Tarantula ICU Molting

[BoehmeiRhapsody]

My Brachypelma boehmi is currently in ICU. I noticed she was walking strangely three days ago, barely able to raise her front legs. I read that it could be dehydration. After a few hours in the ICU, she seemed fine. The following evening, she was on her back and I presumed she would molt. But after 8 hours, she got back up and walked around. She was fine yesterday but this morning, she was in a death curl on her water dish. I immediately put her in the ICU. She tried walking around and all her legs seemed wobbly and she couldn't properly move any of them. After about an hour, she got on her back. I'm worried that she will try to molt but not make it out as she is too weak from dehydration. Is there anything more I can do for her?

 

[Trenor]

My Brachypelma boehmi is currently in ICU. I noticed she was walking strangely three days ago, barely able to raise her front legs. I read that it could be dehydration. After a few hours in the ICU, she seemed fine. The following evening, she was on her back and I presumed she would molt. But after 8 hours, she got back up and walked around. She was fine yesterday but this morning, she was in a death curl on her water dish. I immediately put her in the ICU. She tried walking around and all her legs seemed wobbly and she couldn't properly move any of them. After about an hour, she got on her back. I'm worried that she will try to molt but not make it out as she is too weak from dehydration. Is there anything more I can do for her?

Is her abdomen wrinkly and shrunken? If not, she is most likely not dehydrated. She was most likely sluggish due to the coming molt. I'm not a fan of ICUs and they only seem to work in extreme cases from what I have seen. I wouldn't move her till she is done molting.

 

[EulersK]

Rule number one when your tarantula is molting: Leave it alone.

Don't have an ICU be your knee jerk reaction to any crisis. Sticking an arid species in an environment approaching 100% humidity is almost always a bad idea.

 

[cold blood]

Is her abdomen wrinkly and shrunken? If not, she is most likely not dehydrated. She was most likely sluggish due to the coming molt. I'm not a fan of ICUs and they only seem to work in extreme cases from what I have seen. I wouldn't move her till she is done molting.

A wrinkled abdomen only presents its self in the worst (or latest stages) of dehydration, just because its abdomen isn't shrunken or wrinkled doesn't mean dehydration isn't the issue...it likely is.

 

[BoehmeiRhapsody]

Is her abdomen wrinkly and shrunken? If not, she is most likely not dehydrated. She was most likely sluggish due to the coming molt. I'm not a fan of ICUs and they only seem to work in extreme cases from what I have seen. I wouldn't move her till she is done molting.

Her abdomen is wrinkly and shrunken. This is a photo of her three days ago. I thought she was sluggish because she was pre molt. But I noticed she was walking strangely, barely able to lift her front legs and I was alarmed.

 

[BobBarley]

Her abdomen is wrinkly and shrunken. This is a photo of her three days ago. I thought she was sluggish because she was pre molt. But I noticed she was walking strangely, barely able to lift her front legs and I was alarmed.

Looks like a cyst to me. I have no experience with this kind of thing but I do know that pretty much no t's survive. I'd wait for someone more experienced to chime in though. Good luck.

Oh and she doesn't look premolt, position her "mouth" over a full water dish just in case it is in fact just dehydration.

 

[BoehmeiRhapsody]

A cyst?

 

[cold blood]

It doesn't look wrinkled, just bald...it looks a lot like a MM, which upon maturity, will have a noticeably smaller abdomen. Can you get a pic of its palps? Sometimes males can mature at surprisingly small sizes.

 

[BoehmeiRhapsody]

It doesn't look wrinkled, just bald...it looks a lot like a MM, which upon maturity, will have a noticeably smaller abdomen. Can you get a pic of its palps? Sometimes males can mature at surprisingly small sizes.

I don't have another photo and she (or he) has been on her back for 12 hours. But this is a photo I took on May 29. Now this is just plain bald. But lately it really has looked very shriveled up.

 

[louise f]

@Nicole Bayeta To help you here if you dont know what palps is. The front legs you see on this pic, it is also called boxing gloves does your T have those.

Psalmopoeus ecclesiasticus MM

• louise f
• Jul 6, 2016
• 2

 

[louise f]

Thrixopelma ockerti

• louise f
• Apr 10, 2016

MM got 2 of them, now i just need a female

Here is another mature male

 

[BobBarley]

I don't have another photo and she (or he) has been on her back for 12 hours. But this is a photo I took on May 29. Now this is just plain bald. But lately it really has looked very shriveled up.

I'm not really sure what a cyst is (at least in t's)... I've heard it described as sort of like a cancer? But basically there's a bump on the t, usually on the abdomen. The abdomen in your pic looks a little off to me.

 

[Veribug]

I'm not really sure what a cyst is (at least in t's)... I've heard it described as sort of like a cancer? But basically there's a bump on the t, usually on the abdomen. The abdomen in your pic looks a little off to me.

After looking at the second picture they posted, I feel like it looks like a big case of dehydration and the humongous bald patch might be throwing us off. On that basis I'd say it's possibly dehydration and placing it over a water dish would be advisable

I've seen that in your other thread you've already placed it in an ICU. Rather than stressing it out any more, I'd put a water dish in there with it, place its fangs in their if possible and don't worry about keeping the paper towel moist.

If it's already on its back and curling, which you've stated in your other thread, use a dropper to add water to its fangs to give it some hydration. It looks to be struggling so I'd say you can't really overdo it at this point.

 

[BoehmeiRhapsody]

After looking at the second picture they posted, I feel like it looks like a big case of dehydration and the humongous bald patch might be throwing us off. On that basis I'd say it's possibly dehydration and placing it over a water dish would be advisable

I've seen that in your other thread you've already placed it in an ICU. Rather than stressing it out any more, I'd put a water dish in there with it, place its fangs in their if possible and don't worry about keeping the paper towel moist.

If it's already on its back and curling, which you've stated in your other thread, use a dropper to add water to its fangs to give it some hydration. It looks to be struggling so I'd say you can't really overdo it at this point.

How often should I give it water? It hasn't moved in hours and I'm afraid it's dead.

 

[Veribug]

How often should I give it water? It hasn't moved in hours and I'm afraid it's dead.

I'm so sorry if you've lost it already. Stroke a few of its legs with a paint brush. If there seems to be any signs of movement, start dripping water immediately.

I have absolutely no idea with this as I've not been in this situation and I don't really know who to tag to get advice from so this is going to be a shot in the dark... but I'd say drip a few droplets (3 or 4?) every 10minutes onto the fangs.

If @cold blood or @EulersK are about they might know more. They're just a couple of the more experienced board members I know of.

 

[cold blood]

Add the next drop once the prior drop disappears.

 

[EulersK]

This looks like a mature male. There isn't a great shot of the pedipalps, but from what little I can see, that's my guess. The abdomen is severely misshapen - I second the thought of it being a cyst. If that's the case, then there's really nothing you can do. A cyst isn't always a death sentence (it usually isn't, actually), but that might be the case here.

 

[BoehmeiRhapsody]

@Nicole Bayeta To help you here if you dont know what palps is. The front legs you see on this pic, it is also called boxing gloves does your T have those.

Psalmopoeus ecclesiasticus MM

• louise f
• Jul 6, 2016
• 2

Yes. Don't all tarantulas have pedipalps?

 

[Trenor]

Yes. Don't all tarantulas have pedipalps?

They do but only Mature Males have bulbs on the end like boxing gloves.

 

[ratluvr76]

They do but only Mature Males have bulbs on the end like boxing gloves.

another way to tell, at least with species that have them, is the hooks on their first pair of legs. This species, if I'm not mistaken, will have hooks on his first pair of legs if it is a mature male. The hooks are a better way to tell than the palps since inexperienced keepers have trouble telling the difference, even with a photo for comparison. The hooks are more definitive in this case.