Substrate HELP!! DEATH!!!!

[Newtot]

I lost my c hati hati with no apparent cause other than mold covering the substrate, but which wasn't there before. Now I looked in all my enclosures with top soil. Mold!!! What should I replace it with? Never had this with coco fiber but I want something that holds more for tunnels. Advice please

 

[moricollins]

I lost my c hati hati with no apparent cause other than mold covering the substrate, but which wasn't there before. Now I looked in all my enclosures with top soil. Mold!!! What should I replace it with? Never had this with coco fiber but I want something that holds more for tunnels. Advice please

It's unlikely that mold was the cause of death.

Lack of ventilation could be the cause but mold itself is unlikely to be the cause

 

[Royalty]

I heard they can be one of the ones that seem to die easier. Post a pic of the enclosure?


I have an air filter I specifically keep near my tarantula enclosures. I have some slings that need it a bit moist. I also keep springtails to manage any mold.

 

[viper69]

Ts can have a type of mold grow on them, as in infection according to one piece of info I read.

But this is RARE. Spots of mold that grow in tanks, even mushrooms. have not been reported to be an issue.

Not all species of mold are infectious.

 

[RezonantVoid]

I have a trapdoor sling communal container thats been full of green surface mold for months. Not a single spiderling has died yet, and none are showing any signs of lethargy or appetite deficiency. Regular old mold just cannot affect primitives like trapdoors and T's. Can you upload photos of the entire enclosure so we can see if there's any other potential causes?

 

[Chebe6886]

I have a trapdoor sling communal container thats been full of green surface mold for months. Not a single spiderling has died yet, and none are showing any signs of lethargy or appetite deficiency. Regular old mold just cannot affect primitives like trapdoors and T's. Can you upload photos of the entire enclosure so we can see if there's any other potential causes?

Wait hold up! Tell me more about this trapdoor communal. That sound wild.

 

[RezonantVoid]

Wait hold up! Tell me more about this trapdoor communal. That sound wild.

They are all sac mates i captive bred, in the wild most mygalomorphs live mere centimeters from each other's burrows, so instead of using 80 seperate cups they all go into a communal tub after 3rd instar. Heres a side shot of their enclosure, they are a tube building species that goes vertically up the sides on the tank. All the yellow in the background is mold. I will rehouse all them in the bext few days, but its a several hour long process so ive put it off for a while. Once again though, i strongly doubt mold can be attributed to the death of a T, especially if its just a light film on the substrate surface

 

[Chebe6886]

They are all sac mates i captive bred, in the wild most mygalomorphs live mere centimeters from each other's burrows, so instead of using 80 seperate cups they all go into a communal tub after 3rd instar. Heres a side shot of their enclosure, they are a tube building species that goes vertically up the sides on the tank. All the yellow in the background is mold. I will rehouse all them in the bext few days, but its a several hour long process so ive put it off for a while. Once again though, i strongly doubt mold can be attributed to the death of a T, especially if its just a light film on the substrate surface View attachment 352006

What species and how big were they when you started?
also how did you set it up? Did you just start a lot of burrows or just let them do it all?
Sorry for all the questions but this fascinates me.
I just like to imagine a dozen trapdoors and watching roaches run the gauntlet like a game show

 

[Newtot]

I dont have a way to post a pic right now. But it was just a zip lock container with 2 rows of holes all the way round. About 3" of substrate and he had a lil burrow made. Found him dead on the surface

 

[Vanessa]

Mould is not going to form on a living tarantula. If you found mould on your tarantula, it developed after it died and was not the cause of their death.

 

[Newtot]

Mould is not going to form on a living tarantula. If you found mould on your tarantula, it developed after it died and was not the cause of their death.

No the substrate had mold there was no mold on the tarantula. I just have no clue why it died.

 

[Rhino1]

Hi, in my opinion it's not the actual mould that's dangerous for Ts but the conditions required to grow it.
Too much moisture and humidity and not enough air flow