Lost tarantula :( any advice?

[Gizalba]

Hi,

I am really ashamed and angry at myself - Mr Freya my mature male T. vagans has been missing for a week now. I am usually so careful when feeding but I have been in such a bad way mentally recently, really low, struggling with my housing situation, damp, repairs, my relationships falling apart. I don't think I would have had the strength to continue with life if it wasn't for my pets, and now I'm letting my pets down.

When I was feeding the Ts last Sunday I forgot to put Mr Freya's lid back on I think it was about an hour later that I went back in and realised. At that point I sealed under the door with a draught excluder, so I hope he didn't leave the room under the door, although it's possible. I have 2 cats so I am relieved at least that it wasn't an old world T; they could harm Mr Freya and I feel so bad but at least it isn't both him and my cats in danger.

My T. room looks like a hoarders room though, so much stuff from emptying damp cupboards in the rest of the house - the T room being the warmest with no mould meant I shoved everything in there. So the amount of hiding places for a spider is massive. I carefully emptied every single cupboard, bag, box etc in the room, emptied my bookcase to look behind and under there and can't find him anywhere. It is a terrace house and there are quite a few holes I can see so I am scared he has got next door. I am scared to tell next door due to so many people being scared of spiders - they are new neighbors so it's hard to know whether it would be better to tell them or not. I am scared they could hurt him but also scared they could report me to my landlord I am already having problems with (I do have permission to keep the tarantulas and cats but letting tarantulas lose may well be classed as anti-social behavior).

I have put water bowls out around the room in the hope that if he is still here he may find them to drink.

I wondered if anyone has any advice and if anyone else has previously lost a mature male/what the outcome was?

 

[Lawrence b]

Firstly don t beat yourself up about it , I have been there too Mentally . Try looking for the T when the lights have been out for little while , it might feel more safer coming out . Also you might hear him drumming , but don t give up hope . I lost a Brachypelma boehmei for a while but it turned up one night in my kitchen .I doubt that it can be classed anti-social behavior ,you maybe right in not telling the new neighbors . I hope you find him good luck .

​

 

[spideymom]

Hi,

I am really ashamed and angry at myself - Mr Freya my mature male T. vagans has been missing for a week now. I am usually so careful when feeding but I have been in such a bad way mentally recently, really low, struggling with my housing situation, damp, repairs, my relationships falling apart. I don't think I would have had the strength to continue with life if it wasn't for my pets, and now I'm letting my pets down.

When I was feeding the Ts last Sunday I forgot to put Mr Freya's lid back on I think it was about an hour later that I went back in and realised. At that point I sealed under the door with a draught excluder, so I hope he didn't leave the room under the door, although it's possible. I have 2 cats so I am relieved at least that it wasn't an old world T; they could harm Mr Freya and I feel so bad but at least it isn't both him and my cats in danger.

My T. room looks like a hoarders room though, so much stuff from emptying damp cupboards in the rest of the house - the T room being the warmest with no mould meant I shoved everything in there. So the amount of hiding places for a spider is massive. I carefully emptied every single cupboard, bag, box etc in the room, emptied my bookcase to look behind and under there and can't find him anywhere. It is a terrace house and there are quite a few holes I can see so I am scared he has got next door. I am scared to tell next door due to so many people being scared of spiders - they are new neighbors so it's hard to know whether it would be better to tell them or not. I am scared they could hurt him but also scared they could report me to my landlord I am already having problems with (I do have permission to keep the tarantulas and cats but letting tarantulas lose may well be classed as anti-social behavior).

I have put water bowls out around the room in the hope that if he is still here he may find them to drink.

I wondered if anyone has any advice and if anyone else has previously lost a mature male/what the outcome was?

I hope you find him safe
I am right there with you I suffer from depression and health issues my animals are my life

 

[Gizalba]

Firstly don t beat yourself up about it , I have been there too Mentally . Try looking for the T when the lights have been out for little while , it might feel more safer coming out . Also you might hear him drumming , but don t give up hope . I lost a Brachypelma boehmei for a while but it turned up one night in my kitchen .I doubt that it can be classed anti-social behavior ,you maybe right in not telling the new neighbors . I hope you find him good luck .

​

Thanks so much, glad you found your B. boehmei! Will do that, have also been looking out for sperm webs - so far I have found lots of webs from house spiders but none that look like his

 

[Gizalba]

I hope you find him safe
I am right there with you I suffer from depression and health issues my animals are my life

Thanks so much, thank you for sharing that it makes me feel less alone *hugs*

 

[x_raphael_xx]

I haven't lost a MM, but I've had two that have gotten out (one the dog let out, the other I left the lid unlocked)
Both were found in the same place, behind a cupboard.
He will probably look for somewhere dark and snug to hide in.

I'm on the fence about informing the neighbours. I'd tell mine, as were are on friendly-take-in-each-others-parcels-terms, and an uninformed neighbour might squish him rather than call me.
But then again, not point stressing your neighbour if he's still in the room somewhere.

 

[m0lsx]

As a former bricklayer, I would be surprised if your T could find it's way next door. Each house should be totally separate for fire safety reasons. There should be no reason for pipes or wiring between your homes, other than outside where drains may link.

I hope you find your T. Almost all of our T's have been found. Mostly many days later, when they were simply spotted in the open. But I did loose a sling, that I have never found.

I would have thought a MM would be more likely to be found than most. As he will likely be out looking for a likely lady. So I wish you luck & hope he is a hopeful chap & looking for a likely lady & that you thus find him soon.

 

[Gizalba]

As a former bricklayer, I would be surprised if your T could find it's way next door. Each house should be totally separate for fire safety reasons. There should be no reason for pipes or wiring between your homes, other than outside where drains may link.

I hope you find your T. Almost all of our T's have been found. Mostly many days later, when they were simply spotted in the open. But I did loose a sling, that I have never found.

I would have thought a MM would be more likely to be found than most. As he will likely be out looking for a likely lady. So I wish you luck & hope he is a hopeful chap & looking for a likely lady & that you thus find him soon.

Sorry I am only just replying, I did read this shortly after you posted and it reassured me a lot that he shouldn't have managed to get to next door and may be more likely to be found as a wandering MM thanks! But yeah he could have got outside :/ the boiler is in that room so there is a pipe leading to outside I think. It is still freezing in the UK though so hopefully that would deter him from going out.

I still haven't found him but continue to replace the water in the bowls scattered around the room in the hope that he comes out to drink at night.

 

[Papaya]

I wrote about my lost T a while back: Lost T

I also recount how I found him found him 14 mos later safe and sound. ....long after Id given up hope.

 

[Heretic]

He will wander at all times when there isnt any vibrations to spook him. After this long he could be anywhere but many people report they find them in the closest bathroom.

Since you say the room is filled with hiding spots, he may stay there. You can buy a Ring cam on amazon for like $50. stick it in the room. seal under the door. place it to watch the largest area of the room you can. Place it on the highest level of movement detection and alarm your phone. the alarm takes about 15 seconds to reach you, but that's enough time to figure out where he is.

 

[JennieStrife]

Hi,

I am really ashamed and angry at myself - Mr Freya my mature male T. vagans has been missing for a week now. I am usually so careful when feeding but I have been in such a bad way mentally recently, really low, struggling with my housing situation, damp, repairs, my relationships falling apart. I don't think I would have had the strength to continue with life if it wasn't for my pets, and now I'm letting my pets down.

When I was feeding the Ts last Sunday I forgot to put Mr Freya's lid back on I think it was about an hour later that I went back in and realised. At that point I sealed under the door with a draught excluder, so I hope he didn't leave the room under the door, although it's possible. I have 2 cats so I am relieved at least that it wasn't an old world T; they could harm Mr Freya and I feel so bad but at least it isn't both him and my cats in danger.

My T. room looks like a hoarders room though, so much stuff from emptying damp cupboards in the rest of the house - the T room being the warmest with no mould meant I shoved everything in there. So the amount of hiding places for a spider is massive. I carefully emptied every single cupboard, bag, box etc in the room, emptied my bookcase to look behind and under there and can't find him anywhere. It is a terrace house and there are quite a few holes I can see so I am scared he has got next door. I am scared to tell next door due to so many people being scared of spiders - they are new neighbors so it's hard to know whether it would be better to tell them or not. I am scared they could hurt him but also scared they could report me to my landlord I am already having problems with (I do have permission to keep the tarantulas and cats but letting tarantulas lose may well be classed as anti-social behavior).

I have put water bowls out around the room in the hope that if he is still here he may find them to drink.

I wondered if anyone has any advice and if anyone else has previously lost a mature male/what the outcome was?

Most importantly, don't be so hard on yourself. It happens. We are only human.
I'm wondering what you use as feeders? Could you perhaps use a cricket to lure it?
I wish you all the luck to find your buddy.