Sudden tarantula death (Avi avi) :(

[Dragondrool]

Edit: I think I've been sold a male and told it was a female. I'm trying to see pictures to see what a male looks like.

I've had a bad day by getting all freshed up to hang out with my friends and being stood up, so I came back home and just went to feed my first tarantula Demeter, only to notice she didn't respond like she usually did. I realized she had died. For a while she had been a lot slower and acting funny for a month or so. Didn't react to food as quickly, took longer to shed. She recently molted about a week ago into her what I believe to be her fully adult form, all nice and hairy and beautiful looking. She is an Avi. avi, and I'm reading right now about how avis can suddenly die, but I still feel guilty. I thought tarantulas lived for at least 7 years, she's a female and about a year old.

I don't think I did anything wrong. Temps are just fine, I never misted her cage, fed her once or twice a week unless she was going to shed, never touched her, always washed my hands after touching or touching her. She wasn't even in the curled death pose, she was just dead.

To say the least, this sucks. She's so beautiful and I loved her very much. I hope I didn't cause her death, but I still feel guilty because earlier this year my gecko died from a neurological issue. This is some bad luck, man.

 

[chanda]

Edit: I think I've been sold a male and told it was a female. I'm trying to see pictures to see what a male looks like.

I've had a bad day by getting all freshed up to hang out with my friends and being stood up, so I came back home and just went to feed my first tarantula Demeter, only to notice she didn't respond like she usually did. I realized she had died. For a while she had been a lot slower and acting funny for a month or so. Didn't react to food as quickly, took longer to shed. She recently molted about a week ago into her what I believe to be her fully adult form, all nice and hairy and beautiful looking. She is an Avi. avi, and I'm reading right now about how avis can suddenly die, but I still feel guilty. I thought tarantulas lived for at least 7 years, she's a female and about a year old.

I don't think I did anything wrong. Temps are just fine, I never misted her cage, fed her once or twice a week unless she was going to shed, never touched her, always washed my hands after touching or touching her. She wasn't even in the curled death pose, she was just dead.

To say the least, this sucks. She's so beautiful and I loved her very much. I hope I didn't cause her death, but I still feel guilty because earlier this year my gecko died from a neurological issue. This is some bad luck, man.

I am so sorry for your loss! But there are a few things that don't quite add up to me. You said the spider was only about a year old? Was it really a year old? Or did you have it for a year, in which case it could have been substantially older? You mention that you thought it might have been a male, but even males should take a couple of years to mature. Granted, there is a lot of variability, based on temperature, feeding, etc - but a year seems awfully soon. Also, after their ultimate molt, mature males should still live for at least a few months to possibly a year or more. To die just a week after molt, even for a mature male, is incredibly soon.

Do you have pictures of the spider and enclosure? Perhaps some of the people here might be able to spot any potential problems, so this doesn't happen again.

If you want to know whether your spider was a mature male, close-up pictures of the pedipalps and the undersides of the front legs (basically, the backs of the "knees") after the last molt would help. Below are two pictures of my MM A. avic after he matured. You can see the tibial hook behind his leg in the first picture. Afraid I didn't get any pictures of his pedipalps to show you.

 

[cold blood]

Pics always help.

Even if it was a male, having molted recently would at worse have just matured....i have avics regularly mature that quickly....but a freshly molted MM should be with you yet for many months, if not a year or more, so its sex certainly wasnt the cause of death.

Now SADS doesnt really exist...its the result of imporoper care, coming from a time when the reccomended care was just wrong....the stuff still floating around on care sheets today.

Now people would follow this stuff, and have their t die...seeing they were following this care, they were left baffled as to the reason, and coined the term.

Today we understand this was just improper keeping...now that they are being kept better, they are proving to be almost as hardy as any t.

The longer molt cycles are normal...older/larger a t gets, naturally this cycle extends significantly. Long cycles can lead to a lot of fasting....again, not abnormal....Lethergy late in the cycle is also normal....and your t molting is the end result of everything described and not alarming.

There can be complications molting, and because its a stressful process, they can be prone to dehydration. Dehydrated ts generally curl as a result, so this is an unlikely explanation.

Seeing the set up could help with more educated guesses, but knowing for certain why any t dies can be a nearly impossible thing to be sure of....but of course many times you may be able to get a good idea.

 

[Theneil]

Pics are essential for us to help identify any potential causes.

Pics of spider from multiple angles. (befor and after death if possible) as well as photos of the enclosure.

 

[ThisMeansWAR]

I had a juvie avic avic pass away this week for unknown reasons. Hydration was as it should be (water dish, that's it) but I'm thinking that temperatures might have had something to do with it. The month of May had the record for hottest May ever recorded here in Norway which caused my T room to get hotter than intended. Are avics really that sensitive to temperature? My estimate is that it reached 80-85 F.

 

[cold blood]

I had a juvie avic avic pass away this week for unknown reasons. Hydration was as it should be (water dish, that's it) but I'm thinking that temperatures might have had something to do with it. The month of May had the record for hottest May ever recorded here in Norway which caused my T room to get hotter than intended. Are avics really that sensitive to temperature? My estimate is that it reached 80-85 F.

Those temps are not even close to dangerous...I would discount temps as the cause.

 

[boina]

I had a juvie avic avic pass away this week for unknown reasons. Hydration was as it should be (water dish, that's it) but I'm thinking that temperatures might have had something to do with it. The month of May had the record for hottest May ever recorded here in Norway which caused my T room to get hotter than intended. Are avics really that sensitive to temperature? My estimate is that it reached 80-85 F.

Really?? Because my young adult Avic avic just died yesterday for reasons I don't know. She molted about 4 weeks ago and never really recovered from it and kind of just got weaker and weaker until she died. I'm really upset about it. This is a bad time for Avics...

 

[Dragondrool]

I am so sorry for your loss! But there are a few things that don't quite add up to me. You said the spider was only about a year old? Was it really a year old? Or did you have it for a year, in which case it could have been substantially older? You mention that you thought it might have been a male, but even males should take a couple of years to mature. Granted, there is a lot of variability, based on temperature, feeding, etc - but a year seems awfully soon. Also, after their ultimate molt, mature males should still live for at least a few months to possibly a year or more. To die just a week after molt, even for a mature male, is incredibly soon.

Do you have pictures of the spider and enclosure? Perhaps some of the people here might be able to spot any potential problems, so this doesn't happen again.

If you want to know whether your spider was a mature male, close-up pictures of the pedipalps and the undersides of the front legs (basically, the backs of the "knees") after the last molt would help. Below are two pictures of my MM A. avic after he matured. You can see the tibial hook behind his leg in the first picture. Afraid I didn't get any pictures of his pedipalps to show you.

View attachment 276914 View attachment 276915

Thank you! I thought it was way too soon as well. I have done some thinking and I'm wondering if I fed him/her too much, because there were a few times I fed two and three times in a week, making it grow faster. And now that I think about it, I've had it for a year. When I bought my T he/she was already growing into an adult and was not a sling, so I wonder if he's already been kind of "old". I also wonder if the molt was bad, because the molt took a long time and I think it weakened him, and he had been slowing down for a while, not really reacting to food as quickly when I offered it.

Temps were always in the 60-70 average in the room, I never misted the cage because I know that will kill the spider. Water dish was always filled, fed on a Wednesday and Saturday.

 

[Dragondrool]

Really?? Because my young adult Avic avic just died yesterday for reasons I don't know. She molted about 4 weeks ago and never really recovered from it and kind of just got weaker and weaker until she died. I'm really upset about it. This is a bad time for Avics...

That's what I saw happened with mine. He/she became lethargic and then had a long molt, and then never recovered

 

[Dragondrool]

Pics always help.

Even if it was a male, having molted recently would at worse have just matured....i have avics regularly mature that quickly....but a freshly molted MM should be with you yet for many months, if not a year or more, so its sex certainly wasnt the cause of death.

Now SADS doesnt really exist...its the result of imporoper care, coming from a time when the reccomended care was just wrong....the stuff still floating around on care sheets today.

Now people would follow this stuff, and have their t die...seeing they were following this care, they were left baffled as to the reason, and coined the term.

Today we understand this was just improper keeping...now that they are being kept better, they are proving to be almost as hardy as any t.

The longer molt cycles are normal...older/larger a t gets, naturally this cycle extends significantly. Long cycles can lead to a lot of fasting....again, not abnormal....Lethergy late in the cycle is also normal....and your t molting is the end result of everything described and not alarming.

There can be complications molting, and because its a stressful process, they can be prone to dehydration. Dehydrated ts generally curl as a result, so this is an unlikely explanation.

Seeing the set up could help with more educated guesses, but knowing for certain why any t dies can be a nearly impossible thing to be sure of....but of course many times you may be able to get a good idea.

That makes a lot of sense. SADS didn't make that much sense to me... I'm wondering if it was dehydration, she/he curled up

 

[Dragondrool]

Edit: I think I've been sold a male and told it was a female. I'm trying to see pictures to see what a male looks like.

I've had a bad day by getting all freshed up to hang out with my friends and being stood up, so I came back home and just went to feed my first tarantula Demeter, only to notice she didn't respond like she usually did. I realized she had died. For a while she had been a lot slower and acting funny for a month or so. Didn't react to food as quickly, took longer to shed. She recently molted about a week ago into her what I believe to be her fully adult form, all nice and hairy and beautiful looking. She is an Avi. avi, and I'm reading right now about how avis can suddenly die, but I still feel guilty. I thought tarantulas lived for at least 7 years, she's a female and about a year old.

I don't think I did anything wrong. Temps are just fine, I never misted her cage, fed her once or twice a week unless she was going to shed, never touched her, always washed my hands after touching or touching her. She wasn't even in the curled death pose, she was just dead.

To say the least, this sucks. She's so beautiful and I loved her very much. I hope I didn't cause her death, but I still feel guilty because earlier this year my gecko died from a neurological issue. This is some bad luck, man.

To everyone: Here are pics of the terrarium and pictures of her/him dead: The skull is the hide, she's got a dish, and some decoration which were washed or from her sling. One thing I would've done differently is put some more branches in there, I was worried about stressing her out or accidentally knocking something over if I did.
Also included was her on my dressor, now deceased. She was more curled but I spread out her legs a bit, her previous molt is also next to her/him.

 

[cold blood]

That makes a lot of sense. SADS didn't make that much sense to me... I'm wondering if it was dehydration, she/he curled up

opposite cause, same result often. they were being kept in damp enclosures with inadequate ventilation as people kept them at high humidity levels.

 

[Dragondrool]

opposite cause, same result often. they were being kept in damp enclosures with inadequate ventilation as people kept them at high humidity levels.

That also makes sense. I never misted her cage, I knew improper ventilation would kill her. Man, what a bummer though

 

[Greasylake]

That enclosure looks more terrestrial than arboreal.

 

[Dragondrool]

I

That enclosure looks more terrestrial than arboreal.

know, wish I got something taller but my dad picked it out and I was told they're semi/arboreal, but I quickly learned she did not like the ground! She seemed fine, though. In the future, getting a taller tank

 

[PidderPeets]

Thank you! I thought it was way too soon as well. I have done some thinking and I'm wondering if I fed him/her too much, because there were a few times I fed two and three times in a week, making it grow faster. And now that I think about it, I've had it for a year. When I bought my T he/she was already growing into an adult and was not a sling, so I wonder if he's already been kind of "old". I also wonder if the molt was bad, because the molt took a long time and I think it weakened him, and he had been slowing down for a while, not really reacting to food as quickly when I offered it.

Temps were always in the 60-70 average in the room, I never misted the cage because I know that will kill the spider. Water dish was always filled, fed on a Wednesday and Saturday.

Are these pics of it alive from after the molt? If that's the case, it most certainly wasn't a mature male. As for cause of death, unfortunately I can't help you. But I'm yet another person on the list with lethargic Avics lately. But there's a possibility of my girl being close to a molt, so that might explain my case. I'm sorry for your loss though.

To everyone: Here are pics of the terrarium and pictures of her/him dead: The skull is the hide, she's got a dish, and some decoration which were washed or from her sling. One thing I would've done differently is put some more branches in there, I was worried about stressing her out or accidentally knocking something over if I did.
Also included was her on my dressor, now deceased. She was more curled but I spread out her legs a bit, her previous molt is also next to her/him.

I

know, wish I got something taller but my dad picked it out and I was told they're semi/arboreal, but I quickly learned she did not like the ground! She seemed fine, though. In the future, getting a taller tank

I feel bad knocking you while you're down, but I think this is important to know for any future Avics you might get. That setup is all wrong for an Avic. It's not that the enclosure needs to be taller, but rather, there needs to be more decorations at the top. That skull hide and all those tiny decorations at the very bottom of the enclosure are useless for an Avic species. They need clutter up top (i.e. fake plants, sticks, bark, narrow hollow bamboo tubes, etc) to web up and make a proper home out of. Otherwise, they don't really have a place to feel comfortable, and will likely just sit there stressed. I can at least tell you that any of my Avics and Caribena sp. would not be happy without any decorations near the top, and would with 100% certainty, just sit in a stress curl in a corner all day. It will stress any tarantula for a bit if you add new things to it's enclosure or move things around, but it will get over it quickly, especially if it benefits the animal by giving it more opportunities to make a proper home.

I genuinely don't mean to be harsh (and I hope nothing I've said comes across as me trying to bash you), as I do understand this is a tough time for you, and I do want to repeat that I'm sorry for your loss. But in the event you get any more arboreal species, I want to make sure you know ahead of time what's needed to give it the best, most stress-free life you can. I hope this loss doesn't discourage you from getting any more Avics, as they really are great tarantulas

 

[Dragondrool]

Are these pics of it alive from after the molt? If that's the case, it most certainly wasn't a mature male. As for cause of death, unfortunately I can't help you. But I'm yet another person on the list with lethargic Avics lately. But there's a possibility of my girl being close to a molt, so that might explain my case. I'm sorry for your loss though.





I feel bad knocking you while you're down, but I think this is important to know for any future Avics you might get. That setup is all wrong for an Avic. It's not that the enclosure needs to be taller, but rather, there needs to be more decorations at the top. That skull hide and all those tiny decorations at the very bottom of the enclosure are useless for an Avic species. They need clutter up top (i.e. fake plants, sticks, bark, narrow hollow bamboo tubes, etc) to web up and make a proper home out of. Otherwise, they don't really have a place to feel comfortable, and will likely just sit there stressed. I can at least tell you that any of my Avics and Caribena sp. would not be happy without any decorations near the top, and would with 100% certainty, just sit in a stress curl in a corner all day. It will stress any tarantula for a bit if you add new things to it's enclosure or move things around, but it will get over it quickly, especially if it benefits the animal by giving it more opportunities to make a proper home.

I genuinely don't mean to be harsh (and I hope nothing I've said comes across as me trying to bash you), as I do understand this is a tough time for you, and I do want to repeat that I'm sorry for your loss. But in the event you get any more arboreal species, I want to make sure you know ahead of time what's needed to give it the best, most stress-free life you can. I hope this loss doesn't discourage you from getting any more Avics, as they really are great tarantulas

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!

 

[Greasylake]

plants and sticks

Sticks aren't really ideal for avics. What you want is a flat piece of wood for it to stretch out and hunt from, kind of like it would on a tree trunk. While you can use them and the avic may incorporate them into its webbing, they shouldn't be used alone.

 

[Dragondrool]

Sticks aren't really ideal for avics. What you want is a flat piece of wood for it to stretch out and hunt from, kind of like it would on a tree trunk. While you can use them and the avic may incorporate them into its webbing, they shouldn't be used alone.

Yes I agree. They're not really sticks, they're like these bamboo things used for more snakes and geckos, I just thought log is an incorrect description

 

[Greasylake]

Yes I agree. They're not really sticks, they're like these bamboo things used for more snakes and geckos, I just thought log is an incorrect description

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