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Please help! Tarantula sprayed with Windex
- Thread starter MeganG
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We're all helping our best. Took some fortitude to submerge him. Nice going. That and now leaving him be were the best things for him. Here's to hoping that he rallies.
First time I've ever heard to submerge a spider. Hopefully it worked. seems a bit overkill though. Let us know how he does.
I'm curious if Windex is actually that harmful. It doesn't have ammonia or other such harsh chemicals. Wonder if it would have pulled through on its own.
I'm curious if Windex is actually that harmful. It doesn't have ammonia or other such harsh chemicals. Wonder if it would have pulled through on its own.
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Maybe, but concern over potentially abrasive chemical contact with book lungs especially. Many Ts of various species are seasonally subject to inundation of burrows by rain. A brief submersion wouldn't hurt and could help. That was my thinking.
Uncharted territory for us all.
This is what he was doing right before I submerged him. At first I thought he was drinking, but that's his other end! He stuck it in the water and sat there for about half an hour! I read the possibility that he was trying to wash an irritant from his booklungs. Hopefully submerging him helped him out.
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You're a good keeper of animals. I think well of how you care about your T.
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For what it's worth, I've seen healthy ones sit like that for long periods of time. Keep watching.
http://www.local510.org/msds_sheets/Windex_MSDS.pdf
OK so, not as bad as it could be. Seems that the Isopropyl alcohol is the biggest culprit here.
OK so, not as bad as it could be. Seems that the Isopropyl alcohol is the biggest culprit here.
Well, I'm sad to report that he's not looking so great. I checked on him at lunch and he's starting to draw his legs in and kinda curl up. It's chilly here today (mid 40s), but it's almost 70 in my house. Poor guy. I ordered him some more comfy supplies, but he just doesn't look good. I went ahead and took the cover off the aquarium and laid a screen over the top to help with ventilation. 
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@Shampain No worries, i wasn't intending to sound like - WTF are you thinking!?!?! submerge a T?! i'd just never heard of doing that before. I know no one here would do anything to intentionally harm an animal.
After reading the MSDS (thanks @Kymura ) i agree the alcohol would be the worst, so submerging was probably the best resolution to dilute and remove that.
Also agree with @Walter1 it's not uncommon for them to sit in that position being healthy and hearty. I'd give it a few more days to recoup and see if it will eat.
i'd just never heard of doing that before. I know no one here would do anything to intentionally harm an animal. After reading the MSDS (thanks @Kymura ) i agree the alcohol would be the worst, so submerging was probably the best resolution to dilute and remove that.
Also agree with @Walter1 it's not uncommon for them to sit in that position being healthy and hearty. I'd give it a few more days to recoup and see if it will eat.
Gosh, I sure hope it's just stress! I live in a tiny TX town and we don't have any kind of pet supplies here locally. I did some research in this forum though and I think I found something a little better for him to live in, even if it's temporary. I ordered an Exo Terra Faunarium (14"x9"x10") and some loose coconut fiber substrate. It should be here Friday.
As far as feeding him, what does he need to eat? Like I said - no pet stores, so I can't just go buy him a cricket. Can I just catch something wild for him to eat? Or can I order him something online?
As far as feeding him, what does he need to eat? Like I said - no pet stores, so I can't just go buy him a cricket. Can I just catch something wild for him to eat? Or can I order him something online?
A fellow Texan...nice. You can order online, but shipping will be a bit costly and crickets are hard to keep alive for more than a few weeks. Mealworms or superworms might work well for you because you can keep them in the fridge and they last a while that way. Another option is to start a roach colony that will replenish itself. A bit overkill for 1 tarantula, but likely the cheapest non wild food option. Lastly you can catch bugs for them...you just have to know that any bug that has been exposed to pesticide could kill your T. When I was young we had several T's and never feed them anything but wild caught crickets and grasshoppers and never had an issue. In college I knew that the crickets were likely poisoned so I had one T that lived off of bees for a couple years.
Hope this guy pulls through...sounds like it found a good home if so.
Hope this guy pulls through...sounds like it found a good home if so.
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activated carbon absorbs toxins
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Are his legs pulled up over him covering his carapace or curling up under him? Some walmarts carry crickets for fishing bait, might be able to get some there till you can order some feeders.
I'm talking small town. Over an hour to Walmart small, one hardware store small, one feed store small, and no live bait small. I did look at mealworms on Amazon though and can get a ton of them for $11. I don't really want a ton of them and I'm not going to lie, they kinda gross me out, but not near as bad as the roaches that I've been reading about! Good thing I have an extra refrigerator in the garage. I think my husband might kill me if he found any of these things next to his food!
