RIP Vonelope?

[jnet]

I've had Vonelope since March and in the time I've had her she has never taken any food. I have tried giving her waxworms but she usually ignores them, or grabs them from me and drops them immediately. I did try leaving one with her, but then I just ended up with a moth in her tank so that didn't work out.

I don't know her exact age, but in May, I noticed she had quite a large abdomen. Many of you folks suspected she might be ready for a molt or gravid so I let her be, and offered worms every once and a while.

She moves around daily adjusting her burrow and shifting positions, especially when I mist her substrate and glass but, today I noticed she didn't move. and when I lifted her hide, she was really still and didn't even respond to a gentle nudge.

Is there any chance she's just dormant? Or is this the end of the road?

 

[schmiggle]

Sounds like she might be in the middle of molting to me. Someone with experience with these should confirm that, however.

 

[MrGhostMantis]

@mantisfan101 any ideas?

 

[mantisfan101]

Try nudging ber a bit more, if she’s dead she’s gonna start to smell, although mine usually react to the slightest movement

 

[jnet]

Try nudging ber a bit more, if she’s dead she’s gonna start to smell, although mine usually react to the slightest movement

Yikes. She didn't move, even when I touched and slightly opened her pedipalps.

More pics from today. It looks like her abdomen is starting to shrivel, I guess that's it then

 

[MrGhostMantis]

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[Baphijmm]

It's been my experience that, when they die, rigor mortis sets in awful fast (within a few hours), making their limbs difficult to move without breaking. She may still be alive.

 

[Hisserdude]

As a rule of thumb, don't throw inverts out or count them as dead until they start smelling... If she's actually dead she'd start smelling foul very soon.