Birdeater emergency! !!

[Will0W783]

I have a friend who buys out collections of reptiles, and he's terrified of tarantulas. He bought this guy's collection and got a birdeater. Apparently the guy had let a bunch of arachnids die from lack of care.. .no water, filthy enclosures, etc. So my friend gave her to me. She's absolutely gorgeous and small adult sized. However, when I transferred her out of the container she came in, I noticed she was very weak and limp. She wasn't holding her legs straight and didn't move much.

I immediately put her in an ICU setup....soaked paper towel, warmth, plastic tote and gave her a small dish. She drank for about a solid minute (I could see her moving to suck up the water). That was at 2pm. It's 10:30 and she's still alive and moves around when I'm not there. She still seems weak and limp if I nudge her, but obviously she can walk since she's been moving about the ICU.

Is there anything else I can do for her? How long should I leave her in the ICU? I've read 2 days, then change to another clean setup for 2 more days, or until recovered. I really want her to make it....I've wanted a birdeater for years, and I already feel attached to her from nursing her.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Teal]

Good on you for knowing a proper ICU set up for a T! That's the best chance you can give her. Is she skinny (small, shriveled abdomen)? Can you spy on her, and see if she is moving fluidly or with jerking motions? Can you post a photo of her?

I would keep her in the ICU for at least a few days, moist and warm. It's a VERY good sign that she voluntarily drank from the water bowl... ensure that keeps happening!

If she seems to be improving in a day or two, try offering her a pre-killed prey item. The sooner she can eat, the sooner she can get her strength back.

And be careful nudging her if you haven't interacted with urticating hairs before... reactions vary for each individual, but CAN be pretty severe.

Please keep me updated!

[Will0W783]

Thanks Teal. She reacted to being nudged with tweezers very gently this morning by quickly withdrawing her legs. She was letting me lift her legs with no response yesterday. She's also standing more normally. I'll snap a picture of her in a bit. She does look skinny in the abdomen for a spider of her size. I think she's a female but not really sure. I honestly don't know how to sex T's.

I've had a few urticating hair species before- I had a fire leg who loved to kick all over me and red knee and one of my rose hairs did it too. I hate the hairs, but they're tolerable. I'd almost feel better if the birdeater kicked hairs on me- it'd mean she's getting strong again lol. ..

[Will0W783]

Here is a picture I snapped of her. She's still holding her back legs limply, but the front ones seem to have more control.


I feel so badly for this poor spider...it's heartbreaking to watch.

Would a mouse pink be a good prey to try?

[Teal]

Poor girl ): She doesn't look great, but it could be worse. Her abdomen IS a bit small, but it's smooth which means she isn't too dehydrated.

You could give her a mouse pink, yes. Vertebrates shouldn't be fed too often because the calcium is said to interfere with sheds... but she would benefit from the extra protein and fat right now.

[Will0W783]

I put a cricket in and she did not show any interest. Tomorrow I'll try picking up a mouse pink. Do I need to kill it first? It can't really bite her

[Teal]

Was the cricket hopping around? She's definitely too weak to chase any prey... did you put it right under her?

No, you don't need to feed it pre-killed. Hopefully the warmth and squirming will entice her to it. I would put it as close to her as you can, so she doesn't have to do a lot of work. She may just be too weak to eat still though ):

[Will0W783]

Yes the cricket was hopping
I took it out after a few minutes so it wouldn't bite her. I'll try to find a pet store with live food today.

[Teal]

If you want to try a cricket again, pull off the hopper legs and maybe squish it a little so it's twitching but not getting away and place it right in front of her.

[Will0W783]

She molted last night in the ICU tub- my fiancé found it this morning. She had an absolutely perfect molt and was quite eager to kick hairs at me when I checked on her this morning. I left her in the ICU, because I did not want to move a freshly molted tarantula.

Should I remove her from the ICU, or evaluate her condition when I get home tonight and decide from there? I'm assuming that if she had the strength to molt, she is not near death. Also, how long should I wait to feed her now that she has molted?

[Will0W783]

One other question- she was given to me as "blue bloom birdeater," but her colorations and markings suggest that she is a Goliath birdeater to me. What do you think?

I am also not sure of the sex. I can post pictures of the molt when I get home tonight though. If I do, can you guys help me figure out whether I have a male or female?

[Cmwells90]

I don't have much knowledge to provide about Spiders, but that does look like a Goliath to me as well. I just want to congradulate you on the work you've done. Glad to see it's getting better and molted, keep up the good work!!

[David VB]

try Arachnopets - Arachnopets maybe? there are some very good experts about this over there

[Will0W783]

Here are some pictures of the molt- hopefully someone can help me ascertain sex. I hope it's female, as they live much longer.

Also, after the molt she/he looks like a completely different spider- gorgeous velvety black, shimmery purple-blue on the legs and red/brown abdomen hair!!

[Teal]

Yes, that is a female (:

There are several different species in the Theraposa genus... I am not an expert on that genus, so I don't know the minute differences between species. However, post-molt she looks more like a Lasiodora Parahybana (LP). They are also a very large species, and sometimes called "bird eaters."