Ominous "Yellow Spot"!

[flippinekfaria]

Hello, I'm looking for some second opinions and maybe some advice please.

"Ese" my Fireleg (Brachypelma boehmei?) has been a great spider from sling to now, a young adult I think at a good 3 inches across, but today I noticed a white/yellow spot on its abdomen (not sexed 'it' yet):



Sorry about the shocking picture but through the enclosure it is tricky on the phone. It's defo not like the pre-molt shiny bald patches I usually see, it is also on only one side from what I can tell. Having googled and read forums the suggestion is that whatever it is means certain death, cheerful place the internet So before I do what I can to see my wee friend off as comfortably as I can I thought I'd ask if anyone has seen this before and recovered from whatever the problem is?

FYI, I'm in the UK and it's blisteringly hot (over 19C is scorching for the UK but it's actually about 28C again today!!). I'm wondering if it is a bit muggy in the plastic enclosure and perhaps moist as a result of water dish refills being a little more regular due to them drying out quickly. I don't mist my enclosure but I do I often drip water on the way in or overfill a little around the dish which is in an otherwise dry enclosure. Perhaps the additional refills and 'spillage' is enough to make it 'less dry' than normal?

I can't think what else to say since everything else is good, no mould anywhere, healthy appetite and good posture. Does anyone have an opinion as to what this could be, and is there anything I could or should do which might help avoid the internets predicted certain doom?

Cheers,
FEF.

 

[Neonblizzard]

Hello, I'm looking for some second opinions and maybe some advice please.

"Ese" my Fireleg (Brachypelma boehmei?) has been a great spider from sling to now, a young adult I think at a good 3 inches across, but today I noticed a white/yellow spot on its abdomen (not sexed 'it' yet):

View attachment 391958

Sorry about the shocking picture but through the enclosure it is tricky on the phone. It's defo not like the pre-molt shiny bald patches I usually see, it is also on only one side from what I can tell. Having googled and read forums the suggestion is that whatever it is means certain death, cheerful place the internet So before I do what I can to see my wee friend off as comfortably as I can I thought I'd ask if anyone has seen this before and recovered from whatever the problem is?

FYI, I'm in the UK and it's blisteringly hot (over 19C is scorching for the UK but it's actually about 28C again today!!). I'm wondering if it is a bit muggy in the plastic enclosure and perhaps moist as a result of water dish refills being a little more regular due to them drying out quickly. I don't mist my enclosure but I do I often drip water on the way in or overfill a little around the dish which is in an otherwise dry enclosure. Perhaps the additional refills and 'spillage' is enough to make it 'less dry' than normal?

I can't think what else to say since everything else is good, no mould anywhere, healthy appetite and good posture. Does anyone have an opinion as to what this could be, and is there anything I could or should do which might help avoid the internets predicted certain doom?

Cheers,
FEF.

Where did you read this is a death sentence? I can't find anything on google that says that.

B. Boehmi are some of the flickiest T's you can own, looks like a bald spot to me

EDIT: I think i found the article you read, I'd be very, very surprised if that was a mould spot that's going to be fatal. Unless you're keeping them in a swamp i seriously doubt that is the problem. Certainly don't put anti fungal cream on them like that article suggests

 

[viper69]

Looks like either setae worn off, or potentially what we call a “cyst”. I’m inclined to go with the latter. Image too blurry for me to get a better idea.

In either case there’s nothing you can do, for the latter feed less.

 

[flippinekfaria]

Wow that fast @viper69 !

Interesting that you say cyst, I'll try and get another photo later on in the day when things get more active but it is certainly a 'perfect blemish' as opposed to a smear or abrasion pattern I would assume goes with fungal spreads. Is it just bad luck or something I have done wrong, also if a cyst then can you please explain why I should feed it less? Thanks.

@Neonblizzard, wow that was even faster... I didn't spot your reply because I thought Viper was straight in there!

I keep chickens, Tarantulas, horses, dogs and soon bees... "The Goodlife"... and in all honesty I find that people tend to ask questions when concerned or report 'bad news' more than good. Consequently I didn't find any posts from people not worried about spots which gives a negative biased... and I shouldn't be surprised I guess? Anyway, it is nice to get a less gloomy opinion and I shall certainly not be treating with anything unless things develop and there is a general consensus.

I shall try and get a better picture (I read that a lot on forums and now I see why!) but shan't disturb the critter until this evening when it is on hunt, I can then get a better look to see if it is a bald spot or not. Cheers.

 

[LiamG]

Wow that fast @viper69 !

Interesting that you say cyst, I'll try and get another photo later on in the day when things get more active but it is certainly a 'perfect blemish' as opposed to a smear or abrasion pattern I would assume goes with fungal spreads. Is it just bad luck or something I have done wrong, also if a cyst then can you please explain why I should feed it less? Thanks.

My curly hair has what looks to be the same spot @viper69 also told me to feed less. I realized why, the one time I fed her it started to bleed so i just covered it with cornstarch to stop the bleeding. I am now just patiently waiting for her to molt to see if it will fix it ,and only feed her when I see condition in her abdomen start to decrease/losing weight. Then I monitor closely to check for bleeding.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dorifto]

With the Ts picture post a picture of your entire setup please

 

[Liquifin]

That is a cyst, and honestly there isn't a lot of information about it. The only thing you can do is hope that its next molt will either reduce it or get rid of it. When it comes to cysts, it either gets better or worse for each molt that it has. So I wish you the best and I hope it all goes well in the future.

 

[flippinekfaria]

Hello everyone,

Firstly thanks for all the replies. I have taken a few more photos so that people can confirm their suspicions but also help me with setup as I'm still/always learning. First picture is the best I can get of the yellow spot:



That's the full image and then a close up of the spot itself. I know what I'm thinking but as a novice I'm very interested to know your thoughts @Liquifin and @viper69? I have also taken shots of the setup, which is my three critters on a shelf which is closed off behind and houses a small (40w) thermostatic bar heater. The heater is again powered off a more accurate thermostatic power supply, the red figure 23C in one of the lids below is the current temp. At the moment the front Perspex is off since it is plenty warm and the heater not coming on. Perspex is usually on, trapping the heat so it runs at about 21-22C most of the time. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts, if I'm doing something wrong I won't know unless people tell me!!

(Full Setup - No Perspex On)


(Full Setup - Perspex On)


(Ese in/at Home)


Obviously the yellow spot is the thing causing concern, interested in confirmation of cyst and ideas on how to best treat my critter if it is indeed dark days ahead. However, now you have seen my setup then please @Dorifto and anyone else with thoughts, don't hesitate to correct me where wrong as I can do with all the help I can get. Thanks a lot. FEF.

 

[viper69]

Cyst

 

[Neonblizzard]

Oh yeah that's absolutely a cyst now you have a better photo.

Would need to see other individual shots of each enclosure and what species they are to pass comment on if they are set up OK. Feel free to do that if you like

 

[Dorifto]

Looks like a cyst to me too, and it could be caused by one of those splinters... That substrate is the worst substrate you can put to any T, the T is walking in a substrate made of needles waiting to bet punctured.

Change the substrate to a proper one, topsoil, coco fiber... etc and rearrange it to be more safe, adding more subtrate, better hide etc.

 

[Neonblizzard]

Looks like a cyst to me too, and it could be caused by one of those splinters... That substrate is the worst substrate you can put to any T, the T is walking in a substrate made of needles waiting to bet punctured.

Change the substrate to a proper one, topsoil, coco fiber... etc and rearrange it to be more safe, adding more subtrate, better hide etc.

I actually didn't notice this but i think you're right, it's all razor sharp and pointy perfect for hurting T's

 

[flippinekfaria]

Thank you everyone for your feedback and advice. I am surfing for substrate right now and shall change it in all the enclosures albeit Esa (Fireleg) first and and then Gordito (Salmon Pink) next as she has outgrown the enclosure. I shall get 'proper' terrestrial substrate but it is disappointing not having the correct stuff now as I bought it in a reputable specialist shop; the substrate is Prorep Spider Life.

The spider pictured can and occasionally does hide under the bark, it excavated the burrow but it is not very deep so I shall make the substrate deeper for sure. The large enclosure is for the salmon pink which used to have heaps of the same substrate but always stayed on top anyway, so on the most recent change I simply didn't bother but won't make that mistake again (I love this spider as it's always on display).

The final more upright enclosure is for Lars (Gooty Metallica) which lives between two bits of upright bark almost permanently; it's finally starting to show a hint of blue after several molts but it's been a long long wait since a sling and I rarely disturb it other than to feed. It never goes near the ground so I'll probably wait until I need to clean or change the enclosure before doing anything with Lars, is that okay?

Obviously I thought I was doing things correctly else I'd have done something about it before harming one of my critters. If anyone has advice for the type of substrate, depth in relation to spider size and anything else I should consider then please do chime in with your recommendation. Thanks a lot..

 

[flippinekfaria]

Hello after a long wait! For those with similar experiences I have some good news, post moult my Mexican Fireleg "Ese" appears to be fully recovered and restored to (what we think is now) HER former glory.

The yellow spot was evident on the moult but no remaining marks on the spider suggesting all is okay. I also rehomed her and changed the substrate before the moult which appears to be a less 'spikey' variety, All in all I'm really pleased as she seems very well and after a week started eating once more.

A good news story that I thought I'd share. Cheers.