I REALLY stressed out my Curly! (long)

[Damnathius]

Last night, I decided I would change the substrate in my Curly's enclosure from (I forget what it is) semi-coarse ground up bark/soil combo to straight peat moss.

After some gentle coaxing with my finger I was able to get her to climb the glass and go into a small pet carrier. She was pretty agitated at this point. I proceeded to replace the soil, and after getting it packed down a bit, placed her back in the enclosure.

From the start she wanted to have NOTHING to do with touching that soil! She was climbing the glass trying to get out, making her way all the way around seeking an exit. I thought that she would adjust to it.

A few hours later she was still on the glass, and getting to the point that she was having trouble holding her fat butt up. I noticed what looked like lots of clear liquid from her mouth at about the time she got one of her claws hooked on the screen top covering. She would slip, dangle, and grab on to the glass again and again.

I slid the lid a little bit and her claw came loose. I should have taken her out at that point, but I waited for about another hour to see if she would get used to the soil. Again, when I checked on her, she was up on the plexiglass divider that separates her half of the cage from my G. rosea, and again had one claw stuck on the screen lid. This time, I had to take some very fine pointed tweezers and unhook her claw. Her mouth was quite wet at this point, so I took her out of the cage and put her old dirt back in and replaced her clay pot hide.

Now, she didn't try to climb the glass, but I ended up coaxing her back into her hide, where a few minutes later she just "collapsed", resting her whole body on the floor of the cage like she was VERY tired. At this point I was feeling VERY bad about the whole situation, wondering why I didn't just leave well enough alone.

This morning, she was out of her hide, but appeared very lethargic. After getting home at noon I put in a cricket, which ended up on her carapace, and got no reaction. A gentle nudge showed that she was pretty stiff feeling, but a few more nudges and she moved a bit. I thought now that she was going to die.

At about 4:30, I found her moving around, grooming herself, and the cricket was gone! I put in another cricket, which she tried to catch, but her fat butt was too slow.

As I write this, she is munching on the second cricket.

Have I learned anything? I think so. I have noticed that the few times I have actually got her on my hand since December, that she simply didn't want to touch my skin, and would walk quickly across my hand as if it were lava. I think that the peat moss was too soft for her, like my hand, and that she just has a strong (obviously) dislike for such a sensation as stepping on soft turf.

Of course, any other ideas or experiences like this would be appreciated.

Bottom line is I feel a whole lot better that she is back to normal and didn't die!

Dave

 

[arachnopunks]

We have had these thing all happen before. First of all, a lot of tarantulas will react that way to new substrate. They put webbing down on it and when you change it they act weird until they have a chance to lay down some web. Did you moisten the peat?? Maybe it was too wet or too dry. Usually within a day or two, they get used to it and start laying some web.

We had an A. seemani that kept getting hooked on the screen lid. 2 things that helped. We raised the substrate to 6 inches and we also lined the inside of the perimeter of the screen with packing tape. You want the sticky side to face out, away from the tarantula so they don't get stuck on the tape. They can't grip the slick tape and therefore can't get to the screen in the middle.

I am sure your spider will be fine.


-Jill

 

[Damnathius]

Thanks for the reply Jill.

The peat was as moist as it comes from the bag. I used Schultz peat moss.

I like the idea of packing tape on the underside of the screen. Not that the spiders climb to the top and get stuck other than this time, I think I will implement it.

She is doing fine now, and is actually more active than before for some reason.

 

[TheDon]

I had the same prob with my A. Seemani she would climb the walls and hang off the lid with her fangs which didnt bother me too much because she would always get down just fine. But one morning I went in and her claw was stuck and she was struggling to get her feet back on the glass and she had water coming from her mouth. This i quickly reacted to and opened the tank helped her offand then she bolted out across the floor and up the clothes hamper. I had a small tupperware container to catch her in which i did quickly. Then I raised the substrate to about 2 - 3" from the lid so even if she did climb her feet would easily touch the ground. Ever since this she hasnt had any probs yet she still hangs from the lid with her fangs but way less often and she has dug her self quite the nice burrow. When I changed the substrate she wouldnt walk on it at all she would sit on her log until about a day or two then she started to web her burrow and dig alot more. And with my Rose she is the same way. I raised her substrate and she wouldnt walk on the peat until it dried. Just try raising the substrate so she cant get her claw stuck anymore and she will eventually get used to it and start her webbing. Good Luck with it

peace

TheDon