Mysterious death of my 2 x C. huahini

HAGAR

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
58
Hi there ladies and gents

Havent been able to have some chats with you all in some time. been a bit buzy with work and all.:eek:

Wel let me get right down to the problem.

Bought 4 t's from a breeder about 4 weeks ago. 2 x p. fasciata @ 3/4inch and 2 x C. huahini's @ around 1/2 inch. The fasciata are doing just great but the huahini's arent to good.

They were eating just fine and then i got home one day and the first one was in a deathcurl. Took the little critter out and put him in a VERRY small icu. but after a week and still no movement or any change in posision i realized that it was infact dead. Be it to me mabey hurting the T in the moving over to the icu or not, I dont know.

But then 3 days ago the other one did exactly the same thing. it is currently in a icu at home in a dark and warm closset.

Just wanted some extra opinions and mabey a few idees as to what is going on?

Regards

Hagar:)
 

Salt

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
36
Could be stress, or even mites.

What did you have in the terrarium?
 

HAGAR

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
58
A piece of bark just for show and then peat moss.

Didn't find any mites in the enclosure.

And if there were any there would have been some in the other enclosures aswel.
 

Salt

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
36
Do you know how to check for mites? 'Cause you don't lust look at the terrarium

In a dark room, shine a torch at it. if you see tiny little dots on the glass, you have an infestation. There's a possibility of the others being infected too, but there's no saying for sure. They may have never had the chance to cross over.

"A piece of bark just for show and then peat moss."

You had water, too, right?

---------- Post added at 01:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------

Oh, also, C. huahini are notorious for being awkward to house. They are both arboreal and terrestrial, and if you got a male and a female (easy to distinguish because of the size difference), females often eat the males. They need medium humidity, hot temperatures too - about 30-35C during the day (with an optional cool area), and 25-30C during the night. Humidity should be around 60-70%.

Good luck, if you ever try again. Be careful though, they're usually very aggressive. :)
 

HAGAR

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
58
In a dark room, shine a torch at it. if you see tiny little dots on the glass, you have an infestation. There's a possibility of the others being infected too, but there's no saying for sure. They may have never had the chance to cross over.
Thats what i did. even tried a uv light, thought they might light up like scorpions.

"A piece of bark just for show and then peat moss."

You had water, too, right?
lol yes bud that as wel. but not a dish just spray.
 

Salt

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
36
lol yes bud that as wel. but not a dish just spray.
Well I think we've found our cause of death. They need a dish of water, or at least a soaked ball of cotton wool (replaced daily).
 

HAGAR

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
58
How can i put a water dish in a 1/2" slings enclosure?

At that size you just spray the sides of the enclosure with some water, once a day.
 

Salt

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
36
Nah, wet cotton wool. You spray too, but spraying alone (especially with the hot temperature) will dehydrate it easily.
 

tarantulagirl10

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 15, 2010
Messages
537
In my opinion a 1/2" sling is too small for a water dish. I don't even give my 1" slings a water dish. Just keep one wall and a corner of sub misted. I don't know about the humidity requirements for that specific species but I'm pretty sure a water dish isn't necessary for that size. My avic slings need more humidity so I keep their sub damp and mist. The non humidity loving slings get a wall and a corner misted.
 

HAGAR

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
58
I don't think we are on the same page here.

I was talking about the enclosure.

are you talking about the icu?

And if you are talking about the enclosure, then no there was no cotton wool in the enclosure. That is a breeding ground for bacteria. And the temp is kept constant between 74 and 78.
 

Salt

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
36
Ah, I see. You should probably have it a little warmer in there 26-32°C (79-89°F), and make sure they have both a hide and a climb. Other than that, I'm not sure.
http://www.care-sheet.com/index/Chilobrachys_huahini
Hope it helps.

Oh and yes, I'm aware cotton wool is a bacteria breeding ground, however it's much more effective than just spraying. as long as you change the wool every day, there will be no problems. I did say that earlier: "...or at least a soaked ball of cotton wool (replaced daily)."
 
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