My dead Avic.

gobey · Feb 17, 2015

Wow. I knew this was coming. But so soon!?

My A. avic. My 2nd tarantula. Practically my first as I got him 5 days after my G. porteri which was my first. Just died. And he only molted out MM maybe a month ago. Maybe a bit more.

I'm scratching my head how the heck this happened. He was always fed and watered. He lasted 7 months fine in my care. Ate ravenously after MM molt... Then just... Stopped... And now dead in his web.

He was special to me.

I needed to downsize my collection I think.... But not like this.

I was hoping to trade eventually!

I'm thinking temperature is a factor. I'm going to get a space heater today.

Poec54 · Feb 17, 2015

What were the room temps?

gobey · Feb 17, 2015

Poec54 said:
What were the room temps?

I've been struggling to keep the room above 60 with these winter storms. It's downstairs. The other Ts are doing ok. Even the slings. Molts are occurring ok even. I have the heat literally on full bore. No effect.

Time for a space heater indeed after this. It's my only guess. I mean an Avic should last around a year after a mature molt no?

miss moxie · Feb 17, 2015

Mmm, 60 seems really low-- to me anyway. But I know what you mean about the winter storms. It's absolutely brutal up here on the east coast isn't it?

I keep my Ts in my bedroom, heated to 75 at the lowest.

LythSalicaria · Feb 17, 2015

I've always been led to understand through discussions on the boards that excessive heat is far more dangerous to Ts than low temperatures. :? Don't they usually just slow down when exposed to cold?

Mind you, we are talking about a MM Tarantula here. This is just a theory I've cooked up based on the circumstances (quite possibly half-baked...I'm not a scientist), but maybe the low temps set off some instinctive "feeling" that mating season was over and that winter was coming, and that's what caused gobey's MM to give up the ghost. I seem to recall reading somewhere that mature males don't usually live through whatever passes for a cold season in their locality in the wild.

Either way, it seems like it's something to keep in mind when you've got mature males in your collection. Having a space heater on hand to keep temps at a minimum of 75 degrees certainly wouldn't hurt.

cold blood · Feb 17, 2015

LythSalicaria said:
I've always been led to understand through discussions on the boards that excessive heat is far more dangerous to Ts than low temperatures.

Excessively high temps would be like 110-115 for a t, not something most have to worry about as those temps are virtually uninhabitable by humans.

Cold will have an effect on more delicate t's as well as t's in more delicate situations, such as during a molt or possibly after a big meal where digestion could be hampered. Before I heated my room this year we had a cold front that surprised me, that night I lost a healthy 1.25" B. albiceps that had just eaten a big meal and a B. albo sling that molted in the cold. I was a day late with my heating application.

Its certainly been a cold month...its like 10 here...and we are getting a nasty cold front tomorrow...highs below zero...wind chills easily -20 or worse.

Goby, I'm glad you haven't had an issue with your slings yet. Prior to having slings I would regularly let my room cool to 60 or even into the 50's without issue...but that was adult Grammy's and a juvie Brachy. My room stays over 70 at all times from now on.

miss moxie · Feb 17, 2015

cold blood said:
Excessively high temps would be like 110-115 for a t, not something most have to worry about as those temps are virtually uninhabitable by humans.

Tell that to Australia.

lalberts9310 · Feb 17, 2015

miss moxie said:
Tell that to Australia.

We get temps like that in parts of SA as well.. in my area it sometimes reaches a high of 102 - 104 .. other parts of SA reaches even higher temps..

Sana · Feb 17, 2015

Heck we have visits from temps in the lower hundreds here as well. It's the most miserable thing that I experience annually. Even the weeks where it's below zero continuously are easier to endure.

awiec · Feb 17, 2015

Sana said:
Heck we have visits from temps in the lower hundreds here as well. It's the most miserable thing that I experience annually. Even the weeks where it's below zero continuously are easier to endure.

I'd much rather deal with the negative temps than anything over 85, does that make me a wimp? Yeah probably. As for the its very possible that the low temps rushed his demise or he was just one that had a very short life span.

gobey · Feb 17, 2015

cold blood said:
Excessively high temps would be like 110-115 for a t, not something most have to worry about as those temps are virtually uninhabitable by humans.

Cold will have an effect on more delicate t's as well as t's in more delicate situations, such as during a molt or possibly after a big meal where digestion could be hampered. Before I heated my room this year we had a cold front that surprised me, that night I lost a healthy 1.25" B. albiceps that had just eaten a big meal and a B. albo sling that molted in the cold. I was a day late with my heating application.

Its certainly been a cold month...its like 10 here...and we are getting a nasty cold front tomorrow...highs below zero...wind chills easily -20 or worse.

Goby, I'm glad you haven't had an issue with your slings yet. Prior to having slings I would regularly let my room cool to 60 or even into the 50's without issue...but that was adult Grammy's and a juvie Brachy. My room stays over 70 at all times from now on.

My slings are troopers Cold Blood,

I have 4 B. albos, 2 OBTs (good luck killing them), 2 H. macs, and 2 P. regalis.

They're all doing fine. Growth hasn't slown even though their appetites have seemed to decrease. Maybe the pokies slowed a bit. They're all closer to the heater though.

Poec54 · Feb 18, 2015

LythSalicaria said:
I've always been led to understand through discussions on the boards that excessive heat is far more dangerous to Ts than low temperatures. :? Don't they usually just slow down when exposed to cold?

Yes, slow down to a point. 60 for a low elevation tropical tarantula can be lethal. I've lost Lampropelma and Cyriopagopus this winter when my space heater died one night and temps hit 60. If the OP's "struggling to keep the room above 60" then he's going to have problems with some species.

Don't forget, the whole isn't the same temp. Cold air sinks and closer to the floor will be cooler, and it will be near windows and outside walls. I have 2 ceiling fans in my main spider room that I keep on when it's cold, in reverse mode, to keep the air circulating and avoid cold pockets. It also helps when it's cool/cold that the cages are drier. Both animals and plants suffer more from cold when the humidity's high and things are moist.

gobey · Feb 18, 2015

Poec54 said:
Yes, slow down to a point. 60 for a low elevation tropical tarantula can be lethal. I've lost Lampropelma and Cyriopagopus this winter when my space heater died one night and temps hit 60. If the OP's "struggling to keep the room above 60" then he's going to have problems with some species.

Don't forget, the whole isn't the same temp. Cold air sinks and closer to the floor will be cooler, and it will be near windows and outside walls. I have 2 ceiling fans in my main spider room that I keep on when it's cold, in reverse mode, to keep the air circulating and avoid cold pockets. It also helps when it's cool/cold that the cages are drier. Both animals and plants suffer more from cold when the humidity's high and things are moist.

Would that be your guess as to poor Avics early demise?

freedumbdclxvi · Feb 18, 2015

Temps could be a factor. However, I've had MM Avics die at less than two months past maturity while others live a year or more. Could just be genetic.

fuzzyavics72 · Feb 18, 2015

Last winter my whole collection stayed at 63 degrees all winter long and zero losses. Tarantula's are alot hardier than most people think.

Mature male's tend to be very sensitive to dry climates. My male's usually last approx. 14 months because I keep them so humid and I offer them alot of water. An old friend of my mine kept his mm irimina dry and he died a month after maturing. And I'm sorry for your loss.

Chad2008 · Feb 18, 2015

Lol. In texas, arizona, nevada and new mexico (few others around here.) the temps get up to 110 and will stay there for a month or more. Also OBT's, Poecis, and alt of other ow's live in area where its normal for the temps to get really low and the temps to sky rocket also. Avics not so much, They are used to very minimal temperature change in comparison to just about every ow. NW Terrestrials seem to be able to handle cold and hot much better than avics also

freedumbdclxvi · Feb 18, 2015

You realize most of those species burrow, avoiding most extremes and causing temperature and humidity fluctuations to be far less drastic, right?

gobey · Feb 18, 2015

freedumbdclxvi said:
Temps could be a factor. However, I've had MM Avics die at less than two months past maturity while others live a year or more. Could just be genetic.

Interesting to note. This indeed was less than 2 months after. Approximately 1 month after.

fuzzyavics72 said:
Last winter my whole collection stayed at 63 degrees all winter long and zero losses. Tarantula's are alot hardier than most people think.

Mature male's tend to be very sensitive to dry climates. My male's usually last approx. 14 months because I keep them so humid and I offer them alot of water. An old friend of my mine kept his mm irimina dry and he died a month after maturing. And I'm sorry for your loss.

The winter dries out the water dishes much quicker. And Avic had 2. Which dried the quickest. I was refilling his when I found him dead. His abdomen looked small. But not shriveled.

freedumbdclxvi said:
You realize most of those species burrow, avoiding most extremes and causing temperature and humidity fluctuations to be far less drastic, right?

My young adult female OBT used to be quite visible. She would hang halfway outside her hide often. And come out for walks, she originally tried to be arboreal even lol.

But right around November she started digging and building a little substrate fort around her hide. Now she's completely walled herself in and I never see her. I suspected maybe winter was part of this behavior. Or molting.

fuzzyavics72 · Feb 18, 2015

Oh I know. We've been having the worst winters here in Buffalo. I mist their enclosures often during the winter. To keep them humid. Most pokies are use to cold weather. I love how hardy pokies are!

---------- Post added 02-18-2015 at 11:59 AM ----------

To replace your male you should buy some Avic. Sp kwitara from me, if I produce a sac. These are one of the best avics! Just think, bright green and big. My girl's are WC and super docile. They don't shoot poop at you like avic avics

At least mine haven't.

Ghost Dragon · Feb 18, 2015

Very sorry for your loss, gobey. I lost my P. met sling just after Christmas, and my Euathlus sp. red sling a few weeks ago.

My dead Avic.

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