Curly haired tarantula

[Charlene Tyrrell]

Hi

I bought a female curly haired tarantula juvenile about 7 months ago. She has grown in leaps and bounds and has so far, shed 3 times. Due to her growing so fast I moved her into a small fishtank with plastic plants with special turf at the bottom. She did try to climb out up the glass right to the top of the tank but then would fall backwards onto her back but would get up and try again. I filled it with more turf to make it higher so that she doesnt have to climb so high - was worried she would hurt herself. She has a voracius appetite and I initially fed her 3 crickets a day, then eventually fed her 4 to 5 cricket or small grasshoppers a day. Then I found out that overfeeding is not good for them and so I put her on diet and fed her only twice a week, a medium size cricket or grasshopper. Sometimes I fed her stick instects, or leaf insects - actually anything that hops - even the odd rhino beetle or christmas beetle. I was testing to see what she would eat and what I could feed her. About two months ago, 2 weeks after her last shed, I found some nice big grasshoppers and fed her one. She grabbed it with alacrity and took all day to eat it. She has not eaten since her last feed of the large grasshopper, which is 2 months ago. She tried to shed - I saw her laying on her back for a day, but then she didnt shed. She refuses any food, spends a lot of time crouched in a corner or in her drinking dish - is lethargic and doesnt try to climb anymore. I was worried that her last feed didnt agree with her and went onto the internet to identify it. It was either a green milkweed locust or a elegant grasshopper. I thought originally I may have fed her a foamy grasshopper but then the colour was all wrong. The hopper I fed her was green and black and yellow with a rough hard head. Now if it was toxic, would she have eaten it? and if it is toxic and she ate it, have I poisened her and if so, why is she still alive? Alternatively, what else could be wrong with her. We don't have any vets here for tarantulas and the guy at the pet shop doesnt know, so please help. I thought that she would crouch in her water dish if she does not have enough humidity but I spray in her tank every day with a lamp on to increase humidity and she seems to like going towards the heat of the lamp. What am I doing wrong or is it merely, she is struggling to shed and if so, how do I help her? Please advise as I would hate to lose her due to something I am doing wrong.

[Mark Lynes]

Charlene

Have you got a recent photo you can post?

Mark

[Nicola Dolby]

To be honest Charlene it sounds like a moulting problem. If you'd poisoned her she'd probably already be gone. The water bowl thing is pretty much the same as my Brachys do, they tend to eat over their water bowl, drink out of it, sometimes stick a foot in if they feel a little hot. As long as there's water for the little one it isn't an issue. I think the problem is a moult. Tarantulas will fast before a moult. Does she have a bald orange or black patch on the top of her abdomen? I know Brachys are ok with daylight but try putting a blanket over her tank. I've found that darkness calms tarantulas in most cases. If it is a moult I'm not sure what more Incan advise other than keep an eye on her, offer her a cricket or roach you know is safe about twice a week and let her do it. If her abdomen is starting to look wrinkled or if you have still got concerns then e-mail one of the committee, their details are on the site. Good luck!

[Charlene Tyrrell]

Reply to Mark Lynes

Hi Mark

I don't have a recent pic but can take one over the weekend and post it on Monday. I am on the net from work so don't have access over the weekends. How do I insert a photo?

[Charlene Tyrrell]

Reply to Nicola

Hi Nicola

I have her in a tank next to my bed so she has normal but dim daylight. When I put my bedside lamp on, which is next to her tank, she tends to move towards the light. I think she likes the heat from the light. She crouches completely in her water bowl and stays there all day and night. I eventualy move her out of the dish and she is ice cold (it is winter here so is quite chilly) Can I handle her in her condition so that I can examine her? If she is having trouble shedding, how do I help her? Should I also get a heating pad to put under the tank or is the lamp sufficient? She normally stops eating for 10 days before she sheds but it has no been 2 months and she shed less than 3 months ago so wouldnt her wanting to shed 5 weeks ago have been too soon?

[Charlene Tyrrell]

To all re curly

Also a point to ponder. She has moalted 3 times without a problem. Why would she struggle now? or is she not happy in the bigger tank? and maybe it is not humid enough due to its size. Curly is about a year old so she is still growing.

[James Box]

well the BTS doesn't advocate handling...one thing you could try is putting a cricket tub over her and scooping her in with the lid. then you should be able to see her from all angles.
the one time i had something similar, it was a little ladybird spider, who i found on her back. after a while, it righted itself, and i realised she had fallen on it's back. had to check to ensure she was alright, and realised she had just gotten a bit fat and misjudged her weight.
so is there a chance she just fell on her back and was stunned or just too lazy to right herself?

i suppose a question would be: is their a precedent of false alarms in tarantulas, where they think they'll moult and don't?
i've not personally seen it, but then i'm still quite new in the hobby!

[Charlene Tyrrell]

Reply to James

Hi

I must be honest. When I first got her - for the first few months - I would take her out of her small enclosure once a week and let her walk around my hand for a few minutes then put her back in her enclosure. I usually would nudge her butt with my finger onto my hand. She was never aggressive or annoyed with me. I havent handled her for over a month now, last time was to put more peat in the tank to make it higher. The only time she has ever gone on her back was to shed then the following day she would emerge new, and fluffy and great colour. She did fall on her back a few times when she was walking up the glass of the tank then she would fall on her back and scramble to right herself and started climbing again. She hasnt done this in quite a while and spends most of her time, crouched in a corner or crouched in her water dish. she doent even spread her legs out like she used to, hence I am worried to handle her but will do so really gently this weekend and have a look see.

[Tom Forman]

What are the temps like in africa atm then (daytime ,nighttime)

tarantulas will generally become more inactive during winter.

Sitting in the water bowl and not stretching does sound like a humidity problem though. Do you know the humidity you have atm.

Has she got a decent hide to hide in? Is that beeing kept moist?

She should recover from the lethargy and i also do not think she was poisoned from the grasshopper, I have heard of some beetles beeing poisenous though so you might want to watch out with beetles, especially in africa.

[Peter Lacey]

Perhaps, the fact its colder she has reduced her activity and if she's approaching the light for heat then this may be an indicator she requires more heat.
It would be worthwhile testing the temperature of her enclosure, you can get a simple thermometer from pet shops which will help to give you an idea. 70-85F is the common temperature range people go for and although its not a necessarily a problem outside this range but below 60 is considered too cold.
The heat will affect her hunger and activity!
At the weekend you could try leaving your bedside light on (not too close to the tank) during the day to measure the temperature but in preference a heatmat attached to the side would be better. Don't put it underneath the tank as this wouldn't allow her to escape from the heat.

[Charlene Tyrrell]

Reply to Tom

Hi Tom

The temp in Pretoria during summer is approx 25 to 35 degrees C during the day and between 9 and 21 degrees C at night. in winter it is now about between 3 and 21 degrees an the day and 1 to 7 degrees C at night. she does have a small plastic empty pot plant lying on its side that she uses as a dark hidy hole. I don't know the temp in the hidy hole but it is cool. Should I keep it a bit moist? I do spray a fine mist into the tank every day and put the bedside lamp on pushed next to the tank and it seems to evaporate the moisture quite well and keeps the inside of the tank quite warmish about 19 degrees C. What should I do to increase the humidity and or heat?

[Tom Forman]

hi,
well, it does sound like you are keeping humidity good.

In my opinion she has probably become a bit less active cause its the winter.

I would not worry bout it too much and there is really not much you could do if there was a prob, so verdict is:
No point worrying.

All the best.

Edit: Stan Schulz wrote a little guide on grammastolas that I could not have phrased better myself explaining very well the personality changes of them according to seasonal changes.

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2441/stan.html

[James Box]

That's ok, Charlene, i just had to mention the non-handling policy...it's not a forbidden thing, just that the BTS doesn't recommend handling, as children could read and think they can handle, with all the trouble that could cause.

At the end of the day, i have handled my T's, and while i don't recommend it to others, i'm personally ok with it. The biggest risk is obviously to the T, who can drop or run suddenly, and that's why i limit my handling.

It's a strange problem you're describing... i don't know enough to say it's a moulting problem or not...she may be huddling because she's cold, or maybe she just likes standing like that at the moment.

As for humidity, temperature etc:
In all honesty, i have a B albopilosum adult, and since i've got her, she has been in usually fairly dry conditions, and has fed well, except for moulting.
she has in the past used her hide, but she doesn't seem bothered about it now, though i detected some half-hearted attempt at digging.
i will be changing her housing at some point, to get rid of the vermiculite, and allowing her greater digging possibilities, but she hardly seems stressed about anything.

However, in your case, your individual may in fact be more sensitive than mine to humidity, so raising it is a good option.
however, she will get most of her moisture from prey, even in those circumstances. i've seen so-called "swamp monsters" in dry conditions and thriving...so unless there are blatant signs of dehydration, i don't know that that's the problem.
the main sign of dehydration that i've personally seen is when the tarantula is slow and has a kind of rubbery-legged walk...at that point, it's quite severe and it's time for emergency ICU or manual watering treatment...shrivelled abdomens are another good sign of this problem.
obviously providing water and regular food (when not in pre-moult) should prevent this problem before it begins.

As for temperature...it sounds like it gets quite cold there at night, so more heat would be good, at least at night, as some have said.

It's good and interesting you're trying a variety of prey items...in fact, it would be helpful to us here if you posted your results for various species!
some of us are very interested in new feeding ideas, especially those of us tired of crickets and not having maggots readily available.

so to summarise that novel lol...
try raising moisture, probably won't hurt
try raising temperature at night
and please tell us about your prey item experiments!

Edit (should've read your last post better): you can raise humidity by putting in some sphagnum moss and spraying it daily...you can also seal off some of the ventilation with cling film.
temperature...the lamp is apparently a good idea...i use heatmats and an oil-filled radiator during cold months, personally...not that that's better, and i'm actually hoping to revamp the system alot soon.

[Nicola Dolby]

Hi, the conditions for B. albopilosum are:

May- September 75 degrees F 75% humidity
October-April 82 degrees F 70% humidity

hope this helps

[Peter Lacey]

Just so you're not confused, the link Tom provides earlier is for the Grammostola rosea (Chili rose), living in dry semi-desert areas. Your Curly Hair (Brachypelma albopilosum) is from the Central American tropical forests of Honduras, it therefore prefers things not as dry as the Chili rose.