# I think Berk is dying :/



## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

So after not seeing Berk for over a week, I decided to pull his tank apart, and found him like this;










I very carefully moved him into this tub after finding him like this, and put a small waterbowl / sponge in there. He is alive as he twitches his legs, occasionally drawing them in slowly. It looks like he's eaten a chunk of eco earth looking at the pic?!

Is there anything I can do to help him? If he's just moulting I'm going to feel like an idiot...


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## SublimeSparo (May 1, 2013)

wow, I never thought I'd feel sorry for a spider, hope he's ok


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

SublimeSparo said:


> wow, I never thought I'd feel sorry for a spider, hope he's ok


I've grown quite attached to the little chap, despite being a bit of an arachnophobe - I do hope he'll be ok.


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## SublimeSparo (May 1, 2013)

maybe try and use some tweezers or something and pull the eco earth strands away, other than that i don't know anything about spiders, arachnophobia :censor: lol.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

SublimeSparo said:


> maybe try and use some tweezers or something and pull the eco earth strands away, other than that i don't know anything about spiders, arachnophobia :censor: lol.


I did try with my feeding tongs, but I just end up lifting him up - he's clamped down on it pretty hard and I dont want to damage him by pulling.


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## jadeyydoe (Apr 27, 2009)

I have no idea what to suggest, I honestly don't even know the difference between moulting and dying, honestly thought my own spiders moult was her dead body the other week so no help there.

but I honestly hope hes okay 
big hugs for you


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

jadeyydoe said:


> I have no idea what to suggest, I honestly don't even know the difference between moulting and dying, honestly thought my own spiders moult was her dead body the other week so no help there.
> 
> but I honestly hope hes okay
> big hugs for you


moulting- on its back, legs stretched out.
dying- legs curled in, right way up, or rarely, on its back.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

This is just a guess...

It could have been thirsty, and been trying desperately to drink from the substrate, hence the substrate in it's "mouth parts"...

To me it looks more like it is very poorly than moulting, due to the death curl of the legs...

I'd place it face down in a shallow water dish with the book lungs clear of the water and hope that it is not just that it's time has come...

If it is dying from dehydration, the problem may be solved by giving it a proper drink...

Doesn't look great though, sorry to say...


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Adam B Jones said:


> This is just a guess...
> 
> It could have been thirsty, and been trying desperately to drink from the substrate, hence the substrate in it's "mouth parts"...
> 
> ...


hang on, if it is only occasionally drawing it's legs in slowly, it might well be moulting... was it on it's back when you found it?

Still confused about the substrate....


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> This is just a guess...
> 
> It could have been thirsty, and been trying desperately to drink from the substrate, hence the substrate in it's "mouth parts"...
> 
> ...


Thanks. Opinion on Facebook is mixed with half of people saying it's moulting and I shouldn't have moved it, the other half saying dehydration. Ive been looking up "death curl" for the last half an hour and I suspect he's dying rather than moulting.

I've popped him in a little tub lined with a few layers of dampened kitchen roll, a shallow water dish, and popped this on my hatchling rack at 28/29c. I checked in on him 15 mins ago and he seems to be twitching more frequently, so I'm crossing my fingers that he'll pull through.

Can't beleive I'm getting emo over a bloody spider!!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> hang on, if it is only occasionally drawing it's legs in slowly, it might well be moulting... was it on it's back when you found it?
> 
> Still confused about the substrate....


Was on its back, legs drawn right in, clutching a webbed up bunch of substrate (mix of orchid bark and ecoearth). I removed the bulk of it to find what looks like he'd tried to eat some of it.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Time will tell, good luck


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Adam B Jones said:


> Time will tell, good luck


Thanks  I know it wont have helped if it is just a moult (but I really dont think it is) but Ive managed to remove all the coir strands from his mouth. I put a drop over water on his mouth, left it for a couple of seconds, and dabbed it with a bit of kitchen roll to soak up the excess - i did this three times. He is responding, especially to the water, just with very little real effort.

He's now in a tub on my hatchling rack at 28c, with damp kitchen roll and a waterbowl. Will just have to leave him now and keep my fingers crossed.


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Is it still on its back or have you moved it back right way up?

sounds like a moult if you found it on its back.

If its a moult there's nothing you can do for now and will have to let nature take its course.

If its still on its back and hasn't made any progress after leaving it for 24 hours then its likely to be dehydration, you can keep applying small drops of water to the mouth parts a few times, repeating this process you should see rapid improvement.


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Is there anything I can do to help him? If he's just moulting I'm going to feel like an idiot...


I would've said moulting and unfortunately, your interference at this delicate stage, may well have seen him off.

In future, be aware that you may not see a tarantula for MONTHS at a time, let alone 7 days. The best thing to do is to provide the correct conditions and let them get on with whatever they feel the need to do.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Moulting doesn't explain him attempting to eat his substrate. All things considered, it seems like dehydration. I accidentally overfed him a few weeks ago after three crickets made a bid for freedom instead of just the one I intended - and I was advised not to feed him for a while on account of his massively swollen abdomen.

It seems not eating has dehydrated him, despite having water available. Opinion seems to be that he's attempted to eat substrate as an act of desperation for moisture. Found a good website here about dehydration and ICU - I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hoping he'll pull through.

The thing about everyone shouting "he's moulting, you shouldn't have moved him" is that_ if _it is dehydration, and I hadn't moved him, he would definitely be dead in a day or two. Damned either way huh!


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

dribble some water on his mouth and see if he sucks it down.

spiders do all sorts of weird things, and it is a bit weird to moult with dirt clutched in the fangs, but i'd not put it past the wee buggers.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

corpselight said:


> *dribble some water on his mouth* and see if he sucks it down.
> 
> spiders do all sorts of weird things, and it is a bit weird to moult with dirt clutched in the fangs, but i'd not put it past the wee buggers.


I've done that a couple of times tonight - one of the times I could see him slowly sucking the water drop down, but he hasnt done it since, so that's it for tonight. He's in his little "ICU" tub and I'll just hope he's a bit better tomorrow... not looking forward to the morning though I'll be honest...


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

if he sucked water down, he may have been dehydrated. so fingers crossed, he might be slightly less dehydrated today, and you may see an improvement.
fingers definitely crossed for you, mate!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

corpselight said:


> *if he sucked water down, he may have been dehydrated.* so fingers crossed, he might be slightly less dehydrated today, and you may see an improvement.
> fingers definitely crossed for you, mate!


Yeah if I looked carefully at the reflection on the surface of the drop of water, I could see it dipping bit at a time, then sure enough the drop would drain. I've got him to drink another one this morning.

He is still alive, and he's loosening his deathcurl / extending his legs, but that's about it. 










Thanks for the support


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## Goobs (Nov 20, 2010)

how's he doing??


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Goobs said:


> how's he doing??


Alive, responding / flinching, and does loosen his deathcurl - but still not really any better. I'm just waiting it out now, might try and feed him some more water a bit later on.


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

i have told this story before a few times, but what the heck.
a Chilobrachys sp i have tried to death curl on me once a few years ago...
she was in a bad way. i was able to pick her up with no real danger and hold her in my hand. i dribbled water onto her mouth and she sucked it down...she then weakly flipped herself over on my hand, so i got her back into her home. 
i repeated this over the next 4 days...each time, she'd flip over with a bit more energy...one time she darted a few inches up my arm...scary times:lol2:
on the 5th day, i opened the lid and she darted about like a mad thing...and i knew my work was done. as i say, i still have her...so this does work!
i also had a versi attempt to die after moulting recently...my fault...it got dry and i didn't know she was due a moult. i did about the same thing, only it just took a really long drink once or twice, and thankfully she's still knocking about!:lol2:
it doesn't always work...but it can do. sometimes they are thick and don't go to where the water is and get themselves into trouble, so it's nice to know that this sort of thing can work.
my suggestion is keep doing this about daily...as much as he'll take at a time...and hopefully he will steadily improve unless something else is going on.


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## mort13 (Sep 20, 2010)

Aw, seen this little guy on the fb page. Looks like everyones rooting for him. Fingers crossed, whatever happens you've tried your best for him.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Thanks all  I just feel really bad - I know he's only a spider, but that's not the point. This is entirely my fault for putting too much faith in caresheets and allowing his enclosure to become too dry (not misting), coupled with accidently overfeeding him and then fasting him to correct it. Epic balls up on my part.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Thanks all  I just feel really bad - I know he's only a spider, but that's not the point. This is entirely my fault for putting too much faith in caresheets and allowing his enclosure to become too dry (not misting), coupled with accidently overfeeding him and then fasting him to correct it. Epic balls up on my part.


what kinda t is berk, dan?


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

wilkinss77 said:


> what kinda t is berk, dan?


He's a GBB mate, apparently an "arid-loving species that does not require additional humidity"... Yeah, lesson learnt. I'll start periodically misting if he pulls through. If.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> He's a GBB mate, apparently an "arid-loving species that does not require additional humidity"... Yeah, lesson learnt. I'll start periodically misting if he pulls through. If.


GBBs really shouldn't need to be misted though- they really are arid t's. if fact they don't like much humidity.


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

actually, GBB's are an arid species! they will take a drink though from time to time...

i reckon it does sound like a case of needing some water...he may perk right up

also, we all make mistakes...so don't beat yourself up too harshly over it!!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

I found - as a complete rookie to T's - caresheets to be hugely conflicting, so I went with the majority vote regarding humidity, and kept it low. I haven't done any spraying at all so everything is bone dry in there. I kinda feel that if I had done some spraying he'd have maybe drank droplets from his webs. He has always had a waterbowl but as far as I can tell has never touched it.

Speaking of; he hasn't made any new webs in weeks - since I stopped feeding him actually, so I think this problem has been in the pipeline for a while. Just glad I decided to look for him when I did, though for what good it's done I don't know yet.

I'm not giving up on him just yet, going to try him with some more water soon.


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## oliwilliams (Feb 23, 2010)

Dont see how it could be dehydration in a gbb, its an odd one. I have an adult female, grown from sling thats never had a misting and has access to water for a couple of days a month only. Might find that it is a molt but has failed due to the over feeding or a weak animal.
Either way i liked trapdoor as a kid so hope he survives.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

oliwilliams said:


> *Dont see how it could be dehydration in a gbb*, its an odd one. I have an adult female, grown from sling thats never had a misting and has access to water for a couple of days a month only. Might find that it is a molt but has failed due to the over feeding or a weak animal.
> Either way i liked trapdoor as a kid so hope he survives.


I think given that they apparently get all of their moisture from their prey, fasting him for three weeks has done it. I've never seen him drink standing water but didn't really put too much thought into it.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> I found - as a complete rookie to T's - caresheets to be hugely conflicting, so I went with the majority vote regarding humidity, and kept it low. I haven't done any spraying at all so everything is bone dry in there. I kinda feel that if I had done some spraying he'd have maybe drank droplets from his webs. He has always had a waterbowl but as far as I can tell has never touched it.
> 
> Speaking of; he hasn't made any new webs in weeks - since I stopped feeding him actually, so I think this problem has been in the pipeline for a while. Just glad I decided to look for him when I did, though for what good it's done I don't know yet.
> 
> I'm not giving up on him just yet, going to try him with some more water soon.


i have one myself- an SA female. she has webbed the floor of her petpal tank with a huge hammock web. she has even webbed over her water dish. the only fluids she gets is from her prey- tried lightly misting her once (to simulate the morning dew they supposedly drink in the wild), & she went stark barking mental & tried to climb out!:gasp: the only other water i've tried giving her was from a dropper onto her web- never saw her drink it though.


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## oliwilliams (Feb 23, 2010)

Se7enS1ns said:


> I think given that they apparently get all of their moisture from their prey, fasting him for three weeks has done it. I've never seen him drink standing water but didn't really put too much thought into it.


 you would be surprised how long they can go without, I only feed once a month at most (i call it sparse feeding i.e. lazy).


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

wilkinss77 said:


> i have one myself- an SA female. she has webbed the floor of her petpal tank with a huge hammock web. she has even webbed over her water dish. the only fluids she gets is from her prey- tried lightly misting her once (to simulate the morning dew they supposedly drink in the wild), & she went stark barking mental & tried to climb out!:gasp: the only other water i've tried giving her was from a dropper onto her web- never saw her drink it though.


That's interesting. Have you ever intentionally fasted yours?

One thing I notice, it that on all the pictures I've seen of SA's / adults, it that they all have a lovely greeny coloured carapace covered in hair, like this;










Where as Berk looks brown and bald;










Don't know if that's any idication of his current state, or just how he is.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> That's interesting. Have you ever intentionally fasted yours?
> 
> One thing I notice, it that on all the pictures I've seen of SA's / adults, it that they all have a lovely greeny coloured carapace covered in hair, like this;
> 
> ...


i've never tried fasting her, she gets a cric once or twice per week. i'll be cutting down to once a week now, as her abdomen as filled out- it was shrunken after her recent moult. yours still has juv colours.


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## Mrchancellor87 (Jan 10, 2012)

I dont think its the lack of food as:

A) Abdommen is plump.
B) It's in premolt and looks like it's ready to pop.

Either way its not looking too promising in that last picture.


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## gambitgareth (Sep 18, 2011)

if its still moving i would just leave it in the enclosure, its not looking good though so harsh luck there bud .. btw you shouldnt put sponge in the waterbowl it encourages bacteria, and i dont bother using waterbowls with any t species until theyre a large juvenile since they never use it under that size


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

i'm not sure about this, but that is much younger than i thought it'd be. i seem to remember reading they needed more wet conditions when young? 

correct me if i'm wrong...i'm thinking back a long ways here, but anyone rearing them from slings ought to be able to say?

the abdomen is nice and fat...so it may not be dehydration, though...
grr...it's hard to work out what goes wrong sometimes with these things!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

God if it's just a moult I'm going to be kicking myself - I'd heard of deathcurl so when I found him like I did it shocked me and I panicked.

Can they physically drink water when in moult?! I've seen him drinking a couple of drops of water from the tweezers - if they cant drink in moult then this sort of proves that it's dehydration, not just moulting.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> God if it's just a moult I'm going to be kicking myself - I'd heard of deathcurl so when I found him like I did it shocked me and I panicked.
> 
> Can they physically drink water when in moult?! I've seen him drinking a couple of drops of water from the tweezers - if they cant drink in moult then this sort of proves that it's dehydration, not just moulting.


whether or not they _can_ drink in moult, i dunno- but the fact that they _don't _eat or drink in premoult (after all, the moult includes the stomach & mouth lining) may be a clue that they can't. the curl could be another clue- t's in moult tend to lie on their backs at full stretch, rather than in a curl. could be a combination of both factors here- that your t is due to moult, but is too dehydrated. btw, is he defo a male?


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

wilkinss77 said:


> whether or not they _can_ drink in moult, i dunno- but the fact that they _don't _eat or drink in premoult (after all, the moult includes the stomach & mouth lining) may be a clue that they can't. the curl could be another clue- t's in moult tend to lie on their backs at full stretch, rather than in a curl. could be a combination of both factors here- that your t is due to moult, but is too dehydrated. *btw, is he defo a male?*


I have no idea, he just got christened "he". It's never been of any concern to me to be honest. He could well be due a moult - I dont know when he last loulted as I've not had him long (about 6 weeks). How often do T's of his size (juvenile?) moult? Or is that a "how long is a piece of string" question?


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> I have no idea, he just got christened "he". It's never been of any concern to me to be honest. He could well be due a moult - I dont know when he last loulted as I've not had him long (about 6 weeks). How often do T's of his size (juvenile?) moult? Or is that a "how long is a piece of string" question?


usually every 2-4 months. hope yours is female as the males don't live long.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

wilkinss77 said:


> usually every 2-4 months. hope yours is female as the males* don't live long*.


How long is long?

Well he's still alive at the minute, still in deathcurl on his front, but still responding to touch. If he's still alive when I get home from work I'll try him with some more water.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> How long is long?
> 
> Well he's still alive at the minute, still in deathcurl on his front, but still responding to touch. If he's still alive when I get home from work I'll try him with some more water.


All the GBBs I've kept that have turned out male (3 of them) have lived less than 6 months on maturing.


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

wilkinss77 said:


> All the GBBs I've kept that have turned out male (3 of them) have lived less than 6 months on maturing.


of course, it can take them a few years to mature...but they don't last long afterwards.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

He's still quite small at the moment - about 2" at full stretch. I dont know what age this makes him though.


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

I'm sorry dan you keep spiders.... Well I never


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Bradleybradleyc said:


> I'm sorry dan you keep spiders.... Well I never


Badly, by the looks...


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Badly, by the looks...


Na mate, sure he's just having a kip


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Before water...









After water...









Really hope the little bugger makes it.


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

#teamberk


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## JungleRich (Mar 6, 2012)

go berk go!


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## Amber (Jun 11, 2006)

You're the BERK aroooound, nothing's ever gonna keep you down :whip:

You can do it! Fight that curl!


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

he still moving then, i'm guessing? that's got to be a good sign if he's less curly after a drink...
fingers crossed!


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Looks like its stuck in a moult to me :/


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

selina20 said:


> Looks like its stuck in a moult to me :/


that a possibility... hope not, though


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

corpselight said:


> that a possibility... hope not, though


I hope not too


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## jadeyydoe (Apr 27, 2009)

hows he doing today?


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

We do think that might be the problem now. Water has rehydrated him it seems, and helped bring him out of deathcurl which is great, but I dont know what else I can do to help him.

He's still in the ICU tub at high humidity at 25C. Ive placed him on his back hoping that the wet kitchen roll will soften his carapace. He's just laid there at the moment, legs stretched out, occasionally drawing them in.

I don't know what else I can do now?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> We do think that might be the problem now. Water has rehydrated him it seems, and helped bring him out of deathcurl which is great, but I dont know what else I can do to help him.
> 
> He's still in the ICU tub at high humidity at 25C. Ive placed him on his back hoping that the wet kitchen roll will soften his carapace. He's just laid there at the moment, legs stretched out, occasionally drawing them in.
> 
> I don't know what else I can do now?


Theres nothing else you can do sadly


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Guess it's a waiting game now then. Somebody suggested splitting the carapace, but I think that goes well beyond my abilities!


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Guess it's a waiting game now then. Somebody suggested splitting the carapace, but I think that goes well beyond my abilities!


especially when we don't know 100% for sure that's the cause


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

corpselight said:


> especially when we don't know 100% for sure that's the cause


Exactly!


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

i cant believe I'm searching this thread to see how a spider is doing (im terrified of them)...... but...... come on Berk you can do it :no1:


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Bradleybradleyc said:


> i cant believe I'm searching this thread to see how a spider is doing (im terrified of them)...... but...... come on Berk you can do it :no1:












He's still alive, but still no better. Just waiting it out now, really hope he's not stuck, that would be a pretty drawn out way to go.


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## jadeyydoe (Apr 27, 2009)

poor guy 
he looks about ready to pop, its horrible when you can't do anything :grouphug:


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Guess who's still alive!! :2thumb:


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

NICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he back on his feet yet :lol2:


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## DrummyGooders (Aug 18, 2013)

Come on Berk you'll pull through lil buddy!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Bradleybradleyc said:


> NICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> he back on his feet yet :lol2:


Nope not yet, but he's still stretching his legs and curling them back in. I gave him a bit more water earlier and you can see his mouth parts twitching away at the drops - I think he keeps trying to eat the kitchen roll too when I mop up?


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Nope not yet, but he's still stretching his legs and curling them back in. I gave him a bit more water earlier and you can see his mouth parts twitching away at the drops - I think he keeps trying to eat the kitchen roll too when I mop up?


It sounds promising I guess (I have to guess I no nothing about spiders) :2thumb:


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

It does look from the photo as if it needs to moult, as the abdomen is very shiny/reflective, which is noticeable on smaller spiders especially when the abdomen is large/stretched... As the cuticle on the abdomen is transparent, this can give a shiny/reflective look to the skin, as the new skin beneath is dark. It's really noticeable on slings, but the fact that the abdomen is so large/stretched makes the whole thing more see through...

It may well be that you've interrupted it just before it popped it's carapace and it's stopped it in it's tracks.

It's been a wee while now, and it sounds like you've been giving it a fair amount of hydration, I would suspect that if it was just dehydrated then it would be re-hydrated by now, but I could be wrong as this has never happened with any of mine. It may well have been a combination of both dehydration and moulting, but it does seem odd, because not feeding a spider for a couple of weeks really shouldn't cause it to dehydrate unless you kept it in a fan assisted oven at a very low temperature...

I'd leave it totally alone now on it's back, on some slightly dampened kitchen towel now if it were me. Good luck Berk


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## Shaun-reef (Aug 19, 2011)

I never come on here I only keep snakes but happened to click onto this and I've been engrossed..... COME ON BERK!!


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## HowseR21 (Nov 5, 2011)

Good to here Berk is recovering. I saw this thread pop up again and I expected to read bad news. Come on lil guy!!


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

Adam B Jones said:


> It does look from the photo as if it needs to moult, as the abdomen is very shiny/reflective, which is noticeable on smaller spiders especially when the abdomen is large/stretched... As the cuticle on the abdomen is transparent, this can give a shiny/reflective look to the skin, as the new skin beneath is dark. It's really noticeable on slings, but the fact that the abdomen is so large/stretched makes the whole thing more see through...
> 
> It may well be that you've interrupted it just before it popped it's carapace and it's stopped it in it's tracks.
> 
> ...


That's what I said mate, totally agree...even more so after the pics.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Veyron said:


> That's what I said mate, totally agree...even more so after the pics.


Yeah, at first I thought dehydration because the legs in the 1st pic did look more death curly to me than moulting, but then I suddenly realised it's a picture, and pictures can't move! So could have just been the particular angle of the legs in that shot. Guess I was thrown by the substrate in the maxilla region, which I still find odd... So could be a bit of both. Anyway... It'd be awesome if Berk survives, he's getting almost as much attention as false widows, and it's a more interesting (albeit worrying) topic


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## MacAoidh (Mar 3, 2013)

Come on berk ;-)


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Thanks all. He's on his front at the moment on saturated kitchen roll as per the ICU guide. I've been using two pieces of card to move him (one under, one over) so that I dont have to prod / pinch him with my fingers and risk damaging him.

I'll pop him on his back tonight, and I guess just wait it out. What surprises me (if he is moulting) is how fast he "kicks" his legs when he wants to! I was under the impression that they appeared dead when moulting?

Also, considering its been a week now - how long should the moulting process take for a SA of his size?


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## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Thanks all. He's on his front at the moment on saturated kitchen roll as per the ICU guide. I've been using two pieces of card to move him (one under, one over) so that I dont have to prod / pinch him with my fingers and risk damaging him.
> 
> I'll pop him on his back tonight, and I guess just wait it out. What surprises me (if he is moulting) is how fast he "kicks" his legs when he wants to! I was under the impression that they appeared dead when moulting?
> 
> Also, considering its been a week now - how long should the moulting process take for a SA of his size?


Once on its back, an hour maybe more. 
I still don't think he's moulting myself, just happens to be in premoult atm. Either way, he's still alive and kicking so thats good.

Sent from my MT11i using Tapatalk 2


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

mrkeda said:


> Once on its back, an hour maybe more.
> I still don't think he's moulting myself, just happens to be in premoult atm. Either way, he's still alive and kicking so thats good.
> 
> Sent from my MT11i using Tapatalk 2


He can't turn himself over, he hasnt been able to move since I found him - I'll have to do it for him tonight.


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## DeathRoll (Sep 10, 2012)

Come on Berk!!


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## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

Se7enS1ns said:


> He can't turn himself over, he hasnt been able to move since I found him - I'll have to do it for him tonight.


It's a tricky one, you don't wanna leave him on his front incase he does start to moult for that reason but then at the same time do you wanna leave him on his back like ya know 

Sent from my MT11i using Tapatalk 2


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

i wouldn't turn him over. being on his back won't hurt him, but moulting on his front might.

best left alone with that dribble of water. Intervention can do more harm than good.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

corpselight said:


> i wouldn't turn him over. being on his back won't hurt him, but moulting on his front might.
> 
> best left alone with that dribble of water. Intervention can do more harm than good.


Ah he's on his front at the mo so that he could drink (if he tried to). I'll have to carefully turn him over tonight if we think he's in premoult now.


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

what i would have done is not turned him over but dribbled water onto his mouth from above. that's what i did with my Chilo female...she righted herself every time (i actually turned her over to hydrate her, but she wasn't possibly in shed at the time)


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

corpselight said:


> what i would have done is not turned him over but dribbled water onto his mouth from above. that's what i did with my Chilo female...she righted herself every time (i actually turned her over to hydrate her, but she wasn't possibly in shed at the time)


Yeah, hindsight and all that. Problem is I just don't know what do do for the best, as no one really knows for sure what's up with him, whether it was dehydration, or a moult, or both. He's on his back again now, and here's what he looks like today;










Pretty amazed he's still alive to be honest!! If he does (manage to) moult and come through the other side in one piece, I'm going to be pretty pleased, so say the least.


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## Carps Pyths (Oct 3, 2013)

I would just leave him like that for a couple of days! You've done well keeping him alive untill now and theres nothing more you can do, if it is moult then just hope he can make it through the moult. 

Kudos to you for looking after him so well when hes like that!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Carps Pyths said:


> I would just leave him like that for a couple of days! You've done well keeping him alive untill now and theres nothing more you can do, if it is moult then just hope he can make it through the moult.
> 
> Kudos to you for looking after him so well when hes like that!


Thankyou  I think that's all I can do now, as I don't think he's drinking the water drops anymore either, so just going to wait it out now and see what happens. I think he probably is going to try and moult pretty soon - I notice some areas of his body have changed a bit too - you see that off-white area between his abdomen and carapace? I'm pretty sure that wasnt like that before, and it feels really soft and fleshy. I have no idea what it is, so all I can do now is cross my fingers.


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## Carps Pyths (Oct 3, 2013)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Thankyou  I think that's all I can do now, as I don't think he's drinking the water drops anymore either, so just going to wait it out now and see what happens. I think he probably is going to try and moult pretty soon - I notice some areas of his body have changed a bit too - you see that off-white area between his abdomen and carapace? I'm pretty sure that wasnt like that before, and it feels really soft and fleshy. I have no idea what it is, so all I can do now is cross my fingers.


Is this your first tarantula? If so you're extremely dedicated to the hobby well done and yes we can all just hope that Berk comes through fine!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Carps Pyths said:


> Is this your first tarantula? If so you're extremely dedicated to the hobby well done and yes we can all just hope that Berk comes through fine!


First T, only had him a month, and my inexperience shows massively, but I'm trying. It's easy to shrug and say "it's only a spider" but that's not the point - I'll feel pretty crappy if he dies due to my error(s).

On the plus side though, my little Chaco Goldenkee sling (Drut) who couldnt even fill a penny at full stretch, he's doing great - digging away all day and night!!


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## Carps Pyths (Oct 3, 2013)

Se7enS1ns said:


> First T, only had him a month, and my inexperience shows massively, but I'm trying. It's easy to shrug and say "it's only a spider" but that's not the point - I'll feel pretty crappy if he dies due to my error(s).
> 
> On the plus side though, my little Chaco Goldenkee sling (Drut) who couldnt even fill a penny at full stretch, he's doing great - digging away all day and night!!


Haha thats nice to hear, i dont own any T's but love them all i do is research about them hehe!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Carps Pyths said:


> Haha thats nice to hear, i dont own any T's but love them all i do is research about them hehe!


Won't be long before you get your first then


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## Carps Pyths (Oct 3, 2013)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Won't be long before you get your first then


Hope not! Want one as soon as possible


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## ButterflyLordette (May 17, 2013)

Hope he gets better :L x


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Well, still alive, still on his back legs outstretched, still not moulted. What the hell is going on?!


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## cavan (Mar 2, 2009)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Well, still alive, still on his back legs outstretched, still not moulted. What the hell is going on?!


think if daily mail saw this they would say its a zombie spider hell benton taking over the world


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2013)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Well, still alive, still on his back legs outstretched, still not moulted. What the hell is going on?!


Water, water and a little more water! If he's come this far then he might well make it. Just keep him warm and give him water... Good luck!


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

It's all over.


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## DrummyGooders (Aug 18, 2013)

Se7enS1ns said:


> It's all over.
> 
> image


Well, you done everything you could. Your dedication to Berk and the hobby could not be greater. I know there was a debate whether is was dehydration or mid-molt. We will never know, just remember...

...Everything that happens in life is a lesson, we all make mistakes but learning from them is the only way we truely grow....


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

DrummyGooders said:


> Well, you done everything you could. Your dedication to Berk and the hobby could not be greater. I know there was a debate whether is was dehydration or mid-molt. We will never know, just remember...
> 
> ...Everything that happens in life is a lesson, we all make mistakes but learning from them is the only way we truely grow....


Thanks  Pretty (very) gutted, but I'm glad it's over. I hated seeing him in his weak state for this long. Think I'm going to see if I can keep my other T alive for a while, get some more experience under my belt, and maybe look for a replacement for Berk


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## Brandedbyblue (Jan 25, 2010)

that's so sad. You did everything you could. Don't let one bad experience stop you from trying again though. Sadly at that size T's can still have high mortality rates even if you are doing everything right.


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## Discodaz (Aug 7, 2013)

Im no spider fan,they terrify me if im honest but,ive kept up with this thread willing berk through...sorry he didnt make it..i wish i could say why but i know as much about spiders as i do astro physics.

Daz


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## jadeyydoe (Apr 27, 2009)

awww I am gutted, was seriously hoping he'd pull through 
I'm sorry :grouphug:


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## varanus87 (Jan 30, 2012)

Sorry for your loss ....

Don't keep Ts but kept up with this thread 

Again sorry my condolences eace:


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## ButterflyLordette (May 17, 2013)

Sorry to hear it, these things happen unfortunately but he couldnt have had a better owner. RIP Berk.


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## Darknomad (Sep 11, 2013)

sorry for the loss there. did keep an eye on this thread willing the lil fella to pull through.
loved his name sake too
The Trap Door - 1x25 - Bye Bye Berk - YouTube

dont let it put you off getting another T.

you cant just have one spiderling:jump::jump:


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Darknomad said:


> sorry for the loss there. did keep an eye on this thread willing the lil fella to pull through.
> loved his name sake too
> The Trap Door - 1x25 - Bye Bye Berk - YouTube
> 
> ...


Oh don't worry, I won't - I just think I should get a little more experience under my belt first especially with regards to feeding and moults. 

Already eyeing up the a.metallicas, and you know, living so close to Donny...


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## corpselight (Jan 10, 2008)

sorry for your loss mate


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Sorry to hear that dude, we live and learn. If it makes you feel any better I once accidentally squashed a P. irminia sling that made a break for it in the process of trying to get a small tub over it. And no I'm not afraid to admit that in public. It was in my earlier years of the hobby, and we all make mistakes. I wasn't prepared for it's speed. Lesson learned - Be more careful and use much bigger catch cups for fast slings. I felt very ashamed of myself for being so daft, but I've never done it since.

I think the main lesson to take from this is that it's really best to let the spider get on with what it wants to do... It plugged itself in to keep itself safe, most likely to moult. I wouldn't beat yourself up too much, and say you need more experience under your belt, as a lot of T's are so simple to keep, just get the enclosure right, feed them right, and let them do their thing


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## Modj (Mar 30, 2010)

aww sorry to hear berk didn't pull through been following this thread and the dedication you showed was outstanding


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## Bradleybradleyc (May 7, 2012)

thought i would check the status of Berk

That sucks Dan...

sorry mate


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## Queen Victoria (Dec 18, 2013)

Se7enS1ns said:


> I've grown quite attached to the little chap, despite being a bit of an arachnophobe - I do hope he'll be ok.


Did you get a spider to cure your fear of them?


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## miss_ferret (Feb 4, 2010)

Queen Victoria said:


> Did you get a spider to cure your fear of them?


he went one better, he bought a cobalt blue that wants the death of him and all his family.


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## Se7enS1ns (Mar 11, 2012)

Queen Victoria said:


> Did you get a spider to cure your fear of them?


Sorry, just seen this. Something odd happened. I was given a tiny little Chaco Goldenknee at one Donny, and then at the next Donny, I came home with a new GBB, plus a Cobalt Blue, an Indian Ornamental, and a Suntiger.

I have no idea what happened...


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## sage999 (Sep 21, 2008)

Se7enS1ns said:


> Sorry, just seen this. Something odd happened. I was given a tiny little Chaco Goldenknee at one Donny, and then at the next Donny, I came home with a new GBB, plus a Cobalt Blue, an Indian Ornamental, and a Suntiger.
> 
> I have no idea what happened...


You got bitten.


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