Death curl??

[Huntzman90]

Ok so this is a lot to read but i wanted to be thorough..
My Caribena Laeta pink toe has been very lathargic over the past couple of weeks. I have recently rehoused it into a smaller enclosure (last one was too large.) Its been roughly two months since it has last fed and has not shown any obvious sign of premolt. I believe it was originally dehydrated as in the last enclosure the water dish was not mounted or close enough for the T to notice it. Since i have rehoused it i have noticed it has not webbed and doesnt seem to be drinking. Its since been sitting on the bottom of the enclosure. I know its still alive as it responds to my gentle paint brush taps and i have noticed it has appeared in different spots in the enclosure its in now so its still moving around. Its abdomen is quite small and most if not all of its legs are curled under. Just recently it has moved up onto the fake plant leaf in its enclosure.

This is my first arboreal tarantula, i have two terrestrials that are both doing great, so i am not sure if there is something i am missing or if i am doing something wrong. Any advice on what to do next?
I thought i put enough holes in for ventilation but could this be the issue?
Last thing i want to have to do is euthanize my T but if it seems to be in pain I would hate for it to suffer.

Any advice is much appreciated, I have only been in the hobby six months so I still have a lot to learn

Sorry i do not have the best camera on my phone so the pictures aren't great, i can try again later with a better camera if it helps.

Substrate : plain coco fibre
Enclosure size : 16 oz deli cup
T size : 1" - 1.25 "
Room temp : 70°- 75°

 

[Arachnoclown]

Substrate looks a little too dry. I'd try to give it a drink.

 

[Casey K.]

I agree with @Arachnoclown - when I have Avics of any kind, the substrate is always "damp" and I include a water reservoir (I see you have one). I'd mist the sides of the cup and spray a few pumps of water on the substrate you're using. Coco coir tends to dry out very quickly. Adding/mixing vermiculite and organic top soil (has none of the chemicals in it such as miracle grow/etc. that would potentially harm your tarantula) to the coco coir will help with this issue. Other than that, I think the size of your deli cup is appropriate for the size of your sling and it appears to have ample holes for ventilation.

 

[Huntzman90]

@Arachnoclown @Casey K.

Thanks for the advice guys, I misted the enclosure last night and my T already seems better.. Legs are no longer curled under and has moved around its enclosure.

So obviously i wasnt misting the enclosure enough (i figured just a water dish would do) so how often should I be misting?

Is this a humidity related issue or is it more an issue of dehydration?

I am so glad I asked for help on this forum.. Once again you have helped tremendously..

 

[Casey K.]

I would say more-so hydration because most Avicularia would rather drink the droplets from the side of their enclosure than to drink from the water dish (arboreal species)...but your Avicularia species are native to South America (a tropical region). I have had SEVERAL Avicularia species with issues molting in dryer climates. They get stuck in their molts very easily if the condition of their environment isn't humid enough. I would mist their enclosure at least 2-3x a week if using coco coir alone due to how quickly it dries out. If you add vermiculite or top soil....even sphagnum moss to it, it will hold moisture better (longer) and misting once a week would be fine. When you have ample ventilation while keeping your substrate "damp" at all times (not soaking wet) you will rarely have issues with mold if you keep your temps between 65-70°f.

 

[Huntzman90]

I figured I would give yas an update as I was a fairly dramatic in the title of this post..

My T is fine, has even fed on a dubia for the first time in months so a definite change in behavior I have since added some spagnum moss and will be buying organic top soil and vermiculite tomorrow. The substrate now is still pretty dry but the spagnum moss definitely helps retain some moisture.

What would you recommend as a ratio for the mixture of top soil/vermiculite/spagnum moss? I also have coco fibre if needed.

I will be misting the enclosure from now on and will be keeping an eye on humidity levels. Thanks again for the quick responses, there's always more to learn in this hobby and its nice to know that people are here to help.

Cheers

 

[Casey K.]

Awesome! Nice to see your T is doing much better now! I would do a 60% coco coir to 40% mixture of moss, top soil and vermiculite. So mix your top soil, vermiculite and sphagnum moss then add it to your coco coir. I'd mist your coco coir mix (prior to adding the remaining 40% mixture so that when you do add it, it will help hold that moisture in the coir). Mist your top soil, moss and vermiculite as well. Then add it to your coco coir. I always keep a water resevoir in my terrariums/cages. This will especially help for your Avic species or any that require medium-moderate humidity levels.

 

[Whitelightning777]

My C versicolor refuses to drink from any waterdish on the ground. I have a literal wineglass in his cage. He drinks just fine and hasn't shown any sign of dehydration since. I haven't had to add any extra humidity beyond keeping the glass full. In his previous horrid cage, there was also an elevated waterdish which I kept full. Beyond keeping the dish full, I've always assumed that any extra humidity will kill them without warning (SADS -- Sudden Avic Death Syndrome)

He's had zero molting complications, but I can always tell right before he molts if I catch him. He'll go to the dish and take a HUGE drink almost doubling the size of the abdomen for almost an hour before going to the web and flipping over.

 

[Huntzman90]

My C versicolor refuses to drink from any waterdish on the ground. I have a literal wineglass in his cage. He drinks just fine and hasn't shown any sign of dehydration since. I haven't had to add any extra humidity beyond keeping the glass full. In his previous horrid cage, there was also an elevated waterdish which I kept full. Beyond keeping the dish full, I've always assumed that any extra humidity will kill them without warning (SADS -- Sudden Avic Death Syndrome)

He's had zero molting complications, but I can always tell right before he molts if I catch him. He'll go to the dish and take a HUGE drink almost doubling the size of the abdomen for almost an hour before going to the web and flipping over.

Thats what i have been worried about as far as misting the enclosure. I am careful to not add to much moisture but my T seems to only drink from the water droplets on the side of the container. I do have a water dish (on the ground atm) and have never seen my T even near it. Then again maybe its drinking while im asleep.

I may possibly add an elevated water dish in this enclosure to be safe but my T hasnt webbed yet, seems to only sit in one area and ive only once seen it moving around its enclosure.

I have only had one molt from this T where my B. Albopilosum has molted three times. Are there any other signs of premolt you have noticed for your avics?

I like the wine glass idea, champagne glass would would fine too i suppose.. I may steal this idea for my next enclosure

Heres a picture of my Curly hair having a nice drink. I am almost sure he/she is in premolt as its abdomen is quite dark and its been drinking a lot. Yea the substrate is kinda filthy but will get a clean up soon

 

[Whitelightning777]

Thats what i have been worried about as far as misting the enclosure. I am careful to not add to much moisture but my T seems to only drink from the water droplets on the side of the container. I do have a water dish (on the ground atm) and have never seen my T even near it. Then again maybe its drinking while im asleep.

I may possibly add an elevated water dish in this enclosure to be safe but my T hasnt webbed yet, seems to only sit in one area and ive only once seen it moving around its enclosure.

I have only had one molt from this T where my B. Albopilosum has molted three times. Are there any other signs of premolt you have noticed for your avics?

I like the wine glass idea, champagne glass would would fine too i suppose.. I may steal this idea for my next enclosure

Heres a picture of my Curly hair having a nice drink. I am almost sure he/she is in premolt as its abdomen is quite dark and its been drinking a lot. Yea the substrate is kinda filthy but will get a clean up soon

View attachment 40405

He pretty much spends all his time on the door just like that.

 

[Huntzman90]

View attachment 40406


He pretty much spends all his time on the door just like that.

Is that your C. Versicolour? How big is she?

I do really like that setup. The wine glass doesnt take up as much space as i thought it would. Is that the exo terra nano? Do you have a hard time doing enclosure maintenance or feeding your T with it on the door like that?

My C. Laeta was in the terra nano enclosure but was way to small for it so i was advised (via this forum) to rehouse it into a 16oz deli cup.. Huge success, has been feeding for the first time in months and has been far more active. My T is about 1.5" DLS.

How big does my T. need to be before I rehouse it back into the exo terra nano?

Sorry for all the questions, I kinda jumped the gun and purchased an avic before doing enough research hence why I have started running into problems :/

He/she is doing great atm, currently enjoying a nice dubia roach as I type this

Any other tips on avic care you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Whitelightning777]

I can go in through the top or front depending on where the T is hanging out. Generally, I can get him to go back into the upper left corner and do what I have to do. If you can get the T to make a decent web or tong feed it, size doesn't matter much.

The secret is that the size of the web functions as the true size of the cage. The rest is just there to keep him out of trouble. Set up the decor so it can make a web in an accessible location. You can also try a cork bark tube like you use with a pokie and just drop feeders into that. The waterdish should be placed as close as possible.

I haven't tried that because it proved unnecessary.

Yes, it's an ExoTerra nano tall.

 

[Huntzman90]

I can go in through the top or front depending on where the T is hanging out. Generally, I can get him to go back into the upper left corner and do what I have to do. If you can get the T to make a decent web or tong feed it, size doesn't matter much.

The secret is that the size of the web functions as the true size of the cage. The rest is just there to keep him out of trouble. Set up the decor so it can make a web in an accessible location. You can also try a cork bark tube like you use with a pokie and just drop feeders into that. The waterdish should be placed as close as possible.

I haven't tried that because it proved unnecessary.

Yes, it's an ExoTerra nano tall.

Thanks for the advice. I have my exo terra nano tall ready to go so maybe ill rehouse it back, was going to wait till it molts once more so its a little bigger. When it was in the exo terra previously it made a very small web and in an awkward location making it hard to feed. Maybe now that my T is becoming more active it will discover the cork bark tube in the enclosure