the living dead

[darrell hetzel]

hello everyone,
approx. a week ago, i got back to my house after a two day mini holiday and found my P. lugardi in a death curle. i placed her in an icu, but she did not improve. however, she is still alive, and eating. she has even come out of it temperarily to rear up at me. has anyone had experiance with a t in a permanent state of almost death? it is just a curiosity, as this has never happened to me before, and i seem to have the worst of luck with this species. any help would be much appreciated. thank you.

[Eleanor]

I have had similar in the past, which I assumed were due to bad moults (one definitely was; the other I assumed was - I didn't see any sign of the moult but she had a deep burrow so it was hard to tell). There was an article about wet moults in a BTS journal some time ago - I've forgotten when it was sorry - and I thought it may have been that.

It was with a H. lividum and a P. antinous. They were both unable to extend their legs so they were curled up and couldn't walk. They both recovered fully though. They seemed to need feeding up on pre-killed things and made gradual recoveries, eventually going completely back to normal.

It wasn't dehydration as giving them water didn't solve the problem - besides, they'd had constant access to water up until the point that they'd got into that state, and after. And one had been kept quite humid too (the H. lividum). I have another which I kept much drier and that always moults with no trouble.

[Phil Rea]

I have had similar in the past, which I assumed were due to bad moults (one definitely was; the other I assumed was - I didn't see any sign of the moult but she had a deep burrow so it was hard to tell). There was an article about wet moults in a BTS journal some time ago - I've forgotten when it was sorry - and I thought it may have been that.

• Gabriel, R. 2006. Wet moults don't always mean death. Journal of the British Tarantula Society, 21 (2): 46–48.

There you go. Issue available on the BTS Members site

[darrell hetzel]

thank you Eleanor, that gives me hope, as this is my third try with the species. (one shipped dead, another got to me in a curle, and now this!) oh how i wish i wasnt broke. the plethora of info on the members section is so tempting, yet just out of reach.

[darrell hetzel]

i got home today and checked on my P. lugardi. unfortunatly, she is no longer with us. hopefully the fourth time will be the charm. i have to wait a while however. no money.

[Eleanor]

I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully you'll have better luck with the next. Do you get slings or adults?

[darrell hetzel]

they have all been juvies. most of my ts i like to get as slings though.