# Tarantula Intensive Care and Emergency Treatment



## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Hi all, 

I've recently found myself having to utilise the ICU setup for a couple of spiders i'm looking after for friends and have been surprised at how little information is available on the net for new keepers so i'm sharing some of my experience with you here.

_*Tarantula medicine*_

There is very little known about the treatment of some of the conditions that can affect tarantula but what we do know is that some basic methods available to us have been repeatedly successful in improving a tarantula's health in certain circumstances and repairing some injuries.

In this section I will attempt to elaborate and provide a basic guide to emergency care of tarantulas for the new or less experienced keeper.

First things first...... Dehydration.

A common problem people often encounter with tarantula is dehydration, diagnosis of this condition is fairly easy and if caught quickly can be rectified. The cause of this condition is fairly obvious - lack of fluids - but don’t assume that this is always due to poor husbandry, there are many reasons why a tarantula may not be able to regulate its internal fluid pressure and I will touch on a couple but the most common is limited access to water.

_Physiology_

Tarantula, Like most other inverts have a hard exoskeleton and the internal structure comprises mostly of fluid, because of this tarantula use fluidic pressure to articulate limbs and in all aspects of its day to day mobility, hydraulics in a basic sense. Loss of this pressurisation will result in inability to straighten limbs, reduced and jerky movements and eventually death. Other signs include:

- Shrinking/shrivelling of the Opisthoma (abdomen)
- Caving in of the carapace
- Thinning of the femurs
- General lethargy
- Partial or complete death curl in extreme cases of dehydration

Do not panic if you see any of these signs there is hope in the form of the ICU.

_*Tarantula Intensive Care Unit*_

The principle of this setup is to provide a clean safe environment in which your tarantula can rehydrate, a kind of hospital ward for poorly spiders.

It is very simple to do and i would advise all of you to have a couple of these ready just in case.

_Things you will need_

- Appropriately sized clear plastic tub with a few air holes (cricket tubs will suffice for most species though bigger tubs may be required for the lager ones)
- Several sheets clean kitchen towel/paper
- clean tepid(room/body temperature) water
- A second identical setup

_Method_

1) Ensure your tub is clean and has a securely fitting lid

2) Fold/cut the kitchen towel/paper and line the bottom of the tub with several layers so it fits snugly

3) Pour in the water - ensure the paper is completely soaked and tip out excess water, we want saturated paper towel not puddles.

4) place your tarantula into the tub and secure the lid in place

5) place your ICU'd tarantula in a warm dark place

6) remove your tarantula after 24 hours if required into the second ICU setup you should have prepared

you can repeat this process as necessary until the tarantula's health has improved or in the worst case passes on.

If the signs point to dehydration but your ICU has been unsuccessful after 48 hours it is time to consider another cause which I will highlight now.

_*Damage and Ruptures in the Exoskeleton*_

As I mentioned before, inside the hard exoskeleton of a tarantula it is mostly fluid, the tarantulas blood, this is called heamolymph. Tarantulas have an extremely limited ability to clot this fluid, as such i small rupture in the exoskeleton and a leak of heamolymph could prove to be fatal if its not stopped. Recognition of these injuries can be tricky but bar an obvious wound the main signs will be more or less the same for dehydration. If an ICU has failed you should actively look for an injury.

An injury will present as a crack, tear of puncture somewhere on the exoskeleton (pay particular attention to the soft membranes at the jointed sections of the legs/cephalothorax) from which a clear of slightly yellowish fluid will be leaking.

Again, fear not as there are things we can do to assist the tarantula's healing process.

_Equipment_

- Talcum powder

- Vaseline

- Cotton buds

- Superglue (I will talk about this specific item later)

The aim here is to create a seal through which the heamolymph cannot leak and the procedure is fairly straightforward, all you need to do is cover small cracks or splits with talcum powder - this will help to for a clot or scab for want of a better word. For larger cracks, splits or punctures completely cover the wound with Vaseline, again this will form a seal. Please be aware that the book lungs on a tarantula should never be covered with anything.

These methods are a temporary intervention that will stop further leakage of fluid and give the spider a chance to create a new skin underneath; when the spider has moulted there should be no trace of the injury.

N.B. - If attempting any of the above procedures, great care should be taken when handling the tarantula to prevent further injury to it or any injury to yourself. 

Right, notice i haven't yet mentioned the superglue, well this may cause some debate among the more experienced keepers but i will share my opinion and experience and let others comment as they may.

I have found superglue to be a most useful tool in repairing minor ruptures, specifically in areas on the legs of tarantulas, a few drops applied directly to the source of the leak of heamolymph has had marvellous affects and has done the trick nicely.

The reason that i expect to be slated for this is as follows..........

Part of Superglue's chemical name is Cyanoacrylate, cyanide and acrylic, i'm sure we all know what cyanide is - its an extremely deadly poison and it is believed by some tarantula keepers that this substance will kill a tarantula if it is used.

I have myself used superglue and as yet have not noted any adverse reactions and all the spiders i have used it on have made a full recovery, as long as the area is well vented and you do not seal the tarantula in with the fumes while it sets there should be no problems encountered.

I'm sure someone will have an argument against it though.

I hope this has been a valuable thread and hope you all take something away from this.

Please feel free to comment or if you feel i've missed something out then by all means add it to the thread.


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## brownj6709 (Jan 26, 2010)

Sticky lol


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## Kizzu (Nov 10, 2009)

Excellent thread, sticky :2thumb:


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## mcluskyisms (Jan 24, 2010)

Very informative thread, Id say easily a STICKY!

: victory:


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## shelby (Oct 11, 2005)

very informative sticky please


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

I'm glad people are finding this thread interesting.

I will endevour to add new information as and when i come across anything of importence, most of the knowledge i have is gained through experience and a few individuals that were kind enough to share thier experiences with me, and also resources such as this forum.

keep your comments comming.


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## mcluskyisms (Jan 24, 2010)

ebmoclab said:


> I'm glad people are finding this thread interesting.
> 
> I will endevour to add new information as and when i come across anything of importence, most of the knowledge i have is gained through experience and a few individuals that were kind enough to share thier experiences with me, and also resources such as this forum.
> 
> keep your comments comming.


The whole reason I come on these forums is to learn, thats what its all about, the quest for knowledge, and as long as people like you are willing to keep sharing information and helping others like me to learn then thats a good thing!

:lol2:


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## Simon M (Oct 9, 2008)

Superb thread, good work there Wayne.

Si


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Simon M said:


> Superb thread, good work there Wayne.
> 
> Si


Cheers Si.:no1:


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## Scaredy cat (Jan 16, 2010)

Sticky please :2thumb:


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Thanks for the support people.:no1:


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## west (Sep 9, 2008)

Need more threads like this, defo sticky......


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## HerpvetUK (Aug 24, 2009)

Hi,

Thanks for this, very useful. 

Just a couple of thoughts/comments;

1) Vets can be of help - for example, if the dehydration persists despite the ICU, fluids can be administered by injection. May be worth mentioning that there are vets who will see tarantulas, and may be able to help ill ones.

2) I've not seen any reports of adverse reactions, but I would always advise corn flour rather than talcum powder - it is bland and non-irritant, where talc might well have other chemicals (scents etc) which could in theory be harmful.

Hope this helps,

Bruce.


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Hi bruce,

Thank you,

I've never experimented with cornflour but have used other flours, powders etc and so far i've found talc to work best for me but you're right, the perfumes in some fancy talc could potentially have adverse effects, i've heard plaster of paris is also good but never tried it personaly. I'll give the cornflour a go next time.

There are a vew vets that have experience with tarantula but can be hard to find and most do not provide an out of ours service, these treatment will often need to be done STAT, injecting fluid into severly dehydrated tarantula's is something i've only ever had to do once but didn't mention it as i aimed this at beginners and for most people the kit needed to perform this proceedure is not readily available.


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

I will add some updates to this thread.


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

sorry to drag this up again but i've had a few poeple call me up at silly times over the last month or so wanting advice on how to fix their tarantulas so i'm directing them all here


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## MissCat (Mar 9, 2009)

Good thread, though I too advocate the useage of Cornflour rather than talc


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

i was going to add that but i cant edit the thred lol.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Interesting thread, regarding the use of cyanoacrylate adhesives the cyanide bit shouldn't really be a concern, they have after all been used for human surgical purposes since at least the Vietnam War and no-one has died from cyanide poisoning. As soon as the adhesive is polymerised, which happens almost instantly in contact with moisture, it becomes inert.

Having said that special veterinary versions (such as LiquiVet, Vetloc, and Vetbond) are available, and these should ideally be used in preference to industrial formulations.


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Graham said:


> Interesting thread, regarding the use of cyanoacrylate adhesives the cyanide bit shouldn't really be a concern, they have after all been used for human surgical purposes since at least the Vietnam War and no-one has died from cyanide poisoning. As soon as the adhesive is polymerised, which happens almost instantly in contact with moisture, it becomes inert.
> 
> Having said that special veterinary versions (such as LiquiVet, Vetloc, and Vetbond) are available, and these should ideally be used in preference to industrial formulations.


Thanks dude,

i may have to look into getting hold of some vetrinary grade glue, i have access to the medical grade stuff such as hystacryl, dermabond etc, i dont suppose there would be much difference really.


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## spicewwfc (Aug 26, 2009)

And a sticky is born.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

I'd imagine medical grade cyano would be just as good, I've used ordinary industrial grade on myself several times with no ill effects! It can get very hot when it cures though and it's possibly that aspect, amongst others, that has been addressed with the medical and veterinary formulas. 

As you say it should definitely be used in well ventilated areas, the "smoke" that you sometimes see when you apply cyano is actually vapour, which itself will adhere to any moist surfaces that it contacts, on glass, perspex etc... it forms a white deposit, and it will do this in the lungs and airways of animals too if they inhale it, this would probably be the most hazardous aspect of using it, apart obviously from getting it all over the place and glueing things you didn't intend to!​


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## Moggy (Jun 7, 2010)

i can try and find out what glues are used in a veterinary practice if it will help? i work in one as a student vet nurse!!!! this HAS to be a sticky - it has helped me understand so much in 5 minutes. let me know if you want me 2 find anything veterinary out for you  xx


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Thanks moggy,

it would be great if you can find out if the vetrenarry grade stuff is the same as the medical thats used in hospitals.
drop me a PM when you get a chance

Graham,

The adhesive vapour is the reason Cyanoacrylate is used in farensic detection, if its put into a container with an article of evidence and burned the vapour adhears to the greases and moisture left behing by fingerprints, it would as you say, be extremely damaging to a spiders lungs and osophagus if used in a confined himid space.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Yes I've seen it used for detecting fingerprints, I'm sure that was discovered by accident like the adhesive itself.

Interestingly it was developed by Kodak during WW2, they were looking for a quick and cheap way to make lenses for bombsights, it didn't work and was shelved for some years until they found a use for it. 

I once accidentally glued my elbow to the desk at work, and it was 3 hours before I was finally freed!


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

lol, its a nightmare when you glue yourself to stuff, your skin gives before the glue and seriously who carry's acetone and stuff like that with them to remove it when s**t like that happens lol.

I've been gluing myself up for years, various accidents with scalpel and such, its great for cuts on heads aswell, bonds clean and leaves minimat scaring.


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Well in this case I actually had a bottle of debonder, but it was in a cabinet on the other side of the workshop and everyone else had gone home! Luckily I had a phone on my desk and was able to call for help, but I also had to call one of my workmates back to open the front door which was always kept locked in the evenings, it was a bit of a dodgy area and people would sometimes just wander in otherwise. He wasn't too pleased as he lived an hour away and had only just got home when the phone rang! I was seriously stuck, several square inches of skin glued solid to the desk, so I had to wait for my workmate to return and then it took a paramedic over an hour to release me.

Sorry I know this has nothing at all to do with spiders, but having mentioned it I thought it was worth explaining, still makes me laugh every time I think of it.


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## 8legpet (Mar 25, 2010)

*Atricle Write?*

Wayne.
Loving the information. I have a minro website regarding inverts and some reps. Would you be prepared to PM me, and anyone else for that matter, who would be happy to write atricles such as this and I'll publish it with full credit to you of course.

I dont want to block the thread with "Ill do it!" so please message me.

Excellent information. Thanks for sharing.:no1:


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## TEENY (Jan 4, 2008)

Love it Wayne 
Cornflour can also be used to seal ruptures. i have used it with great success


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Thanks Teeny, i've also used cornflour and it is good stuff.


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## Moggy (Jun 7, 2010)

pm'd you in regards to the glue used in a vets!!!  also - why is this not a sticky yet?!?!!?!


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Sorry Mods, i'm shifting this one back to the top as there's someone who could use the information on this thread.


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## mcluskyisms (Jan 24, 2010)

I'm not sure as to why this hasn't been stickied yet, its a well written useful piece of documentation.

: victory:


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Moggy said:


> pm'd you in regards to the glue used in a vets!!!  also - why is this not a sticky yet?!?!!?!


 
Coz noone has repoted it worthy of being a sticky yet, i cant do it myself as thats a bit arrogant :2thumb:


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

mcluskyisms said:


> I'm not sure as to why this hasn't been stickied yet, its a well written useful piece of documentation.
> 
> : victory:


 
Cheers dude.

someone has to report the thread and suggest that it's made a sticky.


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## mcluskyisms (Jan 24, 2010)

ebmoclab said:


> Cheers dude.
> 
> someone has to report the thread and suggest that it's made a sticky.


Done.......:whistling2:


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

Nice one.

Cheers for the vote of confidence buddy:notworthy:


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## mcluskyisms (Jan 24, 2010)

ebmoclab said:


> Nice one.
> 
> Cheers for the vote of confidence buddy:notworthy:


No worries pal, credit where credits due and that.....

: victory:


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## Sally026 (Feb 26, 2008)

Thanks this is really helpful. Lets hope I can make it work.


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

I hope it works for you too, if you have any trouble with any of it or have any other questions feel free to PM me and i'll help anyway that i can.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

It was added to the list of stickies a while back...


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## Freakinfreak (May 13, 2009)

GRB said:


> It was added to the list of stickies a while back...


GRB!
How art thou?


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Freakinfreak said:


> GRB!
> How art thou?


Busy!


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## Freakinfreak (May 13, 2009)

GRB said:


> Busy!


Fine!  I won't bother you then!


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Freakinfreak said:


> Fine!  I won't bother you then!


:lol2:

Nah, I'm just busy househunting and reading to start this PhD. I'm still around, fire me a pm


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