Villosella escape...

[Crax]

Well I'm doomed. My oldest h. villosella has escaped. They are six months old.

I rehoused them 3 weeks ago and saw the next day s/he had dissapeared. Some webbing but not much. I dug into their enclosure today and guess what?! No Spoodle.

Worse case I don't find her, any one have a wrap sheet on their bite? I need to know if I need to toss my studio to insure my cat's safety.

 

[Jess S]

How do you know she's escaped? Is she in a communal? She hasn't been eaten by one of the others has she?

 

[Crax]

How do you know she's escaped? Is she in a communal? She hasn't been eaten by one of the others has she?

I don't keep HER in communal. She ate her sibling when she was a sling. So with a history of cannibalism, I just don't risk it. Dart is WAY to small to be put in a nano anyways and those are my only two H. Vill, that I have. ONE DAY I will own a beautiful sublime colony... but right now, zero communal colonies going on.

She was by her self when I moved her. Saw her for a day and a half. Thought she buried herself and 3 weeks later nothing. Absolutely NOTHING, so I removed the cork bark and placed it in a separate tub and dug through all the substrate in hopes to see something. She's gone. I did.... close off the enclosure and put everything back, just in case I some how missed her but I'm 99% sure she's an escapee. Sad part is, she's a juvenile dwarf, she can get under my door seal. Meaning, she has access to the cats. I'm mainly concerned about them. If it were me, no problem... My husband might divorce me if he's bitten but still the consequences would be small compared to what might happen to my feline babies.

That's what why I'm asking. Do I want an old world t., out in my house...? No. But she has 3 solid weeks on me of being FREE... so finding her will be nearly impossible. Especially since the installers to my wooden floor didn't meet all the way to the wall... So I have this 2cm gap and under it is an old soft rubber mat and under that is SAND. You can imagine all the goodies she'll find if she gets into that.

 

[Jess S]

I'm so sorry. Good job you resealed the enclosure because it's worth double checking as it's possible to miss them - they can scrunch themselves up so small and hide in the substrate.

As you say she could be anywhere. She could even have already been eaten by a house spider. All you can do is keep looking everywhere, and look out for webbing.

She is more likely to hide and come out at night. If I was you, I wouldn't let the cats have free run of the house at night, in case they come across her during her wanderings. Cats have great night vision. I've been told that tarantulas can't see red light. Buy a red torch bulb (or put red cellophane over a torch) so that you can look out for her in the dark.

Really hope you find her as it's horrible to have that worry in the back of your mind

 

[Crax]

I'm so sorry. Good job you resealed the enclosure because it's worth double checking as it's possible to miss them - they can scrunch themselves up so small and hide in the substrate.

As you say she could be anywhere. She could even have already been eaten by a house spider. All you can do is keep looking everywhere, and look out for webbing.

She is more likely to hide and come out at night. If I was you, I wouldn't let the cats have free run of the house at night, in case they come across her during her wanderings. Cats have great night vision. I've been told that tarantulas can't see red light. Buy a red torch bulb (or put red cellophane over a torch) so that you can look out for her in the dark.

Really hope you find her as it's horrible to have that worry in the back of your mind

Well I called a vet and let her know what was going on. She gave me a slight lecture on how I shouldn't keep venomous creatures if I'm going to keep cats but she did suggest that it shouldn't be too much of an issue except a dead spood if the kitties and Spoodle meet.

Spoodle as an adult wouldn't really have much of a pay load of venom to do much damage.

If I see irritated skin, lethargy, swelling, bleeding, then I should bring them in.

She said cats eat plenty of more dangerous spiders such as recluses and widows.

Still bothers me but I figured I would try and make this a not-so-nightmare-ish situation. So going to go play by play of my plans. If any of them work of course.

I present Operation Spoodle:

Water trap! Some cocofiber that has been moistened on a dark shelf that had some webbing.

 

[ilovebrachys]

Can I just ask how the spider may have escaped the enclosure? Are the air holes too big or gaps anywhere?
I've had a T dissappear once after rehousing.. It hadn't escaped its enclosure but had buried itself away and died.. I had to really look to find any remains but I thought I would mention it just incase you wanted to check enclosure thoroughly again as unfortunately sometimes these things happen

 

[Crax]

In an exo terra design there are three holes in the upper right corner. Being a dumb dumb I didn't close that slider so the three holes were open.

I assumed she was too big for the holes but looking back at the rehousing photo in the plastic shot glass, she could have fit.

 

[Crax]

Can I just ask how the spider may have escaped the enclosure? Are the air holes too big or gaps anywhere?
I've had a T dissappear once after rehousing.. It hadn't escaped its enclosure but had buried itself away and died.. I had to really look to find any remains but I thought I would mention it just incase you wanted to check enclosure thoroughly again as unfortunately sometimes these things happen

Also, sorry for your loss.

 

[Jess S]

Well I called a vet and let her know what was going on. She gave me a slight lecture on how I shouldn't keep venomous creatures if I'm going to keep cats but she did suggest that it shouldn't be too much of an issue except a dead spood if the kitties and Spoodle meet.

Spoodle as an adult wouldn't really have much of a pay load of venom to do much damage.

If I see irritated skin, lethargy, swelling, bleeding, then I should bring them in.

She said cats eat plenty of more dangerous spiders such as recluses and widows.

Still bothers me but I figured I would try and make this a not-so-nightmare-ish situation. So going to go play by play of my plans. If any of them work of course.

I present Operation Spoodle:

Water trap! Some cocofiber that has been moistened on a dark shelf that had some webbing.

I'm a bit skeptical that an adult or even baby Spoodle couldn't hurt a cat with a bite however, I would agree that Spoodle would be killed if your cats got it.

I think it's ridiculous your vet lectured you. Just because you have cats doesn't mean that you can't keep T's.

I've got a cat and a kid. I trust my child to leave the spiders alone (she has a healthy respect, she likes looking through the enclosure walls but no nearer!), much more than I trust the cat. I keep them on a high shelf but should the cat ever find his way up there and knock an enclosure over, I've got crocodile clips on the lids. Worse case scenario is the spider gets killed from the fall. But at least it won't be able to escape. These clips would be difficult for my kid to remove as well so they give me peace of mind.
Ah, I really hope you find it. Maybe it died in the enclosure, it's definitely worthwhile checking again

 

[Crax]

Oh, I will look again to check to see if she's there in a week. If I missed her and she's stressed, I want the best for her. Now keep in mind, the spoods are in my studio which is attached through a door way. My two sons (the kitties) aren't allowed in. I just have to be careful. I hope I didn't take her out with the trash since it's freezing here and I didn't know she had escaped during her 3 week disappearance.

I also know how dry my room is, that's why I laid the watered down coconut peat. I hope she's fine and is either in the enclosure or comes gets a drink and finds the place suitable to live in.

 

[FishermanSteve]

Oh, I will look again to check to see if she's there in a week. If I missed her and she's stressed, I want the best for her. Now keep in mind, the spoods are in my studio which is attached through a door way. My two sons (the kitties) aren't allowed in. I just have to be careful. I hope I didn't take her out with the trash since it's freezing here and I didn't know she had escaped during her 3 week disappearance.

I also know how dry my room is, that's why I laid the watered down coconut peat. I hope she's fine and is either in the enclosure or comes gets a drink and finds the place suitable to live in.

I have been fortunate in that my few escapes have always been within 10 ft of their enclosures. Every crack, crevice and pile of anything are potential harborage areas

 

[Jess S]

It's the not knowing that would drive me crazy!

 

[Crax]

I have been fortunate in that my few escapes have always been within 10 ft of their enclosures. Every crack, crevice and pile of anything are potential harborage areas

Tarantulas don't generally go to far but my trash is next to the book casing she sat on. I'm so worried I accidentally threw her out. I mean Nov. 16th was the rehousing date, Nov. 17th was the last I saw her.

I was going to wait another week but I couldn't. Either she's boarded herself up in a hole in the cork bark and hasn't webbed for three weeks, or she's gone. No body in the substrate.

Since this is an art studio that has storage closets for my work clothes and tools, I doubt I will find her. I was just worried about health issues if one of my cats did find her. She's an old world T but definitely not fully matured; a dwarf at that. And as as fast as she was growing, I'm almost ready to call Spoodle a he.

Spoodle was about the size of the american quarter. Was in premolt. So with everything going on, I'm hoping that my food traps and soil containers will draw her out if she's still in the room.

 

[Crax]

Day 5 of their disappearance. Nothing. UUUUGGGGG Frustrated I am, lose hope I will.

 

[FishermanSteve]

My first escape was a juvie hamorii that went missing for almost 2 months. Luck would have it, my brother and I were digging through my closet for something on Christmas morning and there he was just chilling on the wall in the closet. Best gift ever lol. So don’t lose hope!

 

[Crax]

I'm not sure but I think I found her. I need extra pair of eyes. Both the villosella and the husspindel have nearly the same markings and size as she was when the escape happened.

 

[FishermanSteve]

I'm not sure but I think I found her. I need extra pair of eyes. Both the villosella and the husspindel have nearly the same markings and size as she was when the escape happened.

Disclaimer; I have never owned villosella, but those legs looks too thin and sharp. Looks like a true spider to me

 

[Metalman2004]

I could be wrong but that looks

Disclaimer; I have never owned villosella, but those legs looks too thin and sharp. Looks like a true spider to me

I was thinking the same thing, but if you zoom in on the backside the pattern looks very similar.

 

[m0lsx]

I think it's ridiculous your vet lectured you. Just because you have cats doesn't mean that you can't keep T's.

Me too... If the vet truly believes that it is wrong to keep two different species, just because one can potentially harm the other. Then would that vet lecture someone against keeping say mice & a cat. Or cats & a dog? Or is just T's etc they have an issue with?

 

[Jess S]

All I know about villosella is from what I've read and photos. The markings on that although very, very similar, still don't look right. Every photo of H. villosella I've seen has the darker pattern completely bordered by the lighter shade, almost like diamond shapes, rather than those v or triangular shapes as seen on the one you found. Plus I have to agree with @FishermanSteve on the legs.