P. sazimai in death curl

Alana

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
Messages
20
I checked on the Ts just now, and my P. sazimai was in a death curl. It still has some movement, but I was able to flip it onto its back with ease. It was fine when I last checked it a couple of days ago, but it hasn't eaten for a week or so, just stayed in its burrow, so I thought it was in premoult. Apparently not. Glad I checked!
Its abdomen is very plump, so it's not dehydrated, but I did drip some water onto its mouthparts just in case. It didn't drink.
I suspect that the substrate may have been too moist, and that coupled with some blocked air holes from the burrowing, it's ended up with a stagnant, stuffy deli cup. So I've moved it into a new deli cup with dry substrate and a water bowl.
Anything else I can try or is it just wait and see now? I've never had a T in a death curl before, I'm pretty gutted right now.

I have photos on my phone, I'm just trying to work out how to post them.
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
Might not be a death curl but molting in an upright position, all you can do is wait and see. leave it in a warm dark place to rest.
 

Alana

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
Messages
20
Might not be a death curl but molting in an upright position, all you can do is wait and see. leave it in a warm dark place to rest.
Ah, OK. I hadn't thought of that. Is it common for them to behave like that when they're about to do an upright molt?
I'm just going to leave it be and hope for the best I think if there's nothing else I can do. :(
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
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Apr 29, 2015
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Nothing is common about an upright molt, thank god they are not the norm.
I hope all is well for your little T
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
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Dec 8, 2006
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17,851
If it's not an upright molt, a death curl can result from other issues not involving dehydration. In those cases, all you can do is hope for the best.
 

Alana

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
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20
Thank you. I switched it over to a clean deli cup with dry substrate, so hopefully that will help with any husbandry errors. It's had a wander over to its water bowl this evening, so fingers crossed it'll pull through. It's still not looking great though tbh.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
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Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
Its a great species and would be a shame to lose it. Humidity requirements can be a pain when raising these as youngsters. Dont want to go overkill on the moisture yet not let the sub dry out. I wish you luck and hope it has a speedy recovery.
 

Alana

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
Messages
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Thank you. It seems a little better this morning. I checked it at 5am and it had moved to the other side of the deli cup and had its legs stretched out. They were tucked under again when I checked an hour ago but it was moving. I've ordered a small Exo Terra Breeding Box to give it more space and allow for a better moisture gradient. I'll be gutted if I lose this little guy.
 

Alana

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
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Thanks for your support everyone. I think it's looking a little better this evening. I just looked in on it and it was having a good drink.
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I think it's probably very much still wait and see, but I'm hoping this is a good sign.
 

Alana

Arachnopeon
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Jun 26, 2016
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It's now sitting completely in the water bowl. I know that normally they don't drown, but do I need to scoop it out so it doesn't have water covering its booklungs or just leave it be? This little T is really messing with my head, my anxiety is so bad today, ugh.
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
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Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
Tarantulas have been around for millions of years it will move if the need arises I would let it be to settle in and recover from whatever ailed it. In that pic the abdomen looks to be darkening and may be near a molt.
 

Alana

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
Messages
20
Thank you, that's very true. I did think it was in premoult before I spotted the death curl because of the dark abdomen and also it had stopped eating. I'll leave it be and hope for an improvement tomorrow.
 

Sana

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 26, 2014
Messages
1,139
I have a few that periodically sit in their water bowls. No harm has come of it so I let them be.
 

Alana

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 26, 2016
Messages
20
Thanks for your support everyone. It hasn't moved at all in the last 24 hours, so I'm not feeling so positive anymore. But who knows, maybe it will recover or moult. I'm just going to leave it be now, making sure it has access to fresh water. I don't think there's a lot else I can do at this point really.
 
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