1 dead thru molt, 1 dying after? any help?

[Peter Lacey]

On Friday morning I noticed my B. smithi was moulting so off to work I went expecting a new spider when I returned. Unforuntately it seems it didn't make it and seems to have got stuck in the moult somehow. Its about 1cm so hard to see clearly but I can see 1 mite - not sure how as the coir substrate is dry and no water bowl. However I also found a cricket, about 3/4 cm hiding under a small stick so perhaps that has some bearing.
Last night my tiny A. versicolor moulted and everything looked fine. She decided to moult just off the ground and remained with the exuvium. Today she's still there so I've provided a good spraying of water but she looks fairly inactive and almost in a death curl. Should I leave her or feed her or remove her? She's tiny, less than a cm.
Both are kept in the loft room where temperatues are 70-85.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Kate Arbon]

I definitely wouldn't try feeding her, she won't be able to eat a day after moulting anyway.

Can't think what to suggest as I don't own any avics, except keep plenty of water available which sounds like you are doing.

Sorry to hear about your smithi. I had one that size randomly die straight after a moult about a year ago, just never flipped back over His sac mate moulted the same day and is still alive and kicking now so I don't know what happened, I think some are just weaker than others. That's why mum spiders have so many of them I guess.

[Peter Lacey]

Thanks Kate.
I can't explain Smithi but I can attend to the versi so I've half killed a pin head and placed it in the web next to the versi. Its still moving (cruel I know) but incapable, hopefully the versi will find some energy and my worries will be in vein.

[jan soetaert]

Thanks Kate.
I can't explain Smithi but I can attend to the versi so I've half killed a pin head and placed it in the web next to the versi. Its still moving (cruel I know) but incapable, hopefully the versi will find some energy and my worries will be in vein.

don't worry about her, My avic slings are often like that. they only seem to move when absolutely necessary. But once they move, even spiderman can not keep up with them...
keep them humid with lot's of ventilation and everything should be fine

jan

[Colin D Wilson]

I think you've gone for the best alternative here Peter.
Avics "sometimes" hang around for a while looking very uncomfortable whilst they harden up.
The smithi enigma could be the cricket i agree, strange to have mites in the tank though in those conditions eh?

[Peter Lacey]

I scoured the substrate with torch and magnifying glass but could only find 1 mite! very weird, but as a precaution I scooped the smithi and some substrate up with a spoon and placed it on the bark.
I hate not knowing what went wrong because it means i can't learn from the experience, bah!
I really hope the versi survives, seems really strange considering it was doing so well first thing this morning. She was the only thing that arrived from HAMM for me :/

[Colin D Wilson]

I hate not knowing what went wrong because it means i can't learn from the experience, bah!

exactly, you and me both.

only one mite still comes across as strange though doesn't it, it's normally none...a few...or loads

[Tom Forman]

Sry to hear about the smithy Peter.

I really hope the avic does pull through. Is it still stuck in its old exo?

We can never be too sure why a death has occured and I know what you mean about the annoyance of not knowing what caused it.

But maybe it was the fact that the substrate was bone dry and you had no water bowl? I would start using a water bowl in future if that happened to me...

I've been meaning to add one to my nhandu myself, I had better do that now...

[James Box]

Peter, i'd heard mites were kind of omnipresent, but controllable with lack of moisture...maybe that was just the only one to make it? a bit of a freak thing, but nevermind.
hope the versi pulls through and really sorry about the smithi mate
if the versi seems kinda curlish, it may need some emergency water treatment, see if you can coax it onto a wet cotton bud...(Lou's sage advice)
obviously, you may want to do that in a large tub so you can catch it if it's fine and decides to leg it.
i just had a scare with the S philippinus. two days ago it was showing clear signs of dehydrating, but thankfully got to it in time, and it's moulted out now.

[Peter Roach]

On Friday morning I noticed my B. smithi was moulting so off to work I went expecting a new spider when I returned. Unforuntately it seems it didn't make it and seems to have got stuck in the moult somehow. Its about 1cm so hard to see clearly but I can see 1 mite - not sure how as the coir substrate is dry and no water bowl. However I also found a cricket, about 3/4 cm hiding under a small stick so perhaps that has some bearing.
Last night my tiny A. versicolor moulted and everything looked fine. She decided to moult just off the ground and remained with the exuvium. Today she's still there so I've provided a good spraying of water but she looks fairly inactive and almost in a death curl. Should I leave her or feed her or remove her? She's tiny, less than a cm.
Both are kept in the loft room where temperatues are 70-85.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Methinks you need a visit to my shed to set some of your fears to rest

[Peter Lacey]

glad you managed to sort your Sp James.
I did think of moving the versi but she's so small I just thought I'd be a bit of a danger tbh. However I did put water into the enclosure to raise the humidity and used a very fine spray onto her web - there were extremely small droplets around her. There shouldn't be any probs with mites in her enclosure as I have a small colony of springtails and a few tropical woodlice in there. But it seems she's gone to spider heaven as she hasn't moved at all since this morning. I've this minute decided to remove her and her moult (which were seperate so the moult was successful) and I've placed her in an ICU however its quite obvious she's dead.

I'm rather p****d off tbh. Its bad losing any pet but this one, so tiny cost £12, she was beautiful blue and I'd waited months for her to arrive. She was the funniest rehousing I'd ever had - we managed to coax her onto a long artists brush thinking it was merely a matter of placing it in her new enclosure and she'd walk into it. Each time I put the brush in the versi climbed up and each time I pulled the brush up the versi climbed down - almost 10 mins of this fun and games LOL. She'll be missed.

[Peter Lacey]

Methinks you need a visit to my shed to set some of your fears to rest

Thanks, I'll take you up on that Peter, always good to see a large selection and how other people maintain them.

[James Box]

i'm really sorry to hear, Peter...you never know, she might buck up, but that is absolutely gutting
unfortunately, it's a constant learning process and unfortunately often is hard on the spiders.

[SylviRigden]

What a shame Peter, to loose both . It doesn't seem fair at times when we try our hardest, but something isn't quite right for them or something goes wrong and we can't help. The others are all healthy though, and there will be more to buy and enjoy soon.

[Mark Lynes]

But maybe it was the fact that the substrate was bone dry and you had no water bowl? I would start using a water bowl in future if that happened to me...

I keep all my smithis dry and without water dishes, I have 15 or so & haven't lost one yet in a dodgy moult. I doubt that had anything to do with it.

Mark