Nematodes?

[J.huff23]

I got this adult female C.fimbriatus a few months ago. She has been eating normally until a few weeks ago and I noticed some strange behavior so I took her out. Lord please tell me these aren’t nematodes.

 

[J.huff23]

Well looks like it is. That’s about how my year has been going. She has been quarantined and I’m sterilizing all equipment used in her cleaning. Now I guess I just get to sit and wait and hope it doesn’t wipe out the other 200 of my collection.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Oh man sorry to hear this, you have my sympathy.

Just curious but what have you been feeding them?

 

[J.huff23]

A mixture or store bought crickets and home grown dubia. I don’t even know if I would stay in the hobby at this point if my whole collection gets it.

 

[Hoxter]

Oh no, it looks really bad. It might have been those crickets from store. From what I hear, it usually takes 2 weeks or so for nematodes to appear in that mouth part. You might think about what you used in past 3 weeks.
I guess your dubias are fine as they're not from outside. Is she the only one that ate those store bought crickets?

 

[J.huff23]

The entire collection are the store bought crickets. Which is another reason I’m so gutted.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Very interesting. It is nice to see a picture taken through a microscope to confirm that they are in fact roundworms/ nematodes. Some effort should be taken to remove the mass, preserve it, and find a nematologist or parasitologist for further examination. It would be really cool to know what species the nematodes are or if they are something new to science. When the tarantula passes, it should be preserved in a jar of 70% ethanol for examination as well.

I recommend contacting the University of Idaho Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology for further advice on preservation methods. It isn't every day one has the opportunity to discover something new.

Entomology, Plant Pathology & Nematology | UIdaho

The Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology in the University of Idaho’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences offers a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate program in entomology.

www.uidaho.edu

 

[J.huff23]

Everything I’ve read essentially says to euthanize the T. Is this the route I should take?

 

[Arachnophobphile]

The entire collection are the store bought crickets. Which is another reason I’m so gutted.

This is horrible I'm so sorry you are going through this nightmare.

I used crickets only a few times then swore them off. I found out they are known to carry parasites from what I've read not to mention the extreme stink.

I hope you can save your collection from this castrophe.

 

[J.huff23]

If they all take this hit. I’m out. Emotionally and financially. I just can’t do it anymore if I loose them all. After the years I’ve put in to build this collection and acquire rare females this would be my luck. This has been the year from hell folks let me tell you.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

I'm sorry J.huff23 I know how it feels to suffer loss. Don't give up it's not over yet.

You've got a fight going on now and I know you will do whatever it takes to protect your T's.

One had nematodes but doesn't mean the other ones do. Also doesn't mean all the crickets were contaminated, if that is where the nematodes actually came from. It is not 100% certain just a calculation at this point.

There is still hope. From what I know about nematodes is they mostly affect adult tarantulas.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

If they all take this hit. I’m out. Emotionally and financially. I just can’t do it anymore if I loose them all. After the years I’ve put in to build this collection and acquire rare females this would be my luck. This has been the year from hell folks let me tell you.

I found this, there is a section on nematodes https://www.giantspiders.com/captive-care/common-ailments/

I don't think we are allowed to post links but if it is please delete this moderator.

Nematodes could most likely come from the substrate or if the tarantula was wild caught more than the crickets.

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Was the tarantula wild caught? If so, it would be a more likely explanation for where she acquired the nematodes than the crickets. I'm so sorry....don't give up hope yet though. Hopefully this is the only case you'll have in your collection.

 

[Hoxter]

From what I understand, nematodes that come from substrate are the non parasitic type. I've seen some of them in my sub as effect of watering too much. I made a thread not so much time ago asking about those and that's what I learned from other keepers.

Parasitic nematodes most likely transfer from host to host. Apparently even some tiny flies that end up in substrate could be the reason of it spreading.
Therefore I'd try checking on all other tarantulas around for any kind of nematode infestation (is that the right word?).I bet that's gonna be really stressful time for you but fingers crossed they're fine.

@spideyspinneret78 also made a good point. Do you know if that's a WC specimen? Although I don't think it would take few months to develop symptoms.

 

[J.huff23]

I was under the impression that this fimbriatus was captive bred as it was from a well known dealer but I do not know for sure. Tomorrow I will be doing an in depth investigation of the spider room and all other enclosures and spiders to determine the current situation.

 

[PoeciIotheria]

Hoping for the best. I'm putting my money on her not being CB or something along those lines...Please keep us updated.

 

[Arachnoenthusiast]

If they all take this hit. I’m out. Emotionally and financially. I just can’t do it anymore if I loose them all. After the years I’ve put in to build this collection and acquire rare females this would be my luck. This has been the year from hell folks let me tell you.

I'm sorry to hear this. Good vibes your way

 

[Polenth]

If you have any dewormers in the house, you might as well try them and report back on what happens. It could help someone else know what to try and what hasn't been tried. If it were me, I'd likely try levamisole first, as that's used in fish for a drug-resistant nematode (without harming snails and shrimp). I also couldn't find anything on people trying it with spiders.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

From what I hear, it usually takes 2 weeks or so for nematodes to appear in that mouth part.

In my experience (infected/infested WC A. avicularia) it takes a few months before they start spilling out of the mouthparts.

I found out they are known to carry parasites from what I've read

Crickets being parasite dispensing units is a hobby myth perpetuated by certain less reputable YouTubers. If there were any truth in that then parasites would be a much more common problem than they are.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

I'm very sorry about your discovery, @J.huff23 but I'm remaining optimistic that this is an isolated problem with this one T. Keep us updated if you can.