P.ornata dying? sick? molting?

[CindyMoon]

One of my P.ornata juvenile has been acting weird, she was lying at the bottom of her tank earlier in what seemed like a death curl. In a kind of a panic I grabbed a brush and gently touched her and at first she didnt move at all, then she kinda moved a little bit, very weak movements and she took like 1 step and curled up again. So I started reading online for a bit and everything pointed to the death curl. After the reading I went back to check on her and then she was back on her log, just chilling.

So is she laughing at me now for panicking over her little nap, or might there really be something wrong here? I've never seen a T do that, ever, not without budging for so long! At first it was like touching a carcass Just want to make sure she's ok! Has anyone experienced this with their P.ornata or just any of their T's? Or does anyone have an idea if this could be a symptom of something more serious (parasite, dehydration, wrong diet, wrong something)..

 

[14pokies]

Pics of the set up would be very helpfull but to me it sounds like 1 of 2 things..

Either her enclosure is way too dry or she was just laying funny..
I have had poecs specially ornata lay in funky positions for no reason..

 

[Sana]

She could have been grooming. The first time I saw one of my tarantulas grooming itself I thought it was a death curl and I was totally panicked. It would definitely be easier to pinpoint likely possibilities with the above requested pictures though.

 

[EulersK]

You can't mistake a death curl - knees over the head and toes under the carapace. That last part is important. If the toes aren't curled under the spider, then it's not a death curl.

For over a month now, my adult female GBB has looked on the verge of death. Nothing but a curl, very lethargic, everything you've said. But she's in a new spot/position every few hours. Immediately, that tells me it's not a death curl. If I didn't know for a fact that she's in heavy premolt, I'd be just as worried as you are!

Now, to be clear, my situation may be different. But I've seen what you're describing several times in terrestrials. At the very least, it's not a death curl. When a spider is in a death curl, it means they literally can't move.

 

[Venom1080]

pics please!
sounds like dehydration to me.

 

[14pokies]

pics please!
sounds like dehydration to me.

Whats your guess bud? The pokie get her or she just doesn't feel like posting pics?

Since this threads dead hows Niagara Falls looking? Trees turning red yet?

 

[CindyMoon]

Whats your guess bud? The pokie get her or she just doesn't feel like posting pics?

Since this threads dead hows Niagara Falls looking? Trees turning red yet?

Lol, are you serious? I've been busy, I've been checking up on her since yesterday but haven't had the time to take and upload pictures until now.

Regarding the pictures, the pink walls are temporary haha, this used to be my daughters room. And sorry for the low quality, the lighting conditions weren't exactly great so you can see both my and my kitten mirroring

Anyway, this is the tank of said ornata. I'm using crystals for her water dish, should I just use water instead? Would you recommend misting her substrate? She does seem fine now though. But still, any advice regarding this species (even though I have done a lot of reading on them) especially from owners, are more than appreciated.

 

[CindyMoon]

Me and my kitten*

 

[14pokies]

Lol, are you serious? I've been busy, I've been checking up on her since yesterday but haven't had the time to take and upload pictures until now.

Regarding the pictures, the pink walls are temporary haha, this used to be my daughters room. And sorry for the low quality, the lighting conditions weren't exactly great so you can see both my and my kitten mirroring

Anyway, this is the tank of said ornata. I'm using crystals for her water dish, should I just use water instead? Would you recommend misting her substrate? She does seem fine now though. But still, any advice regarding this species (even though I have done a lot of reading on them) especially from owners, are more than appreciated.

I'm seldom very serious


Get rid of the water crystals Ts can't get moisture from them..

The kritter keepers lid has a ton of ventilation so in this case yes do mist the sides from time to time( maybe 1× 2× a week) to provide extra drinking water.. Avoid spraying the T though..

Go ahead and wet the sub... Don't over saturate it but deffinately keep it a little more moist than what it is..

The enclosure could use a few plastic plants imo also. Looks kind of barren..

I'm curious as to how long you have had her?
I don't see any signs of webbing.. If she has been in there more than a week or so that right there is clue that she isn't happy with her enclosure..

 

[CindyMoon]

I'm seldom very serious


Get rid of the water crystals Ts can't get moisture from them..

The kritter keepers lid has a ton of ventilation so in this case yes do mist the sides from time to time( maybe 1× 2× a week) to provide extra drinking water.. Avoid spraying the T though..

Go ahead and wet the sub... Don't over saturate it but deffinately keep it a little more moist than what it is..

The enclosure could use a few plastic plants imo also. Looks kind of barren..

I'm curious as to how long you have had her?
I don't see any signs of webbing.. If she has been in there more than a week or so that right there is clue that she isn't happy with her enclosure..

She's been there for 4 days now, so the no webbing hasn't worried me much yet. But thank you, I will spray the substrate just a little bit now and switch to water in her dish.

Also regarding how poorly decorated it is now, she even has a jar lid as a water dish for now, I just haven't had the time to go buy decorations yet or replace her dish with something prettier. I had plants here that I was going to put in but then I ended up not liking them so I want to buy different ones

 

[14pokies]

She's been there for 4 days now, so the no webbing hasn't worried me much yet. But thank you, I will spray the substrate just a little bit now and switch to water in her dish.

Also regarding how poorly decorated it is now, she even has a jar lid as a water dish for now, I just haven't had the time to go buy decorations yet or replace her dish with something prettier. I had plants here that I was going to put in but then I ended up not liking them so I want to buy different ones

Never said it was poorly decorated just a little spartan is all.. I have seen poecs do ok with much less unfortunately.. Lol..

Ok 4 days is nothing she should should start spinning and rearranging the sub anytime now..

 

[Trenor]

What size is the tarantula?

I agree with ditching the water crystals. It wouldn't hurt to add some more plants/cover for her as well. I like extra sub in my pokie enclosures. A lot of mine like making dirt curtains using it and a few of them like to burrow at the base of the hide.

I wouldn't mist at all though. I would just keep a 2oz jello shot cup in there with water and call it good.

 

[Venom1080]

Whats your guess bud? The pokie get her or she just doesn't feel like posting pics?

Since this threads dead hows Niagara Falls looking? Trees turning red yet?

im like 3 hours away from Niagara falls. just turning yellow so far.

 

[CindyMoon]

What size is the tarantula?

I agree with ditching the water crystals. It wouldn't hurt to add some more plants/cover for her as well. I like extra sub in my pokie enclosures. A lot of mine like making dirt curtains using it and a few of them like to burrow at the base of the hide.

I wouldn't mist at all though. I would just keep a 2oz jello shot cup in there with water and call it good.

She's tiny, with only her body being like 5-6 cm. Give or take, I haven't measured her yet Her abdominal being almost less than her carapace She's eaten two crickets so far so maybe she's just been very hungry. I didn't really think of how small her abdominal was until earlier today. Glad she's eating at least! Btw I only misted a liitle bit and that got her moving more, so I'm hoping it did her better than worse. I won't be misting again anytime soon. I've also taken out the crystals as I said in an earlier comment and replaced with water

And as also said in an earlier comment, I had plants that I was going to use but eventually didn't like them so I've just been waiting for a spare moment to go buy some, or order online. Been really busy days and I haven't had her for long. So.. More decor will be added both for her to web around/climb/whatever and for the prettiness!

 

[CindyMoon]

What size is the tarantula?

I agree with ditching the water crystals. It wouldn't hurt to add some more plants/cover for her as well. I like extra sub in my pokie enclosures. A lot of mine like making dirt curtains using it and a few of them like to burrow at the base of the hide.

I wouldn't mist at all though. I would just keep a 2oz jello shot cup in there with water and call it good.

And thanks for your advice on this!

 

[14pokies]

I wouldn't mist at all though. I would just keep a 2oz jello shot cup in there with water and call it good.

Im curious as to why you don't agree with occasional misting for drinking purposes?

 

[14pokies]

so I'm hoping it did her better than worse.

How can lightly misintg your tarantulas enclosure harm your T as long as it's not over done?

 

[Venom1080]

Im curious as to why you don't agree with occasional misting for drinking purposes?

because they can just drink from their water bowl. plus it evaporates so quickly. its kind of useless.

 

[14pokies]

because they can just drink from their water bowl. plus it evaporates so quickly. its kind of useless.

Alot of Ts will drink from the glass.. It's not done to add humidity..
It's an extra step to ensure that a T has more options on how it wishes to hydrate..

Your pokies don't often fill there dish with substrate or bury it completely? Most of mine do it within a day or two of adding it.. If they do neither they will often contaminate it with a bolus..

Untill someone can provide solid evidence that misting the walls of an enclosure or the Ts web is detrimental I'll keep doing it and reccomending it..

As further evidence to support my practice I'll ask you this.. How many Ts not just pokies live near a permanent source of water? Is it possible that they rely more on dew and rain as a primary source of hydration?

 

[Venom1080]

Alot of Ts will drink from the glass.. It's not done to add humidity..
It's an extra step to ensure that a T has more options on how it wishes to hydrate..

Your pokies don't often fill there dish with substrate or bury it completely? Most of mine do it within a day or two of adding it.. If they do neither they will often contaminate it with a bolus..

Untill someone can provide solid evidence that misting the walls of an enclosure or the Ts web is detrimental I'll keep doing it and reccomending it..

As further evidence to support my practice I'll ask you this.. How many Ts not just pokies live near a permanent source of water? Is it possible that they rely more on dew and rain as a primary source of hydration?

its not bad, its just useless. sure its possible in the wild, but this is captivity. Ts can drink just fine from a water dish.