Limp Tarantula

[Neil12]

Hi

I’ve found my 9 year old Grammostola pulchra limp in their enclosure. Not in a death curl, just unresponsive and completely limp.

Last moult was just over a week ago, plump abdomen and no sign of damage or ill health. I was convinced he/she was dead, it as not in a death curl I’m concerned I’m jumping the gun.

Thanks in advance,
Neil

 

[ladyratri]

If it is completely unresponsive when touched, I'm not optimistic... Death curl happens when they are dehydrated, it's possible something went wrong internally with the molt and it died without major water loss. Couldn't hurt to put it over a water dish just in case... It just won't drink if it doesn't need to. If the exo is still soft you'd have to be very careful and gentle with it though.

Someone else might have more advice, I don't know of anything you can do except wait. Either it will harden up and be ok, or it will start to decay.

You're sure the molt came off fully, there wasn't any left stuck on the abdomen obstructing book lungs or anything?

Edit to add: a picture is worth a thousand words... Photo will help us help you.

 

[BoyFromLA]

It is always helpful to attach a photo or two of the tarantula, and it’s enclosure. That way, whoever answer the question can have some sense of it at least.

My speculation is that it is still be recovering from recent molt.

 

[sparticus]

They can just go limp when they die, I had it happen with one of mine. I would give it a couple days to be absolutely sure, but if you think it is dead, you are probably right.

 

[HooahArmy]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your poor buddy! I've had days like that before, so I know how stressful it can be. Here is a link to creating a tarantula ICU to help them recover. This method has worked for me and rehydrated some of my pals who then did make a recovery. It's not a 100% rescue guarantee, but it's always a good start! Best of luck and fingers crossed!

Tarantula ICU — The Bug Chicks

This past week we had a bit of a scare with Esmeralda, our Texas Brown tarantula. Esme was very weak and tucked up against the side of her terrarium. When we touched her she seemed unable to support her body weight on her legs. So we went through a mental checklist of what could

thebugchicks.com

 

[NMTs]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[BoyFromLA]

I am all against ICU method.

It is outdated information, yes I repeat outdated. Unless used with full understanding the reasoning behind the method, majority of the cases sadly, is not recommendable, if not at all.

If it is dehydrated issue, then just putting right next to a tarantula a water dish full, is more than sufficient.

 

[viper69]

No pics???

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

No pics???

Without pics who knows ?

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Hi

I’ve found my 9 year old Grammostola pulchra limp in their enclosure. Not in a death curl, just unresponsive and completely limp.

Last moult was just over a week ago, plump abdomen and no sign of damage or ill health. I was convinced he/she was dead, it as not in a death curl I’m concerned I’m jumping the gun.

Thanks in advance,
Neil

Limp, unresponsive and seems lifeless = could of passed.

What others have said. Put it's mouth over a shallow water dish and wait it out.

Surefire way to know it is dead is when you can smell the decaying stink. A dead tarantula after a day or two will stink pretty bad.

 

[Neil12]

Hi,

Thanks for all of the posts, the moult seemed fine, a couple of moults back there was an issue where not all of the skin had come away from the abdomen, but he/she was fine and this was the second moult since then. The moult was a bit of a surprise but seemed fine afterwards.

Thanks again...

 

[fq314]

From your description, it sounds like your t is dying if not dead. Pics would be very helpful to confirm though

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Death curl happens when they are dehydrated, it's possible something went wrong internally with the molt and it died without major water loss.

Leg extension mostly happens as a result of hemolymph pressure traveling through arteries, however, there are a few extensor muscles in the legs that help in the process. When the heart stops, or the pressure inside the front of the body decreases for any reason, the legs and pedipalps curl underneath the body. Although severe dehydration could be a cause of the death curl, it is not the only cause.

 

[Smotzer]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your poor buddy! I've had days like that before, so I know how stressful it can be. Here is a link to creating a tarantula ICU to help them recover. This method has worked for me and rehydrated some of my pals who then did make a recovery. It's not a 100% rescue guarantee, but it's always a good start! Best of luck and fingers crossed!

Tarantula ICU — The Bug Chicks

This past week we had a bit of a scare with Esmeralda, our Texas Brown tarantula. Esme was very weak and tucked up against the side of her terrarium. When we touched her she seemed unable to support her body weight on her legs. So we went through a mental checklist of what could

thebugchicks.com

Why are you promoting this really dated and not helpful information

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your poor buddy! I've had days like that before, so I know how stressful it can be. Here is a link to creating a tarantula ICU to help them recover. This method has worked for me and rehydrated some of my pals who then did make a recovery. It's not a 100% rescue guarantee, but it's always a good start! Best of luck and fingers crossed!

Tarantula ICU — The Bug Chicks

This past week we had a bit of a scare with Esmeralda, our Texas Brown tarantula. Esme was very weak and tucked up against the side of her terrarium. When we touched her she seemed unable to support her body weight on her legs. So we went through a mental checklist of what could

thebugchicks.com

I think this is actually not a helpful and outdated suggestion friend. It often from my experience has often made a lot of folks tarantulas worse.

 

[HooahArmy]

Why are you promoting this really dated and not helpful information

I think this is actually not a helpful and outdated suggestion friend. It often from my experience has often made a lot of folks tarantulas worse.

Hey there, sorry if I've upset you. The ICU isn't the best idea for everyone and doesn't work for everyone. I completely understand that others may have different methods, but I posted based on my own experiences. Whenever my family has had a dehydrated buddy, the ICU has worked.
Readers on this forum are allowed to read the opinions and suggestions of the posters and choose their own decisions. If someone wants to or does not choose the ICU, that's their option; I'm also still trying to learn a lot more about husbandry myself. I pale in comparison to likely many of you on this forum, so may you also help me correct my out outdated ways? I now totally feel like a dunce here, haha!
What would you do in this situation? Teach me your ways!

 

[Spoodfood]

Hey there, sorry if I've upset you. The ICU isn't the best idea for everyone and doesn't work for everyone. I completely understand that others may have different methods, but I posted based on my own experiences. Whenever my family has had a dehydrated buddy, the ICU has worked.
Readers on this forum are allowed to read the opinions and suggestions of the posters and choose their own decisions. If someone wants to or does not choose the ICU, that's their option; I'm also still trying to learn a lot more about husbandry myself. I pale in comparison to likely many of you on this forum, so may you also help me correct my out outdated ways? I now totally feel like a dunce here, haha!
What would you do in this situation? Teach me your ways!

An “ICU” is almost never a good idea, or at the very least never the best idea. There are superior ways to hydrate a tarantula that don’t involve removing them from the comfort of their enclosure and into a stuffy cup.

The best way to hydrate a tarantula is to provide them with a water dish. If the tarantula ends up in a crisis situation where intervention is needed, the best option is to put the mouthparts of the tarantula over their water dish. This is providing water to the tarantula while avoiding moving them out of their enclosure or putting them in a humid and stuffy cup. Tarantulas drink water with their mouthparts. Putting them in an ICU is unnecessary, and often detrimental.

You are correct that people are free to post and give advice, and others are free to follow that advice or not. Issues do arise when incorrect information is given and someone who is inexperienced takes that incorrect advice, then regurgitates it as facts to the next person. It is a cycle of misinformation that only causes harm.

 

[cold blood]

Limp, unresponsive and seems lifeless = could of passed.

yeah, limp equals dead.

 

[Dijon]

As gross as it is I would almost leave it alone until it either curls up or wait until it begins to smell/decompose. I've heard stories is peoples pets that have been left alone "come back to life" after ages being left alone.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Hey there, sorry if I've upset you. The ICU isn't the best idea for everyone and doesn't work for everyone. I completely understand that others may have different methods, but I posted based on my own experiences. Whenever my family has had a dehydrated buddy, the ICU has worked.
Readers on this forum are allowed to read the opinions and suggestions of the posters and choose their own decisions. If someone wants to or does not choose the ICU, that's their option; I'm also still trying to learn a lot more about husbandry myself. I pale in comparison to likely many of you on this forum, so may you also help me correct my out outdated ways? I now totally feel like a dunce here, haha!
What would you do in this situation? Teach me your ways!

The Schultz & Schultz ICU as described in The Tarantula Keeper's Guide has worked for me in the past as well. I do not consider it wrong or outdated information, but people need to actually read the book and understand its construction and proper use to get any benefit. People also need to understand that it is not meant to cure anything, but rather act as another tool in the keeper's toolbox along with a collection of tweezers, paintbrushes, or cornstarch for wounds.

An “ICU” is almost never a good idea, or at the very least never the best idea. There are superior ways to hydrate a tarantula that don’t involve removing them from the comfort of their enclosure and into a stuffy cup.

The best way to hydrate a tarantula is to provide them with a water dish. If the tarantula ends up in a crisis situation where intervention is needed, the best option is to put the mouthparts of the tarantula over their water dish. This is providing water to the tarantula while avoiding moving them out of their enclosure or putting them in a humid and stuffy cup. Tarantulas drink water with their mouthparts. Putting them in an ICU is unnecessary, and often detrimental.

You are correct that people are free to post and give advice, and others are free to follow that advice or not. Issues do arise when incorrect information is given and someone who is inexperienced takes that incorrect advice, then regurgitates it as facts to the next person. It is a cycle of misinformation that only causes harm.

A few points in response to the above.

The idea of a tarantula ICU isn't too different from a people ICU in a hospital. When you can't identify the root cause of an illness, the ICU acts as a clean and secure environment to give the tarantula's immune system a fighting chance in the event there is a pathogen in the cage causing the illness. An ICU should always have adequate ventilation, and never be stuffy. The contents of the ICU, which should be just a wet paper towel, along with the container itself should be cleaned and/ or replaced regularly to prevent bacterial growth.

Tarantulas need to lay on top of a water source in order to drink. But if a tarantula is so sick that its legs begin to curl, it won't have the strength to move to a water dish if the water dish is not perfectly level with the soil substrate. I hardly think physically placing a tarantula on the surface of a source of water in a cage is any better than the ICU. Especially if the root cause of the illness is unknown as mentioned above. I also don't agree with the popular method of rehydrating a tarantula by physically turning it over and dropping water on its mouth is any better. Doing either, you rob it of its ability to take care of itself. Trying to think for a tarantula is always going to give the wrong answer. No one is doing a tarantula any favors by making attempts to force it to drink.

What information is correct, or not correct, is difficult to determine on the internet. When conflicts arise people seem to have a tendency to go with what is popular over what is truly correct. When it comes to the concept of the ICU, there are some that have had success with it and others that do not. What troubles me is when one or more becomes convinced that the ICU is a bad idea, the statements to the contrary are ignored. The argument over whether the ICU should be used I see on this site always ends up being a perfect example of confirmation bias. There are a few who are so adamant that they shouldn't be used that examples of when they do work are ignored or considered wrong.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

yeah, limp equals dead.

This thread title should replace limp with dead. Rip
Has op had an update to the Ts status ?