What the?!?

[galeogirl]

I just found four of my slings dead, all with the same powdery white mildew or fungus around their joints and mouths. No signs of fungus in their enclosures, no signs of them being unhealthy in the past few days. The four containers were all sitting next to one another on the shelf, so I've moved the other slings that were close to them and I'm going to transfer them to new containers later today.

What just happened to my pets? I've never seen this before.

 

[Immortal_sin]

oh, that's AWFUL....
which ones are they? What kind of substrate?

 

[Gail]

That's horrible! I'd be having hypochondirac hysteria right now if I were in your place. If it's any help, Pat from Regal Reptiles said something to me once about a disease caused by nematodes called maggot mouth which causes a foamy white substance at the mouths, but that doesn't sound exactly like what you discribe since yours was on the joints too. The PZB adults that I got from Paul Becker BOTH had white powder fungus problems - it grew on the chelicera and the joints. The one came with it on it and the other developed it - it showed up overnight - and one also had a bright yellow fungus on the chelicera. I used Funginail on it and when they shed both seem to have gotten rid of the fungus. How big were your babies?

Gail

 

[Code Monkey]

That is awful.

What kind of slings and what sort of environment were you keeping them in?

 

[galeogirl]

Three of the curly hair slings and my Asian smokey (all under 1/2"). All of them were on barely damp peat moss in ventilated deli containers. Could it have been something in their food? They've all been getting frozen, thawed beef heart, but I remove the meat within a few hours of feeding. I'm totally mystified.

I checked out all of the other slings and they all look okay, but they got transferred to new containers anyway and I've sterilized all of my feeding and cage-cleaning equipment with surgical scrub and boiling water.

Whatever this is, I hope I caught it in time.

 

[Immortal_sin]

wow..that IS weird. Were the curlies in the same containers/substrate that you got them in? I haven't had any mysterious deaths with mine, so I'm assuming it's not the substrate???
That just stinks, and I hope that it stops there...
Holley

 

[galeogirl]

Yeah, they were still in the same containers; I don't think it was the substrate. I'm thinking that it was something in the food or something in the environment. I'm going to be watching everyone else like a hawk over the next few weeks.

*keeping my fingers crossed*

 

[Joy]

Originally posted by galeogirl
Yeah, they were still in the same containers; I don't think it was the substrate. I'm thinking that it was something in the food or something in the environment. I'm going to be watching everyone else like a hawk over the next few weeks.

*keeping my fingers crossed*

Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, too. What a heartbreak. You have all my sympathy, and I hope you can pinpoint the problem so it never happens again. Like you, I enjoy mystery in the form of fictional novels, but in this context it really sucks.

Joy

 

[conipto]

Galeo -

My A. versicolor got some white powdery fungus in the bottom of his vial last week. Though it stays far away from the ground as possible, so didn't pick any of it up. I was using Scott's Sphagnum Peat moss for substrate, kept slightly moist.

Sorry to hear you lost so many at once. Definate suckage.

Bill

 

[veronyka]

The PZB adults that I got from Paul Becker BOTH had white powder fungus problems - it grew on the chelicera and the joints. The one came with it on it and the other developed it - it showed up overnight - and one also had a bright yellow fungus on the chelicera. I used Funginail on it and when they shed both seem to have gotten rid of the fungus.

Gail.. how long ago did you get your PZB's and what is funginail, just in case.. I got a PZB from him not too long ago. I don't see anything wrong with her but I just want to be safe. :?

 

[Gail]

Originally posted by veronyka
Gail.. how long ago did you get your PZB's and what is funginail, just in case.. I got a PZB from him not too long ago. I don't see anything wrong with her but I just want to be safe. :?

I got mine back in August. Funginail is a human treatment for fungus infections of the nails. Ask your local drug store for it but make sure you get EXACTLY Funginail. There are several other types out there but they are much stronger acids and will probably do much more harm than good.

Gail

 

[Tarantula Lover]

man oh man

sorry about your 4 losses galeogirl, that really sucks, i would like to atleast know what happened if they died, so i can know what to do next time!
Good Luck!

James

 

[veronyka]

Ok Gail..thanks. I got my pzb in October but I'm sure she's from the same batch.. I hope nothing goes wrong with her.. she's a real cutie but she's also kinda skittish and it's hard to get her to sit still so I can get a good look at her.

 

[Gail]

Originally posted by veronyka
Ok Gail..thanks. I got my pzb in October but I'm sure she's from the same batch.. I hope nothing goes wrong with her.. she's a real cutie but she's also kinda skittish and it's hard to get her to sit still so I can get a good look at her.

The two I got are skittish as well. The one actually was a holy terror that was so vicious when I first got her that I considered getting rid of her. After her molt though, I took the time to start gently stroking her with a soft fan brush each day. At first, it was attack the fan brush, then it was run and kick hairs, then it was walk away and now she is fairly calm most of the time. She still has unpredictable outbursts of "attack everything" though and so I don't trust her enough to move her with my hands when I clean the cage but at least I've gotten her to a point where she doesn't bolt or attack the second her cage is opened.

Gail

 

[galeogirl]

The Death Toll Rises

I've lost a few more B. albopilosum slings to the mystery mold. It seems to be killing off the smallest ones. No signs of infection on any of the mid-sized slings or larger ts.

This is so damn depressing!

 

[Botar]

Hang in there Galeogirl... you're going through enough as it is.

Botar

 

[Immortal_sin]

oh no.....
I am so sorry.
I just checked all 22 of mine. I am even guilty of leaving dead prey (in this case mini mealworms) in there for too long, and a couple of them had a bit of mold on the uneaten parts, but all slings alive and no mold on them.
So substrate is definately out. So, it's either airborne, in which case I have no idea what to do...or it's the food they've eaten.
Hopefully you can figure out what is causing it.
I know this probably doesn't help, but I've got plenty, and once you've figured out what's going on...I have some saved for you if you would like them. Wish I could do more
Holley

 

[kosh]

you guys scaring me.........i gotta check every one of my curlies now!!!
i also tried some small mealworms cut in half the other day and MOST of the curlies wouldnt eat them......hmmmm......

 

[The_Phantom]

Im sooo sorry for your little pets and you.

 

[kosh]

well.....i checked on all mine..........all 10 are alive....found some white powdery substance on the substrate in a little spot in two cups........probably leftover spider poo or a little mold from food sitting in there.....all of them seem hungry...they come to the entrance of the burrow when i open lid and mess around.....too bad they dont like meal worms......i wonder if they will eat them if they get hungry enough.......