Little worried

[ReeferSheppness]

Hi now its prolly nothing but i picked up a theraphosa stirmi on Sunday I fed him sunday night 5 large crickets he at 3 of them and ignored 1 so i took him out of the terrarium he is in a 20 gallond terrarium later to be retro fitted with cross ventilation and a sturdy lid from my research i figured hed be okay in there eith about 5 inches of substrate for 2 weeks the last two days he had been relatively activectoday he seems unresponsive i teased his leg with a leave to see if id get a response and i only received a very faint response in moment im very worried i dont wanna fail already aha

 

[LucN]

That is a death curl, unfortunately. Perhaps this was a wild caught animal ? If so, it may have been at the very end of its lifespan. And also perhaps it's the lack of ventilation that caused it to suffocate ? Too much moisture is detrimental to them. Did you keep the substrate too wet ? Another possibility is that maybe your crickets were bad ?

I honestly can't tell you why, but these are possibilities. Someone with more knowledge/experience will surely chime in. If your animal has indeed passed, I hope it won't deter you from trying again, a sling preferably as CB tend to be much more hardy than WC.

 

[ReeferSheppness]

Thank you yeah it was a sketchy deal an the seller wouldn't tell me where he came from...

 

[Dorifto]

Picture of the whole enclosure along with more information about your climatic conditions and the enclosure's one would be helpfull.

Only from that image it could be a dehydration, a suffocation or any other thing.

 

[LucN]

Thank you yeah it was a sketchy deal an the seller wouldn't tell me where he came from...

It was most likely Wild caught with such a bare abdomen and the carapace seems to have had a fair bit of tear. It disgusts me that some people out there are more interested in money than providing a healthy animal. Sorry to hear that you've been tricked. The best thing is to avoid this dealer and stick to the tried and true breeders, there are a lot of them out there.

Sucks that you learned this the hard way. Never buy WC as you're indirectly supporting those that pluck the animals from their native habitat, only for monetary gain. T. stirmi are relatively well established in the hobby. A sling won't cost you an arm and a leg like an adult would, and buying CB pretty much guarantees a healthier animal. Worried about keeping a sling ? I can tell you that this species grows relatively fast, so you'll have a relatively hardy spider within a few molts.

Here's probably the best resource on how to tackle moisture without overdoing it.

Best of luck if you decide to get another one.

 

[ReeferSheppness]

Picture of the whole enclosure along with more information about your clinatic conditions and the enclosure's one would be helpfull.

Only from that image it could be a dehydration, a suffocation or any other thing.

It was most likely Wild caught with such a bare abdomen and the carapace seems to have had a fair bit of tear. It disgusts me that some people out there are more interested in money than providing a healthy animal. Sorry to hear that you've been tricked. The best thing is to avoid this dealer and stick to the tried and true breeders, there are a lot of them out there.

Sucks that you learned this the hard way. Never buy WC as you're indirectly supporting those that pluck the animals from their native habitat, only for monetary gain. T. stirmi are relatively well established in the hobby. A sling won't cost you an arm and a leg like an adult would, and buying CB pretty much guarantees a healthier animal. Worried about keeping a sling ? I can tell you that this species grows relatively fast, so you'll have a relatively hardy spider within a few molts.

Here's probably the best resource on how to tackle moisture without overdoing it.

Best of luck if you decide to get another one.

He was just put into this enclosure yesterday i kinda gently pushed him out of the "hide" thing there and gave him water dish if he is dying i want him to be able to drink to be comfortable i know the needs to be more subtrate towards the right side of the enclosure my girlfriend was bring home some from work i just wonder if there is anyway to save him

 

[viper69]

Hi now its prolly nothin

You're right, it's nothing now. Get your money back. If you used a credit card- call up and tell them it's fraud. I do it all the time.

 

[LucN]

My goodness ! That's quite the enclosure ! On the X-X-X-X-X Large size I must say. Now, we get a better view. Way too little sub. Now, there's also the possibility of a fall incident. If your T does manage to revive, you'll need to load that enclosure halfway with sub to minimize/prevent fall incidents. Avoid hard objects as ornaments such as rock and most importantly, nothing sharp or pointy.

Good luck !

 

[ReeferSheppness]

Sad face

My goodness ! That's quite the enclosure ! On the X-X-X-X-X Large size I must say. Now, we get a better view. Way too little sub. Now, there's also the possibility of a fall incident. If your T does manage to revive, you'll need to load that enclosure halfway with sub to minimize/prevent fall incidents. Avoid hard objects as ornaments such as rock and most importantly, nothing sharp or pointy.

Good luck !

Okay thank you thank you

My goodness ! That's quite the enclosure ! On the X-X-X-X-X Large size I must say. Now, we get a better view. Way too little sub. Now, there's also the possibility of a fall incident. If your T does manage to revive, you'll need to load that enclosure halfway with sub to minimize/prevent fall incidents. Avoid hard objects as ornaments such as rock and most importantly, nothing sharp or pointy.

Good luck !

There would be more only problem is the pet store was sold our of literally anything useful for a tarantula

 

[LucN]

There would be more only problem is the pet store was sold our of literally anything useful for a tarantula

Sold out on substrate ? Well, I did this on my very first venture. I went to Canadian Tire, in the gardening section and found coir. Basically, coconut fiber by another name. Another option would be potting soil. Check the ingredients to ensure no additives or fertilizers. Generally, the cheaper it is, it's just plain stuff with nothing added.

Need a hide ? Stop over at Dollorama and find a suitable sized terra cotta flower pot. Break it in half, making sure no sharp edges are present, sink it into the sub and boom ! Your tarantula has a hide.

If there's anything else, feel free to ask.

Best of luck !

 

[ReeferSheppness]

I appreciate you Thank you so much

 

[LucN]

I appreciate you Thank you so much

My pleasure. I may not have actual experience keeping a Theraphosa, but I've read a lot to get a general idea of how to set up an enclosure of such magnitude in the best way possible.

 

[goonius]

Sold out on substrate ? Well, I did this on my very first venture. I went to Canadian Tire, in the gardening section and found coir. Basically, coconut fiber by another name. Another option would be potting soil. Check the ingredients to ensure no additives or fertilizers. Generally, the cheaper it is, it's just plain stuff with nothing added.

Make sure to get soil that is labeled topsoil. Potting soil does have additives.

 

[LucN]

Make sure to get soil that is labeled topsoil. Potting soil does have additives.

This is why I love this place ! I always learn something new every day Thanks for the tip. Will keep it in mind from here on out.

 

[ReeferSheppness]

This is an update on how he is looking he hasnt moved much aside from moving his legs a little and once correcting his position ive just been watching him like a hawk and filling his water as much as possible

 

[LucN]

That's already an improvement. Maybe give him a bigger water bowl ? Judging from the picture, the substrate has been moistened quite well. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, keep adding water. Too much water will promote the growth of mold and can also sprout mushrooms. You don't want either of these to occur. Allow the substrate to dry off until the lower portions are no longer dark. Once that happens, do pour more water, but in a different location, to avoid oversaturating the substrate. Repeat the process when you notice the lower levels drying up. That's the main thing with moisture-dependant species such as this one. Another thing would be to place some springtails in the enclosure if you can get some. They'll eat away at any developing mold and will out-compete any type of mites on spent food boluses.

Is this your first tarantula ? If so, you really dove into the deep-end of things. Not saying you can't do it right, just follow what I've said and what the linked video mentioned too. I really hope that it recovers fully. Remember, hydration is key to keeping a spider healthy. Make sure it always has water in its bowl and keep the lower levels of the sub moist, not wet.

Best of luck

 

[ReeferSheppness]

Thank you I will do everything in my power to make him comfortable, just giving him water in his dish and staring at him is all i can do rn i will look into springtails asap

 

[LucN]

Any updates ? Wondering if your T has improved over the last few days.

 

[ReeferSheppness]

Any updates ? Wondering if your T has improved over the last few days.

It hurts me to inform you that Frank past away on the third day we tried to keep him happy hydrated and enough room and substrate to thrive and he seemed to improve even drinking his water...im not sure what happened and the guy who sold me the spider admitted he was obtained through private sale and no info was given on how he was raised. He told me he had no idea if the T was healthy before he sold it to me and gave me my money back. Regardless of that I still feel guilty for losing him even tho it was a short time i loved him a lot

 

[LucN]

It hurts me to inform you that Frank past away on the third day we tried to keep him happy hydrated and enough room and substrate to thrive and he seemed to improve even drinking his water...im not sure what happened and the guy who sold me the spider admitted he was obtained through private sale and no info was given on how he was raised. He told me he had no idea if the T was healthy before he sold it to me and gave me my money back. Regardless of that I still feel guilty for losing him even tho it was a short time i loved him a lot

I'm sorry to hear that At the very least, the seller was honest with you. I'm hoping that this event won't deter you from trying again. If you're up to it, may I reccomend Lasiodora parahybana (Brazilian Salmon Pink) or Acanthoscurria geniculata (Brazilian Giant Whiteknee) ? Both will reach up to 8"+ and are much more readily available as slings or otherwise, a lot less expensive... and the best thing about them, neither are extremely sensitive to moisture. They'll appreciate a bit of moist sub in a corner or half of the enclosure, but no more. Both make amazing display spiders and generally have a ravenous appetite, making feeding day very entertaining.

If you're raising a sling, don't fret, they quickly outgrow the sling stage in a matter of months. In a year or two, you'll have a beautiful adult to enjoy for many years, if female, that is. Males are much, MUCH shorter lived.