Sick/Molting/Dead Amblypygi - More questions, and help appreciated

[kryswolf]

I made this post a couple days ago --> Please Help - Does anyone know why my Amblypygi is on the floor of the enclosure, upside down?
I was out of town and those photos in the post were emailed to me, but now I am back and my amblypygi still has not moved. What is the max amount of time it takes to moult? If this is a successful moult, which I feel it won't be from what people told me in the other post. Is there anything I can do at this point? This is the 3rd day. :/ is there any hope left, surgery I could try? Please let me know, and thank you for any help.

 

[schmiggle]

Three days is much too long for a normal moult, I'm pretty sure...is your whipspider responsive at all? If not, she might be dead.

 

[Cazador]

Mine have always molted overnight, three days seems way too long. Is there a vertical surface in it's enclosure? If they can't molt hanging upside down, they will almost always die in the process.

 

[kryswolf]

Three days is much too long for a normal moult, I'm pretty sure...is your whipspider responsive at all? If not, she might be dead.

Sadly, she didn't make it

 

[kryswolf]

UPDATE: I'm sad to say she didn't make it I was out of town 2 of those days and when I got back she was still in the pose (although 2 of her legs had moved - sort of un-bent so I thought there was hope) so I put her on the bathroom counter (within her container still) while I showered to see if the humidity from the shower helped but still no response. I bought this amblypygi from an expo and the vendor said no substrate needed and cork bark would be fine for hanging off of so I don't know why she fell. It's less humid in the house than it should be, I think, and those days maybe too cold. I feel very sad she didn't make it

 

[kryswolf]

Mine have always molted overnight, three days seems way too long. Is there a vertical surface in it's enclosure? If they can't molt hanging upside down, they will almost always die in the process.

Sad to say it's true, she didnt make it

 

[Cazador]

UPDATE: I'm sad to say she didn't make it I was out of town 2 of those days and when I got back she was still in the pose (although 2 of her legs had moved - sort of un-bent so I thought there was hope) so I put her on the bathroom counter (within her container still) while I showered to see if the humidity from the shower helped but still no response. I bought this amblypygi from an expo and the vendor said no substrate needed and cork bark would be fine for hanging off of so I don't know why she fell. It's less humid in the house than it should be, I think, and those days maybe too cold. I feel very sad she didn't make it

Sorry to hear that. If she had cork bark to hang from she should have been fine to molt, maybe it was the cold? What was the temperature in the room? It drops to the low 60s in my room every once in a while and mine has been okay, but I wrap the tank in a blanket just in case.

 

[kryswolf]

Sorry to hear that. If she had cork bark to hang from she should have been fine to molt, maybe it was the cold? What was the temperature in the room? It drops to the low 60s in my room every once in a while and mine has been okay, but I wrap the tank in a blanket just in case.

It may have been that. I was out of town unfortunately, and my mom was the one sending me emails so I asked her if it was too cold and dry and to turn up the heat but it might have been too late at that point (I ask her to send me pictures of my pets daily if I'm out of town) so I don't know how many hours had passed from when my amblypygi fell to when my mom first noticed that day I think its usually around 65-70 in that room.

 

[chanda]

UPDATE: I'm sad to say she didn't make it I was out of town 2 of those days and when I got back she was still in the pose (although 2 of her legs had moved - sort of un-bent so I thought there was hope) so I put her on the bathroom counter (within her container still) while I showered to see if the humidity from the shower helped but still no response. I bought this amblypygi from an expo and the vendor said no substrate needed and cork bark would be fine for hanging off of so I don't know why she fell. It's less humid in the house than it should be, I think, and those days maybe too cold. I feel very sad she didn't make it

I am so sorry for your loss. It's always hard to lose a pet, but I hope this doesn't discourage you from keeping these wonderful arachnids again in the future.

While it may not be related to her death, it sounds to me like the vendor may have given you bad information. Cork bark is great - as long as it is tall enough and has clear space below it for the amblypygid to hang underneath it for molting - but the whole "no substrate" thing sounds like bad advice. While it is true that amblypygi do not need substrate to burrow into, it is still immensely helpful when it comes to maintaining adequate humidity in the tank. It also can help cushion them if they should happen to jump/fall from the cage top, preventing injury. (I do have a few amblypygi that will burrow into their substrate just a bit - they make a shallow scrape at the base of the cork bark to hide in during the daytime. Others just hang out on the back side of the bark and ignore the substrate altogether.)

If you decide to get another one, consider putting a couple of inches of coco fiber, moss, or other substrate in the bottom of the cage to soak up water and keep the humidity up. Also, if you are worried about your house getting too cold, a small space heater in the room where you keep your pets can keep them warm enough without having to heat up the whole house.

 

[kryswolf]

I am so sorry for your loss. It's always hard to lose a pet, but I hope this doesn't discourage you from keeping these wonderful arachnids again in the future.

While it may not be related to her death, it sounds to me like the vendor may have given you bad information. Cork bark is great - as long as it is tall enough and has clear space below it for the amblypygid to hang underneath it for molting - but the whole "no substrate" thing sounds like bad advice. While it is true that amblypygi do not need substrate to burrow into, it is still immensely helpful when it comes to maintaining adequate humidity in the tank. It also can help cushion them if they should happen to jump/fall from the cage top, preventing injury. (I do have a few amblypygi that will burrow into their substrate just a bit - they make a shallow scrape at the base of the cork bark to hide in during the daytime. Others just hang out on the back side of the bark and ignore the substrate altogether.)

If you decide to get another one, consider putting a couple of inches of coco fiber, moss, or other substrate in the bottom of the cage to soak up water and keep the humidity up. Also, if you are worried about your house getting too cold, a small space heater in the room where you keep your pets can keep them warm enough without having to heat up the whole house.

Thanks for the kind words and info! I am very sad, but at least now I know for next time. The vendor was mostly selling tarantulas and knew about them more unfortunately, and I thought I knew enough but I guess I didn't

 

[chanda]

Thanks for the kind words and info! I am very sad, but at least now I know for next time. The vendor was mostly selling tarantulas and knew about them more unfortunately, and I thought I knew enough but I guess I didn't

It happens. When I got my first amblypygids, I thought I knew how to take care of them - but I picked up eight subadults at the same time and didn't have enough cork bark for all of them. I thought I'd substitute chunks of palm frond (the woody stem part) because it was free and plentiful - but it is also too slick for them to get a good grip on it. It worked fine for normal hanging out, but the first one to try molting slipped and fell to her death immediately after an otherwise successful molt. Lesson learned! No more palm fronds in the tanks.

 

[Rinfish]

So sorry to hear! Something I saw that wasn't noted - are you spraying the cage down with dechlorinated water every other day? It's imperative they have 75-80% humidity, so without the substrate, and without spraying, I feel dryness might be the culprit. I always heavily spray down my whip's cage every other day, and despite her substrate always being damp she usually immediately comes out to lay near the droplets of water.

Something im considering, too, is starting an isopod colony in her cage. They suppress the mold which grows from high humidity/moisture, and the roaming qualities of them will give her a meal every once and a while. =)