Spider goes frantic and dies

Birble

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 13, 2020
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2
hey there! I need some theories!

I actually just made an account to ask this question. 🥴

So, today I found a small (for their size) Common House Spider, he reached about the size of the tip of a pinky finger (minus his leg span) and clearly wasn't yet mature.

So, I go to take this spider outside. I put him down on the balcony floor and I notice the way he walks; some of his legs curling, as if he got tangled in fluff - but there was no fluff. I wondered if he was just lethargic because it's been extremely hot in the UK the past few days, until I gave him a gentle nudge and he freaks out, runs super fast (keep in mind these are the fastest arachnids in the world!) towards the wall, where he slowly curls up, and dies.

So!! I'm super confused! What the heck just happened? Did he have some sort of parasite? He was also pretty skinny, I care for 2 common house spiders that are pretty big now, but still have some growing to do, and it definitely looks like he hasn't ate for days on end. So, starvation maybe? I just would've thought that a spider dying of starvation would have been a slow, tiresome death... But he literally freaked out and just went and died.

Super weird, right? Any thoughts?
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
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The death curl, and possibly the burst of speed, was an autonomic neurological response. Possibly it was already clinically dead when it put on that burst of speed. The death curl denotes the transition from clinical to biological death.
Scientifically, there is no certain way of telling. An expert performing an autopsy might get lucky and spot a cause, a malformation or invasive organism, but that's not likely. The next method would be replicating the environment and feeding of the animal with a control to compare to. That would be impossible since you don't know what environmental factors it encountered that might have caused or precipitated the death, if any existed.
Anything else is pure guesswork.
 
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chanda

Arachnoking
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Might it have been exposed to some sort of pesticide or other toxin? A sprayed bug will often react violently to the poison at first, before becoming overwhelmed and dying.
 

Royalty

Arachnoknight
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Might it have been exposed to some sort of pesticide or other toxin? A sprayed bug will often react violently to the poison at first, before becoming overwhelmed and dying.
Yes, they did mention it was out on the balcony. My building sprays for ants outside (around the parameter and I am on the 6th floor and have no had issues) but if it was freshly sprayed and close enough it is possible it effected it if something similar occurred.
 

NYAN

Arachnoking
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I’ve had something unrelated but similar happen to perfectly healthy slings. They run really fast and then drop dead for no reason at all. They are perfectly healthy prior and simply die.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
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I’ve had something unrelated but similar happen to perfectly healthy slings. They run really fast and then drop dead for no reason at all. They are perfectly healthy prior and simply die.
Any common denominator?
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
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Small spiderlings that bolt out of their enclosures and run across the floor. That’s all in my case. This phenomenon has happened to other people apparently.
My gut instinct says an environmental issue. Possibly some common chemical or material often found in homes that may not be harmful except to very young slings.
Back in the 70's and early 80's a product was sold called No Pest Strips. They made flying insects die in a similar fashion and the poison was pervasive, killing after the disposal date and even weeks later from traces left in the environment. Products containing that chemical, DDVP, Dichloro Dimethl Vinyl Phosphate were banned but a similar chemical is now used for dog and cat flea collars and place and forget pest traps. Some flea powders also contain that chemical, and gads knows what else that could find it's way into homes. Damn the chemical company's lobbyists to a special hell. All organophosphates should be forever banned.
 
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RoachCoach

Arachnodemon
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Sep 2, 2019
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703
Most large to medium sized domestic spiders have to be hit directly with a neurotoxin like pyrethrin to drop dead almost immediately. Even diatomaceous earth can be easily walked through by the more cavalier bugs.
Edit: I would concur with both @NYAN and @The Snark. It died due to some irreducibly complex issue. i.e. "it is what is is."
 

Birble

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 13, 2020
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Might it have been exposed to some sort of pesticide or other toxin? A sprayed bug will often react violently to the poison at first, before becoming overwhelmed and dying.
It was found indoors at first, in a bedroom. Nothing had been sprayed as far as I'm concerned. Which is why his death was kind of surprising.

Small spiderlings that bolt out of their enclosures and run across the floor. That’s all in my case. This phenomenon has happened to other people apparently.
Interesting... Thanks for all the replies everyone! I found another spider about a week later, same type and around the same size who was also pretty drowsy. I figured he was going to die, so I tried maybe offering food to see if that was the issue. He didn't want to eat, so instead I sprayed some water in the area I placed him in and came to check some time later - and he really perked up. Not too much, but he wasn't on the brink of dying anymore. So perhaps it was just dehydration with the other one too?

Yes, they did mention it was out on the balcony. My building sprays for ants outside (around the parameter and I am on the 6th floor and have no had issues) but if it was freshly sprayed and close enough it is possible it effected it if something similar occurred.
I have a lot of spiders living on my balcony, it faces my garden and not the outside so I don't think they were exposed to any chemicals. They're all pretty healthy too, so I'm not sure if it was an environmental issue either.
 
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