T. Stirmi has a rash on her abdomen !!!

twentyeggs

Arachnosquire
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Oct 13, 2011
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113
so my little T came to me with two little red rash like things on either side of her abdomen. i noticed the other day that the two spots spread and joined in the middle. It looks like she has been kicking hairs but i have never seen her kick once. and all the hairs around that area are still there. also, it spread overnight while i nor anything was around to agitate her in any way. is this something normal or do i have a problem. Ill attach a photo. photo(2).jpg
 

LV-426

Arachnobaron
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Sep 26, 2010
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497
Its normal for their hairs to fall off. They all go bald in between molts.
 

thruthetrees

Arachnosquire
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May 9, 2011
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107
Sorry to go off topic--but are those air plants in the tank and are they real? That seems really smart and something I had not thought of (putting them in ground like that)... Since coco fiber doesn't have nutrient for other plants to grow & would not rot that kind of plant... Thanks for the idea!! :]

1+ on the normal between molts...

Your T might be kicking hairs on the floor of her enclosure. Some of mine do that and I think it might aid in catching prey (but that's just a guess/observation).
 

twentyeggs

Arachnosquire
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Oct 13, 2011
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113
air plants? i didn't know thats what they were called but yes they are real... you can get them in the fish department at your pet store. I wanted to put something live in the tank because they attract moisture and my T loves to hang out in them.. I also have plastic fish tank plants that i planted in there also. so if the "air plants" don't work i can still get some green in there but they seem to be doing great so far. Its been 1 week and they are healthy green and full so we will see how long they last.

i also had them along with a fern in my emperor scorpion cage. they outlasted 3 ferns, and my scorpion =[...

---------- Post added 11-08-2011 at 02:33 PM ----------

but its normal for them to go raw and red looking like that? when my other tarantulas kicked off their hairs it was still brown.
 

Slevin

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jun 11, 2011
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53
i'm pretty sure that's just the color of the exoskeleton. when my stirmi's abdomen gets bald, it is the same color when she's not in premolt. then it will dull brown and eventually turn black. seems pretty normal to me.

stirmi's also routinely shed their urticating hair on the ground and in webbing they lay out. that's why the bald patch spread. i don't know for sure, but if she did have something akin to a raw rash, it wouldn't become red like human skin does.
 

twentyeggs

Arachnosquire
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Oct 13, 2011
Messages
113
ok, i didn't think spiders had hemoglobin.. but i've been wrong in the past.. some bug species do bleed "red" so i wanted to see if the tarantula does.. thanks for the replies! i can breathe easily now!!
 

synyster

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
532
Haemolymph is not red. The bald spot is normal but make sure the humidity levels are high enough, since I have only noticed the "reddish" color bald spot when kept under 80%.

Also, am I the only one here thinking that this is not Theraphosa stirmi? How big is it? If it's over 5", I'm pretty sure you don't have the right label on the species...
 

Philth

N.Y.H.C.
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Also, am I the only one here thinking that this is not Theraphosa stirmi? How big is it? If it's over 5", I'm pretty sure you don't have the right label on the species...
This kind of caught my attention too, as the petalla appear hairy. Although the front feet are pink/whiteish, witch is a stirmi trait. Since it still has the colored feet my guess is that it is not a large one, and in my expeirance the hair on the petalla is a bit confusing in juvies. At this size they are the hardest to tell apart. As well someone wouldn't get a blondi sold as a stirmi, it would be more likely to buy a blondi, and it end up being a stirmi.
Later, Tom
 

twentyeggs

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Messages
113
Haemolymph is not red. The bald spot is normal but make sure the humidity levels are high enough, since I have only noticed the "reddish" color bald spot when kept under 80%.

Also, am I the only one here thinking that this is not Theraphosa stirmi? How big is it? If it's over 5", I'm pretty sure you don't have the right label on the species...
the web site that i bought it from say that its a T. Stirmi. there is hair on the petella (which i know is weird), and the first four feet are pink. so it can't be a blondi? If her legs were stretched out all the way she would measure 4 inches across. its still very young.

the hair on the petalla is about half the length as the hair on the legs.

about the red patch, it was on the dry side of things this week, but i just got my fogger today, and so far the terrarium as been a constant 85-90% humidity. i am going to cut the ac timer back by 5 min per hour so i can dial it in at exactly 85% humidity will never be a problem again. what a great buy.
 

synyster

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
532
This kind of caught my attention too, as the petalla appear hairy. Although the front feet are pink/whiteish, witch is a stirmi trait. Since it still has the colored feet my guess is that it is not a large one, and in my expeirance the hair on the petalla is a bit confusing in juvies. At this size they are the hardest to tell apart. As well someone wouldn't get a blondi sold as a stirmi, it would be more likely to buy a blondi, and it end up being a stirmi.
Later, Tom
I know I would of been pretty astonished myself if it wasn't a stirmi. I did notice the pinkish feet, but the spider seemed larger. Pics can be confusing...

the web site that i bought it from say that its a T. Stirmi. there is hair on the petella (which i know is weird), and the first four feet are pink. so it can't be a blondi? If her legs were stretched out all the way she would measure 4 inches across. its still very young.

the hair on the petalla is about half the length as the hair on the legs.

about the red patch, it was on the dry side of things this week, but i just got my fogger today, and so far the terrarium as been a constant 85-90% humidity. i am going to cut the ac timer back by 5 min per hour so i can dial it in at exactly 85% humidity will never be a problem again. what a great buy.
Yeah well at 4 inches they do still have the traits of juvi's, exactly why I asked since I couldn't really determine by the pic. I have no experience with foggers, but I hope it'll do a good job ;)
 
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