(lethargic, not eating)Please help!!!

[death_by_stere0]

This is long; brace yourselves.

I got a pink toe as a sling three months ago, and she was doing fine until her first molt. After she molted, she seemed quite skinny, but I hear that this is normal after a molt and that she will regain her weight after a couple of feeds. Well first of all, it took her weeks to eat again after the molt and she hasn't eaten since. Now, she (I was told she's a she when I got her, but she was a sling so I'm really not sure) doesn't really like to be seen a lot. She usually hangs out behind the background in her Zilla enclosure. I'm fine with this, and I usually don't bother her, but I do check on her occasionally and I mist her every few days. I do take her out every few weeks to make sure she's doing alright.

I just took her out for the first time in a couple weeks and she is EXTREMELY lethargic. I can barely get her to react. She is in the death curl, and when she can muster the strength to walk, she does so on her knees instead of her feet. I know that, even though I haven't been able to get her to eat, tarantulas can survive quite a long time without food (not sure about this age, but in general). So I first considered heating and moisture. After all, since she stays behind her background, it could be quite cold and dry as opposed to the rest of the enclosure. I hear her enclosure with a very small heating lamp, because it gets quite cold in my room. To ensure she was properly hydrated, I picked a spot in the enclosure to pour water onto, making it wetter than usual, and placed her on this spot directly under the heat lamp.

Fearing that this wasn't enough, I found a syringe laying around and attempted to give her water directly into her mouth, as I had already tried to offer her water and she refused. I placed one drop on her mouth, and she seemed to have drank the first one, but let the second just sit there. I flipped her over onto her stomach (as I had flipped her over to water her), and let her sit there for a couple minutes. I hoped she'd drank it by then, so I flipped her back onto her back, and she hadn't drank the droplet of water around her mouth. Also, it appeared that the liquid had somehow turned cloudy. Sort of whitish. I don't believe this is nematodes, for it is the exact consistency of water, only whitish.

She is moving less and less and I hope I'm not just further tiring her. If anyone has any insight into any of this, please respond. This is my very first tarantula and I care about her very much. I already lost my snake not too long ago, and I don't want to lose her too.

 

[death_by_stere0]

A photo of her days before her first molt vs now

 

[Nunua]

Sorry for the loss of your snake, and sorry to see that your Avic is not doing well.

There are few key questions that popped in my mind:

What kind of enclosure does it have ventilation vice?
Pink toes, aka Avicularia species need efficient cross-ventilation (vents on one side or small vents are not enough), dry substrate, and they should not be misted often. When planning the enclosure for Avics, people should always keep thinking about the tree tops where these species live in. Air flow is constant and humidity does not rise high.

Also, where does it have the water dish? These mentioned species usually don't go on the ground level, so the water dish should be elevated close to the top of their enclosures.

There is no need to take the T out from its enclosure to check it, as handling is usually stressful to the tarantulas.

The most common reason for them to suddenly die is the lack of ventilation, too high humidity and wrongly placed water dish which cause severe dehydration after molting. Of course, I don't know what is the main reason behind this unfortunate case.

Also, it needs to be remembered that some individuals are not meant to survive, as bad as it sounds.

 

[Metalman2004]

What’s the temp in your room? Lamps dry things out quickly. Unless it’s super cold in your room I eouldn’t Worry too much about heating.

I agree, ventilation and good access to water are critical. I’ve found my versicolors (not Avics anymore, but that’s another discussion) never come down to eat or drink and are rather picky about food.

That curl looks pretty bad. I’d say do everything you can to get it hydrated without making the enclosure stuffy. Water droplets on the fangs and/ or putting its face in a water dish are probably your best bets. Good luck.

 

[MassExodus]

Most avics die from enclosures that are too moist and stuffy..remove it, put it into a dry container with lots of ventillation. If it improves, feed it asap, it had a tough molt judging by the abdomen size. Thats a death curl in the pic.

 

[death_by_stere0]

Thank you to everyone who tried to help. She died the next day. I never logged back on after that, so that's why I'm replying so late.

 

[Goshawk]

Thank you to everyone who tried to help. She died the next day. I never logged back on after that, so that's why I'm replying so late.

So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, they’re In a better place now.
As bad as it sounds @Nunua is right some aren’t born strong enough to live out they’re life as healthy as they look! Don’t be discouraged and sceptical about buying another one if you want to, Death comes with having any sort of animal.
You did the most you could to help!

Now as weird as this sounds putting her in water will keep her preserved so you can keep her for as long as you want until you decide what you want to do with her!

I still have my first tarantula (Brachypelma Albopilosum) named fluffy preserved so I can remember him forever and he is still in good condition to this day! I only do this because I get very attached and like to keep them in my belonging for as long as I can before finally having to let go! It gives you a bit of reassurance knowing you can have them for a bit longer.

Wish you the best.

 

[Tnoob]

This is a sad post, but I'm glad you said something. I now know what the curl looks like, so maybe I can keep that in mind with my T's. I'm sorry for your loss, but I have learned something, so thank you.