White discharge?

[Reptiliatus]

Hi guys,

I hope I'm not freaking out but I was feeding my P. metallica today and I noticed as she was eating the cricket it looks like there is some sort of "white discharge" (same color and appearance and the fecal matter) running down the cricket from her mouth. Should I be worried? She is very healthy, eats regularly I mean look, she's eating while I noticed this! I just want to prevent anything bad from happening. Temps are around 75-77F. humidity is around 70% and her enclosure consists of coconut fiber and a cork slab.

Any help advice would be appreciated, I'll try to get a photo soon. Maybe it'll be gone after she finishes her meal, I donno?

Thanks, Dayyan

[paassatt]

Could just be cricket guts, could be something else. A picture would definitely help.

[Reptiliatus]

Could just be cricket guts, could be something else. A picture would definitely help.

I'm starting to think she might be vomiting because I did give her a cricket last night... It also looks like fecal matter but that doesn't make sense because it wasn't there before I fed her. I hope it's just vomiting. I really don't want to loose a female metallica to nematodes or something.

[paassatt]

If you're concerned about nematodes, you can take some of the white stuff and place it in some water. If nematodes are present, you'll see the little buggers swimming around.

[Reptiliatus]

I'll give an update in a few hours after she has finished the cricket. If the discharge is no longer present I'll assume it was vomit from having eating just half a day before. Regardless I'll be keeping a god eye on my little lady. Thanks paassatt I know about the nematodes in water. Hopefully I don't have to go there .

---------- Post added 08-26-2011 at 12:20 PM ----------

Well guys I think she was full and accepted prey anyways. She captured the cricket 2 hours ago and it still looked like a complete cricket. I noticed she had consumed some of the cricket by the small amount of broken down tissue around the thorax of the cricket. Anyways I took the cricket (covered in a little discharge) from her and placed it in a water bottle under a light. I shook the bottle a bit and no nematodes where present few! The white particles fell of the crickets but did not dissolve into the water. I'm hoping this is a good sign suggesting is was somehow fecal matter or vomit of some sort. Anyone else experienced something similar they want to share to put me a little more at ease?

Somehow I thought I remembered there being a thread ages ago of someone experiencing something quite similar with the Avicularia genus but I couldn't find it with the search engine.

Anyways, thanks for the help!

[Reptiliatus]

Just a quick update guys, after watching her do a little grooming she cleaned up and no more discharge! Yay

[paassatt]

Just a quick update guys, after watching her do a little grooming she cleaned up and no more discharge! Yay

Good news.