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Is this a death curl? :'(

Gizalba

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
417
Location
England
Hi,

I am pretty sure Dart (my Psalmopoeus Cambridgei) has died :'( But I am posting this for confirmation. She has not moved for the last three days, and doesn't move if I touch her gently with a soft paint brush. So that I didn't disturb her if she was moulting or something, I noted that her leg was slightly over a piece of moss, so I could know if she had moved at all 3 days later - she hadn't. Sorry the photos aren't great. I got her on the 30th Sept, so I had her about a week until she curled up like this. I was crying hysterically last night - I knew that the more Ts I get the more likely it is I am going to have one die an untimely death (I now have 16, including Dart), but I am still devastated :( And I guess I want to know if there is anything I did do wrong so I know for future (I have posted pics of the air-holes I had put in, in case there weren't enough?).

The first few pictures are of her now, and the others I had taken of her throughout the week of her arrival.

I had noticed though that Dart was clumsy from the start - I hoped that was just a quirk, but she did move around almost as though she was drunk (stumbling and falling short distances when trying to climb). I think she ate once (offered 4 days after she arrived) - a micro cricket.


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ilovebrachys

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1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
1,809
Location
UK
From what I can see it does not look great - the fact that your sling arrived and it seemed a little clumsy is likely that it was in premolt sometimes this cannot be helped and often they will moult out and be fine unfortunately it looks like your one was not so lucky :(
Don't beat yourself up about it as your set up looks ideal - I am sorry you've lost this little one but don't let it put you off trying to grow on that species again x
 

Gizalba

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
417
Location
England
From what I can see it does not look great - the fact that your sling arrived and it seemed a little clumsy is likely that it was in premolt sometimes this cannot be helped and often they will moult out and be fine unfortunately it looks like your one was not so lucky :(
Don't beat yourself up about it as your set up looks ideal - I am sorry you've lost this little one but don't let it put you off trying to grow on that species again x

Thanks very much for the reply and thoughts :( I think I will give that species a break for a while now - I don't want to feel like I'm 'replacing her' in any way. However one day I will get another one. I love their markings so much, and I had already decided on the adult enclosure I was going to get Dart when she got big. So sad, but yeah probably couldn't be helped. I hope she liked her enclosure while she was here.
 

Enn49

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
10,891
Location
Malton, UK
Rest assured she wouldn't have died so soon if you had done anything wrong. Sadly some are just not meant to be, that's the cruel side of nature.
Please don't give up on them, they are a lovely species.
 

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