Need some help with my Mexican Red Rump!!

[rm90]

Hi

Well I didn't give him water for a few weeks I assumed he could be fine without it because I read on here people stop feeding n giving their tarantula water for months. Well I went to see him today and he was sitting in the corner of the tank. If I spray him & the tank he moves a bit, so I know hes still alive. Is there anything I can do other then upping the humidity and giving lots of water? Its all my fault..

 

[Hobo]

I think the general preferance here is you must always have at least water available for your tarantula at all times in some form or another. The food thing is true (but not taking food is usually not the keeper's decision, but he tarantula's!), but definitely not the water thing.

Are his legs curled under? Or is does he just have his legs tucked in close to him?

If it's curled under, I woudl get him in an ICU asap. Here's how:
[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kegSrK99RRI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kegSrK99RRI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE] (coutsey of robc)
Keep him hydrated, and if it's really bad, you may have to physically keep him hydrated:
[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Eo885LhI4qo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Eo885LhI4qo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE](again, courtesy of robc)

If it just has it's legs tucked close, you won't have to do anything drastic other than providing him with a water dish from now on, and leaving him alone. Definitely do not spray water directly on him... you don't really need to spray at all for that matter; Overfilling the waterdish occasionally a little bit will be fine. Lastly, leave him alone for a while to recover and resist the urge to spray/poke/prod him for a few days/a week.

 

[gvfarns]

It is possible to dehydrate your tarantula, especially in a heated home in winter, but it's not the kind of thing that happens all that fast. It sounds like your T went a small number of weeks without water. B vagans isn't going to die from that unless it's 105 degrees in your house and he has constant dry air blowing over him. Actually, probably not even then. My water dishes dry out all the time and I'm not always that fast at getting them refilled.

In the wild tarantulas will go months or more without food, although they live in burrows and places where they don't lose moisture through evaporation. We must give our tarantulas water and/or keep some moisture around them to compensate for this. But it takes more than a few weeks of negligence to kill a full grown B vagans. My guess would be that the tarantula is holding still for natural reasons...they do that all the time. If it's unresponsive it could be because of the cold or it's just not in the mood to do anything. Maybe it's holding still hoping you will go away and quit squirting it.

But anyway, since it is possible that the tarantula is dehydrated you should give her water. If her legs are curling under her or you really are worried, follow hobo's advice and your T should be fine, I would think.

 

[rm90]

Thanks for the replies. His/her legs aren't curled under, but they are close to the body. The T has moved to the opposite side of the tank. I am going to put in 2 water dishes and keep misting, hopefully he will get hydrated.

 

[BCscorp]

dude...you must have read stuff wrong. Water is never withheld, tarantulas may refuse to eat if in premoult ( or some reason we will never know) but you still provide water!!!
click on my signature links for quick access to good info.
I hope all turns out well for you.

 

[Teal]

I don't think misting is necessary for a Brachy (I don't know common names, but someone said B. vagans, so I am going to go with that)... just provide a water dish, and maybe place the T near it.

Does the abdomen look wrinkly at all?

 

[curiousme]

I don't think misting is necessary for a Brachy (I don't know common names, but someone said B. vagans, so I am going to go with that)... just provide a water dish, and maybe place the T near it.

Does the abdomen look wrinkly at all?

Even Brachypelma species need a moister environment when very small. i would wet half the substrate once a week, until it is 2" or so; then provide a bottle cap or the like for a water dish.

However, we don't know how big this specific T is.

 

[Zoltan]

Even Brachypelma species need a moister environment when very small.

May I ask why? I've raised a few Brachypelma from different species and I've kept them in identical conditions regardless of size.

 

[Avicularia Man]

Even Brachypelma species need a moister environment when very small. i would wet half the substrate once a week, until it is 2" or so; then provide a bottle cap or the like for a water dish.

However, we don't know how big this specific T is.

You do realize that out in the wild, those slings do live in the same enviroment as the adults, right? I have to agree with Teal on this one. The Brachypelma doesn't really need misted. I mist mine like once every other week and it is doing fine. I never wet the substrate, just the sides. But I do always have water in the dish for them. Oh and my B. Emilia is only .75". I also have a .75" G. Rosea and a .25" A. Hentzi that gets the same treatment as my B. Emilia.

 

[curiousme]

May I ask why? I've raised a few Brachypelma from different species and I've kept them in identical conditions regardless of size.

Well, the main reason is that when they are small(i mean tiny), their epicuticle isn't hardened enough to keep the moisture in effectively. By wetting half the substrate once a week, you keep that moisture in the T and it is able to drink directly from the substrate. Once they hit 2" this should no longer be a problem and a water dish will suffice for moisture.

 

[Zoltan]

Curiousme, again, I can only say that I've raised a few spiders from 2nd instar - not just Brachypelma - and I didn't keep them any different moisture-wise than larger specimens of the same species. I'm not saying your method - and the method of numerous other people, as I've came by this concept a lot - is wrong, just that in my experience, not necessary.

But...

i would wet half the substrate

...that is a very good method for sure. This way the spider can choose between a dry and moist area of its container, the keeper can observe which area the spider prefers, and if needed, adjust the conditions.

 

[curiousme]

Curiousme, again, I can only say that I've raised a few spiders from 2nd instar - not just Brachypelma - and I didn't keep them any different moisture-wise than larger specimens of the same species. I'm not saying your method - and the method of numerous other people, as I've came by this concept a lot - is wrong, just that in my experience, not necessary.

It may be more of a preventative measure, but the inside of your house is usually drier than any T is actually exposed to in the wild. Especially in the winter, the heat will keep the humidity as low as 11% in our home. For the little ones, it just seems smart to provide that added humidity when you know that they aren't big enough to keep the moisture in like a larger specimen would.

Now this is not to say that our way is the one 'right' way, because we all know that tarantula care is varied and pretty much ruled by personal preference. Now the OP has both of our opinions and experience to help him decide his own 'right' way.

But...

...that is a very good method for sure. This way the spider can choose between a dry and moist area of its container, the keeper can observe which area the spider prefers, and if needed, adjust the conditions.

That is another great pro for this method. It helps you get to know your spiders preferences and that leads to a content T.

 

[Teal]

I won't argue with wetting half the substrate for slings, as I tend to keep most of my slings on damp substrate... but that is much different than saying to "mist" the enclosure, which to me, gives the impression of blanketing the entire enclosure in water.

One thing I learned from Paul Becker, which made a lot of sense... is that misting cools down the enclosure, so when you have a tarantula that needs higher tempts you are negatively affecting that by misting and lowering the overall temperature.. it's better to wet the substrate and put the T in a warm enough environment to create condensation.

 

[Avicularia Man]

I won't argue with wetting half the substrate for slings, as I tend to keep most of my slings on damp substrate... but that is much different than saying to "mist" the enclosure, which to me, gives the impression of blanketing the entire enclosure in water.

One thing I learned from Paul Becker, which made a lot of sense... is that misting cools down the enclosure, so when you have a tarantula that needs higher tempts you are negatively affecting that by misting and lowering the overall temperature.. it's better to wet the substrate and put the T in a warm enough environment to create condensation.

I wonder if using hot water would fix that issue.

 

[curiousme]

Misting the enclosure/ spraying water in the air will only provide a brief spike in humidity until it evaporates and isn't a good way to maintain humidity IMO. However, if you define misting as spraying one wall repeatedly and in essence wetting half the substrate, then that would be fine.

i often wonder what people mean when they say they 'mist' once or twice a week, so i go with wetting half the substrate and dodge that confusion.

 

[Bill S]

You do realize that out in the wild, those slings do live in the same enviroment as the adults, right?

That's not necessarily true. First, the environment is less critical than the microhabitat. Second - lots of spiders occupy slightly different microhabitats when they are small than what they do as adults. Lots of reasons for this - ranging from moisture to availability of food within a specific size range to avoidance of different potential predators.

 

[jayefbe]

Misting the enclosure/ spraying water in the air will only provide a brief spike in humidity until it evaporates and isn't a good way to maintain humidity IMO. However, if you define misting as spraying one wall repeatedly and in essence wetting half the substrate, then that would be fine.

i often wonder what people mean when they say they 'mist' once or twice a week, so i go with wetting half the substrate and dodge that confusion.

Whenever I mention "misting the enclosure" it generally means two things for me. Wetting the substrate to keep the humidity levels elevated, and moistening a bit of the sides and webbing to allow slings the chance to drink.

 

[Teal]

Avic Man - using hot water will only temporarily fix the issue... the water will turn cold before it evaporates completely.

Don't get me wrong - I used to mist all my Ts and never really had a problem... but I've also had slower growth rates and my Ts haven't been growing and living ideally. Now I am re-thinking my methods, switching stuff up, and hoping I can improve conditions for them.

 

[rm90]

I filled up the waterdish and in less then a min he was overtop of it, hopefully drinking. I think he was prob. just dehydrated. My house isn't hot, but it is extremely dry. :wall: Mine isn't a sling anymore, it a few inches big. He is usually reallllly fast though and I usually never get a chance to see him, so I knew something was wrong.

 

[Avicularia Man]

Avic Man - using hot water will only temporarily fix the issue... the water will turn cold before it evaporates completely.

Don't get me wrong - I used to mist all my Ts and never really had a problem... but I've also had slower growth rates and my Ts haven't been growing and living ideally. Now I am re-thinking my methods, switching stuff up, and hoping I can improve conditions for them.

See I am a bit confused on that. In nature, it rains. When it rains, it does cool it down a bit. How is misting any different? You are doing nothing more than imitating rain when you mist, only it wouldn't stay cool as long from misting.