rust-colored spots on abdomen

[shammus]

Hello, this is my first post so please forgive me if I placed this in the wrong location, catagory, etc.... I've had a Honduran Curly haired tarantula about 12 years now. I bought her when she was fully grown so I figure she's at least 15 years old. Everything was fine until just tonight when I noticed some very large, rust colored areas that encompass the majority of her abdomen. These look orangish, almost like blood stains. Her abdomen has been mostly bald for quite some time so these are on the surface not on top of the fur or anything like that. Within the orangish discolored areas, there are some lighter, circular areas that appear to be whitish/yellow.

I really have no clue what might have caused this. I know she's older so is this a sign her life may be winding down or could this be the sign of an internal parasite or other issue? I don't have a camara or else I would have posted a scan. Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,
Brian
redmaccie@hotmail.com

 

[shammus]

rust-colored spots on abdomen - condition worsening

Thought I'd give this thread a bump with an update. At this point I'm not sure my spider will survive much past a day or so. Her condition has worsened to the point where she's very lethargic and the abdomen appears "dented" or semi-wrinkled in certain areas even though she's always been well-fed. The rust colored spots now appear to have darkened and look almost bloody/scab-like. Very unhealthy looking overall and this managed to spring up in only a couple day's time. I've called a couple pet shops who seem to think that it's old age and that the spider's life is winding down. If anyone else has any other feedback, I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks much,

Brian
redmaccie@hotmail.com

 

[Talkenlate04]

Can you post pictures? The way you are decribing it almost sounds like the bald abdomen turning dark for a molt. But then you reference bloody something and that makes me think no way...... Picture is a 1000 words if you can get one posted.

 

[Moltar]

Fungal infection? Bacteria? Sounds ugly, sorry to hear of her distress.

 

[shammus]

rust-colored spots on abdomen - scans finally

Here are some scans that I took with a digital camara. Not the best in the world but hopefully they give you a better idea of what I'm talking about. As you can see, the splotches take up a lot of room on the abdomen so they are more than simply spots or patches.

Not much has changed in the past day or so, she's still lethargic. I've removed all climbing logs and other things from the tank. I left water and her primary hiding place. Any ideas or guesses are appreciated. Thanks everyone.

Brian
redmaccie@hotmail.com

 

[Talkenlate04]

That does not look good. One thing you need to do right away is change out those bark chips. Try peat moss, or a mixture of peat and vermiculite. Make sure there is a big water dish as well. You might want to leave it a bit dry at first because it looks like those wounds are tacky still.