My T died - why

[christinas]

I found my T limp and lifeless in the corner of the tank. I've had her for 8 years. Can you spot anything that could have possibly caused her demise? Thank you.

 

[viper69]

Who knows- looks alive

your setup is completely wrong for heavy bodied terrestrials, maybe it fell and died

 

[christinas]

is it because the cage is too tall? or are there other things wrong

 

[viper69]

is it because the cage is too tall? or are there other things wrong

I wrote maybe. No one will know based on the data you gave.

Surface of sub to lid is too tall from what I can see.

Also maybe it was hung up on the screen lid

Maybe the age of the T is actually 25 yrs who knows

 

[Mustafa67]

I found my T limp and lifeless in the corner of the tank. I've had her for 8 years. Can you spot anything that could have possibly caused her demise? Thank you.

Almost no substrate and the mesh on the roof which is unsafe as Ts can get their legs stuck or chew through, that enclosure is wide and opens from front (better ones open from the top).

It could have fallen from the roof OR already have something.

There are a lot of possible reasons.

 

[Atabby]

I found my T limp and lifeless in the corner of the tank. I've had her for 8 years. Can you spot anything that could have possibly caused her demise? Thank you.

Aww, I'm very sorry.
I've had 1 spood die and it was just a sling, I can imagine it's hard to have one for that long and lose it with no warning.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Either fall or old age.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I’m sorry for your loss.
Another question, did you buy her as a sling? Or as a sexed adult?
While that substrate level is way too low (or lid too high), that appears to be sealed mesh, not woven. Did you ever see her climbing? Was she acting unusual lately? Have you seen her drink water lately? Any chemicals about? Any other animals in the house with topical flea treatments? Unfortunately there are lots of possibilities. It sucks to loose a long time pet and not know why.

 

[Brewser]

Sorry 4 Ur Loss.
If you've kept Her safe and sound for 8 years with no problems.
It was probably just Her time to depart.
Don't blame yourself.

 

[christinas]

Thank you everybody for your kind words. I bought her as a sexed adult in 2016, and brought her with me across the Atlantic when I moved during the pandemic. She started acting unusual about six weeks ago - she stopped eating, even though she used to be a very voracious eater. She also seemed to be constantly sitting in the water dish, even when it was full (normally she would only sit there when the water level was low, to indicate she wanted a refill).

The level of substrate is indeed low because she never showed any interest in burrowing. I only saw her climb a few times, when the substrate got too wet and she was unhappy about it. She was never a very active spider, mostly just sat in the same spot for hours. The mesh on top is not woven, it is indeed sealed.

There are no chemicals around that I know of, or flea treatments in the house. A fall is possible but there is the unusual behavior... I remember being concerned a month ago already, she would normally decimate 3 crickets at once and suddenly she showed no interest in food. It didn't look like pre-molt either - she last molted about 1.5 years ago, and as an adult she only molted about once in 3 years on average. It is true I changed the cage about 6 months ago. I am not sure if such a small change could have resulted in her death...

 

[Gevo]

Sorry for your loss. If you bought her as an adult, she could have already been very old by the time you got her. She looks like a G. rosea? If so, they grow extremely slowly and it takes many years for them to reach adulthood, so even though they have long lifespans, one that's already an adult could be well into its natural lifespan by the time you get it.

 

[cold blood]

our setup is completely wrong for heavy bodied terrestrials, maybe it fell and died

agreed

is it because the cage is too tall? or are there other things wrong

yes, its way too tall, creating an unnecessary fall risk....but its more than that.....the mesh lid can cause a ts tarsal claws to get stuck, and even if its only for a brief moment, it can easily cause a fall. Which brings me to the next issue....the ground clutter. The floor should remain relatively clear, adding clutter merely gives feeders hiding places, and it also increases the fall risk, as if a t falls, its going to be much worse if its falling onto something....and any t would be hard pressed to fall anywhere in that enclosure without landing on something.

Either fall or old age.

when dealing with uber long lived ts like this, I am always reluctant to even consider old age, as its probably the most unlikely culprit.

She started acting unusual about six weeks ago - she stopped eating

When a t gets plump, its normal for them to stop eating....this species has an incredibly low food requirement, so its really easy to fatten them quickly to the point of food refusal. What you saw was pretty normal.

even though she used to be a very voracious eater.

after molting, pretty much all ts are voracious eaters.

The level of substrate is indeed low because she never showed any interest in burrowing.

The substrate level has nothing to do with burrowing, its about creating a safe environment.

. I only saw her climb a few times,

Yep, they dont climb much...till they do....and all ts do at some point...and its generally while we are in bed sleeping.

She was never a very active spider, mostly just sat in the same spot for hours.

Yep, thats why I refer to this species as Grammostola potato......theyre extremely sedentary.....till theyre not.....and even the most sedentary t willl roam around and climb from time to time.

The mesh on top is not woven,

still a poor chooice

A fall is possible

likely

she would normally decimate 3 crickets at once and suddenly she showed no interest in food.

And here is why she chose to fast. 3 crickets at once is literally a couple months worth of food for this species.....and depending on the frequency of such feedings, you will inevitably end up with not only a t that fasts, but one that fasts for a year...or two. I feed my porteri (that's the species of this t) one cricket a month...and even then, because of their excessively long molt cycles, there will come a time where she is sufficiently plump and starts fasting....although with this feeding frequency, she no longer fasts for that long, usually just a month or two.

But trust me, most people don't get this, and it took me decades to figure it out to be honest.....I used to feed a cricket a week, and she would end up fasting just a year or so after molting...then would fast for a year....take a cricket out of the blue, then fast another year or more.....its was very frustrating, but that frustration came down to me not understanding the t I had (and its stupid 5 year molt cycle), so I cant blame you for feeding as you did....we all have been there and this is absolutely NOT why your t met its demise....as being fattened quickly, or being fat, do not cause heath issues and most certainly wont kill them....so this bit is more for future reference should you get another super slow growing adult species.....and I hope you don't take this loss to harshly and will make the appropriate changes and try again.....best of luck in the future.

 

[viper69]

I remember being concerned a month ago already, she would normally decimate 3 crickets at once and suddenly she showed no interest in food

I've observed this behavior maybe 2x, each time they died, both females. All the other Ts surrounding them- no issues, ate fine.

In both cases, their abdomens were getting smaller over a lot of time that started after they stopped eating. I can't explain it.

 

[Matt Man]

sorry for the loss. By the position it looks like it was seeking water. Perhaps it was losing fluid from a fall. Pull her out and see if you see any signs of leaking fluid. She doesn't really look like death curl. Are you 100% sure she's gone?
As others have said, overfeeding will cause them to fast.

 

[christinas]

Is there a possiblity to make the setup appropriate for an arboreal species or a scorpion?

 

[Matt Man]

Is there a possiblity to make the setup appropriate for an arboreal species or a scorpion?

yes for a Scorpion. It's pretty much ready, make sure there's a little gap under the bark the Scorp can get under and get yourself an Asian Forest, Emperor or Cave Claw. Otherwise just fill the hank half way with dirt and get another T. They wire top is wide enough claws won't get stuck, but is still less than optimal

 

[cold blood]

Is there a possiblity to make the setup appropriate for an arboreal species or a scorpion?

to set it up for a scorp, you would do the same as you would do for a terrestrial tarantula except a nonclimbing scorp wouldn't need as much sub........for a t, its best used for a terrestrial or fossorial, it simply needs to be filled with substrate.