What is DKS?

[Bill S]

idon't think i have ever seen it. out of maybe 2k tarantulas that have passed my way so far



basically it is gimped motor function or reactions. there are tons of things that can do it. pesticides, obviously. getting scorched... that is a relatively brief spike in temperature that breaks but doesn't kill the bug. i half suspect certain kinds of depressurization or cold shock from shipping air freight styles can do it. i bet there are a ton of pathogens that can do it. kinetic trauma, from fall or other accidents. i bet the right level and style of dehydration could do it. i bet (micro)nutrient deficiencies could do it. i bet defensive compound accumulation could do it. (iirc, most roaches have some kind of chemicals they use as defensive/repugnatorial compounds, for instance). who knows what else. that is just what i could pop off the top of my head

That's probably the best answer I've seen posted on this topic. Far too many people act as though it's a real disease, and I suspect it gets used as a scapegoat to cover arachnocultural mistakes.

 

[JC]

Far too many people act as though it's a real disease, and I suspect it gets used as a scapegoat to cover arachnocultural mistakes.

And some people like to believe that other 'diseases' are due to genetic flaws and not arachnocultural mistakes.

 

[Bill S]

And some people like to believe that other 'diseases' are due to genetic flaws and not arachnocultural mistakes.

Yup. The vast majority of babies in the wild die of "natural causes", which serves as a justification for losing babies in captivity. "It's the genetically weak that die in the wild." In truth, there are simply high predation risks, unreliable food sources, competition for available resources (including hides, territory, etc.). The ones that get eaten, starved, and outcompeted may well lose a simple game of chance. And in captivity we should be able to eliminate most of those risks IF we truly understand the animal's needs.

 

[JC]

Yup. The vast majority of babies in the wild die of "natural causes", which serves as a justification for losing babies in captivity. "It's the genetically weak that die in the wild." In truth, there are simply high predation risks, unreliable food sources, competition for available resources (including hides, territory, etc.). The ones that get eaten, starved, and outcompeted may well lose a simple game of chance. And in captivity we should be able to eliminate most of those risks IF we truly understand the animal's needs.

Exactly. A lot of invert keepers misinterpret the large amounts of inverts that die of "natural causes" in the wild to mean that their captive animal has fallen victim to this math, when in truth it is rare to find such an animal in captivity, especially in theraphosids that have reached 2nd, 3rd, and 4th instar.

 

[esotericman]

Exactly Bill. It can not be transferred to other animals, thus is an environmental issue unless it is genetic, which would only account for maybe 5% of the reported cases.

I personally think it is build up of polyacrylamide from it's use as a water source for crickets and roaches, in most cases.

In any case, it is a scapegoat for ignorant culture and care most of the time, not a disease or pathogen.

 

[cacoseraph]

i thought polyacrylamide was quite stable and doesn't revert to it's heinous monomer form spontaneous? they use it in diapers. dunno what running it through an acid system (digestion) would do, though



i think plasticizers, cleaning agents, and maybe some of the synthoscents could do it, too


you should see my cage cleaning routine. it's ridiculous. for the simplest it is three stage and can go up to 5 or 7 if i really want to get my clean on

 

[jgod790]

i thought polyacrylamide was quite stable and doesn't revert to it's heinous monomer form spontaneous? they use it in diapers. dunno what running it through an acid system (digestion) would do, though



i think plasticizers, cleaning agents, and maybe some of the synthoscents could do it, too


you should see my cage cleaning routine. it's ridiculous. for the simplest it is three stage and can go up to 5 or 7 if i really want to get my clean on

What is your cage cleaning routine? I still need help in this department.

 

[esotericman]

i thought polyacrylamide was quite stable and doesn't revert to it's heinous monomer form spontaneous? they use it in diapers. dunno what running it through an acid system (digestion) would do, though

i think plasticizers, cleaning agents, and maybe some of the synthoscents could do it, too

If we assume everything is polymerized, then it is supposed to be stable and harmless. Diapers would not allow direct contact, so is assumed safe?

I agree, it could be any number of chemical exposures. My target is "water crystals" due to the timing of them becoming so popular in the hobby and the drastic increase in reports. At some point I'll cross search all the forums to nail that idea down.

 

[cacoseraph]

What is your cage cleaning routine? I still need help in this department.

fill cage with a bit of water. like, a quarter gallon in a 5-10G tank. now, get a cup and as you are filling it with water add mild soap to it. the point is, you NEVER want to directly apply any cleaning agents to your tanks. this can make hotspots that don't clean off with water. mix the cup soapy water into the tank and then scrub hell out of it.

drain water. rinse. rinse. rinse. rinse. rinse. (this is for bigger fancy cages, cuz of the seams and stuff. i do much less rinsing for all cast/injected as one piece type cages).

smell cage. if it smells like anything, repeat from beginning.


you can step it up, but i am unsure if it is worth it. i have used weak vinegar solutions applied in the "safe" manner above. then deactivated them with weak baking soda solutions. then cleaned it off with another weak soap solution.

then rinse, rinse rinse.

btw, i only wash cages like.... well, i can't think of the last time i had to do it. it's only when someone dies unclean, though.


if you feel the need to use stronger cleaning solutions you should just write the cage off, they are too hard to assure getting rid of "all" of.