ao4649
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2016
- Messages
- 17
I'm considering this more of a Log than anything. A. Metallica, 3in, Female.
Welp, had another death in the collection-- this one I saw coming.
My girl hadn't been eating well for months despite being offered food, no premolt, tiny abdomen. She'd only take crickets, and even then sparingly. At first I didn't worry much about it because t's sometimes fast for no real reason, no biggy. I later suspected she may have a parasite due to the fact that I would find these tiny white worms in her water bowl (every time I did, I would completely overhaul her enclosure. Washed with bleach, fresh substrate, new fixtures, the whole shebang) now and again, but I'd hoped she would bounce back.
Later, she would start falling from the walls and roof of her enclosure (not a large fall, mind you. She had around 4 inches of wall between the roof and the substrate to work with as a 3inch arboreal), moving with somewhat lethargic, jerky movements compared to the pacing she used to do.
Well, I finally found her curled on her back (i imagine she must have fallen again, since tarantulas dont usually die on their backs). I let her be for a day to see if it was a molt, but no such luck. once again, i find those nasty little white worms in her substrate, coming from a half-eaten cricket i'd not yet removed. As I do, I'll probably be preserving her in an alcohol solution for sentimental reasons.
I'm already keeping a watchful eye on the rest of my collection (a very small one, now, as I recently rehomed over half of them) and will probably be sterilising their enclosures today anyway for good measure, though everyone else is eating fine and appears healthy. I suspect the source to be contaminated feeders, but don't expect this to be a problem again as she was the only t I fed crickets to at all-- everyone else is happily on the superworm diet.
Not really an advice solicitation so much as logging this for reference of anyone who needs it. Any commentary is welcome.
Welp, had another death in the collection-- this one I saw coming.
My girl hadn't been eating well for months despite being offered food, no premolt, tiny abdomen. She'd only take crickets, and even then sparingly. At first I didn't worry much about it because t's sometimes fast for no real reason, no biggy. I later suspected she may have a parasite due to the fact that I would find these tiny white worms in her water bowl (every time I did, I would completely overhaul her enclosure. Washed with bleach, fresh substrate, new fixtures, the whole shebang) now and again, but I'd hoped she would bounce back.
Later, she would start falling from the walls and roof of her enclosure (not a large fall, mind you. She had around 4 inches of wall between the roof and the substrate to work with as a 3inch arboreal), moving with somewhat lethargic, jerky movements compared to the pacing she used to do.
Well, I finally found her curled on her back (i imagine she must have fallen again, since tarantulas dont usually die on their backs). I let her be for a day to see if it was a molt, but no such luck. once again, i find those nasty little white worms in her substrate, coming from a half-eaten cricket i'd not yet removed. As I do, I'll probably be preserving her in an alcohol solution for sentimental reasons.
I'm already keeping a watchful eye on the rest of my collection (a very small one, now, as I recently rehomed over half of them) and will probably be sterilising their enclosures today anyway for good measure, though everyone else is eating fine and appears healthy. I suspect the source to be contaminated feeders, but don't expect this to be a problem again as she was the only t I fed crickets to at all-- everyone else is happily on the superworm diet.
Not really an advice solicitation so much as logging this for reference of anyone who needs it. Any commentary is welcome.