Escaped B.Smithi, help??

TarantulaObsession · Feb 5, 2015

So, my B.Smithi is only a little over two years old and my little brother adores her. He absolutely loves holding her and he's extremely gentle. He'd never do anything to purposely hurt her, but today, thirty minutes after I left for work, he decided he was going to break the rules and hold her without someone there to supervise. He says he's done this many times but this time, he forgot to put the lid on her enclosure and she got out. Now, six hours later, he decides to tell me she's missing. How do I go about finding her?? I searched my room very thoroughly but there's still a chance that she's in there. I know to leave a shallow water dish in there but even when she has a dish in her enclosure, she never uses it and she just ate earlier today.
Any advise would be great.

Storm76 · Feb 5, 2015

Not much you can do. Even a terrestrial like a B. smithi will try to climb sometimes, so I'd check bookshelves, behind and below furniture, in the curtains...you get the idea. A spider will settle down in a dark, tight spot where they'll feel secure. Best bet would be to check after dark in there...good luck. Hope you find the T.

Rowdy Hotel · Feb 5, 2015

It could hole itself up in some secluded spot for weeks and then one day you'll just see her out for a stroll. In the meantime, look anywhere and everywhere, high and low.

TarantulaObsession · Feb 5, 2015

Rowdy Hotel said:
It could hole itself up in some secluded spot for weeks and then one day you'll just see her out for a stroll. In the meantime, look anywhere and everywhere, high and low.

Ughh, I can't play the waiting game... Would it be a bad idea to remove everything from my room to find her?

Angel Minkov · Feb 5, 2015

No. If you dont find her then at least youll narrow down possible hiding places.

Rowdy Hotel · Feb 5, 2015

Well just because she isn't in one spot one day doesn't mean she won't be there the next. Wish I could give you helpful suggestions about finding tarantulas based on my experiences looking for them but to be honest, I just did a lot of searching and giving up only to have them turn up months later. Perhaps you can find some solace in knowing it will probably survive until you find it or it finds you like all of my escapees have.

T0NY117900 · Feb 5, 2015

Ya... That's unfortunate. This reminds me about -3 years ago. I was admiring my b.smithi, before school in my room, when I had to leave in a hurry and I returned to find the enclosure open...but she was snug in there. Gave me a heart attack... I don't even look away from any of my T's when cage is open. Not even to grab a cricket.

But as far as advise for finding a escape T... Short of vary literally moving EVERYTHING in your house, it could have gone in the vents... And unfortunately probably did. So all I can say is... Literally moving everything in your house is your best bet. And also look around at night to, that's when most T'S are most active. And keep Windows/doors closed. And if you can help it keep the thermastat 70-75 and hope she wanders out.

And place large bowls around with a good amount of substrate and hides. If she wanders apon it, she might find it suitable place to settle in...

But don't give up for a good while, there quite hardy and can go a LONG time without food.

Good luck, hope you find her. Keep us posted

horanjp · Feb 5, 2015

Storm76 said:
Not much you can do. Even a terrestrial like a B. smithi will try to climb sometimes, so I'd check bookshelves, behind and below furniture, in the curtains...you get the idea. A spider will settle down in a dark, tight spot where they'll feel secure. Best bet would be to check after dark in there...good luck. Hope you find the T.

Nuff said. I lost a juvie female albiceps for 4 days once....walked up to me from the laundry room as i was going to the bathroom at 2AM. The longer/more often you look, the more likely you'll find it. They can go literally everywhere. Good luck! I have faith, escapes usually end well if you close off routes of escape.

TarantulaObsession · Feb 5, 2015

Thank you for all the advise. Dylan feels awful about this and I need to find her ASAP.
There's about a half inch opening under my bedroom door and I'm afraid she may have gotten under it. If she did, I have three cats and five dogs that could easily find her before I do. I moved a few things last night but made no progress on finding her in my room. I'll continue to look and move shit more today. Again thank you all and I'll keep y'all posted.

cold blood · Feb 5, 2015

AlanaMarie said:
I have three cats and five dogs that could easily find her before I do.

I'd be shocked if they didn't already find and dispatch it, especially the cats. Get a locking lid next time and don't share the key. If you find it before the cats do, go out and buy yourself a lottery ticket, cause you're on a roll. Your animals will literally hear the spider walk on a hard surface from the other side of the house...even if you're in a mansion.

Bad Dylan!

Neoza · Feb 5, 2015

Make sure you secure the room so she cant get in an other room! And when you want to replace everything be very carefull, wbecaise when you move something where she is you can kill her accidentily!!

Sana · Feb 5, 2015

I have had one tarantula of mine escape since I've kept them. It was a barely 1" G. pulchripes and my own fault. The best advice that we received while searching was the for the most part NW terrestrials don't take long walks. The most likely place to find one is hiding in a dark, quiet spot that would resemble a burrow or a hide to the spider. We took every item and stick of furniture out of the room one piece at a time after searching every surface of it (top, bottom, sides, shelves, inside drawers after removing all items carefully). We started nearest the door and worked into the room so that the area close to the door was clear and easy to see in case he tried to make a dash when something moved. Remember to check dark corners in closets and inside heat vents if your house has them. That was where we eventually found my little boy. Once you finish a room, put a towel in the gap under the door to hinder the tarantula's return to somewhere that you've already cleared out once. Good luck!

TsunamiSpike · Feb 5, 2015

One of the many reasons handling is advised against. Best thing to do is check the dark, dry and warmer places. And cut out the handling., not necessary.

Tarantula Fangs · Feb 5, 2015

There was a post last week, I believe, where a tarantula went missing and wound up in someone's laundry, the T didn't make it, sad to say, so be sure to check your laundry very thoroughly. Also, if you have a day off I'd stay up really late, it's more likely to go roaming around at night so have a flashlight ready. I would check under the bed, inside your closet, in your clothes, in your shoes, check behind, in, or under your furniture. I would also start a room to room search. Good luck, what a bad situation.

LythSalicaria · Feb 5, 2015

Thoroughly check any footwear that's laying around your house - I find house centipedes and orb weavers living in my shoes all the time. It makes sense that a T would find them to be suitable living quarters as well.

Aside from that, as others have said, check behind/underneath all furniture and carefully dig through any laundry. Also, this might sound a little morbid and disgusting, but keep an eye on your dogs and cats bowel movements if possible. Watch out for remnants of exoskeleton in their feces - that way if your T has had the misfortune to run into them, at least you'll know about it.

Good luck...I hope you find your T alive and well.

Ellenantula · Feb 5, 2015

LythSalicaria said:
Also, this might sound a little morbid and disgusting, but keep an eye on your dogs and cats bowel movements if possible. Watch out for remnants of exoskeleton in their feces - that way if your T has had the misfortune to run into them, at least you'll know about it.

Disgusting but an excellent idea. Sometimes you just "need to know" even if the answer isn't a happy, safe T just hiding out safely. I am one of those "I need to know the truth" even if I don't like it. I'd rather find a pet dead than missing and never know what happened.

arach619 · Feb 5, 2015

If your smithi really is only 2 years old it's going to be pretty hard finding something that small. From experience, tarantulas seldom travel that far from where they've escaped. They'll usually find the closest hiding spot and stay there. We had our A. metallica escape out of a new enclosure and go missing for 2 weeks only to find it hiding in our little trash bin that was about 6 feet away. (We were taking out the trash ahhh)

cold blood · Feb 5, 2015

arach619 said:
If your smithi really is only 2 years old....From experience, tarantulas seldom travel that far from where they've escaped.

Yeah, 2 years old tells us nothing about the size of the t, I wonder what its size actually is.

My experience was different. I had one escape, it was a G. porteri that's generally about as active as a baked potato. I came home late and leaned a bunch of fishing rods in the corner next to the tank and they fell, bumping the top slightly. I figured the same. It had to have stayed in the t room, its the warmest, with the most hiding places in my place. Nope, she made her way all the way across the apartment and into the bathroom, where the floor is always cold, and crawled under a door and set up in the back corner of an empty closet in the cold floor...literally the last place I would have expected to find her. Ya just never can tell, and if its actually 2 years old, its probably small enough to fit into and through just about any crevice.

TarantulaObsession · Feb 6, 2015

I'm hoping that the photo will actually show up. Anyways, clearly the B.Smithi is the smallest one. The other three are my G. Roseas, the two infront of her are both mature. (So y'all know the actual size of her.)

---------- Post added 02-06-2015 at 12:51 PM ----------

And thank you all for the replies. I'm still looking for her but I have an idea of where she may be. There is a bookcase not even a foot away from her enclosure and the behind the bookcase, there is an opening to get under it and every other side is blocked off but It's extremely heavy and I can't move it by myself so, I'm hoping that my older bro will help me. I had no idea that she wouldn't wander far, I've been checking every inch of my house thinking she may have gotten down stairs but now, thanks to that little piece of info, I realize that It's pretty unlikely. I'll thoroughly check my room once more including under the bookcase and then I will move on to the other sections of my house.

Another photo of her in my hand.

brezo · Feb 7, 2015

If you put them so close(pic 1), wont they eat each other? o.o ?

Escaped B.Smithi, help??

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