Really big problem, need help!

[saminthemiddle]

Very true, Josh. If it's an airborne toxin though, the likelyhood of him opening the enclosure at the same time it's in the air is less likely.

I don't know. I would like to examine the dead for nematodes, however.

And call your water company! Like, right now!

 

[Talkenlate04]

All of the regalis slings from that sac are out of the T room now. There were two other species affected now. So the total is.......

22 regalis slings, 1 P. metallica, 1 P. ornata, 1 P. formosa, and 1 A. Minatrix.

 

[saminthemiddle]

How big were the other spiders?

 

[Talkenlate04]

How big were the other spiders?

Nothing over 2.5".

 

[saminthemiddle]

I'm thinking more toxins at this point too. But I don't want to rule out nematodes without an autopsy.

If nothing else gets sick I would say toxin.

Sorry about this, it's probably a stupid neighbor spraying something in the air. Have a talk with them.

And CALL THE WATER COMPANY!

 

[unitard311]

All of the regalis slings from that sac are out of the T room now. There were two other species affected now. So the total is.......

22 regalis slings, 1 P. metallica, 1 P. ornata, 1 P. formosa, and 1 A. Minatrix.

I am so sorry, really. I hope that this gets figured out soon, before you lose any more.

 

[Anastasia]

I would like to examine the dead for nematodes, however.

WC is possible, but in CB slings??, where would them nematodes will come from??

 

[Tunedbeat]

All of the regalis slings from that sac are out of the T room now. There were two other species affected now. So the total is.......

22 regalis slings, 1 P. metallica, 1 P. ornata, 1 P. formosa, and 1 A. Minatrix.

Bummer, sorry to hear about your lost.
It is possible that the cause are the feeders. When was the last time you cleaned out the roach bin, by sanitizing, adding new egg crates, etc .. ?

 

[Talkenlate04]

Bummer, sorry to hear about your lost.
It is possible that the cause are the feeders. When was the last time you cleaned out the roach bin, by sanitizing, adding new egg crates, etc .. ?

Roach bin cleaning happens twice a month. There seems to be no health issues with the roaches, but who knows at this point. I don't plan on feeding anything for a while. I am just going to watch the feeders for a few weeks to see if they do anything weird.

 

[saminthemiddle]

Anastasia: we were speculating that the nematodes came from the substrate.

Talkenlate: What did you use to clean the roaches and when was the last time that you cleaned it?

And freaking call the water company. It's really important that you do that ASAP.

 

[Talkenlate04]

And freaking call the water company. It's really important that you do that ASAP

I guess I really don't understand what I am supposed to ask them when I get them on the phone...........

What did you use to clean the roaches and when was the last time that you cleaned it?

I swept out all the crap, and uses a mild dawn dish soap diluted solution to clean out the bottom with a sponge, and dried it with paper towels.

 

[ShadowBlade]

Sean: we can rule out water and foodborne diseases because a) he hasn't lost any feeders and b) he boils his water. We can say that airborne is very unlikely as well because he has a LOT of animals in a small area, if it were airborne it would have infected all of them.

If it's poison it doesn't mean anything but if it's disease it means a lot.

So, let me get this straight, we're operating under the assumption that

A: Feeder insects MUST be affected by this illness
B: The cause of this illness is a pathogen, or other heat-sensitive source.
C: All his other animals AREN'T infected. (Just because some animals are showing the symptoms, is by no means an indication the others are healthy. Especially considering these are young specimens succombing first, adults would take longer.)

An awful lot of 'IF's from this small amount of information you've gathered here.

Understand we're not operating entirely on Ryan's experience here, if this really is DS, some of us have seen this go down in our fellow hobbyist's collections before, and in our own. (I certainly have).

I am a firm believer that DS is either a fungal/mold toxin, or other chemical, not some form of disease. As many have stated before, what has been observed of DS so far, its only a collection of symptoms, NOT a disease.

But I don't want to rule out nematodes without an autopsy.

Already done that myself, and came up nil. You're welcome to explore on your own however.

-Sean

 

[betuana]

I guess I really don't understand what I am supposed to ask them when I get them on the phone...........

Well, some general info would be a start. Have they recently used anything different (type, brand, etc) when treating the water? Have any of their tests showed levels of anything that are different from the normal baseline? And try and make sure they know you are interested in fluctuations whether or not they pose any hazard, you just want to know about ANY changes or fluctuations at all. They should test their water regularly and be able to tell you if anything has changed even slightly, if any trace amounts of anything have been showing up on tests, or if they have changed one of their treatment methods or chemicals used, etc.

If they are open with you and nothing even slightly out of the ordinary has been seen then it reduces the likelyhood of water being the problem (I wouldn't completely eliminate it, but possibly move it down on the suspect list.)

Maybe some other people here have suggestions for specific readings you should ask them about, but those are some general questions....

Best of luck to you!

 

[Talkenlate04]

So I can ask all that without sounding like a terrorist and getting arrested?

 

[kyrga]

I'm very sorry to hear about this

I don't really have anything new to add, but if it were me, I'd certainly look into what's going on in and around the apartment complex. Are there vents in your T room? A central air unit could be bringing contaminants from another apartment, or from another room in your apartment where a window is open. And even if your apartment hasn't sprayed (which I find unlikely) another nearby complex may have?

I'm not sure where you live, but at least where I am, the weather has really been changing lately, causing a change in indoor environments i.e. people using AC, spraying for the bugs that are becoming more prevalent, using flea meds on their pets, etc etc.

I really hope things turn out okay for you and you don't lose anymore!

 

[Anastasia]

Anastasia: we were speculating that the nematodes came from the substrate.

Talkenlate: What did you use to clean the roaches and when was the last time that you cleaned it?

And freaking call the water company. It's really important that you do that ASAP.

I really have a big doubt any nematodes will be living in dry peatmoss
unless its been mixed with a soil from out in wild
knowing Ryan, I highly doubt that is well

 

[betuana]

So I can ask all that without sounding like a terrorist and getting arrested?

Gosh I hope so....freedom of information act and all should allow people to get this information. Especially if they had some sort of medical sensitivity that they wanted to find out information on. Might help if you offer some sort of explanation - doesn't have to be detailed (or even true) - but something like you've noticed some strange problems with some small critters you raise and are trying to determine the source, or even you've noticed your tap water tastes a little different recently and you are trying to figure out if there is something different about what they've seen to see why, etc.

But then again, sometimes our current society gets wigged out over any questioning. Still, if you give a reasonable seeming explanation for why you are seeking the information I would think they'd help...

Anyone out there have experience with calling the water company for info like this, or similar things??

 

[jen650s]

So I can ask all that without sounding like a terrorist and getting arrested?

Yep, you can ask about these things. Water reports should be available to the general public at any time by request (by law in CA for municipal water districts) and if nothing else has changed are a viable suspect. As was stated previously it is not uncommon for fish breeders to request this information.

Boiling will kill most pathogens, but will not remove chemical problems. Some areas I have seen water reports for don't even meet FDA Clean Water standards for potable water due to the mineral/chemical content of the water and the acceptable levels of some things a human can tolerate in relatively large concentrations (like Arsenic) will kill smaller animals.

Ryan, I know that you are doing everything you possibly can and all I can do is wish you the best in this. I am sorry for your loss.

 

[Anastasia]

Ryan,
I still think its toxins, possible spread by food?
what do u feed ur roaches, possible fruit many fruits and veggies sold by SM may be treated with pesticides
roaches ar pretty tolerant and resistant
remind me our barn cat ate a rat, before that rat ate a rat poison, we found cat dead, poor thing
listen, its just a though,
I keep hoping ur nitemare will stop very soon
XX Dear

 

[Talkenlate04]

Ryan,
I still think its toxins, possible spread by food?
what do u feed ur roaches, possible fruit many fruits and veggies sold by SM may be treated with pesticides
roaches ar pretty tolerant and resistant
remind me our barn cat ate a rat, before that rat ate a rat poison, we found cat dead, poor thing
listen, its just a though,
I keep hoping ur nitemare will stop very soon
XX Dear

The roaches eat chicken feed, and fruit from time to time but that is it. That could be the issue......... maybe Ill try dog food. But would that be any safer?