- Joined
- Jul 12, 2003
- Messages
- 2,837
Every now and then, I have seen the topic arise on the boards, and never really seen the full scope of this strange occurrence checked, To see who wide spread; what species, and what areas are Effected, A recent thread made by one of my over seas counter parts Did a small bit of elaboration to this strange occurrence when some of his/her specimens passed away. He/she had the opportunity to dissect his specimens and was able to locate a few odd Black masses that had developed within the abdominal space of the tarantula itself.
Little is known what the cause of cysts are, And I was able to find a group who was actually looking more in depth at our spiders and what ails them- an Australian museum
http://museumvictoria.com.au/about/media-centre/news/august-2011/bugs-in-the-surgery-literally11/
I was hoping we as a community to band together as we have in DKS to help solve this ailment.
I ask that those with information or groups who are preforming studies to place ways of contact here; and keepers who hae tarantulas with such defects as cysts, to post a quick survey about the affected spider. and any treatment used/ to what effect.
[this thread is a copy of the DKS one we already have in place.]
1) Temperature range.
2) Humidity range.
3) Was a clean water bowl available at all times?(Yes/No)
4) Feeder item background information(Species and what the food items ate/drank).
5) When did the first signs of any Cyst/lesion/growth appear?
6) Did the specimen ever recover?
7) If it recovered, did it ever show signs of another occurrence of Cyst/lesion/growth
8) If the specimen died while still displaying signs of cyst/lesion/growth, How long after the first signs did it live until passing?
9) Where sibling/parents of the affected spider in you care? Did they show similar symptoms?
10) Prior to the specimen displaying any signs of il health, was there any major changes to its environment/spider room/care?
11) Where there any pesticides spray in or around your home?
12) Do you own any cats or dogs?
13) If the specimen recovered, please provide info on how the care regimen was changed or what was done to aid recovery.
Further, if you have any photos of the specimen, or of the specimens disection, feel free to post them; The museum currently running the study/experiment can be contacted at
Museum Victoria Public Relations contact:
Lynnette Foo, 8341 7726 / 0403 296 647 lfoo@museum.vic.gov.au
Little is known what the cause of cysts are, And I was able to find a group who was actually looking more in depth at our spiders and what ails them- an Australian museum
http://museumvictoria.com.au/about/media-centre/news/august-2011/bugs-in-the-surgery-literally11/
I was hoping we as a community to band together as we have in DKS to help solve this ailment.
I ask that those with information or groups who are preforming studies to place ways of contact here; and keepers who hae tarantulas with such defects as cysts, to post a quick survey about the affected spider. and any treatment used/ to what effect.
[this thread is a copy of the DKS one we already have in place.]
1) Temperature range.
2) Humidity range.
3) Was a clean water bowl available at all times?(Yes/No)
4) Feeder item background information(Species and what the food items ate/drank).
5) When did the first signs of any Cyst/lesion/growth appear?
6) Did the specimen ever recover?
7) If it recovered, did it ever show signs of another occurrence of Cyst/lesion/growth
8) If the specimen died while still displaying signs of cyst/lesion/growth, How long after the first signs did it live until passing?
9) Where sibling/parents of the affected spider in you care? Did they show similar symptoms?
10) Prior to the specimen displaying any signs of il health, was there any major changes to its environment/spider room/care?
11) Where there any pesticides spray in or around your home?
12) Do you own any cats or dogs?
13) If the specimen recovered, please provide info on how the care regimen was changed or what was done to aid recovery.
Further, if you have any photos of the specimen, or of the specimens disection, feel free to post them; The museum currently running the study/experiment can be contacted at
Museum Victoria Public Relations contact:
Lynnette Foo, 8341 7726 / 0403 296 647 lfoo@museum.vic.gov.au