Is my tarantula dead or molting?

[Atomicor]

Hi! So this is my second tarantula, it’s an orange baboon. Unsure of sex, and it has access to a water source. I’ve had it about a year or so now, and I haven’t seen it molt once. It webbed up the entire enclosure, and I haven’t seen it in a while so I decided today was cleaning day. But when I found it it’s in a curl position, I’m able to gently move the legs with the feeding tongs and the abdomen is on the softer side. The abdomen area doesn’t really smell either? But it’s pretty small, about a 1/2 inch. I’m pretty sad because I’ve gotten attached, I just want to make sure what I need to do.

 

[BoyFromLA]

How is the whole enclosure looks like?

 

[Poonjab]

It’s dead. Ya killed it.

 

[Liquifin]

That is a death curl sadly. If it's not moving then it's most likely gone and passed on.

 

[Atomicor]

How is the whole enclosure looks like?

Sorry I’m not home right now to take a picture, but it’s the 18 x18 eco terra. It has two fake suction plants on the side and some other fake plants coming out of the ground, there’s also a piece of cork bark in there too, with a bottle cap with a wet cotton ball in it. There’s one of those vertical rock caves on the back wall where it ended up making its web burrow at.

That is a death curl sadly. If it's not moving then it's most likely gone and passed on.

Thank you for being kind about it. I just fed it about four days ago and it seemed feisty as ever, I’m honestly not sure what happened. My other t is a female curly hair so I think I’ll just stick to one t at a time now.

 

[Tarantuland]

The cotton ball can harbor bacteria, we don't put anything in water dishes anymore. An 18 x 18 exoterra is really tall and probably way too big. Although these are agile, I would guess it took a fall honestly. Hard to say without pictures. Was the enclosure kept dry? Either way, I'm sorry for your loss. It was a pretty spider.

 

[viper69]

Second T an OW— good grief Charlie Brown

These are hard to kill- either your husbandry is way off or something unknown killed it.

 

[Neonblizzard]

He's toast buddy. Can't make a guess on what happened without seeing the enclosure.

I would recommend next time you think a spider might be molting to just take a photo in place without moving them, because if he had been molting and you disturb them that can easily kill them.

Don't do the cotton ball thing, the water dish/bottle cap with just water in is best.

 

[Smotzer]

Its likely passed on and I hope you post a picture of its entire enclosure because these guys are bullet proof and hhard to kill so its important you figute out whhat killed it so you dont repeat the mistake again with another T.

 

[sasker]

My other t is a female curly hair so I think I’ll just stick to one t at a time now.

For that sake of that spider, please, please do research about keeping tarantulas. Please don't take this the wrong way, but everything you said so far screams that you have zero idea what you are doing. Post pictures of both enclosures so we can help you out, but also take responsibility for the lives in your care by doing proper research about the the care for, and the needs of, tarantulas. It's not hard to get the basics right, but it requires a little effort.

Also, good call that you decided not to take any additional tarantulas for now. To be honest, it was a terrible idea in your situation to take an OBT to begin with. You are not ready for that yet.

 

[Smotzer]

For that sake of that spider, please, please do research about keeping tarantulas. Please don't take this the wrong way, but everything you said so far screams that you have zero idea what you are doing. Post pictures of both enclosures so we can help you out, but also take responsibility for the lives in your care by doing proper research about the the care for, and the needs of, tarantulas. It's not hard to get the basics right, but it requires a little effort.

Also, good call that you decided not to take any additional tarantulas for now. To be honest, it was a terrible idea in your situation to take an OBT to begin with. You are not ready for that yet.

I didnt even catchh that post......

I am wondering if it was kept on moist substrate, its pretty hard to kill these normally, but moist substrate does it whhen people dont do research properly.

 

[jenniferinny]

I didnt even catchh that post......

I am wondering if it was kept on moist substrate, its pretty hard to kill these normally, but moist substrate does it whhen people dont do research properly.

Any chance it was just a mature male completing it's lifespan?

The OP said it didn't molt at all in a year, that's unusual for P murinus which are fast growers. Mine molted more often than that and only made it about a year after maturing.