not moving

[nick young]

i recently received an avicularia versicolour sling and successfully settled and had her first feed. Since she is so small i have avoided water bottle due to drowning but i mist her every two days. Due to warnings from my last spiderling i have not used a heating mat as risk of dehydration is worse than a cold spider. She is however not moving at all today and even when i poked her(which i know i shouldn't do) she didn't move. Im guessing this is the moult stage but it seems unlikely since she ate just a week ago, and i am seeing no visible change in the colour of the abdomen but it is possible since i have only had her for two weeks. Any advice?
happy days
nick

[Eleanor]

If it's very tiny, premoult takes a very short time, so it could be about to moult even though it ate a week ago. You're unlikely to be able to see a difference in colour, but try shining a torch through the legs. If they look completely transparent with the torch behind them it's not in premoult. Otherwise it probably is! (that only works for tiny slings, by the way.)

As for the heat mat, whether you need one or not depends on the temperature in the room it's kept in. If the room is very cold that might explain why it's not moving (and since spraying will have a cooling effect be careful). If you're worried, it's possible to use a heat mat without drying out the enclosure too much, for example you could fix the mat vertically at the back of a shelf and stand the spiderling's pot a short way in front of it.

[nick young]

shes very tiny only a few cm, i tried to move her to prompt her to move but no luck.she is still in the exact position i moved her in, slightly on one side. im quite worried i tried ur suggestion with the heating mat as it is pretty cold in my room. the legs don't seem to be translucent with torch shine though im not sure what that would mean. i cant see why the sudden change, she was happy the other day, i fear she may be dead but from my understanding t's die upside down!

[Denny Teasdale]

I was always lead to believe they go into a "death curl" with the legs curled underneath...! I may be wrong but I hope your little 'un is okay and just moulting...keep up informed...!

[Jamie Cooper]

Hi Nick,

I bought 6 A.Versi 2cm slings in July. Using a heat mat is important, especially in winter. I keep mine around 77 - 80 during the day and it naturally drops to around 68 - 69 at night. I do this by attaching a heat mat to the back wall of a tank containing the rearing jars I keep them in. They will become very lethargic if exposed to very cold temps which sounds like what might have happened. It also effects their appetite, a warmer spider kept at the right temp has a faster metabolic rate, mine feed 3 times a week.

Hope this helps!

Jamie.

[Peter Lacey]

Many people find Avics have a high mortality rate which is why I don't suggest them as good beginner species. You need to get the enclosure right, with heat, humidity and ventilation, providing an arboreal enclosure with access to drinking water. Unfortunately most of us seem to learn the hard way.
Its sounding rather like you're tarantula has died, tbh but its worthwhile turning it over with a paintbrush or cotton bud and leaving it on its back. They'll usually make movement once that happens and, if they have the energy, turn themselves over. If you do get a reaction I'd suggest putting it into a clean tub with just a sheet of moist kitchen towel in a warm environment.

[Kurt Baird]

I was always lead to believe they go into a "death curl" with the legs curled underneath...!

It depends on the cause of death.

[wayne balcombe]

i fear she may be dead but from my understanding t's die upside down!

Nick,

spiders only die upsidedown if they experience a problem during a moult and don't recover as they only turn upside down to moult, generally when a spider dies it stays the right way up but the legs curl up under the body, this is called a "death curl" as Peter says you can attempt to turn the spider ofer with a soft paint brush and if you notice any movement of the spider that would indicate it may still be alive then there could still be a chance to save it, Just search ICU on this forum.

[nick young]

thanks so much everybody for ur quick responses, i hope my lil baby is alright!
i would have used a heat mat its just for my B.Emillia i was recommended against it. Well i will roll her over and hope for the best,
happy days all
nick

[stuart longhorn]

I hope you didnt mean go to flip the spider over.... too late i guess. Now, beware, if its about to moult, then leave well alone, leave quiet. Often spiders moult overnight. They want quiet and security.

If its alive and well and you go flip it over, that totally disturbs it. It can get stuck in the moult, legs break off. etc and really damage itself...., then again if its not moving as its dead, well...hmmm.


I totally understand the novely of a new spider + your worries about it... but, maybe step away right now....

Though i fear, Perhaps we need a moment of silence for a fallen comrade.
s

[Eleanor]

I'm sorry that none of this is sounding very good, though I will continue to hope for the best for you.

I am wondering what the temperature in your room actually is - bearing in mind that I don't know the story behind the advice you were given not to use a heat mat.

For the future, why don't you post on here what exactly your set up is, including the temperature in your room, and we can advise you on the best way to raise Avicularia slings. As has already been mentioned, they are delicate things and inclined to die even for the best of us!

[darrell hetzel]

a friend of mine had an A. versicolor that passed in a similar way to that. i dont keep any myself, as i am a little intimidated by the little guys. they of all species have struck me as fragile. not to sure why. anyways, other members of the site suggested to him that the humidity may be to high for the sling and not enough ventilation. he also misted his every two or so days, if i remember right.

[Peter Lacey]

If you have an accurate way of measuring the temperature you want to aim for the late 70s, possibly into the early 80s F. If you dont have a meter ask yourself is it warm enough in your house to wear a T-shirt as this is a general guide.
Information on the net fluctuates, the same is true within books as these are merely the experiences of the author whether it be online or in print. Raising the temperatures to late 70s will certainly do no harm, reducing them into the 60s will see a less active spider, drop below 60 and you're likely to suffer losses. What some people will do is put a number of small tarantula enclosures inside a larger cabinet/container and heat this with 1 heatmat placed along the sides of the enclosures.
I've never noticed an Avic get a distinctive moult patch as terrestrials tend to do but I have noticed versicolor get quite dark prior to a moult.

[nick young]

cheers all

heya everyone bad news my lil one is definatly passed on. thank you everyone for ur kind advice. I feel bad for my ignorance assuming that one spider would be fine in the conditions of another. On the plus side i have developed my understanding of spiders and shall ignore the reccomendations of the pet shop owner and keep a heat mat near by. It was my reccomendations for my B.Emillia but clearly A.Versicolours are completely different. I shall do some more research and modify the habitat before i purchase another of the same species and wi give her the same name in rememberance. Thank you all so much for your kind help.
rest in peace my baby Lapis Lazuli
nick