So right now one of my Aphonopelma sp. "crinirufum" slings is acting very oddly. It can't walk, instead its legs flail in a spastic manner and it's very hard to watch. I've isolated it from my other tarantulas. The question now is what happened.

The only thing I can figure out is that I last night I fed my littlest slings some pinhead crickets that I picked up at the reptile shop. This morning everyone had eaten except the sling that is behaving oddly. I first noticed the strange behavior as I was removing the cricket from the vial. There was nothing different on my hands so I'm guessing the cricket was the culprit. None of the others that ate the crickets are displaying unusual behavior, but I'm keeping a close eye on them.

I'm charging my camera so I can try to get some video of the sling, but for quick reference it looks like all those Youtube videos labeled "dyskinetic syndrome." I'm of the opinion that DKS is just chemical exposure and not some horrible disease that will infect other tarantulas... but enough about that.

Did the cricket do something to my sling? I think so. But how? And why aren't the other spiders displaying the same behavior? And if the herp store isn't a safe place to buy crickets, where do I get crickets from? Any advice/insights are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Jen,

Keep watching it is all I can suggest. Accidental exposure is a possibility, but you need to watch the entire collection for a while. Also, keep in mind, while rare, neurological issues could be straight genetics, and the cricket had little to nothing to do. Isolation from the others is a great idea. I would also keep the stress as low as possible, it might come out of this.

Good luck and keep us updated, please.

Christian

The crickets would have all come from the same environment, so if one cricket had been exposed to some type of chemical, the rest of the crickets would have been too. Since the other Ts are fine, it seems unlikely to me that the cricket was the source of the problem. The only time I have ever had an issue with "bad" feeders was with some mice and every animal that ate the mice died.

I'd agree that the cricket probably had little or nothing to do with the given situation. I think the reason your little one didn't eat was more due to the fact that it's ailing, rather than the cricket causing the problem.

All the suggestions Christian has given are important possibilities, and I only have one other thing to add. In my own experience, a lot of Ts (slings especially) that I've seen exhibit these "DKS" symptoms are dehydrated, even if just slightly. In tiny slings, even slight dehydration can have a tragic outcome, and this winter has been so stinkin' dry (at least for us it has), that it could be a contributing factor. I'd dribble a little water in the enclosure, if you haven't already. (By the way, I'm also of the opinion that "DKS" is not a disease, more something that every spider with the "shakes" gets lumped into...but that's another thread entirely. )

Good luck with the little guy/gal. I've got my fingers crossed for you! Do keep us posted.

Jen

Thanks for the posts!

Christian, I'll definitely keep this thread updated. I took a video but as usual the camera refused to focus on something so small (and moving at that) so I got a nice capture of a blur instead. Don't think I'll be uploading this one.

Dawn, you've got a good point. Just checked on everyone else and they're all moving around just fine.

Jen, I was awfully quick to vilify that cricket wasn't I? I kept the cricket in question to keep it under observation as well and it's still alive and moving fine. Okay, that theory seems to have been debunked. It's been very dry here too, dehydration doesn't sound unlikely. Just added a little water to the vial, the sling wasn't too happy about it but hopefully it will help. I'll post with any news.

Try increasing the humidity...a lot. My B. albiceps did that, and it's not a sling any more. wouldn't eat. I wet the substrate at one end and covered the kritter keeper with plastic wrap and a rubber band. and a few weeks later it's all better. I've never seen it drink ever - which means nothing. I just think dehydration can cause odd behavior like flailing legs.

I had forgotten that dehydration also can cause those sorts of movements. It's true. So can high heat, which I dismissed from your normal great care and details.

Actually blaming a cricket is an OK thing. Insects can be carriers of toxins, parasites, pathogens, and cause injuries. The food could have been a cause, but the symptoms do not match anyone's current experience. So... probably not the sacrificial insect, this time...

Christian

An update: after increasing the humidity the little guy's been moving around the vial, and the shakiness has decreased some. Don't want to jinx myself but I think this one might just pull through after all.

My B. albiceps seemed to too better after a week. Almost a month later, I still have the top of the krtiier keeper covered in plastic wrap with a rubber band, but it has molted, and I''m waiting for it to emerge from its burrow. I can see it through the plastic as the wall of the kritter keeper is the wall of its burrow, so I know it's ok.

That's great that your albiceps recovered, and even molted! Gives me more hope for my little one.

Another update: apparently my sling is mobile enough to do some redecorating as there's now a little burrow in the vial that wasn't there before. It's still shaky, but the movements are much, much slower. Does this mean the sling is recovering or becoming weaker?

Keep the humidity real high. Mine would only drink from the walls - and a have only seen that once. I now suspect that that was the problem with some of my L. parahybana babies that died. While some did well, some didn't and did the leg flailing. With my B. albiceps I also increased the temperature quite a bit. My guess is it is doing better and regaining control of its legs.

If it has burrowed, then I'd suspect it's on the mend.

This story may have reached its end: when I came home today the sling was in an odd position, perfectly still. It's unresponsive.

I wish there was more I could have done, but it's so hard when your patient has a legspan of less than half of an inch.

I never posted, but I have followed this thread since the beginning and you did every thing right. I don't know if it's was necessarily exposure that caused this tragedy. I think sometimes slings can just be of a weaker constitution than others from the same sack. I had one of my N. chromatus slings go frail, curl under and die for no good reason last year, and I'm telling you, it was as healthy as a sling could be. Sorry for your loss.

Jen,

If it was dehydration, you changed the situation. If it was something genetic, you did everything you could. Sadly, they won't all make it.

Christian

Oops, I spoke too soon! Woke up this morning to find the little guy methodically cleaning his feet. Nonetheless, thanks for your sympathy Mr. John, and sorry to hear about your N. chromatus. And thanks for all of the advice Christian. I don't feel like I'm out of the woods yet with this one, but I think (fingers crossed) this will end on a good note.

Jen,

You're going to make me pull my little remaining hair out!

Christian

This thread has been a rollercoaster, hasn't it? Now the sling has its abdomen in the air, clearly it's not happy with all the drama either.

Pfft...please, we all know those will grow back the next time you molt.

Jen, I'm glad to hear your little one seems on the mend and is even showing a little 'tude! Hope it continues this trend!!

~The Other Jen

The new posts to this thread have made me smile and made my week.