Waterlogged Rosie???

Kinkyskink

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Hey guys, I have a quick question. So over the weekend the hero club I am a part of hosted a reptile expo. While I was there I had a guy "force" a free rose hair on me. I took it and after getting placed it in a nice set up with dry coco substate, a hide and a decent sized water bowl. The spider has not left the water bowl since then. So now 5 days later, I'm wondering why this desert spider is so thirsty. Her fangs and cheilera are dripping with water. I checked the spider over really well, she is very mellow, and she seems ok otherwise. The guy had her on sand which had clumped around her spinnerets when I first got her but I think that's unrelated. I will post some pics for you guys.
 

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Ultum4Spiderz

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clearly last owner must not have gave it enough water, I got a g rosea for free once and it never did this. Your T looks underfed also , congrats on rescuing it !
 

cold blood

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On sand:(, probably without a water dish, too. Seems like it was dehydrated, your water dish should fix things, she's obviously enjoying its presence.

With their low food requirements my guess is that it has recently molted (another reason it could be craving water)...as opposed to being under fed...its hard to underfeed the species, very easy to overfeed them, however.
 

Kinkyskink

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Ya. I originally said no to taking it but gave in once I saw her covered in sand and in a tiny deli. I'm glad I did now. She is really relaxed and keeps letting me pinch grab her to check her over once a day because I was worried about the water thing. I feel so bad for her. :(
 

Spinster

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Your rose sounds like the opposite to mine, if she's letting you pick her up! But with the water dish it was the same story. I just acquired mine at a reptile expo a few days ago. Not free, but still pretty cheap. I wasn't looking to buy a rose that day, but I was attracted by the fact that she was noisily gnawing at the lid of her deli cup, and she went straight into a threat pose when I picked up the cup to take a closer look at her.

I thought she might be male at first glance because her opisthosoma was so small. It looked a lot like your T in the pic. But as soon as I had her in her enclosure with a water dish, she did the exact same as yours and spent at least 15 minutes at the water. I could actually see her getting bigger as she drank. Now that she's had a feed (ran up the forceps and nearly got my hand!), she's even bigger.

When I acquired my LP girl (6") she did the same thing - right to the water dish and spent a lot of time drinking. She's captive bred, not wild caught like the roses. I've observed this in brachys as well. It seems to be common behaviour for arid T's which haven't had a water dish before. LP also runs for the dish every day as soon as I fill it. At least, I *think* it's the dish she's after...
 

SuzukiSwift

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Sand doesn't retain moisture nearly as well as dirt so it's likely she is just very dehydrated, good on you for rescuing her =) Has she eaten at all? The carapace is quite dark, it's possible she's in premoult now, might explain the excessive drinking
 

Kinkyskink

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That's a good question, she had a cricket in the deli she came in that I threw in with her in the enclosure I had and it was gone the next day. I offered her a meal worm as wel but she showed no interest so I just left it in there in case she changed her mind. I tong feed so she may just not be used to the tongs. Her colors are on the dull side so she could be due for a molt. The guy didn't give me much info on her, just needed her gone. I don't even know if it's for sure a girl. That's what she looks like to me ventrally but I am not great. I have always sexed by molt. The guy got it as a male originally. I don't see palps or hooks.
 

Beltane

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That's so great of you to take her get in. She looks dull and a bit small now but I bet she'll be beautiful after a molt. :)
 

Hobo

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It's female.

I'm also going to go with dehydrated.
Whether it is indeed dehydrated, or something else, you should be just leaving it be to recover and acclimate.
Avoid disturbing her for a while, and hopefully she'll bounce back.

Good luck
 

Kinkyskink

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Thanks for all the replies guys. These guys seem to be pretty resilient so I have no doubt she will come around (thanks for the sex Hobo). I'm gonna leave her be for a few days as suggested and maybe try a mealworm again next week.i will let you all know how she does. Maybe I will even get a molt some time soon. ;) haha. Probably wishful thinking.
 

Ghost Dragon

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Thanks for all the replies guys. These guys seem to be pretty resilient so I have no doubt she will come around (thanks for the sex Hobo). I'm gonna leave her be for a few days as suggested and maybe try a mealworm again next week.i will let you all know how she does. Maybe I will even get a molt some time soon. ;) haha. Probably wishful thinking.
Good on you for rescuing her, Kinky. I'd never buy a rosie, but I've rescued two (including my very first T, Itsy, 3 years ago) As most will tell you, they are very unpredictable when it comes to personality, but that's part of their charm too. Just keep piling the water to her, as much as she wants, and she'll be fine.

Good luck. :)
 

cold blood

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I would avoid leaving the worms in there, they can burrow out of sight quickly and become a problem later, long after they are forgotten.

I also don't see any reason for you to be pinch grabbing her daily. She'll be fine in due time, I don't think you have much to really worry about.
 

ratluvr76

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Thanks for all the replies guys. These guys seem to be pretty resilient so I have no doubt she will come around (thanks for the sex Hobo). ....

.... Sorry, couldn't resist .. lol.

On a serious note, congrats on your new girl. With a little tlc I'll bet she's going to be an awesome spider.
 

Kinkyskink

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If you look at the pic that is the close up of her mouth you will see some white specks that I were concerned were mites originally. I was punch grabbing her to remove them and monitor her for more. In hindsight it might have been left over sand or bonus.
 

Hanska

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Wow.. Punch grabbing seems a bit violent.
Sorry I couldn't resist either.
Anyway, as others said she'll be fine now that she gets proper care. I 'rescued' a B.smithi from a person that sold her spiders. Paid a bit for her but I had a hunch she wasn't cared for properly and didn't wan't to risk her getting sold to just someone willing to pay.
I was right. When she was brought to me I was told she was a bad eater and didn't seem to drink(yeah right). I've never seen a tarantula so dehydrated. I mean her abdomen was like a grape halfway into a raisin. I took her into the backroom(brought to me to my work) and gave her a waterdish and she drunk for an hour. The 'not eating' part blew off as I got her home, rehoused her and the next day gave her a cricket. I swear she jumped six inches to get that guy.

Now she's fine, in my livingroom, doing her spidy thing(mostly being in one place all the time) and she'll be cared for properly for the rest of her life.
 

Kinkyskink

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The ignorance of some of these people and pet store "experts" irritates me to no end, you need to do your own research before you buy it. This goes for any animal, as a vet tech I see ignorance in every shape and form and the only ones who pay for it are the animals. Anyways, end rant. So the rosie girl is doing much better, no longer hovering over the waterbowl (sucked it dry though) and much more active. Still a sweet girl too, she must know she is special and will be well taken care of. Never thought I would own a rosie, they never really appealed to me. I offered her a mealworm and she wanted nothing to do with it, typical. Thanks everyone for the input and help with this.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Pinch grabbing got me bitten once by A Anax, I no longer do this ! I learned my lessons.
 

cold blood

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. I offered her a mealworm and she wanted nothing to do with it, typical. Thanks everyone for the input and help with this.
Keep in mind the species can be very picky eaters. Mine will investigate a little, but wont eat worms of any kind, meal or super...even just following a molt when she's most ravenous.
 

Kinkyskink

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Ya. I know all about their hunger strikes and picky appetites. Im going to try crickets next.
 
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