Bleeding!

We bought a t blondi from a local pet store today. He is around 6 or 7 inches and was in a tiny tank that was very soggy. It looked like a nasty enclosure. The t blondi is impossible to find around here unless you order online so we decided to pick him up. We have other ts and spiders so we know how to care for them. This is a different story and I haven't found any solution or explanation yet. So maybe someone can help? We continued to examine him and see how he looked. Great color and size. We noticed a scar looking mark on his carapace. On the top. We asked the owner and he said he's always had it. They've had the t in the store for 2 months and we asked him to call the previous owner. He did that for us so it made us feel they were honest. But then again I feel like the t is better off with us because we will take care of it. Anyway we take him off the shelf and open the container. Examined some more and he has two little black marks that are there too. They tell us he's never been injured and he recently molted like that. I don't think that's true but I definitely wanted to take him home. We bought him and a few hours later made it home. There was no bleeding in the store and the whole time going home. But once we arrived home he started leaking. We hurried and got him into his new enclosure, a 20 gallon tank, and he started to panic. He ran around and made himself bleed more and more. I have no idea what happened to him. Maybe from the shipping to the store? It looks like his carapace separated right after the eyes and before the natural molt point. If you see what I'm saying. It's hard to explain. So any help? Thanks much.

It is a Theraphosa stirmi (Burgundy Goliath Birdeater Tarantula). I hope you did not pay a lot. Theraphosa blondi are extremely rare in the U.S. and very expensive. This can happen if this species molts in a very dry enclosure. I am not saying that is what happened but this damage is consistent with a dry enclosure during a molt. This species needs high humidity. If the coir in your enclosure is not moist, I would moisten it and provide a water dish. Also limit your ventilation somewhat so the coir states moist for an extended period of time. Put some corn starch on the leaking areas asap. Is it the pictures or were some of the legs also damaged during the last molt? They look malformed...maybe slightly twisted?

Thanks for the reply. Thought he may be a stirmi. Still great non the less. I know nothing about his previous molt unfortunately. He molted in the store. I applied the corn starch and it seems to be okay. Don't know how long it will hold up. If you see his carapace sits like it's leaning down on one side and it's cracked on both sides. Tiny crack on the left huge on the right. What should I do? Apply new skin liquid bandage? Do you think he has a good chance of living? He was bleeding a lot earlier. We wet his substrate with just enough to make it lightly damp. He's got a water dish. Anything else I need to do? Cover the screen top some you think?

nhandms said:

Thanks for the reply. Thought he may be a stirmi. Still great non the less. I know nothing about his previous molt unfortunately. He molted in the store. I applied the corn starch and it seems to be okay. Don't know how long it will hold up. If you see his carapace sits like it's leaning down on one side and it's cracked on both sides. Tiny crack on the left huge on the right. What should I do? Apply new skin liquid bandage? Do you think he has a good chance of living? He was bleeding a lot earlier. We wet his substrate with just enough to make it lightly damp. He's got a water dish. Anything else I need to do? Cover the screen top some you think?

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I am not sure about the new skin liquid bandage. I have only used corn starch and super glue. If the fluid loss has stopped with the corn starch that is a good sign. You may need to reapply more corn starch. Maybe others will reply about the new skin liquid bandage. I would cover the screen top up 80% so you do not have to moisten the coir so often but if you do not cover the top you can just make sure the coir is always moist. What about the legs? Are they malformed? At 7 inches you probably have a female but it is always possible that it is a male and will molt out as such. I would think that if you are diligent in getting the fluid to stop and keep the humidity up she should be fine and have a successful future molt. She is a beautiful spider. I have a few. Good luck

If the corn starch doesn't work for a couple of days should I put her in the icu and apply super glue? Will the females molt out of this? I want to say the store told me she molted with that cut there. Though they said it was a scar. I just don't want her to die on me already lol. Thanks for your replies.

Here is a picture of her earlier and a picture of her now. Sorry for the corn starch all over her. She's being cooperative it's just hard to not get it everywhere while dealing with a t. Ive never seen anything like this. It's scary. I think it's going to bleed forever. The starch only works so long!!

Pinch grab? With my hands?! Lol. This beast?! I have a small paint brush do you think that would work? And the corn starch do I clean it out first? Sorry for all of the questions. None of my ts have been hurt before.

Super glue looks to be the only way, thats a bad crack and in a really bad spot, jeez what a mess this T is turning out to be, you might want to hurry it up because thats a life threatening break.

I would wait to see if the corn starch works. If not, yes you will need to get most of the corn starch off and then attempt to apply super glue.

If she is still leaking in 20- 30 minutes you might want to super glue her. You do not want her to lose too much internal fluid. Good luck.

I used to be afraid of spiders and then I adopted my rose hair and fell in love with him lol. I hold him from time to time. But just got this girl and not sure how friendly she is lol. And thanks for the info. If you ever hear anything else like this let me know. I cannot even imagine how this happened and that's what I want to know now lol. Thanks!

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jigalojey said:

Super glue looks to be the only way, thats a bad crack and in a really bad spot, jeez what a mess this T is turning out to be, you might want to hurry it up because thats a life threatening break.

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Thanks for the reply. I will surely get on that if it doesn't stop! I adopt animals to take care of them so I gotta do my job lol

---------- Post added 10-29-2014 at 10:31 PM ----------

And does super glue not affect their blood stream? Is there a certain kind? I'm not exactly sure how big or deep this crack is but it looks bad. The carapace, to me, looks like it's swollen up more. :/
But the blood isn't oozing anymore. The outside of the cut is just wet mixed with starch lol.

nhandms said:

I used to be afraid of spiders and then I adopted my rose hair and fell in love with him lol. I hold him from time to time. But just got this girl and not sure how friendly she is lol. And thanks for the info. If you ever hear anything else like this let me know. I cannot even imagine how this happened and that's what I want to know now lol. Thanks!

---------- Post added 10-29-2014 at 10:28 PM ----------




Thanks for the reply. I will surely get on that if it doesn't stop! I adopt animals to take care of them so I gotta do my job lol

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If I remember correctly Jon3800 (on youtube) had a molt issue just like this. The T was eventually fine but had an ugly looking cephalothorax (prosoma) until its next molt.

nhandms said:

I used to be afraid of spiders and then I adopted my rose hair and fell in love with him lol. I hold him from time to time. But just got this girl and not sure how friendly she is lol. And thanks for the info. If you ever hear anything else like this let me know. I cannot even imagine how this happened and that's what I want to know now lol. Thanks!

---------- Post added 10-29-2014 at 10:28 PM ----------




Thanks for the reply. I will surely get on that if it doesn't stop! I adopt animals to take care of them so I gotta do my job lol

---------- Post added 10-29-2014 at 10:31 PM ----------

And does super glue not affect their blood stream? Is there a certain kind? I'm not exactly sure how big or deep this crack is but it looks bad. The carapace, to me, looks like it's swollen up more. :/
But the blood isn't oozing anymore. The outside of the cut is just wet mixed with starch lol.

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ive never used newskin but had a friend that did the super glue type duznt matter your not putting a ton on her.. think first coat of paint if youvd ever spraypainted something as the fumes from a huge glop could.b detrimental. Use the glue or.newskin whatever just do it befors.she bleeds.out.good luck

I used a technique once with one of my mean T's that had a few mites on her head, the technique was rapping a rubber band around the end of a pair of tweezers and then pinning her to the floor with it and brushed them off, worked really well.

nhandms said:

If the corn starch doesn't work for a couple of days should I put her in the icu and apply super glue? Will the females molt out of this? I want to say the store told me she molted with that cut there. Though they said it was a scar. I just don't want her to die on me already lol. Thanks for your replies.

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As plump as it is I highly doubt it molted recently. Because of where the damage is, I would not pinch grab, could cause even more damage, we just don't know how bad or how brittle it actually is and I wouldn't take the chance.

I also wouldn't move it to an ICU, a proper Theraposa enclosure is damp and practically an ICU already...It would also be a risk just moving it again, you don't need it racing around or spooking. What you need is to watch it for bleeding, but basically leave it alone in a dark quiet place so it can just feel comfortable and still. I would not give it any reason to move more than it already will. It needs a molt, hopefully the next one will fix the issues if it was caused by a dry enclosure molt.

I don't have Theraposa, but as plump as it is, I'd keep it well hydrated (properly damp sub and a nice water dish) and slow if not stop the feedings, it doesn't need the added pressure of getting any fatter.

Thanks for all of the replies. Update for this morning. T stirmi is still in the same spot as last night. Not curled, just sitting where she was before. The cornstarch seemed to work. No leaking but the crack is still there. We are going to work and hopefully nothing bad happens to her. Going to drop a cricket in to see if she might need to eat. (also the guy who owned this t before the store was named John so maybe it's his t) lol thank you guys much

My husband just checked on her and we are trying to get pics but it's hard cause she's mean right now. And huge! So taking pics outside the enclosure... White marks underneath and joints may be wet. I'm not sure. It's HARD to tell so I might be making it worse than it is. But in these pics you can see the carapace is lifted. I'm starting to think external bleeding... Look at the first up close pics I posted. His head is leaking from the normal brown spots in her head. Thanks for the help!

Underside looks dry as a bone to me.

I think the cage is damp enough if I put more water it'll be muddy. He's got a water dish that's full and I just put a cricket in there. She decided to get out of her threat pose and dig into her cave. Which I guess is good since that's the first time she went in. I'm hoping she doesnt hide forever in case the bleeding starts.

Here she is lol

Jig was saying the underside of the t looks dry, he was directly responding to your "white marks underneath and joints may be wet" comment, not the substrate. As I already said, its best to leave it be, this last bout of interaction is exactly what I was warning against. The less is moves, the better...and I don't think food is of importance at the moment, there's bigger things going on.

"I'm starting to think external bleeding"

Starting to think? External bleeding was noted on the original post and was the reason for the corn starch, how is it that you just now started to think external bleeding?? Its not a matter of "thinking", external bleeding and a crack in the carapace are the only things we do know for sure. Heck, its the title of the thread.