Tarantula in death curl. Please Help.

JoseTheEnigma

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So heres the situation. Last night i went inside a 9:30pm. My M Balfouri was laying on its webs hanging out like it usually does. Then i checked on it at 11:30pm-midnight, and it was in a postion very similar to this. Assuming it was a death curl, I dropped some water in front of it, and it may or may not have taken a sip. If it did it was brief. 10 minutes later I put a bottle cap next to it and filled it with water, and let it overflow a bit so the tarantula would see it was a source of water. It almost immediately walked to the the other side of its enclosure, so i took out the water cap and dabbed the web with a paper towel so if it wanted to go back to a dry spot it was comfortable in, then it could. It could outstretch its legs to walk, but it was a bit unbalanced, and when it went to the other side it was prone with its legs stretched out, seemingly fine. It went back into a death curl about 10-15 minutes later. After taking another look at its enclosure i realized on the webbing where it hangs out, there was something that looked like green coloring on its web. Possibly algae? But that doesnt make sense because even if i oversprayed it last week, doesnt algae require sunlight to photosynthesis to live? Its enclosure is in a darker side of my room that does not get sunlight. So i decided either way i had to get it out of there. I coaxed it out of its enclosure and into a deli cup, and it walked again, but definitely unbalanced. I tried to take a picture of the web but the greenness does not come out in pictures, so is it just in my head? Anyways i pulled off the web and the substrate under it was somewhat dry but wet where i poured the water in earlier. I cleaned the enclosure, put down some paper towel, half wet, half dry, and a bottle cap with water in it. I coaxed the tarantula back into there, and once again it can walk and when it got in its legs were spread, but soon after went back into its death curl. But heres the thing, ever since i first saw it, I realized its consistently moving its legs while its in its death curl. Like its rubbing its underside. So ever since i put in it the ICU thats basically all it does. here i am checking on it every hour and thats all it seems to do. Is it trying to clean some potential algae off its underside? BTW its somewhat hot in my house because of summer and our ac isnt working properly, so at one point, thinking it might be overheating, I placed a fan on low blowing at the enclosure, i slept for 3 hours and when i got up it didnt seem to get any better, so i took the fan away cause i did not want to add any more variables to the situation. Thing is, my P Rufilata is right next to it but it seems to be doing just fine, so i dont know if temperature is the issue. Please help. All advice is welcome.
 

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Smotzer

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Take it out of the "ICU" ASAP and place it back in its normal enclosure with substrate and place its mouthparts directly over a completely full water dish so it can drink all its able to, and then leave it be and wait. There's nothing more you can do but if its dyskinesia from dehydration then it needs to drink as much fluid as possible. The prognosis is not super hopeful but sometimes they do pull through on occasion.
 

DomGom TheFather

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As said, remove from the icu.
If you like, you can redo the enclosure or change out the substrate real quick. It's not harmful but you probably weren't imagining things. Cameras can't beat your eye. If the substrate is green, it's very likely too wet and stuffy in there and things need correcting.
 

JoseTheEnigma

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As said, emove from the icu.
If you like, you can redo the enclosure or change out the substrate real quick. It's not harmful but you probably weren't imagining things. Cameras can't beat your eye. If the substrate is green, it's very likely too wet and stuffy in there.
The substrate wasnt green, it was just the webbing. The substrate under it seemed fine. The ventilation in the enclosure always seemed fine to me, but should i drill more holes in it just in case?
 

DomGom TheFather

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The substrate wasnt green, it was just the webbing. The substrate under it seemed fine. The ventilation in the enclosure always seemed fine to me, but should i drill more holes in it just in case?
Hard to say without a photo.
Still, the advice is, get it out of that icu and into a well ventilated enclosure with sub. Provide easy access to fresh water.

Good luck.
 

Smotzer

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@Smotzer Should i spray the substrate? And if so how much?
Spraying/misting the substrate isnt going to help it, it doesnt need humidity, it needs to drink water. Your care should be the exact same for this species in this event as well as before, you just need to get it out of the ICU and back in a regular enclosure and try to get it to drink as much water as possible.
 

JoseTheEnigma

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@Smotzer @DomGom TheFather
Got it on some substrate, put in the cap with some water in it, guided it to it and got its fangs on the water. It ran away at first but after guiding it back a couple times it settled on the water cap and after about 10 minutes it started to move its pedipalps and then eventually its fangs. Looks like its drinking as i type this, gonna see if it needs any more water. Thanks guys. Ill post another update in 30 minutes to let you know if it keeps drinking or goes back into a curl.
 

Smotzer

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Great glad to see you took our advice! keep that water dish as full as you can during this process so it can drink as much as possible! The signs of life are a better sign!
 

JoseTheEnigma

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@Smotzer @JonnyTorch
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It stopped moving its fangs and It went back into a curl. The water cap wasnt retaining water efficiently, i think because when the tarantula is leaning on it the water falls out. So i got a bigger cap and coaxed it back onto the new cap and its been 15 to 20 minutes. The tarantula is make slight movement with its legs and its fangs are moving a bit but it doesnt look like its drinking any. If it is its so little i can tell the difference in the water level. Im guessing this is just going to take some time? Is there anything else i can do? 20220514_185805.jpg
 

Smotzer

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You can sink the cap flush into the substrate so the tarantula is on the same plane and can drink water easier
 

JoseTheEnigma

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You can sink the cap flush into the substrate so the tarantula is on the same plane and can drink water easier
Thank you. Did that as soon as you posted. I was watching it ever since and right now i saw it move its fangs apart and there was water inbetween so it looks the water is making direct contact with its mouth. Hopefully its taking small sips and is just taking its time cause of how weak it is. Posting an update later with the progress. And honestly thank you, not sure how this would have gone down without your advice
 

Smotzer

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Thank you. Did that as soon as you posted. I was watching it ever since and right now i saw it move its fangs apart and there was water inbetween so it looks the water is making direct contact with its mouth. Hopefully its taking small sips and is just taking its time cause of how weak it is. Posting an update later with the progress. And honestly thank you, not sure how this would have gone down without your advice
Awesome!! Hoping for you you intervened early enough! And your most welcome! Happy to help the tarantula out if I can! Its still not out of the neck of the woods but the fact that its moving its chelicerae on the surface is a good thing
 
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