Injured Tarantula

[finley8445]

I rescued a small Tarantula from a Tarantula Hawk Wasp yesterday evening. I wasn’t sure if the Tarantula was still alive but after reading about the Tarantula Hawk Wasp and what it was doing I understand that he was probably stung and is likely still alive. I put him in a small box with a lid and air holes He is in a safe place in my house. This morning he is moving all of his legs but unable to coordinate to walk. I did give him a syringe drop of water in his mouth this morning. My question is… what type of care can I give him to aid his recovery and how long should I nurse him before releasing back into my yard?

 

[WolfSpider]

Well done. I am impressed. Picture you getting bitten by a cobra--it is hard on the body. Its going to take some time for your little buddy to recover. Just keep a water dish nearby and expect good things eventually.

 

[finley8445]

Well done. I am impressed. Picture you getting bitten by a cobra--it is hard on the body. Its going to take some time for your little buddy to recover. Just keep a water dish nearby and expect good things eventually.

Thanks! He’s a wonderful creature. Do I need to create a special environment for him in the box? I want him to be comfortable while he recovers.

 

[Enn49]

Try reading this https://arachnoboards.com/threads/caring-for-an-octoplegic.269103/.

 

[finley8445]

Try reading this https://arachnoboards.com/threads/caring-for-an-octoplegic.269103/.

Thanks! If he is moving the legs but not able to walk should I still put him in an ICU situation?

 

[finley8445]

 

[finley8445]

Here’s a photo of him. I’m actually not sure if this is a male or female.

 

[octanejunkie]

Is this your first and only tarantula?

I suspect it is and you don't have typical tarantula supplies, like substrate and moss, you might want to lay down some paper towels and dampen them - tarantulas often drink from wet ground, moss, etc and rarely from standing water like a water dish.

You are doing great, thanks for jumping in to save that little fellow's life

 

[finley8445]

Is this your first and only tarantula?

I suspect it is and you don't have typical tarantula supplies, like substrate and moss, you might want to lay down some paper towels and dampen them - tarantulas often drink from wet ground, moss, etc and rarely from standing water like a water dish.

You are doing great, thanks for jumping in to save that little fellow's life

Thanks! This is my first time with a Tarantula. We noticed a large T in our yard during the monsoons. I’m wondering if this is its baby. I do want to release him back into the yard when he is recovered.

 

[sunset]

Great job rescuing the little critter!!! Try not to stress to much about his living conditions. T's are very easy to care for. Your doing a great job reaching out as well. This forum is choc filled with great T owners and are always here to help.
He is a beautiful creature!!! Hopefully with a little time it will recover just fine and can go back into the yard. I also wouldn't try to feed it anything until it gets his coordination. Feeder insects like grasshoppers, crickets, roaches, ect. could hurt it while the spider is still recovering. They can go weeks with out food and be just fine. From the great photo you sent in of the T, the abdomen ( Butt) looks nice and round and full. Just keep the papertowel moist or you can even put a clean Gatorade cap filled with clean water in there for it, and you can even use an extra piece of paper towel cupped in a corner and that can give it a place to hide and allow you to still keep an eye on it. Just make sure you have good cross ventilation ( poke a lot of holes around the sides) to keep mold from growing!!
Keep up the great work!!

 

[finley8445]

Great job rescuing the little critter!!! Try not to stress to much about his living conditions. T's are very easy to care for. Your doing a great job reaching out as well. This forum is choc filled with great T owners and are always here to help.
He is a beautiful creature!!! Hopefully with a little time it will recover just fine and can go back into the yard. I also wouldn't try to feed it anything until it gets his coordination. Feeder insects like grasshoppers, crickets, roaches, ect. could hurt it while the spider is still recovering. They can go weeks with out food and be just fine. From the great photo you sent in of the T, the abdomen ( Butt) looks nice and round and full. Just keep the papertowel moist or you can even put a clean Gatorade cap filled with clean water in there for it, and you can even use an extra piece of paper towel cupped in a corner and that can give it a place to hide and allow you to still keep an eye on it. Just make sure you have good cross ventilation ( poke a lot of holes around the sides) to keep mold from growing!!
Keep up the great work!!

Thanks for all of the great advice. You answered a lot of my concerns. I put him on a wet paper towel. I’m wondering if I should purchase a habitat for him since this recovery could take awhile.

 

[finley8445]

Here’s what I set up for him. Does this look okay?

 

[sunset]

If you want to, you absolutely can. A lot of breeders also sell enclosures and some come with every thing you need. But if your not planning on keeping him, and displaying him, you could use a plastic storage container, or if you can find one big enough, good olé Tupper ware is great too. I have always followed the rule of thumb saying 4-5xs his size. so like eye ball 4-5 T's his size across the length of the container. If you have access to YouTube, i would highly recommend doing a lot of research into all things T's for beginners. I used Tom Moran's channel a lot.

Things you might want to get would be:
-suitable enclosure of your choosing
-plastic container (catch cup) that will comfortably go over the whole T with out snagging it's legs or toes.
-a plastic straw, or paint brush that has a long handle to use to gently coach your T into the plastic catch cup
- substrate, Eco earth works well, cocoa nut fiber or organic potting soil.
-Cork board, gives your friend a place to hide and make a home
-plastic\silk plants: gives him more places to hide, or web up and to make the place a little lively
if you want to add a water dish to help maintain some moisture for when or if it molts , or you can just use what ever you have around the house like clean old medicine syringe or carefully using a spray water bottle and just moisten down one of the corners with water, and when it dries up
you can switch to the other corner and do the same, depending on where you live , how often. some areas are humid right now, others are breezy. Hope that makes sense. T's get most of the water they need from their food
*Biggest thing to make sure you have on any enclosure is enough cross ventilation.
Also know that in my experience, many of the big name pet shops don't always give accurate advice on caring for T's But you can buy the items you need to care for him and food at those places.

either way, you may want to at the least purchase a pair of feeding tongs for when he is well enough to eat to keep you and him safe.

with any enclosure you use just make sure it is secure so no other insects can get in and the t cant get out. Insects eat each other so if something gets in especially right now, the T cant defend its self and they will kill it.

Welcome to the T family

 

[sunset]

Here’s what I set up for him. Does this look okay?View attachment 59576

he looks happy in his cup lol, i am concerned that the holes on the box can allow him to get out and other insects in that could eat him. do you have a plastic container with a lid you could spare? you can take a paper clip or safety pin, heat it up safely and poke holes around the out side of the container. the simpler the better. besides the box, the cup and paper towel is perfect. also a side note, card board can mold and break down easily. I attached a container i used for my Green bottle blue until i could find an acrylic one for it as an example.

 

[WolfSpider]

This tarantula will not likely make it in the wild without a successful post injury molt. Strongly consider keeping it.

 

[WolfSpider]

Thanks for all of the great advice. You answered a lot of my concerns. I put him on a wet paper towel. I’m wondering if I should purchase a habitat for him since this recovery could take awhile.

yes.

 

[finley8445]

he looks happy in his cup lol, i am concerned that the holes on the box can allow him to get out and other insects in that could eat him. do you have a plastic container with a lid you could spare? you can take a paper clip or safety pin, heat it up safely and poke holes around the out side of the container. the simpler the better. besides the box, the cup and paper towel is perfect. also a side note, card board can mold and break down easily. I attached a container i used for my Green bottle blue until i could find an acrylic one for it as an example.

Thanks. I’ll go to Petco tomorrow and buy a proper home for him and environmental things to set him up with a nice safe place. I greatly appreciate all of your help. Thought I’d never have a creature around like this but I’m committed now. I hope he’ll survive.

 

[finley8445]

yes.

Going to get him the proper home and things needed for him tomorrow. Thanks for all of your guidance on this.

 

[finley8445]

This tarantula will not likely make it in the wild without a successful post injury molt. Strongly consider keeping it.

Thanks. I will. I may look for someone to adopt him after he recovers. May be best for him to live his life in captivity now.

 

[WolfSpider]

Please keep us informed. Your story has me captivated. I look forward to hearing more about your awesome save.