G. rosea on her back, twitching legs and curling

christinas · Oct 6, 2015

Hello everyone,

My G. rosea ate a couple days ago and seemed fine until yesterday. She is normally very docile but yesterday when I tried to pick her up she became very skittish and didn't want to be held (usually she is fine with it). So I let her be but today I found her lying on her back. I would think she is just molting;
however 1) she ate a couple days ago and 2) she is periodically twitching and curling up (even though on her back), bringing her feet to her mouth. What is going on with her?

I will appreciate any advice!

le-thomas · Oct 6, 2015

Could you post a picture/video?

BobGrill · Oct 6, 2015

Just so ya know G.rosea are not necessarily docile tarantulas. They can be very moody and temperamental, and that can change at any time.

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christinas · Oct 6, 2015

I am trying to figure out how to post a video (.mov file); I;'m new here. Is that not the proper file extension?

---------- Post added 10-06-2015 at 06:35 PM ----------

[YOUTUBE]iut5T4Utct0&feature=youtu.be[/YOUTUBE]

le-thomas · Oct 6, 2015

christinas said:
I am trying to figure out how to post a video (.mov file); I;'m new here. Is that not the proper file extension?

---------- Post added 10-06-2015 at 06:35 PM ----------

[YOUTUBE]iut5T4Utct0&feature=youtu.be[/YOUTUBE]

1). It looks very bad, and there is probably nothing you can do to help her. The best you can do is leave her be.

2). Bark substrate is a big no-no. Coco fiber is a much better (and cheaper, if I'm not mistaken) alternative.

MrsHaas · Oct 6, 2015

Did she just molt? Or did she flip onto her back for no reason? Looks like a short circuit... Same thing happen to one of my pedes, he just kept twitch for 36-48 hours constantly until he just stopped and was dead... I'm hoping yours will make it!

christinas · Oct 6, 2015

Thank you, she just flipped on her back today. No molting. I presume she is dying :-(

I didn't know bark substrate was bad, they recommended it in the pet store I got her from. But it shouldn't have killed her, no?

Thistles · Oct 6, 2015

I had something similar happen to a Ceratogyrus meridionalis female. She ate one night and the next morning I found her lying on her back like that twitching. I watered her by hand for close to a month after that although she showed no improvement, but when a Poecilotheria subfusca female began to show the same symptoms I euthanized both spiders. Neither of mine was in premolt prior to the weird twitching. I hope whatever is wrong with yours is different from whatever was wrong with mine.

Ethan4791 · Oct 6, 2015

What type of bark is it? If it is cedar it can kill tarantulas because of its insecticide properties.

le-thomas · Oct 6, 2015

Ethan4791 said:
What type of bark is it? If it is cedar it can kill tarantulas because of its insecticide properties.

Looks like fir bark to me, often sold as "repti bark" which, although not a good substrate for a variety of reasons, isn't prone to actually killing tarantulas.

christinas · Oct 6, 2015

@Thistles: That looks like exactly what is happening to mine. Do you have any theory as to what it could have been? I suppose your substrate was not bark.
@Ethan4791: I called the pet store just now and they said the bark was orchid.

Now my girl also has fluid coming out of her mouth so I presume death is close. I'm so sad, if I only knew for sure what I did wrong. This makes me not want to get
another spider again.

Also, I did not find this weird behavior documented anywhere online - all the sources just say a tarantula on the back is molting. It seems I'm not the only one who has had this unfortunate experience so I'm surprised there isn't a lot of info about this. i even thought it could be DKS but the symptoms seem a little different.

le-thomas · Oct 6, 2015

christinas said:
Also, I did not find this weird behavior documented anywhere online - all the sources just say a tarantula on the back is molting. It seems I'm not the only one who has had this unfortunate experience so I'm surprised there isn't a lot of info about this.

Many people just find their tarantula dead without witnessing what is going on; I believe that this type of thing probably happens with some consistency. The reason that every site says a tarantula on its back is molting is because it usually is, and it's always best to assume that a tarantula on its back is molting and to not disturb it.

Don't let this discourage you from getting another spider. You have no idea how old that spider may be or what its life (in the wild) was like before you purchased it; don't blame yourself.

BobGrill · Oct 6, 2015

christinas said:
@Thistles: That looks like exactly what is happening to mine. Do you have any theory as to what it could have been? I suppose your substrate was not bark.
@Ethan4791: I called the pet store just now and they said the bark was a mix of

Now my girl also has fluid coming out of her mouth so I presume death is close. I'm so sad, if I only knew for sure what I did wrong. This makes me not want to get
another spider again.

Also, I did not find this weird behavior documented anywhere online - all the sources just say a tarantula on the back is molting. It seems I'm not the only one who has had this unfortunate experience so I'm surprised there isn't a lot of info about this. i even thought it could be DKS but the symptoms seem a little different.

Taking advice from pet stores is usually a bad idea because half of the time they don't know what the heck they're talking about. Pet store employees usually aren't very knowledgeable about invertebrate care and are full of bad advice. As has been said, bark chips can be toxic and the pieces can be sharp so just imagine how uncomfortable that must be for an invertebrate to walk on. Do yourself a favor and in the future don't purchase your tarantula from a pet shop. Instead order online from a breeder who specializes in tarantulas. Some of these guys have been breeding and keeping tarantulas for years or even decades and know their stuff.

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christinas · Oct 6, 2015

So I figured since there is nothing else that can be done, I will try to put her in the ICU. I flipped her back upright and she's trying to walk but is constantly falling to her side, her legs just give in.
I will not purchase another animal from pet stores but it doesn't bring my girl back...

8Legs8Eyes · Oct 6, 2015

It seems like the OP's spider and that of another poster had these symptoms emerge after feeding... I wonder if perhaps it was a store-bought insect that carried something harmful for the tarantula?

BobGrill · Oct 6, 2015

christinas said:
So I figured since there is nothing else that can be done, I will try to put her in the ICU. I flipped her back upright and she's trying to walk but is constantly falling to her side, her legs just give in.
I will not purchase another animal from pet stores but it doesn't bring my girl back...

Well I'm sorry I can't bring your tarantula back. I'm just offering my advice... Sorry for your loss and best of luck to you.

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cold blood · Oct 6, 2015

What exactly was its last meal?

Ethan4791 · Oct 6, 2015

How long have you had it? Most pet store tarantulas are wild caught so it could have been carrying a parasite.

christinas · Oct 6, 2015

I gave her 6 medium/large (subadult) crickets about three days ago. She ate all of them, the last one probably two days ago? The symptoms first emerged yesterday.

I have also been thinking about the crickets having something to do with it. I have been buying from this pet store maybe 3-4 months and the spider was always in excellent
shape.

Update on her condition: I put her in an ICU,she's standing upright but whenever she tries to walk it's very wobbly and she invariably falls to the side or on her "knees".

I;m also wondering, is it possible she was just about to molt and I disturbed her and now she's incapable of completing the molt but can't walk in her old exoskeleton? But that doesn't explain the fluid from her mouth and the twitching, also she didn't look like she was in pre-molt due to the fact that she had just eaten.

---------- Post added 10-06-2015 at 09:26 PM ----------

@Ethan: I have had her for about 3 months now. It is possible she was a wild-caught specimen although she is fairly small even for a G. rosea (probably 4 inches) so I assumed she was under one year old. I thought wild caught ones are generally bigger/older.

MikeC · Oct 6, 2015

christinas said:
she is fairly small even for a G. rosea (probably 4 inches) so I assumed she was under one year old.

Due to their glacial growth rate, it was likely several years old at that point.

I'm very sorry to hear about your troubles! I wish you and your beastie the best.

G. rosea on her back, twitching legs and curling

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