P. Cambridgei in Death Curl...

NeyNey

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 13, 2006
Messages
42
This really sucks...My 6" P. Cambridgei is in what I think is a death curl...I am 90% sure that it is a male (I noticed boxing gloves a few weeks ago). I've had him since he was ~2" and he grew to 6" in about 2 years...He molted about 3-4 months ago and has been vibrant since...I transferred him to a larger tank last month but he hasn't webbed it up like usual yet...Last night (friday night) I came home from work to find him on his back, so I figured he was molting...I came back tonight after work and he was right side up again, in a half death curl...When I moved his tank to get a better look, he kinda moved and stretched his legs out, but he can't walk or stand properly. He hasn't eaten the past 2 times I offered crickets and he usually eats ravenously. The humidity is perfect and I just figured it was time for a molt...What the heck went wrong??? I put him in an ICU and I am hoping for the best...He is still alive, but its breaking my heart to see him struggle! I am going to post some pics later, but I don't want to bother him again tonight...

Does anybody have any ideas about what's going on?? I've never lost a T in a molt or to old age yet, so I don't really know what to look for...

Here is a pic of him last month in his glory!
 
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Aubrey Sidwell

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 6, 2005
Messages
362
If your spider matured out as a male then you should know it's a matter of time. Just like salmon, the males breed and then die. Males occasionally molt past their ultimate molt but it is atypical. I had a mature male P. irminia and we kept him as long as we could and then we finally fed him to a T. blondi. He has more than likely ran out of food stores, his abdomen is probably shrunken, and he walks like he is drunk because he has no more energy. If you have a larger spider I would just feed him to it for a good meal. If you are into doing things more humane, put him in the freezer. Either way he will die soon.
 

becca81

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 17, 2004
Messages
3,783
Looks like a mature male to me.

He got the "boxing gloves" at his last molt and his time is probably just about up. Males typically don't live too long after maturing.
 
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