Is my T dead?

Sageweast

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
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8
Hi guys, I'm brand new to the site so stick with me. My red flame dwarf is starting to death curl (I think) but she looks /acts different than the threads I have been reading. I got her 3 and a half years ago and she's never molted which means she is most likely mature (I think) but she has tried to molt before and been unsuccessful. She has turned on her back and been there for 2 days and then flipped back over and never molted. She has not had hair on her abdomen for a while now and it has always been kind of a light brown color. I held her and fed her 3 days ago and the next day she was in a weird spot in her cage and her rear was black and her legs were curled a bit. I'm really scared that she might be dead but if she is molting I don't want to move her and end up killing her. She's really special to me and I got her when I was 14. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I'll try an attach a picture of her.. She has been like this for 2 days now. Please help!!!
 

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14pokies

Arachnoprince
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Man it looks like her abdomen ruptured near the spinnerettes... I hope I'm just seeing things..

Did she fall or something?
 

Sageweast

Arachnopeon
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Aug 29, 2016
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Man it looks like her abdomen ruptured near the spinnerettes... I hope I'm just seeing things..

Did she fall or something?
Not that I know of..... She's not much of a climber either but it's possible.. What does that mean for her? Is that repairable?
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
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From what I can see she is gone.. I'm sorry.. Take a closer pic of her abdomen.. Mainly what looks like a pinkish area to me anyways by the spinnerettes...
 

DeanK

Arachnosquire
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81
Has she access to a water dish? The abdomen looks to be shriveling to me. Not molting for 3 years seems odd to me
 

Sageweast

Arachnopeon
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Has she access to a water dish? The abdomen looks to be shriveling to me. Not molting for 3 years seems odd to me
Yes she has a water dish that has water in it 24 7 and I've noticed her abdomen looking kind of shriveled in the past before too and I actually had to put her in the icu twice before so that she would drink.. Thank you for your comment!!
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
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Yea no problem.. I'm really sorry but I'm thinking that area opened up from decomposition.. Where I am is crazy right now so I'm having a hard time makeing heads or tales of what I'm seeing but it's not good either way..

I'm really sorry for your loss.
 

Sageweast

Arachnopeon
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Aug 29, 2016
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Yea no problem.. I'm really sorry but I'm thinking that area opened up from decomposition.. Where I am is crazy right now so I'm having a hard time makeing heads or tales of what I'm seeing but it's not good either way..

I'm really sorry for your loss.
Is it best to remove her? And thank you, you've been very helpful. I bet she's up in heaven eating all the meal worms she can imagine.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
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Apr 8, 2016
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Your Euathlus sp. yellow seems to have suffered a very bad moult. It would seem. I am saying this because you said she would flip on her back then flip back over. It looks like it has failed to pop its exo on the abdomen and has suffered damage around that area (near important internal organs)

Seing as you say it had not moulted in 3 years it would seem this is a fairly old specimen and probably had a failed moult because of old age.

I don't see any way back from this. Sorry for your loss. :(
 

Sageweast

Arachnopeon
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Aug 29, 2016
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Your Euathlus sp. yellow seems to have suffered a very bad moult. It would seem. I am saying this because you said she would flip on her back then flip back over. It looks like it has failed to pop its exo on the abdomen and has suffered damage around that area (near important internal organs)

Seing as you say it had not moulted in 3 years it would seem this is a fairly old specimen and probably had a failed moult because of old age.

I don't see any way back from this. Sorry for your loss. :(
Thank you for your comment.. Is there anything I can do to help this not happen to my 5 other Ts?
 

Sageweast

Arachnopeon
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Also, is there a reason her legs aren't curled as much as others? I've seen pictures of Ts in a death curl and was holding on hope for my baby because her legs didn't look quite like that..
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
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Thank you for your comment.. Is there anything I can do to help this not happen to my 5 other Ts?
It happens to every T that makes it to that age, I'm afraid. If its 3 years between moults for a species such as Euathlus sp. yellow, then it would indicate being between 15-20 years old. These are slow growing long lived species. Some species don't make it that far.

The more I look at your T and how shiny the limbs are around abdomen, the more I believe it to be bad moult.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
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It happens to every T that makes it to that age, I'm afraid. If its 3 years between moults for a species such as Euathlus sp. yellow, then it would indicate being between 15-20 years old. These are slow growing long lived species. Some species don't make it that far.
For example My Grammostola porteri is 11 years old nearly. It is a long lived, slow growing species and she moults roughly every 18 months. This time in between moults gets longer the older a T gets.
 

Sageweast

Arachnopeon
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Aug 29, 2016
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It happens to every T that makes it to that age, I'm afraid. If its 3 years between moults for a species such as Euathlus sp. yellow, then it would indicate being between 15-20 years old. These are slow growing long lived species. Some species don't make it that far.

The more I look at your T and how shiny the limbs are around abdomen, the more I believe it to be bad moult.
Okay. Well I appreciate your input very much...i think it's time I bury her
 

cold blood

Moderator
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she has tried to molt before and been unsuccessful. She has turned on her back and been there for 2 days and then flipped back over and never molted.
She is a he, and he was mature when you got him...the above quote is a description IMO of a MM making a sperm web....although it doesn't take 2 days, he certainly could have been caught during his peak time for making them, therefore may have just been caught a few times in a short time.

Ts don't try to molt, give up, then live for extended periods of time...unsuccessful molts end badly for ts.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
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She is a he, and he was mature when you got him...the above quote is a description IMO of a MM making a sperm web....although it doesn't take 2 days, he certainly could have been caught during his peak time for making them, therefore may have just been caught a few times in a short time.

Ts don't try to molt, give up, then live for extended periods of time...unsuccessful molts end badly for ts.
No bulbous palps on the first photo CB
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
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Oct 25, 2014
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I don't see any hooks or bulbous pedipalps and now that I'm looking at it in peace and quiet I'm leaning towards a "bad" molt..

I'm guessing the T was too old and weak to pull it off..
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
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@Sageweast Sorry to say but like others in this thread have stated it appears to be a molt that went bad. It is not likely that you will ever know the true age of the Tarantula so it is likely a complication stemming from old age.

Sorry for your loss.
 
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