P. miranda problems, help please

rknralf · Jul 11, 2004

Hi all,
I got home last night and I noticed my Poecilotheria miranda was acting strange. She was sitting huddled on the ground and then she started spasing out, flailing her legs and running around very disoriented. She ran forward and backward and continued to move herky-jerky. She would then stop, and the whole process would start all over. It is the strangest thing, but she doesn't seem to be able to control her legs/movements, just like she's in complete spasm.
I immediately thought dehydration, and I raised the humidity and gave her additional water, but no change.
She was fine yesterday morning and all my other spiders are fine as well.
I'm just completely stumped and rather upset. She's about 3.5" and I raised her from a .75" spiderling.
Any advice/experience would be very appreciated.
Ralph
P.S. I seem to vaguely remember a thread about a spastic Pokie, but I can't remember enough to locate it.

Botar · Jul 11, 2004

rknralf said:
Hi all,
I got home last night and I noticed my Poecilotheria miranda was acting strange. She was sitting huddled on the ground and then she started spasing out, flailing her legs and running around very disoriented. She ran forward and backward and continued to move herky-jerky. She would then stop, and the whole process would start all over. It is the strangest thing, but she doesn't seem to be able to control her legs/movements, just like she's in complete spasm.
I immediately thought dehydration, and I raised the humidity and gave her additional water, but no change.
She was fine yesterday morning and all my other spiders are fine as well.
I'm just completely stumped and rather upset. She's about 3.5" and I raised her from a .75" spiderling.
Any advice/experience would be very appreciated.
Ralph
P.S. I seem to vaguely remember a thread about a spastic Pokie, but I can't remember enough to locate it.

I've seen this before and I've never seen it end happily. I wish you luck.

Botar

manville · Jul 11, 2004

That really sucks i hope it is a one day thingy..

Andrew vV · Jul 11, 2004

sounds like a possible case of "dyskinetic syndrome" I too wish you luck

brian&goliath · Jul 12, 2004

I had two spiders that went like that and on both occassions I had fed them very large Locusts and it seems that they damaged them in one way or another my vet suggested that they had damaged their eyes which made them go all jerky at the slightest vibration

Alias · Jul 12, 2004

brian&goliath said:
I had two spiders that went like that and on both occassions I had fed them very large Locusts and it seems that they damaged them in one way or another my vet suggested that they had damaged their eyes which made them go all jerky at the slightest vibration

hm, I thought that "going jerky at the slightest vibration" is standard behaviour for small Pokies...at least my 4th molt P.subfusca acts like that. I simply hope the larger she will be, the calmer.

btw, I thought that eyesight is really unimportant for Theraphosids, so eye damage wouldn´t really matter? or at least won´t matter so much it will cause some diskinetic syndrome or what :? also, eyes would be really hard to hit for the locust..

jesses · Jul 12, 2004

brian&goliath said:
I had two spiders that went like that and on both occassions I had fed them very large Locusts and it seems that they damaged them in one way or another my vet suggested that they had damaged their eyes which made them go all jerky at the slightest vibration

Um, your vet doesn't know the first thing about Tarantulas. The Locusts were obviously exposed to a pesticide or other poison

rknralf · Jul 14, 2004

Thanks for all your suggestions....

However, I came home to find my P. miranda dead. I knew it was coming, but I didn't want to accept the inevidiable. At least she's not spasing anymore..
Man am I sad

I've frozen the spider and am interested in where I should send her for research.
Any information on where is appreciated.
Again, thanks for all your suggestions.
Ralph

Socrates · Jul 14, 2004

Oh Ralf, I am SO sorry you lost her.

I wonder if somebody will ever find out what causes this and if there is anything one can do to help them overcome this.

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Wendy
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rknralf · Jul 15, 2004

Wendy,
Thanks for the kind words. I'm hoping that if I send her off for researc, maybe someone can figure out what went wrong and possibly come up with a preventative/cure.
Ralph

Aviculariinae · Jul 15, 2004

My Adult Regalis has being doing this for the past two weeks ive just being watching. there seems to be little you can do about it, water seems to help alittle.

brian&goliath · Jul 15, 2004

when i said vibration i meant even music, or if i walked into the room it spassed out. i agree about my vet i think it waas the first time he'd seen a T
sorry to hear about your loss

Socrates · Jul 15, 2004

Ralf,
I found THIS...maybe you can send her there?
Hope this helped.
http://arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9707

---
Wendy
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CreepyExotics · Jul 15, 2004

ralph let me know what you find out about that last year i lost 4 to that i figured it cause i was feeding mainly pinkies i dont know to much protien i dont know if u fine out let me know i know what you have seen and it sucked i tried to save all of mine lost everyone sorry to hear u lost yours later

P. miranda problems, help please

rknralf

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