Strange tarantula behaviour?

[under.the.ivy]

Hi,

I purchased a juvenile A. Geniculata over a month ago and at first it seemed to be okay (shy and hiding a lot but still eating and webbing etc.). However, a few weeks ago it stopped eating altogether, and it is now walking strangely. It runs almost spasmodically like it has a twitch, with its legs going everywhere (at first i thought it may have dks but it is still alive after weeks and has not deteriorated in any way). Also, if i even walk past its enclosure it begins to do the same thing on the spot- it moves its legs in a twitchy erratic way. I noticed today that it has developed two bald patches either side of it's abdomen where its legs rub whilst it runs/twitches. This made me wonder whether the tarantula is just extremely stressed out- but surely this cannot be the case constantly?

The humidity and temperature levels are fine and the tarantula was completely okay until recently- does anyone know what could be the cause of this as I am quite worried?

Thank you!

 

[Nicolas C]

As Shampain said, it could be dehydration. The best would be if you could post a picture of your T, or even a short video of her strange behavior. It would help us. And a picture of the enclosure + your temps / moisture.


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Thistles]

Sounds like you are describing hair kicking. Make sure she has a good hide to run to when she's disturbed, and put her in a quiet place. The bald spots are normal, and might spread to be a whole bald bottom. That's just where she's kicked the itchy bristles off.

 

[Phil]

Like others have said, video and pictures is what's really needed if possible. Have you changed the substrate re entry? What is it? Has there been any pest control/ insecticides near her? @Shampain is correct, fresh clean water needs to be available at all times. I always boil and then cool all drinking and spraying water to be safe. Hope there is improvement.

 

[under.the.ivy]

The humidity is at 75% and the temperature is at just under 26 celcius

 

[under.the.ivy]

I'll take a picture of the enclousure now.. she has a place to hide where she remained for the first few weeks of having her, but she rarely goes in there now.

The substrate is a soil kind of thing for tarantulas which i bought from the pet shop, it's called 'invertebed' by 'komodo'

 

[MassExodus]

Wow..never seen that behavior before. Anyone?

 

[under.the.ivy]

That really looks like DKS... I'm so sorry

That's exactly what I thought at first, but that was a few weeks ago and nothing seems to be getting better/worse.. can a tarantula have dks for this long without dying? Everywhere ive looked says they will die/deteriorate within a few days but she has still been moving around and i can see that she has made some webs around a few of the leaves - i dont know what to do

 

[under.the.ivy]

I really wish I could help you but I'd be in your position too if it happened to me, hopefully someone will tell you your options

Thank you for your help anyway, i'm hoping it just turns out to be a mystery and gets better on its own

 

[under.the.ivy]

Here is a video of the enclosure and the bald patches.
Another thing that i dont understand is that i thought dks caused involuntary movements etc, however my tarantula is kicking hairs as it does this weird walking, which doesnt seem involuntary (despite the rest of its movement seeming completely involuntary), if that makes sense.
It also only does this when walking, when it is at rest it is completely still, and i've watched videos of dks where the tarantulas seem to have strange movement even at rest - nothing seeme to add up at the minute

 

[Casey K.]

I say DKS. If it is DKS and you can get it to molt, from what I've heard, it gets better. In most cases with DKS, the tarantula refuses to eat. Eventually, just like nematodes, the tarantula is doomed to death but there have been cases reported where a tarantula has had it, molted and gotten better as if nothing were wrong. If your tarantula is eating, count that as a blessing. Power feed it to molt again. DKS can be caused by several factors. When you clean your tarantulas terrarium, do you use any chemicals? Do you spray air freshener in the room to make it smell better (aeresol)? Have there been any changes in your water supply (has your pipes been worked on lately, etc.). So many things could be causing this.....Or it could just be something originating from the tarantula itself. I've only seen this behavior in tarantulas with DKS....However, that doesn't rule out anything else that could potentially cause this behavior. My best advice to you is to power feed your tarantula & get it to molt.

 

[under.the.ivy]

I say DKS. If it is DKS and you can get it to molt, from what I've heard, it gets better. In most cases with DKS, the tarantula refuses to eat. Eventually, just like nematodes, the tarantula is doomed to death but there have been cases reported where a tarantula has had it, molted and gotten better as if nothing were wrong. If your tarantula is eating, count that as a blessing. Power feed it to molt again. DKS can be caused by several factors. When you clean your tarantulas terrarium, do you use any chemicals? Do you spray air freshener in the room to make it smell better (aeresol)? Have there been any changes in your water supply (has your pipes been worked on lately, etc.). So many things could be causing this.....Or it could just be something originating from the tarantula itself. I've only seen this behavior in tarantulas with DKS....However, that doesn't rule out anything else that could potentially cause this behavior. My best advice to you is to power feed your tarantula & get it to molt.

Is there any way to try and induce a molt if the tarantula is refusing to eat?

I don't use any chemicals to clean the enclosure, just boiling water. Also I don't use tap water for her to drink, i use bottled water. And all aersol products i use like hairspray and deodorant i spray in the bathroom so it doesn't effect the tarantula because i know they can be sensitive to stuff like that- it doesn't seem explainable.

I know that you can give dehydrated tarantulas water with a pipette, is there any way i could do this with mushed up crickets or something? If i turned them into a liquid and fed the tarantula like this could this possibly help her to molt faster since she is not eating on her own?

 

[Casey K.]

Absolutely. If you force feed it (a protein soup) such as gut loaded crickets, dubia innards, crushed meal worms, etc that is much better than nothing at all because you are trying and there's always a chance it will eat....It can be nourished with the nutrients/protein from the food you offer just as it can be hydrated with water. If I were you I would do it. Anything is better than not trying at all.

 

[under.the.ivy]

Absolutely. If you force feed it (a protein soup) such as gut loaded crickets, dubia innards, crushed meal worms, etc that is much better than nothing at all because you are trying and there's always a chance it will eat....It can be nourished with the nutrients/protein from the food you offer just as it can be hydrated with water. If I were you I would do it. Anything is better than not trying at all.

Yes i think i am going to try this- thank you for the advice!

 

[Casey K.]

Yes i think i am going to try this- thank you for the advice!

You are very welcome! I hope the T pulls through and wish you the best of luck! . Please keep us updated.

 

[Redacted]

Wow..never seen that behavior before. Anyone?

No. I have not.

 

[Phil]

Yes i think i am going to try this- thank you for the advice!

If you up the temp as well as power feeding like @Casey K. says, that could also help induce a quicker moult. Hope everything works out.

 

[Phil]

Here is a video of the enclosure and the bald patches.
Another thing that i dont understand is that i thought dks caused involuntary movements etc, however my tarantula is kicking hairs as it does this weird walking, which doesnt seem involuntary (despite the rest of its movement seeming completely involuntary), if that makes sense.
It also only does this when walking, when it is at rest it is completely still, and i've watched videos of dks where the tarantulas seem to have strange movement even at rest - nothing seeme to add up at the minute

Quick question, does it spend most it's time on the log and off the ground? It may be related to substrate not being right (and causing it stress). Although at first glance everything looks OK in the enclosure. It is large for a T that size currently but a good choice for when it grows.
Edit: another (possibly stupid) question.....have you put in waxworms or mealworms (other burrowing prey) as daft as it sounds I have a couple of Ts who get completely freaked by these and can't cope with things underneath their substrate which often means they stay off the ground and get stressed. Highly unlikely but you never know......
Another edit. Only just seen the first video. Really strange so not sure any of the above applies anymore.

 

[under.the.ivy]

Quick question, does it spend most it's time on the log and off the ground? It may be related to substrate not being right (and causing it stress). Although at first glance everything looks OK in the enclosure. It is large for a T that size currently but a good choice for when it grows.
Edit: another (possibly stupid) question.....have you put in waxworms or mealworms (other burrowing prey) as daft as it sounds I have a couple of Ts who get completely freaked by these and can't cope with things underneath their substrate which often means they stay off the ground and get stressed. Highly unlikely but you never know......
Another edit. Only just seen the first video. Really strange so not sure any of the above applies anymore.

I will make sure to put the temperature up slightly. And no she spends an equal amount of time on the substrate but i also thought that this might be the problem because in the pet shop coco fibre was used, i've been planning on mixing my substrate with something to make it less soily to see if that makes any difference. And no, no waxworms.
Thank you for the help

 

[under.the.ivy]

Quick question, does it spend most it's time on the log and off the ground? It may be related to substrate not being right (and causing it stress). Although at first glance everything looks OK in the enclosure. It is large for a T that size currently but a good choice for when it grows.
Edit: another (possibly stupid) question.....have you put in waxworms or mealworms (other burrowing prey) as daft as it sounds I have a couple of Ts who get completely freaked by these and can't cope with things underneath their substrate which often means they stay off the ground and get stressed. Highly unlikely but you never know......
Another edit. Only just seen the first video. Really strange so not sure any of the above applies anymore.

Yeah I don't understand whether it is stress or illness. The problem is that i've not seen her do that without being agitated (the enclosure lid being lifted, someone walking past). She seems to be really on edge but will not go into her hide, but it's been weeks and she hasn't got any worse. But also she doesnt seem to move without doing this