OBT Escape Saga continued...

[greenfiremajick]

I always find my escaped snakes in the bookshelf amongst the books...Admittedly, a T is a not a snake but..............


T

Ok... have checked the upstairs pretty well... no spider.

Honestly, I don't even expect to find it by looking, but obviously need to try relentlessly for a while.

And dogdammit, the kids have way too many toy spiders. And at least 2 orange ones. On the positive side, the escapee was the largest from the communal project, so I am hoping it's a male that is going to mature and die very quickly.

Now I will empty out all the kitchen cupboards, just in case.
I much prefer looking for them in the rainforest, I have decided with absolute certainty.

 

[Sheri]

I always find my escaped snakes in the bookshelf amongst the books...Admittedly, a T is a not a snake but..............


T

Well, between tonight and tomorrow I hope to have all my shelves totally cleared and the contents packed in boxes which should at least make future searches easier.

I am really hoping I find it stuck to something by morning though. Really, really hoping.

 

[Garrick]

Well hot damn!

I just discovered I killed "the hobby" about 10 times over the years! And my mom said I wouldn't amount to much. . . ;P

Seriously, don't sweat the loss of your P. murinus. They're so resilient. . .I recently found a juvenile living in my edger. . .its nice web and the molt wedged between the fuel container and the carb let me know it had been in there at least since the last time I edged. That's a testament to not only how infrequently I do yardwork, but how tough they are (and I guess how many times I've been a bad, bad boy to the hobby of cricketeering too (are crickets domestic or exotic, though?). . .the spider was very well-fed).
Poor thing was lucky the carb was sputtering- it may have had a hot, jiggly trip around the yard if I didn't take the fuel off.
Unless you're super clean, never spill a drop of water, dry the sink after you brush, don't have a single silverfish or roach in your walls, and have a fetish for indoor foggers, that thing's gonna be fine and will make a nice, easy to spot web in a cozy, quiet place soon enough.

Garrick, who has been bit by many tarantulas, has had many scurry away, and who has been horrible, just horrible for "the hobby"
eight

 

[MilkmanWes]

Becca suggested a heat source and that seems good. Never had to find an escapee, but the plan I have formulated from other accounts is a warm red bulb in a desk lamp over a sticky trap with the ac cranking (or heat off given time of year). Of course there are other warm cozy places, like behind the fridge or whatnot, but perhaps it would do the trick. I have heard this is great for finding snakes and reptiles as well (minus sticky trap).

And Kid Dragon, haven't you read enough on these boards to know there are just some people you don't fence with verbally around here? I mean really.....

 

[Nerri1029]

Maybe use a Papertowel tube WITH the heating pads.. so the T will want to hang out and hide.. like mine always do..

and once again.. good luck

 

[Sheri]

Ok, I have two reptile heating pads that I have not opened yet.

The kind that stick to the side of a tank.
Now... should I just plug them in and let them rest on the floor? No fire risk to leave the adhesive on or not have it attached to glass? And then the sticky tape around it, right?

I tend to get super paranoid about fire risks and such, so I need to know explicitly how to do this.

I have set up two sticky traps so far, one between a cupboard and the fridge, towards the back wall, and one behind the TV close to the shelf where it went missing. As well I have sticky taped around 3 of the heating/cooling registers on the floor, and totally taped the doorway to the kids room as well as some random spots in their room to ease my paranoia.

Here are the pics of the door frame. Its going to be another long night, I think.

 

[Arlius]

Wow, if the spider was already in your kids room that would really suck, soooo many places to hide
Can see why all the sticky tape. Neat room though, nice decorating, wish I had a room like that when I was a kid.
You should place a small lil dish of water on top of the heating pad surrounded by sticky pads, and put a KK with the male crickets surround by sticky pads right beside it, might help more? I dunno, sucks when you get an escapee...
BTW, as far as fumigation goes... if a deadly or at least dangerous species were to escape on anyone, professional fumigation is guarenteed. Bombs work with about 90 to 95% accuracy, when used properly. (90-95% chance of complete fumigation)

 

[arachnoguy]

the adhesive on the heat pad is not a fire risk nor should the tape around it be. in my experience i have found almost all of my escaped t's in shoes or drawers that were slightly ajar. i have a p. murinus that got loose about a month ago and yesterday i was getting ready to leave the house and grabbed my boots and dumped them out into my bath tub and out came the escapee . good luck in finding your fugitive sheri

 

[Sheri]

Thanks - but the heat pad - I can leave it on the floor, without taking the piece of paper off that covers the adhesive?

Ahhh nevermind, just saw the post above me! Thanks!

 

[Arlius]

Or you could take the piece of paper off and leave it adhesive side up, and sorta have a big heated sticky pad. Still put the sticky pads around, as the heat pads aint that sticky...

 

[Sheri]

Thanks, I might do that. I think I will set up the second in the basement...
The other thing I was wondering, I mean, how long are you in active seeking mode like this? When do you taper off a search? I can't keep this up every night... I mean, I guess once you mentally settle with the idea, or convince yourself it must be dead. But that just doesn't jive with my personality. I can see this whole house stripped down and covered in double sided tape before long! Wearing my rainforest headlight at night time, patrolling the house, and releasing house geckos to be my little soldiers...

Ok, getting late it is. Back to taping. I am sure my oldest will have memories of this incident and tell it to his friends for years.

"You think your mom is weird????"

 

[kellygirl]

I know tarantula breeders that have huge inventories that have NEVER been bit, and NEVER had an escape in over a decade.

Hmm, I'm wondering who these breeders are with "huge inventories" because it seems to me that most breeders/dealers and even most hobbyists have had at least one, if not several critters escape. It's just something that happens.

Check out this thread Sheri (ironically) started in April.

I've had Haplopelma lividum and Cyriopagopus schioedtei spiderlings escape from me during unpacking--they are just quick little buggers! I eventually found both of them (lividum in the same day, schioedtei within 2 or 3 days), thankfully. I've had lots of other tarantulas run away from me but not to the point where I couldn't find them within a few minutes, so I don't count those as "escapes."

The fact of the matter is that there are a ton of risks that we take in keeping animals. There are a ton of risks in almost everything people do. There's hardly any point in shaking fingers at people for being HUMAN. Sheri is not irresponsible or careless with her animals or her children, as was so rudely implied. Everyone here knows that except, apparently, one person. But hey, I'm thinking she'll survive without the stamp of approval from one random fanatic.

Sheri, I hope you find that spider for everyone's sake but mostly for yours, since you are obviously stressed about it. Hopefully it will turn up quickly. My first thought is for you to double check the original spot where it escaped--maybe it just hid really well. I guess I don't think of P. murinus as being a wanderer... too skittish. I bet it just found a really good hole and is hanging out. Best of luck!

-Kelly

 

[Sheri]

Thanks Kelly... I will indeed pull out the shelves right now, and tape with such a vengence that even a president would envy.

I will of course, keep everyone posted in my OCD way which has kicked in hardcore.

 

[kellygirl]

I will of course, keep everyone posted in my OCD way which has kicked in hardcore.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect your children, Sheri. You obviously don't want them to feel the same pain that you did, which would be a completely natural motherly instinct. You're doing the best you can under the circumstances and we're all hoping you find that critter soon. Good luck--and SLEEP!

-Kelly

 

[Sheri]

Holy crap, I know where it is.

Just under a baseboard, by where the shelf is.

But to get it out... should I bait with sticky tape? Because if I try and brush it out with a wire it could just retreat and I might not find it again...
Should I just give it a good shot of spider spray?

Quick please, what do you think is best?

 

[kellygirl]

Yikes, that's a really tough one. Can you block the exits in the room? Are you afraid it is going to retreat back under the floorboard or out into the room?

-Kelly

 

[Sheri]

Ok, here is how it is situated. Right now, there is a heat pad with a sticky trap nearby, but I am afraid of spooking it further into retreat and not locating it again if I disturb it and do NOT catch it.

 

[midianholic]

Holy crap, I know where it is.

Just under a baseboard, by where the shelf is.

But to get it out... should I bait with sticky tape? Because if I try and brush it out with a wire it could just retreat and I might not find it again...
Should I just give it a good shot of spider spray?

Quick please, what do you think is best?

Obviously you do not want to hit it with the spider spray if you do not have to but personally, if I was in your situation, that is exactly what I would do given the stress and anxiety it has caused you over the last couple of days.

 

[kellygirl]

Hm, that is tough... what is directly to the left of the picture? I'm assuming the shelf is to the right? How far back does the crevice go?

-Kelly

 

[Arlius]

Try and quickly block off escape with sticky tape, can make large area, just as long as it can go beyond the border. Just do it quick. Once done, try and capture camly, have a towel, a bowl, and some long skinny poker on hand. Best of luck!

Edit: Chase from right to left, dont want it going in the corner! use something large enough to block off going past it, but small enough it can fit under base boards.