Rescued avic, advice?

6StringSamurai

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
134
I know I shouldn't do things like this but I bought an a. avicularia from a lousy local pet store. It was on sand with a heat lamp and a tiny, tiny water dish. Brilliant.

When I got it home I put it in a more fitting enclosure. It was very thirsty, and hovered over the available water. I've been spraying from time to time and it always comes out to drink. It's been that way for about a week now.

It refused the cricket I put in with it, and this morning I found it in a position I was worried might be a "pre-death" curl, with its legs folded up around it. I took it out and put it in an ICU. It seems clumsy and sluggish, slow to react to being touched and it doesn't seem to grip surfaces very well.

Any thoughts on what I can do to help besides keep it in an ICU?

It's a cute little bugger, still has the juvie coloration. Hope I can keep it alive.
 

NikiP

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 16, 2006
Messages
539
Sounds like it was just scrunched like Avics tend to do. The not eating, sluggish, and the not climbing really well all suggest premolt.
 

RoseT

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
87
Looks like premolt to me. Ts tend to drink as much water as possible in preperation for their molt, and obviously to stay hydrated. Just make sure its always got water.
 

6StringSamurai

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
134
I hope you're right about premolt. I've still got it in the ICU for now. It seems unable to move, although I stopped short of actually touching it. I'm trying to strike a balance between figuring out what's wrong and leaving the spider alone.

I keep hoping to find it upside down but its always in the same semi-curled position.

It's just a waiting game for now, I'll post again if something changes.

Thanks for the replies.
 

jimip

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 26, 2010
Messages
103
it knows what its doing. sometimes they just like to watch you guess i think :wall::wall:
 

6StringSamurai

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 24, 2006
Messages
134
Found it in a death curl when I got home from the family Christmas get together.

I just knew something wasn't right.

I took a good look at it, no visible injuries. The abdomen is smaller then I like to see but definitely not dangerously small. It was probably wild caught, who knows what kind of madness it saw in between its place of birth and me?

Oh well. I tried.
 
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