Please help, my B Smithi has escaped :(

[Frederica Patmore]

Hiya Chris. I have a funny feeling I've heard that story from you or somebody else. At least you found her quickly but blimey that could have been awful. I know Eloise is completely harmless but she likes to kick hairs so my biggest fear is that she gets into my bed and kicks at my face, unlikely as it may be. I have therefore sprayed all my bedding with diluted cedarwood and grapefruit oil in the hope that she dislikes it as much as insects and it keeps her off. The bed is being constantly checked though. I'm trying her cricket box on the floor today. They're getting seriously fat, she's in for a real treat when she gets back.

[Frederica Patmore]

Hiya guys. Tonight marks 2 weeks she's been gone. No windows or doors have been left open at any time, I still have towels rolled up under the door, multiple hides and shallow water dishes, and her vivarium on the floor containing a couple of fat crickets. I keep hunting; about an hour every night, the whole room has been gone over at least 3 times. The thermometer in my room reads 24C when the heating is on and 19C when it isn't, and I've been hanging up wet towels when it is to increase the humidity.

I don't know what else to try!!! Will she emerge when she gets hungry? Has she died in a ball of wool somewhere?

I haz a serious sad. The fiancee said he'd go halves when replacing her, but I don't know how long to wait before finally giving up.

So yeah, that's my update! Any ideas welcome. Thanks again for all your support so far. I just hope she's ok.

[Christopher Smallman]

Please dont thump me or shout but you did make sure she had left her home and she hasnt just dug a hole and covered herself up waiting for a molt hence the crickets still there.
Just a thought.

ChrisS.

[Jamie Cooper]

2 weeks and still nothing? That doesn't sound good to be honest. Are you certain that she hasen't left the room she was being kept in? How big is the room? Do you have any other pets like cats or dogs?

I would take a day out of your schedule to conduct a thorough search of your house. Look absolutely everywhere. I doubt that she would have been tempted to venture outside the house into the cold. I hope she turns up! Good luck!

Jamie

[Frederica Patmore]

Please help, my B Smithi has escaped

Ill have a gentle dig around her soil but I really don't think she's in there. she only had an opportunity to leave my room under a tiny crack in the door for a couple of hours before we realised she was missing. I don't think her abdomen would fit. I've already searched the house but I will have another go.

And no on the cats and dogs

.. Could she really stay under the soil that long?

[Craig Mackay]

Ill have a gentle dig around her soil but I really don't think she's in there. she only had an opportunity to leave my room under a tiny crack in the door for a couple of hours before we realised she was missing. I don't think her abdomen would fit. I've already searched the house but I will have another go.

And no on the cats and dogs

.. Could she really stay under the soil that long?

Rather than digging around I would just gently tip the substrate into another box and if she's in there you'll probably see the ground moving so to speak. Even if she doesn't appear, carefully sift through it all bit by bit. It's certainly possible that she could be hidden under the substrate quite happily and it should always be the first thing to check. Failing that then she must be on the loose. I would think it would be quite possible that she could squeeze under a door. They can surprise you with the spaces they can squeeze into. Hope she shows up eventually.

[Christopher Smallman]

My Eupalaestus campestratus always moults underground she has just moulted on the 29/12/11 having been out of sight since 20/11/11 if I didnt know her I could quite easily think she had made a run for it

[VICTOR CASTELO FUENTES]

Hi ya;Have you ever try to look inside any of the machines you could have with holes to get in (TV, DVD, FRIDGE, etc..) mainly in the warmer ones?; may be it´s better not to do it but there is a possibility if you are sure od the escape.

[Frederica Patmore]

I checked inside my VCR, everything else is all the way downstairs in the kitchen, where its generally freezing. I've been through all her substrate and still nothing. I don't think she'd stay in the kitchen, it is freezing down there at night.

ETA: On a separate note, if anyone knows of someone getting rid of sexed SA B Smithi's let me know. Hmph.

[the ming cu]

Will she emerge when she gets hungry?

well, tarantulas have been known to do not eat for months, the longest is 1 year. so it's not necessary for her to eat while she's hungry and she can stay in soil for very long time. It's recommended to search for her while moving things gently. Harsh movement in the air from you moving around will scare her.

[Robert Lawrie]

Well Freddie, I know this isn`t much use to you but my friend `lost` a really decent size C. Crawshayi ( a King Baboon ) and it was at large, albeit in the room the enclosure was in, for over 3 weeks. It just `appeared` one evening in the middle of the floor in said room and my friend, who is an experienced keeper, swears he had searched that room obsessively. Now as you will be aware, this baboon has much more specific environmental demands that your missing B. Smithi and it managed ok so don`t give up hope. I remember being told when I purchased my first T ( G. sp. Concepcion ) that should she escape she could quite happily live out her entire life in the house, easily able to find enough to eat, and being a little more knowledgeable now I have no reason to think otherwise.
Anyway Freddie, all the very best of luck finding her.

[Frederica Patmore]

Those stories are of huge comfort to me! I'm still doing hunts moving things around gently, but only little ones now. Although I've turned the heating off there are a few warm spots on my floor where pipes run underneath, so I'm gonna keep my eye on those! I just hope she's alright. From what you guys have said I'd hope she was ok

[Claudia Baines]

Hi Frederica,

I hope you've found your spider. My B smithii escaped once too (on halloween night ironically) but I found it again. Best place to look is behind or underneath where her terrarium is. She is a ground dwelling spider so she is most likely to have headed for ground level, toward something that is dark and warm and burrowlike. Mine was between a table leg and the wall when found, I had to move the table to see her though. She should be fine living loose in your house for awhile so long as it's heated, so dont worry about her and keep up the hunt, I'm sure she'll be fine when you find her again. Just be careful if moving furniture that she isnt under it as you dont want to squash her and when they're scared they can just stay still rather than running away.

[Frederica Patmore]

Oh Claudia I hope you're right!

I went away for the weekend, came back and even with the heating on my room was only 17 degrees. I still look behind and under things every day and have started laying loo rolls and rolls of wrapping paper down in the hope she'll like the look of one and go for a crawl. Still leaving shallow water dishes around the floor, I just hate to think she's dehydrating slowly somewhere

[Lee Corless]

I would not be too worried about her dehydrating. After all she is from the desert. Luckily the times i had escapees I found them. The first time I spent all day searching and gave up only to find days later she only went 6 inch from her tank underneath the shelf. Second time, same spider, she was a bit more adventurous and I found her under the settee a day later. It was a nervous evening with an on the loose OBT....

There was a thread on here a few months back about an L. violaceopes escapee...
http://thebts.co.uk/forums/showthrea...lesson+learned

This one has a happy ending. It turned up back in its tank....

It is worth a read and might be worth trying what done in that instance to try and get your T back....