Sudden tarantula death (Avi avi) :(

[Dragondrool]

I don't keep snakes or geckos so I'm not sure what those look like. Post a pic?

I can't find any pictures but they stick to the sides of the glass

I don't keep snakes or geckos so I'm not sure what those look like. Post a pic?

I annoyingly can't find any photos but they're just plastic bamboo pieces that stick to the sides of the tank, they're mainly used for tree pythons or geckos

 

[PidderPeets]

Oh don't worry you didn't come off as harsh at all! In fact, I seriously appreciate what you said. I'm open to learning new things and you said so in such a nice way, I just think the reptile and arachnid community comes off as rough or harsh, but very helpful, so I really appreciate what you said. I'm thinking of getting a GBB, and I've got some really nice tall plants and sticks to mimic trees, and it's a tall cage. I also want to get another avi eventually, so I will keep what you said in mind. And that wasn't a mature T? I wouldn't really know, so that's good to also keep in mind! So he/she didn't die of age. Maybe it was dehydration or stress? Just thinking out loud, thank you for the advice!

I'm glad that what I said was interpreted correctly. I find that a lot of new posters on here can be very quick to get defensive when it's not necessary (it's understandable because it's very easy to interpret the way some people type on here as much harsher than they're trying to be. Once you've interacted with them enough, you usually realize they're not bad people ) especially when a T death is involved. So I try my best to word things as non-judgmentally as possible so that they are receptive to what I have to say instead of just shutting me out like they do to some others when advice or criticism is given.

I couldn't tell you if it was a mature female or not, but the live pictures were 100% not of a mature male. When male Avics mature, they lose those "pink toes" on their pedipalps, so it's very easy to identify a mature male that way, even if you can't see the hooks or emboli.

I've gotten a bit of grief before for using sticks in my Avic enclosures, but I personally see no issues with it, as it provides more anchor points for webbing. But it's important that you still provide a proper hide and fake plants for it to rest on as well. I use a hollow bamboo tube as a hide for my largest Avic, and she seems to utilize it quite often. But when she's in premolt, she abandons it and webs over the entrance so she can make a larger hide for herself out of webbing

 

[Greasylake]

I've gotten a bit of grief before for using sticks in my Avic enclosures, but I personally see no issues with it, as it provides more anchor points for webbing. But it's important that you still provide a proper hide and fake plants for it to rest on as well. I use a hollow bamboo tube as a hide for my largest Avic, and she seems to utilize it quite often. But when she's in premolt, she abandons it and webs over the entrance so she can make a larger hide for herself out of webbing

Sticks can be used in conjunction with a proper hide like a flat piece of cork bark or a tube etc. But they should not be used in replacement of a hide. The reason we've been discouraging sticks is because many new keepers will hear the word arboreal and pretty set it up pretty much the same as a chameleon with only sticks. I think that sticks give a nice touch to an enclosure and give the avic more anchor points to make a much more magnificent web, but they have to be used right.

 

[PidderPeets]

Sticks can be used in conjunction with a proper hide like a flat piece of cork bark or a tube etc. But they should not be used in replacement of a hide. The reason we've been discouraging sticks is because many new keepers will hear the word arboreal and pretty set it up pretty much the same as a chameleon with only sticks. I think that sticks give a nice touch to an enclosure and give the avic more anchor points to make a much more magnificent web, but they have to be used right.

But it's important that you still provide a proper hide and fake plants for it to rest on as well.

I agree. That's why I said that a proper hide and other larger decor should be used as well, as seen in my quote that I included in this post. I think the first time I mentioned that I used sticks on a previous thread, I forgot to mention that proper hides and other decor were also important, so I suspect that's the main reason I got grief the first time. And that's why I made a point to clarify that this time around. I think as long as that clarification is made from the get-go, there's nothing wrong with suggesting the use of sticks in the setup. They add another element to a nice, decorated and functional enclosure

 

[Greasylake]

I agree. That's why I said that a proper hide and other larger decor should be used as well, as seen in my quote that I included in this post. I think the first time I mentioned that I used sticks on a previous thread, I forgot to mention that proper hides and other decor were also important, so I suspect that's the main reason I got grief the first time. And that's why I made a point to clarify that this time around. I think as long as that clarification is made from the get-go, there's nothing wrong with suggesting the use of sticks in the setup. They add another element to a nice, decorated and functional enclosure

I'm not disagreeing with you, I was just elaborating a bit.

 

[PidderPeets]

I'm not disagreeing with you, I was just elaborating a bit.

Oh okay. I thought you might have missed the bit I included about adding hides, so I just wanted to make sure that you knew that I wasn't telling the OP it was okay to only use sticks. Glad that's all cleared up now though