allen1303 wrote: ... HI everyone. I just lost my Cyclosternum fasciatum to DKS. Now I have looked all over the net trying to find answers, but found nothing. My questions are as follows. Is it the food we give the T's eg. crickets. If so could it be the food we are giving the crickets. May the food we are feeding the crickets not have been cleaned properly and contain chemicals, thus causing a build of toxin in the T. or could be allergic to some of the food that we feed the crickets. Maybe it could be fungus caused by rotting vegetables in the feeders cage.Does DKS happen to all the types of T's. Is it more in the females or the males. DoesDKS happen in the wild.Sorry about all the questions but I am trying to build up data base as to what age the T died from DKS, what he was eating, how long after his last meal did it happen. Was it feed from the same batch of feeders. Were the crickets purchased or breed by the owner. Did any of the other T' s in his collection contract DKS. ...
Great questions! The major difficulty is that we can't answer any of them! Sorry. There are indications that DKS may be caused by several things. There are indications that some forms of it can be caused by insecticides or other chemical poisoning. There are indications that some forms of it can be caused by parasites. There are indications that some forms of it can be caused by viruses or bacteria. There are indications that some forms of it can be caused by injury. There is the distinct possibility that it could be caused by
prions
like "mad cow disease" in cattle and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans. There are indications that some forms of it can be an inheritable disease. There are lots of indicators that we're standing here, absolutely butt naked, bare faced, and completely ignorant. :blush:
Sorry, again.
The only recommendations we can offer are:
1) As soon as a tarantula shows signs that would lead you to suspect DKS it should be removed and isolated to a room away from the rest of your collection.
2) Always care for the healthy tarantulas first. Care for the suspicious or afflicted tarantula(s) dead last. (Sorry. Bad pun. :blush: )
3) Care for the sick tarantula(s) only twice a week or even less often. Do not make a practice of working around them (and thereby contaminating yourself) any more often than necessary to keep them comfortable and otherwise well cared for.
4) Nothing ever goes back to your healthy tarantulas from the sick room without at least a good washing in hot soapy water. Bleach sterilization, baking in an oven, or microwaving might be better.
5) It's much safer to discard or destroy anything and everything that comes into contact with the DKS tarantula except you. And
YOU need to wash well (preferably shower and change to clean clothes) after each time you care for the sick tarantula.
MORE BAD NEWS:
Because the arachnoculture hobby is such a minor sidelight of normal, mainstream human activity, the probability of anyone doing any definitive research on DKS is less than being hit by a meteorite (especially if you live in Russia! :ohmy: ). Don't get your hopes up.
Are there any tarantula keepers in the house who are benevolent millionaires? :happy:
