Tarantula Health

Providing you adhere to the previously mentioned rules on temperature, humidity and provide your spider with food and fresh water it is very unlikely that your spider will encounter a problem. There are however four main possible health risks your spider may be vulnerable to.


1. Injuries due to falls.
2. Moulting problems.
3. Introduction of toxic substances.
4. Parasites.

Injuries Due To Falls:

To reduce the risk of injury due to falls make sure that the height of your spiders container is not over tall.

(see Containers section also as mentioned in the Substrate & Interior section).

NEVER USE ANYTHING SHARP OR JAGGED TO DECORATE YOUR TARANTULAS CONTAINER.

Irrespective of whether your spider is terrestrial or arboreal it will from time to time decide to climb, if a fall should result your spider could either risk a sprained limb in which case no life threatening injury will occur or it could sustain a break. If a break should occur then it will result in bleeding from the joints.

Tarantula blood appears as a colourless fluid and should be visible coming from the damaged joints. This blood loss must be stopped. A good way of stemming the fluid loss is either unperfumed talcum powder or caster sugar mixed with a little water to form a paste. This can then be applied sparingly to the wound via a cotton bud.

Care must be taken though so as not to get any substances around the spiders book-lungs (lung slits located under the abdomen). If the leg is severely damaged the spider may cast the limb which it then usually eats.

If loss of fluid is due to a split or damaged abdomen, providing the damage is only slight it may be treated with the talcum powder/icing sugar method. A severely split abdomen is however untreatable and the only humane thing to do is stop the spiders suffering by placing it in the freezer.

Moulting Problems:

Your tarantula is at its most vulnerable during times of moulting, the most common causes of death during a moult are:


a) A spider who does not have the strength to survive due to old age.


b) Insufficient humidity, be sure to mist your spiders container on a regular basis especially when you suspect a moult may be approaching (see Containers section)


c) Insufficient time in-between moults may also pose a danger to your spider since your spiders exoskeleton would not have had time to grow and form properly.


d) Inexperience on the owners part. Your spider may spend several hours on its back without moving. During a moult this is completely normal, however an inexperienced owner may see the spider and proceed to turn it the right way up (for more info on moulting see the Tarantula Anatomy section).

Introduction of toxic substances:

Care must be taken not to introduce substances into your spider environment which it could find harmful. Be aware that using fly spray or any kind of insecticide could kill your tarantula. Even the use of a flea powder on other animals in the household like dogs or cats could prove fatal as this powder can often sit around the house usually in carpets for several months.

Parasites:

Only if you purchase tarantulas which are collected from the wild need you worry about parasites. Captive bred tarantulas will not suffer with this problem. The cause of the problem is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp which lays its eggs under the skin of the abdomen, it does this by first stinging the tarantula in order to anaesthetise it. The eggs lie dormant for a period of time and are often undetectable. On hatching the grub feeds on the living tissue of the spider until it emerges through the skin of the abdomen and flies away. Unfortunately there is no treatment for this problem.

A Tarantula Hawk Wasp.