Rehabbing paralyzed Tarantula

[OneTimeT]

Thank you @ladyratri and @IntermittentSygnal for the feedback and advice. My T's abdomen is definitely getting smaller than when I was hand-feeding her water every other day, but she remains very active every day so I don't think it's a problem (yet). I'll continue to leave a water bowl out for her and avoid hand-feeding water. Here's how she's looking today, after 3 weeks of no hand-feeding:



A long time ago my dad used to keep a cricket as a pet, so it feels wrong to provide them as prey for my T. Crushing worm heads is also a bit much for me, but I suppose I'll do what I have to do. Perhaps if I refrigerate the worm first, and put it in a plastic tray it can't crawl out of, I don't have to do any head crushing.

I'm hoping that my T will eventually show that she can eat and drink on her own, because then I can get her a larger terrarium that doesn't get moved around so much.

 

[NMTs]

Thank you @ladyratri and @IntermittentSygnal for the feedback and advice. My T's abdomen is definitely getting smaller than when I was hand-feeding her water every other day, but she remains very active every day so I don't think it's a problem (yet). I'll continue to leave a water bowl out for her and avoid hand-feeding water. Here's how she's looking today, after 3 weeks of no hand-feeding:

View attachment 482191

A long time ago my dad used to keep a cricket as a pet, so it feels wrong to provide them as prey for my T. Crushing worm heads is also a bit much for me, but I suppose I'll do what I have to do. Perhaps if I refrigerate the worm first, and put it in a plastic tray it can't crawl out of, I don't have to do any head crushing.

I'm hoping that my T will eventually show that she can eat and drink on her own, because then I can get her a larger terrarium that doesn't get moved around so much.

She looks healthy to me, not underweight at all. In fact, she's probably still heavier than she would be if she was living in the wild - most people keep their captive T's much heavier than they would be out in nature, but there's really no need for it.

If feeding crickets and mealworms is an issue, you could always find some dubia roaches to offer her. You'd still be wise to maim them (crush their heads or remove most legs) to make them easier for your T to catch, but maybe it'll be easier since it's a cockroach? Red runner roaches are also a good prey choice because they're always moving (triggering a feeding response) and they aren't prone to biting/eating other creatures and so don't pose any threat to your T. The only issue is that it may be hard for a compromised T to catch one because they're quick. You'll probably need to experiment with some things until you figure out what works best, which is fine - you've got time for it.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Thank you @ladyratri and @IntermittentSygnal for the feedback and advice. My T's abdomen is definitely getting smaller than when I was hand-feeding her water every other day, but she remains very active every day so I don't think it's a problem (yet). I'll continue to leave a water bowl out for her and avoid hand-feeding water. Here's how she's looking today, after 3 weeks of no hand-feeding:

View attachment 482191

A long time ago my dad used to keep a cricket as a pet, so it feels wrong to provide them as prey for my T. Crushing worm heads is also a bit much for me, but I suppose I'll do what I have to do. Perhaps if I refrigerate the worm first, and put it in a plastic tray it can't crawl out of, I don't have to do any head crushing.

I'm hoping that my T will eventually show that she can eat and drink on her own, because then I can get her a larger terrarium that doesn't get moved around so much.

Unfortunately they will crawl out if they don’t have their substrate. It’s not pleasant to prekill prey, but death by me is generally much quicker than death by double impaling by fangs.

 

[goofyGoober99]

Perhaps if I refrigerate the worm first, and put it in a plastic tray it can't crawl out of, I don't have to do any head crushing.

It's pretty normal to store mealworms in the fridge as it stops them from pupating. They're pretty slow when they come out of the fridge. I cut the heads off cuz it's easier (and faster) than crushing them and they'll still move around for awhile after (so the tarantula will still have a feeding response to it). It takes awhile to get used to (I made my partner do it for the first couple months because I couldn't bring myself to) but now I'm a certified mealworm chopping pro .

Incredible job with the rehabilitation btw! She's made an amazing recovery. Thank you for chronicling the whole thing. I'm sure this will be a great resource for others in the future

 

[Brewser]

Compassionate Rescue is Rewarded.

 

[darkness975]

This thread is fantastic.

 

[OneTimeT]

Thank you everyone! It's been around 3 weeks since she last had her soup, so I think I'll wait 1-2 more weeks before trying refrigerated mealworms. I'll give her a chance to really work up that appetite.

Does anyone know if monarch caterpillars would be bad or poisonous to T's? I know that they eat a specific plant (milkweed) to build up a toxin that makes them inedible to birds, but I also know that fly larvae love to eat these caterpillars and don't get sick. Monarch caterpillars would be convenient for me because I have an almost endless supply of them and it's easy to spot which ones aren't viable for becoming butterflies.

I had tried putting a few fat roly-polies in the terrarium a few months back, but all it did was scare my T into hiding on top of her cave where they couldn't crawl near her.

 

[OneTimeT]

Asking for advice: I just moved my T to her new habitat, and have set it up so that I can finally try to feed her live prey. I meant to buy some mealworms, but accidentally got black soldier fly larvae (calciworms) instead. Should I try feeding these to her or should I return them for mealworms? I'm a bit doubtful because they're so small, and I know that she didn't go after any roly-polies around the same size in the past. She's about 2 inches long, not including legs.

 

[darkness975]

Asking for advice: I just moved my T to her new habitat, and have set it up so that I can finally try to feed her live prey. I meant to buy some mealworms, but accidentally got black soldier fly larvae (calciworms) instead. Should I try feeding these to her or should I return them for mealworms? I'm a bit doubtful because they're so small, and I know that she didn't go after any roly-polies around the same size in the past. She's about 2 inches long, not including legs.

Try waxworm larvae. They're soft.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Mealworms, superworms (never tried waxworms, but I will now). I’d still crush or cut off the head though.

 

[OneTimeT]

Thanks, I found out what was wrong with the black soldier fly worms I got: they were all dead, shriveled up, and mummified. Talk about a rookie mistake! Now I know to look inside the container before buying.

I returned them and got mealworms instead. I presented one to Puppy using some long tweezers, and she immediately got into a defensive posture (raised her front legs and started punching). She never went for a bite though. Even when I put the mealworm right under her chelicerae, she wasn't interested in preying. Instead she'd try to get away by turning around and walking away. I put the mealworm in the food bowl with some food for it, and now they're roommates.

There was one time Puppy walked into the food bowl and touched the mealworm, but she walked away uninterested. Perhaps she's not hungry now because it's around mating season?

Every night Puppy climbs her new habitat and falls down from the ceiling a few times per night. If she falls on her back, she's not able to flip over so I have to help her around 2-3 times per night. Overall though, she has made an amazing recovery.

 

[Tbone192]

I believe many parasitic wasps will sting multiple times before actually laying eggs, I'd still be wary of wasp larvae. The tarantula/spider is alive throughout the whole process usually. Glad to see this one made a recovery under your care. This has made my day.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Thanks, I found out what was wrong with the black soldier fly worms I got: they were all dead, shriveled up, and mummified. Talk about a rookie mistake! Now I know to look inside the container before buying.

I returned them and got mealworms instead. I presented one to Puppy using some long tweezers, and she immediately got into a defensive posture (raised her front legs and started punching). She never went for a bite though. Even when I put the mealworm right under her chelicerae, she wasn't interested in preying. Instead she'd try to get away by turning around and walking away. I put the mealworm in the food bowl with some food for it, and now they're roommates.

There was one time Puppy walked into the food bowl and touched the mealworm, but she walked away uninterested. Perhaps she's not hungry now because it's around mating season?

Every night Puppy climbs her new habitat and falls down from the ceiling a few times per night. If she falls on her back, she's not able to flip over so I have to help her around 2-3 times per night. Overall though, she has made an amazing recovery.

View attachment 483978

If you shoved something in my face, I’d slap it away, too, lol. When I do prekill, I leave it at the entrance to their hide where they are more likely to come upon it. To prevent fall damage, I’d raise that substrate level within about a legspan’s distance from the lid. You’re doing awesome work!

 

[TheraMygale]

We need more members like you. I read your first post and wow. That shows a lot of work and research. Had it not been so long since initial post i would have questionned the possibility of the tarantula having eggs laid in her by other wasps.

this is awesome. Good job. I love stories like this. And its awesome to see a different species for a change.

youre a great keeper and a super addition to this board. What you managed to do is amazing.

Wax worms are great, butter worms too, and crickets.

i would NEVER feed monarch caterpillars. This is an endangered species. Don’t do that no matter what. They sell hornworms and such at petshops.

if shes not eating and abdomen full, shes good. Try and repeat. Offer different things. Offer prekilled crickets. This a tarantula back from possible death that adapted to new circumstances.

 

[OneTimeT]

We need more members like you. I read your first post and wow. That shows a lot of work and research. Had it not been so long since initial post i would have questionned the possibility of the tarantula having eggs laid in her by other wasps.

this is awesome. Good job. I love stories like this. And its awesome to see a different species for a change.

youre a great keeper and a super addition to this board. What you managed to do is amazing.

Wax worms are great, butter worms too, and crickets.

i would NEVER feed monarch caterpillars. This is an endangered species. Don’t do that no matter what. They sell hornworms and such at petshops.

if shes not eating and abdomen full, shes good. Try and repeat. Offer different things. Offer prekilled crickets. This a tarantula back from possible death that adapted to new circumstances.

Thanks for the comments and recommendations.

When I rescued her, I doubted that wasp eggs were laid yet because the wasp was still in the process of trying to figure out how to get the tarantula across the road without being squished by cars. I don' think wasps lay eggs until they're in the den. Normally I would let nature do its thing without interference, but in this case I couldn't see this situation ending with either the tarantula or wasp alive. There was too much car traffic for that to happen.

After I brought her home that fateful evening, I inspected her under my microscope and didn't see any sign of wasp eggs:



There was just a bunch of sand before I changed her new home to coconut fibers. At worst, I figured I'd see signs of the wasp larvae in a month or so. It's been almost a year now, so I'm sure we're in the clear.

There are a couple of scars that remain, that I'm guessing are from the wasp sting:



Regarding monarch caterpillars, I had only considered offering the ones that were definitely not viable for metamorphosis. It's fairly easy to see which ones aren't going to survive. Otherwise, my kids and I have been raising monarchs consistently through the years and place high value in trying to increase their population. We've raised several hundreds, if not thousands of them:

If you shoved something in my face, I’d slap it away, too, lol. When I do prekill, I leave it at the entrance to their hide where they are more likely to come upon it. To prevent fall damage, I’d raise that substrate level within about a legspan’s distance from the lid. You’re doing awesome work!

I saw some videos of T's accepting prey from tweezers, so I figured I'd give it a try. The mealworm is in the food bowl, living its life on death row until it's either acquitted or eaten. If Puppy doesn't want to eat, next time she falls on her back I might feed her some soup. I have 34 more mealworms to go through, after which I'll try waxworms. I'm not yet at the point where I'm willing to crush cricket heads.

A short while ago I moved her to her new habitat, and the substrate is indeed filled until she's just about a leg span from reaching the ceiling:



This doesn't stop her from falling on her back, but hopefully she won't get injured from her falls. She just has to be patient until I notice and flip her back over. One night she even crawled, while on her back, into her little cave. If she were out in the wild, I think that falling onto her back would be a death sentence.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Thanks for the comments and recommendations.

When I rescued her, I doubted that wasp eggs were laid yet because the wasp was still in the process of trying to figure out how to get the tarantula across the road without being squished by cars. I don' think wasps lay eggs until they're in the den. Normally I would let nature do its thing without interference, but in this case I couldn't see this situation ending with either the tarantula or wasp alive. There was too much car traffic for that to happen.

After I brought her home that fateful evening, I inspected her under my microscope and didn't see any sign of wasp eggs:

View attachment 483988

There was just a bunch of sand before I changed her new home to coconut fibers. At worst, I figured I'd see signs of the wasp larvae in a month or so. It's been almost a year now, so I'm sure we're in the clear.

There are a couple of scars that remain, that I'm guessing are from the wasp sting:

View attachment 483989

Regarding monarch caterpillars, I had only considered offering the ones that were definitely not viable for metamorphosis. It's fairly easy to see which ones aren't going to survive. Otherwise, my kids and I have been raising monarchs consistently through the years and place high value in trying to increase their population. We've raised several hundreds, if not thousands of them:

View attachment 483987



I saw some videos of T's accepting prey from tweezers, so I figured I'd give it a try. The mealworm is in the food bowl, living its life on death row until it's either acquitted or eaten. If Puppy doesn't want to eat, next time she falls on her back I might feed her some soup. I have 34 more mealworms to go through, after which I'll try waxworms. I'm not yet at the point where I'm willing to crush cricket heads.

A short while ago I moved her to her new habitat, and the substrate is indeed filled until she's just about a leg span from reaching the ceiling:

View attachment 483990

This doesn't stop her from falling on her back, but hopefully she won't get injured from her falls. She just has to be patient until I notice and flip her back over. One night she even crawled, while on her back, into her little cave. If she were out in the wild, I think that falling onto her back would be a death sentence.

You are right, some do, but T’s are predators who hunt. I don’t think Puppy will find the mealworms in the dish because they hunt by vibration. If she doesn’t feel it moving, she won’t know it’s there. If you get to the point you can prekill, mealworms are far easier to swiftly crush or behead. May I ask how you’re making the soup?
That enclosure looks great and she is looking wonderful, too. Always happy to see these updates.

And wow, those butterflies are amazing!

 

[rosenkrieger]

This has been an awesome thread. I'd always kinda wondered if they could be rehabbed after being stung. It's been awesome to see the progress the T is making. Keep up the great work!

 

[OneTimeT]

You are right, some do, but T’s are predators who hunt. I don’t think Puppy will find the mealworms in the dish because they hunt by vibration. If she doesn’t feel it moving, she won’t know it’s there. If you get to the point you can prekill, mealworms are far easier to swiftly crush or behead. May I ask how you’re making the soup?
That enclosure looks great and she is looking wonderful, too. Always happy to see these updates.

And wow, those butterflies are amazing!

To make the soup, I soak around a half dozen dehydrated mealworms in water. I keep the soup in the fridge for up to 1 week before throwing it out. Every other day for 1 week, I feed around 8-10 cc of the soup to Puppy using a syringe. I only feed the liquid, no solids. The liquid is around the same shade of brown as iced tea, and it's slightly oily. Puppy quickly drinks the soup without protest, unlike when I feed her plain water. A while after her soup days end, she poops. Therefore I know that the soup, while only liquid, does have enough nutrients to work her digestive system. After a week's worth of soup, her mouth area gets a little crusty. The following 3 weeks of water-only helps rinse off the soup residue.

 

[MorbidArachnid]

To make the soup, I soak around a half dozen dehydrated mealworms in water. I keep the soup in the fridge for up to 1 week before throwing it out. Every other day for 1 week, I feed around 8-10 cc of the soup to Puppy using a syringe. I only feed the liquid, no solids. The liquid is around the same shade of brown as iced tea, and it's slightly oily. Puppy quickly drinks the soup without protest, unlike when I feed her plain water. A while after her soup days end, she poops. Therefore I know that the soup, while only liquid, does have enough nutrients to work her digestive system. After a week's worth of soup, her mouth area gets a little crusty. The following 3 weeks of water-only helps rinse off the soup residue.

Interesting! When I've made bug soup I just mixed chopped up fresh mealworms in water, I make a small cup and don't keep it, I always assumed it going brown was somehow it going bad. Didn't think dehydrated would work, thanks for the info and awesome thread!

 

[TheraMygale]

Thanks for the comments and recommendations.

When I rescued her, I doubted that wasp eggs were laid yet because the wasp was still in the process of trying to figure out how to get the tarantula across the road without being squished by cars. I don' think wasps lay eggs until they're in the den. Normally I would let nature do its thing without interference, but in this case I couldn't see this situation ending with either the tarantula or wasp alive. There was too much car traffic for that to happen.

After I brought her home that fateful evening, I inspected her under my microscope and didn't see any sign of wasp eggs:

View attachment 483988

There was just a bunch of sand before I changed her new home to coconut fibers. At worst, I figured I'd see signs of the wasp larvae in a month or so. It's been almost a year now, so I'm sure we're in the clear.

There are a couple of scars that remain, that I'm guessing are from the wasp sting:

View attachment 483989

Regarding monarch caterpillars, I had only considered offering the ones that were definitely not viable for metamorphosis. It's fairly easy to see which ones aren't going to survive. Otherwise, my kids and I have been raising monarchs consistently through the years and place high value in trying to increase their population. We've raised several hundreds, if not thousands of them:

View attachment 483987



I saw some videos of T's accepting prey from tweezers, so I figured I'd give it a try. The mealworm is in the food bowl, living its life on death row until it's either acquitted or eaten. If Puppy doesn't want to eat, next time she falls on her back I might feed her some soup. I have 34 more mealworms to go through, after which I'll try waxworms. I'm not yet at the point where I'm willing to crush cricket heads.

A short while ago I moved her to her new habitat, and the substrate is indeed filled until she's just about a leg span from reaching the ceiling:

View attachment 483990

This doesn't stop her from falling on her back, but hopefully she won't get injured from her falls. She just has to be patient until I notice and flip her back over. One night she even crawled, while on her back, into her little cave. If she were out in the wild, I think that falling onto her back would be a death sentence.

If you raise monarchs then im going to assume youll know if a caterpillar is sick and wont feed it. That would be my concern. But you must already know this.

as far as their poisonous status, thats something else. I have no idea how they could affect a tarantula. Asclepiades are toxic for humans to, aside from the parts that can be cooked and eaten. I guess youd only know by testing. I dont know if id try it.