A tragic accident

[robc]

We had a tragic accident tonight and lost 2 of our beloved pets. One was our recently molted A. Hentzi (I just posted her molt sequence a few days ago) and the other was our daughter's female B. Emelia (her absolute favorite) and one of my son's favorites as well.
The accident involved my son Brandon and he think it's his fault and that everyone is mad at him. We've told him we're not - what happened was just a bad accident, nothing more. Maybe if he sees everyone's comments and knows we're not the only ones who know that accidents like this do happen.

RIP little buddies - you will be missed!

HnkKOCLvBLw

[EightLeggedFrea]

Jeez that's so unfortunate. I know this seems really bad right now for the kids because their young and all that, but it WAS just an accident. In time they'll realize that, too. That won't, I'm afraid, erase the memory of the incident.

[Aurelia]

Aww I'm really sorry about your spiders. :( RIP Mel and Velvet.

[Endagr8]

That's horrible Rob; I'm sorry for your loss. :(

Unfortunately, accidents do happen. I know your son would never do that on purpose.

[bliss]

Wow rob, that sucks sorry.

I've had something similar to this happen before - i was messing around near my spider shelves and ended up knocking over a vial with a Poecilotheria striata 1" in it.. never had a chance, and it died shortly thereafter. this sort of thing happens all the time and it really sucks when it does.

Hope all goes well in the future

dan

[dabears51]

So sorry for your loss. It's such a tough break but as you mentioned an accident. Reminds me of the time about 15 years ago when my sister wanted to sleep with one of our kittens at the time. She slept with the kitten 3 times before until one night she unfortunately slept ON her and suffocated her. My sister was so upset. Things happen all the time.

RIP T's.

[moose35]

sorry to see that.

let your son know accidents happen to the best of us and its not his fault.




moose

[robc]

sorry to see that.

let your son know accidents happen to the best of us and its not his fault.




mooseThanks, Moose, I really appreciate that. I'll show him this post and the others above. This just truly sucks!!

Thank you everyone!! We appreciate your kind thoughts....

[Alex080]

So Sorry!!!! to hear Man

[Scorpiove]

Hi there, sorry about your loss. I have actually nocked over some of my 2.5 gallon tanks a couple of times. It can be so easy to knock those things over. But yeah accidents do happen and they are nobodies fault. I have a B. emilia just like that one same size and everything, they really are sweethearts I feel for your loss :(.

[codykrr]

hey rob...maybe to make up for it as soon as my A. henzi drops her sac(which should be really soon) ill give you guys one or two. just make sure he knows it isnt his fault. and stuff does just happen. and they all happen for a reason. also the moteg bug hunt is coming up on june 13 and 14th maybe you and your family can come join us. plentyof A. henzi down here. again brandon it isnt your fault. reminds me of the thing i just recently did with a snake. i have a corn snake that i waskeeping on coco fiber and it now has a respitory infection. so stuff does happen, just dont blame or beat your self up about it.

[Pacmaster]

Rob, sorry about the accident.
These things happen.
Sorry for your daughter as well, I remember the feeling of losing a pet when young like that.
Im sure your boy wont make the same mistake twice, he must be devastated.

Just part of being a kid, maybe not the best part, but just the same.

You might consider preserving that T for your daughter in some resin . . .

[RelyK]

Im sorry to hear about your T's, things like this happen and are uncontrollable and unforseeable.

I lost a cat we used to let outside because it was bit by a fly, yes a fly, larvae in the nose, and when it was removed it broke, made our cat very sick and she later passed.

Tragic accidents happen and the best way to make sure it doesnt happen is to learn from these unfortunate incidents.

again Im sorry for your loss

[Radamanthys]

That was terrible to hear Rob, so sorry for your loss kids. But things like these happen, and what count in some case is the intention. Did your son wanted to kill the T's? I bet no. It's not his fault at any point it just happens and sucks. Like when you find a dollar on the street, it happens sometimes and its nice, but isn't on purpose. Here is something that happens sometimes, not on purpose AT ALL and sucks.

Don't worry kids, your father loves you both more than any T, and is not mad at you. He knows you are feeling bad about it and trust me, he is sadder (sp) from seeing you blame yourself than from losing the Ts.

[Julia]

Awww... I'm sorry Rob. As everyone else has said so far, keep telling your kiddo that accidents happen and it's not his fault.

My son is convinced that spider heaven (and mouse heaven, and cat heaven, and dog heaven, etc.) is MUCH BETTER than life on earth. RIP little Ts.

[Nerri1029]

Let him know that:
- there's nothing he can do to change the outcome now ( though I'm sure he wishes he could )

- that THAT is how many of us adults have learned lessons.

It's all about growing up/wiser.

I'm sure there are more than a few people who have had accidents with their T's ( Me for one ).

Good Luck

Nerri

[Sathane]

My condolences to your family Rob.

I feel sorry for Brandon.
I remember when I was 5 playing on my grandparent's farm and found a barn kitten. I played with that little guy all day and when it was time for lunch I knew I couldn't bring it inside but I wanted to play with it after lunch so I pushed aside what looked like a plywood cover on a stone 'bin' and put the kitten in.
After dinner I came out to get my kitty but when I pushed the plywood cover aside and looked in, I realized that it had actually been a well that I had put it in.

This is one of my earliest memories and I still feel bad about it to this day. Even though I was young and didn't know what the well was, I knew that that kitten had died because of what I did. Accidents happen but I'm sure he'll learn from this.

[xhexdx]

Hey Rob,

That's really sad, I'm so sorry for your and your family's losses. Accidents happen, as everyone has already said, and that's how we learn. Tell your son it's not his fault; hopefully he will feel better soon.

Again, my condolences.

--Joe

[MrRogers]

Rob, you can tell this story to your son it, might make him feel better.

When about his age (I'm guess 6-7? I could be wrong) I was in Florida with my family on vacation visiting my grandparents there. Anyway, long story short our family went mini golfing and I saw a green Anole lizard for the first time and I was amazed! I was always a critter lover and seeing a lizard for the first time in the wild was the best thing I could've hoped for, because we don't get lizards like that anywhere in Canada, except pet stores which I went to EVERY weekend as a treat. I always enjoyed catching and admiring tiny animals so I used my mad skills and tried to catch it! Sure enough I scared the little guy and it ran under my foot as I was stepping downward and I crushed it...:(

From that moment on I felt entirely responsible and awful for a very long time, so I know how Brandon must feel. I felt like I was entirely responsible but I had good intentions, and I learned to appreciate them even more as many of us had over the years. The important thing to remember is it doesn't mean he's a bad person, and it takes someone who really cares and takes responsibility to feel that way, and shows real maturity not to blame other factors or people.

Many of us love your videos, and we know how great all of you are. Keep you chin up Brandon! We hear ya :)

-Mark

[Herps&Inverts]

Rob, so sorry to hear about this.

Brandon, accidents do happen. There's only so much that can be done after an accident happens. The best thing we can do is learn from our mistakes and take extra precautions for the next time. Everyone makes mistakes, it's all in how we learn from them that really matters.

[Midnight Cowboy]

So sorry for your loss, as others have stated it happens to the best of us. It was an accident and these things happen, tell Brandon it will be ok. The loss of a pet is never easy. Regards Matt

[becca81]

This happens to everyone - even the most meticulous and careful adult can do it!

We've all had to learn lessons like these - for me, it was "don't try to juggle the vials of slings, tweezers of roaches, and containers of water at the same time."

[Spyder 1.0]

Indeed a truely tragic accident, but a valuable life lession will come from it. Hopefully.

[Miss Bianca]

Very sorry for your family's loss Rob.
I really hope your boy can get over his pain and feelings of guilt soon,
although it'll take a while since he was quite attached...
(I have an 11yr old that OMG I know would be horribly
devastated in the worse way with something like this)

Everything will be ok.

I hope this thread helps him. :(

[wedge07]

That really sucks Rob. I wouldn't worry about it Brandon stuff like that can happen to anyone. I left my bedroom door open while I was away from my house when I was about 15 and the cats got in my room and found Rocky my 6" B. smithi. I had this guy for ages. They knocked his enclosure over and pretty much played with him to death. I was pretty tore up about the whole thing. I was pretty good about keeping the cats out of my room. Those cats were always very interested in him. They would hop up on my shelf to watch him. After that I knew I needed to keep them out of my room. I forgot that one day. The point is everybody forgets, nobody pays attention to everything around them 100% of the time. We are human after all. This stuff happens and you can't beat yourself up because of it. You just have to learn from it and keep your chin up.

[Flower]

Tell your son that it isn't his fault. Even adults make mistakes -- Flower died because my boyfriend dropped the enclosure when moving it -- the door hit his arm and the enclosure went flying. I was devastated, and he felt really bad. Give your son a big hug for me, and sorry for your loss.

[Agent Jones]

It's impossible to be the most cautious person on earth 24/7, all of us have our clumsy days or days where we THINK we don't care because, hey, nothing bad will happen, right? None of us are perfect and mistakes will continue to happen all of our lives. Don't eat yourself up over it, a LOT worse could have happened - always remember that and focus on that.

[DreadLobster]

Man that sucks.

Accidents happen though. I've had more close calls than I can count... and I have under 20 tarantulas... With as many as you guys have, I would think its pretty much unavoidable for something to go wrong every now and then.

[robc]

I don't know where to start.....you guys/gals are just simply awesome!, Brandon will love these replies....I think it will help......he is realy upset about it......he does know it wasn't his fault. I gave him a example of about 2 weeks ago I was packing up a ornata, I went to put the lid on the vial and accidently crushed it....I felt horrible as well!

Thank you everyone, this means a lot to me and my family.:)

[Nokturnal1980]

I'm so sorry to hear about your accident, Brandon. Also, I'm sorry for the loss to your family.

We just had an accident here as well. On Monday, I was doing routine maintenance and everything had gone fine for the first 41 tarantulas I worked with. On the final one, I was closing the lid after refilling the water dish and the 1 inch king baboon darted with suprising speed the lid came down right on top of him. It was mortifying. I tried to stop the bleeding but there was nothing I could do for the little guy, he died in a matter of seconds. I'm 27 and I sobbed like a newborn for hours, I still feel horrid about it.

It happens to us all. Keep your head up!

[Moultmaster]

My condolences to you and yours Rob. Unfortunately, as animal keepers, we deal with death more often than those who don't have any pets. When I was your son's age I saw many animals die and I was devastated every time. To this day I feel bad every time I see an animal die. I know sometimes it feels like you don't want to be around animals any more when this happens but quite to the contrary, that's the best thing you can do. Surrounding yourself with other healthy, lively animals, watching other animals producing new life (eggsacs for instance) really makes one feel not only happy again but helps one appreciate the whole cycle of life. And not just our animals we keep in the home, but observing animals in the wild. Perhaps a good way for someone Brandon's age to appreciate the life/death cycle is to spend some time watching ladybugs eat aphids. Yes the aphids are dying but in their death they are giving rise to new life, the life of the ladybug and it's offspring.
The most important thing for Brandon to realize is it's not his fault, it was an accident. If he still feels like that he can always raise a few more slings on his own and it will feel like he is giving back to nature what he feels he took away. Hope this helps.

[kaydyn1512]

Rob, I can't even begin to tell you how heart broken I was when I saw this. I am so sorry for your loss. I know how difficult this must be for Brandon but as a parent it is almost worse because you want to protect them from any emotional pain. As my kids have grown there have been may accidents that I have had to make better. Sometimes the best way to give them solice to show how it couldn't be helped (did you do it on purpose, did you plan it,?) Things just happen, it sucks, it will make you cry sometimes BUT he did NOTHING wrong. Hugs, kisses and loads of reassurance will give him confidence and the knowledge that he did nothing wrong. I'm so sorry for your daughter as well. Please give your family my heartfelt condolences.

[Hilikus311]

Im a little choked up writing this. . .wow this brings back memories of my first T that i lost along time ago. . .It is one of the mysteries of the universe why accidents happen, but the important thing to remember is that they do. Definatly won't be the last time either sadly

[2bears]

Brandon Im sure your upset, and feeling bad.
I was 7 yrs old when I started keeping snakes, now its 45 yrs later.
I encourage you to listen to your parents as its not your fault, its sad but when you keep animals accidents will happen, the important part is its clear you have a interest in these wonderfull creatures so please.....dont let this discourage you,all we can do is learn from it and continue.
They had a wonderfull life, be thankful for the time you had with them.
Im looking forward to seeing that bright smile back on a video with Dad.
Brandon spend time with dad and learn all you can, its young people like you that will carry on, when old timers like me pass on.
Hang in there.
Twobears

[SCORPIONNOOB]

Its very unfortunate that this had to happen because it seems your whole family loves T's. Accidents happen to the best of us like everyone has said. Its just a great thing to know that such a passion for a hobby can be achieved and it truly shows how much your kids cared for the T's as well as everyone who has ever lost one and felt a deep loss. My condolences goes out to you and your daughter and son :(

[samatwwe]

Sorry for your loss Rob! Everything has its time! It must have just been there time.

[robc]

Thanks guys! We all really appreicate all the kind thoughts! Brandon has seen the replies and has asked if he can do a Versicolor update with me tonight - we have a new sac! He's doing better today and knows that it was just a terrible accident...

[whitewolf]

:( Sorry for your loss little ones. Accidents happen though. It was just an accident.:(

[Rindy]

Brandon, the fact that you are broken up over this shows what kind of person you are, you have a kind heart. A person with a kind heart does not kill his sister's pet on purpose. I don't even know you but I know it was an accident. I am sure your sister knows this too. It will always hurt both of you when you think about this, but as time passes it will hurt less often.
It sounds like you are doing the best thing you can to heal by being involved with other projects. Take care, peace to you both-

[wedge07]

Thanks guys! We all really appreicate all the kind thoughts! Brandon has seen the replies and has asked if he can do a Versicolor update with me tonight - we have a new sac! He's doing better today and knows that it was just a terrible accident...

That's great Rob I am glad the little guy is doing better and now you have more versi's!

[RelyK]

it was cool to see your son get involved with your versi update, glad hes smiling thinking about those slings and hope everyones doing better on your end.

Maybe you can even teach him how to take cool pictures after I show you :p

[inbntly]

Hey kind of newer to the forums, joined a while back, when I was first getting into the hobby, but haven't been back for a while. Just earlier today watched your review on the tarantula cages website and could tell just how passionate you were about the hobby. I could only imagine how much it all meant to you, and through you your kids can see that they are not just creepy spiders that are scary to most, and I think that's great too. Sorry to hear for the loss though, and as many have said before me... This is just an accident they do happen, it wasn't intentional at all, he shouldn't blame himself, but you can't change that it happened. I'm sure you will all learn from the experience. Best wishes to you and your family on this matter.

[Radamanthys]

Thanks guys! We all really appreicate all the kind thoughts! Brandon has seen the replies and has asked if he can do a Versicolor update with me tonight - we have a new sac! He's doing better today and knows that it was just a terrible accident...

Carry on Brandon! I'm looking forward to it!

[FuzzOctave]

That' a major bummer, for everyone, but especially Brandon.

I'll share something with him: When I was 10 I had a wild caught female A. chalcodes, that I personally collected from a friend's plot of land. She was my favorite pet at the time and to this day, was the most docile T I've ever owned.

Long Story short: I was taking her to school, to show my classmates that T's were not to be feared. As we were getting in the vehicle, I was startled by a maniac that was hot-rodding by our place, very loud headers and the like, and dropped the glass enclosure. She ruptured and I had to euthanize her... At 10 years old, I had to put her down, because noone else wanted to have anything to do with it. As adults, some might just shrug it off as no big deal, but to a kid.. it's as big as the world, and it was damn hard to deal with.

It's okay, everything's going to be alright.

Peace...

[WS6Lethal]

I'm sorry that this happened. When we lose a pet, we sort of lose a part of us. But we move on and learn.

Accidents can, and will happen. You can let Brandon know they happen not just to kids, but adults as well. Just because we get older doesn't meant that something bad will not happen. We have to keep learning, and keep moving forward. You will be stronger for it, raise many beautiful T's, and make your parents proud. :)

-Jeremy

[fartkowski]

Really sorry to hear about this:(
A similar thing happened to me as well. I was feeding and accidentally brushed a KK with my shoulder. It went crashing to the ground.

[Sathane]

I didn't watch the video the first time I went through this thread. Just saw it now and that is the saddest thing I've seen on here so far. Really breaks your heart. I hope Brandon is feeling at least a bit better after the little time that's passed but I somehow doubt that...

On a semi-related note, while watching that vid I kept looking around my spider room (that's where I am now) looking for the escaped cricket that was chirping so loudly until I realized it was the video. Man, that's a loud cricket. If I didn't know any better I'd swear he was manning the camera.

[kalvaer]

You know, about 2 months ago, I still thought the only good spider, was a dead one. Of course i am learning more and now own a small brood of T's myself. but watching this videa brought a few tear to my eyes

I know your kids know it was not their fault, But just wishing them (and you all) the best of wishes. Its never nice to see something you love pass away.