Criptic's Page On Herps - Tarantulas

Please be advised, this page is not intended to take the place of veterinary care. When faced with an emergency, seek a veterinarian's assistance!

This may look like an illness or like your tarantula is dead! I want to explain that this is not death! It is a normal thing that a tarantula goes through periodically to grow. If you run across your spider lying on it's back, and looking like it is dead, read about molting before you start to mess with, or get rid of your tarantula. Molting is explained in the molting page. To get to this, click molting.

Bites!

Tarantulas are capable of control over the amount of venom they inject when they bite. Most bites are dry bites, no venom is injected. Only when a tarantula is enraged and fighting for its life will it inject all that it has. The effect of a bite probably depends on how much venom was injected. Our reaction to

tarantula venoms depends on where we were bitten, and our physiological sensitivity to the venom. Many tarantulas, the New World species in particular, become quite tame when handled once in a while. They rarely bite and if they do, they must usually be treated only with a mild antiseptic.

Parasites

Mites!

There is some question about whether or not mites are parasitic to a tarantula. Probably some are and others are not. They are certainly unsightly and irritate your pet. They possibly foul and plug the book lungs and mouth causing death. When a tarantula's cage is kept too damp, the mites multiply uncontrollably.

To determine if a tarantula has a mite problem; Late in the evening, several hours after all the household lights have been turned off, examine the walls and contents of the cage with a bright light and a hand lens. If tiny, light-colored specks that move slowly across the surfaces can be seen, it is infested with mites.

Move the tarantula to another container and throw away all of the old cage contents. Wash the cage with a chlorine bleach solution. Rinse the cage until there is no smell of chlorine. Allow the cage to air dry for at least a day and check again for chlorine odor. If on still persists, rinse the cage again and air dry an additional day. Set the cage up for the tarantula with new substrate and decorations, but this time keep it desert dry. Supply the obligatory dish of clean water with a pebble or slate chips.

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