Are you a Tarantula hobbyist? If so, we invite you to join our community! Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your pets and enclosures and chat with other Tarantula enthusiasts. Sign up today!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stan Schultz" data-source="post: 178770" data-attributes="member: 28438">First off, you all should remember that Kritter Keepers have a lid that's all grill. Unless the OP did something to cover it over (e.g., wrap it in Saran wrap), there should be plenty of ventilation. I think we can reasonably discount that as a cause, at least in the sense that many of you mention.But there are at least two other possibilities that you need to consider. The fact that it's having trouble walking, with its legs in a pre-death curl, or in an actual death curl, could easily be explained by the tarantula being dehydrated and unable to extend its legs or control its walking very well.First, you just received the tarantula within the past week. It still hasn't completely settled into its new quarters. And the Avicularia/Carabena group of tarantulas are notorious for not surviving shipping very well. In the industry it's called shipping shock, and is possibly caused by rough handling. E.g., the spider was beat up by being shaken around in its shipping container like a maraca. The wet sponge or cotton ball and substrate in the cup didn't help either! Or it got too hot in the belly of a plane, or a courier's truck. There are other less likely possible causes as well. But in general, tarantulas are hardy enough that it may take them a week or more to get sick enough to die.With shipping shock, about the only thing you can do is supply supportive treatment and hope the tarantula snaps out of it before it dies. For this, an  <a href="http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/icu10.html" target="_blank">ICU</a> is about the only option. (See below.)Another possible cause might be too low humidity. A lot depends on how old (or young) the tarantula is, and whether the breeder kept it in an inordinately high humidity. Too young a tarantula may not have had a chance to develop a sufficiently impermeable exoskeleton and might be suffering because it has TOO MUCH ventilation, and thereby too low a humidity.Or, a tarantula that is large enough that it should already have developed an impermeable exoskeleton may not do so if it's kept too damp as it's growing with the same result in such an open cage. You're changing conditions on it too fast. It can't keep up.Our problem here is ignorance. No one has actually studied this aspect of tarantula physiology, development, and husbandry. At what point does any given tarantula actually develop an impermeable exoskeleton? Does this point vary with species, sex, details of care? Probably. Maybe. Sometimes. <blank looks> from everybody!If that were my spider I'd get it into an <a href="http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/icu10.html" target="_blank">ICU</a> as soon as possible, and keep it there for about 24 hours. If it shows any improvement, I'd leave it in the ICU another 24 hours, then return it to its cage for another day, noting carefully how it reacts to the ICU, and how it reacts after being taken out of the ICU.Is this a sure cure? Not by a long shot! But, it's better than just sitting there and watching it die.Best of luck.</blockquote>

Verification