

Do you think they are alive? At this point, I would think they are dead.

If that murinus is an adult female, it looks too thin to have been shipped personally.

Well, they are not dead BC they are moving. And more than just twitches.

The sub is acting the same as most Ts do right after a molt (minus the teeth cleaning): laying on her back, clearly exhausted, legs bent in towards the abdomen, but not in a death curl. She moves her legs and does drink - I can see her mouth opening and closing and her fangs moving about when I drip water for her.

The murinus (who is indeed an adult female) is also moving, just not seeming to want to drink the droplets of water I've dripped onto her mouth. Her fangs do move and she bared them widely on the few occasions I've blown lightly on her to see if she was still kickin.

I have videos of their movement but for some reason the files are not comparable or are too large to attach.

I'm just really not sure what to do next... I feel like I'm doing all I can do (besides the cricket soup which I may try for the sub since she is drinking and her mouth parts are moving and seem capable of receiving hydration/nutrients). However I have never made or given a T "cricket soup" so if someone out there knows how to do it, please share!

I've never had to deal with anything like this before so if anyone with experience has info to share, I'm all ears.

 

[viper69]

Well, they are not dead BC they are moving. And more than just twitches.

The sub is acting the same as most Ts do right after a molt (minus the teeth cleaning): laying on her back, clearly exhausted, legs bent in towards the abdomen, but not in a death curl. She moves her legs and does drink - I can see her mouth opening and closing and her fangs moving about when I drip water for her.

The murinus (who is indeed an adult female) is also moving, just not seeming to want to drink the droplets of water I've dripped onto her mouth. Her fangs do move and she bared them widely on the few occasions I've blown lightly on her to see if she was still kickin.

I have videos of their movement but for some reason the files are not comparable or are too large to attach.

I'm just really not sure what to do next... I feel like I'm doing all I can do (besides the cricket soup which I may try for the sub since she is drinking and her mouth parts are moving and seem capable of receiving hydration/nutrients). However I have never made or given a T "cricket soup" so if someone out there knows how to do it, please share!

I've never had to deal with anything like this before so if anyone with experience has info to share, I'm all ears.

Oh they are moving? That's good, hard to tell in a picture

The vids would be moderately helpful. I've had a few Ts that "moved" only to die later, and others that didn't move only to come back to life, right as rain. It's a real crap shoot.

Well, the instructions for a superworm soup I provided already. So give it a go and let us know!

The last thing you MAY want to try, but I cannot in anyway tell you if it will help or harm your T is instead of water add some Pedialyte. It's used sometimes to bring back tropical reptiles back to life that have been subjected to heat stress.

I would go with superworm/insect goo over Pedialyte myself.

 

[Crone Returns]

What an absolue disaster. You're to be conmended with all the hard work you're doing. Don't give up.

And kick your friend's butt.