It may seem odd to some of you how one could love a hairy, eight legged
creature, but Ripley had been a big part of our family for about 15 years.
She was estimated at being close to 22 years old, but I don't know if a
Chilean Pink Tarantula is suppose to live that long or not... All I know
is that due to my own stupidity, I lost a creature that was as dear to my
heart as my ferrets, cats, and guinea pig are.
 
Ripley came into our home before we had ferrets, but the cats found her
fascinating.  Every year Ripley would molt, which is the process by which
they discard there outer shell, or exoskeleton, for a new body.  I always
saved her sheds and let them dry after shaping them into a new spider.  I
used her sheds as an educational tool to talk about what wonderful and
interesting creatures they are.  Unfortunately, after 14 molts, I have only
one shed of hers remaining.  The cats, and then when we got ferrets, would
find the cases we placed the sheds in, overturn them and eat the shed.
Luckily no one got ill by it but the sheds were so brittle that it didn't
take much force to do major damage.
 
I know that some of you are wincing at the thought that someone could love
such a horrible creature, but she wasn't the monster the movie industry
and fear mongers made her out to be.  Just like the long history of
misinformation about ferrets, tarantulas also suffered.  Thankfully, I had
a fellow I could turn to when Ripley got sick almost two years ago.  It may
seem odd that I bothered to try to save her life back then by administering
antibiotics to cure her ailment.  Patience, love, commitment and time
healed her wounds... but my own stupidity killed her.
 
On Thursday I had an opportunity to do a wonderful service to ferrets,
and other animals by having a TV crew over to do a spot with me.  As they
filmed during the day, my head reeled with all the things to say and do.
When they got to filming Ripley, I took the lid off of her enclosure, and
they filmed inside.  She did not move but that's a tarantula for you.
 
They went on to film Squirt the guinea pig, and then onto the ferret room
again.  Before I knew it, they were gone and I went on to do other things.
When I made my way back upstairs, I was horrified to find that I had left
the lid off of her cage... I peered inside and my heart leapt out of my
throat... she was gone!  I looked frantically for her before finding her
on top of a pile of grapes that I had taken out to feed Squirt on camera.
Unfortunately, I had slowly grown allergic to her over the years and so the
educational sessions had to cease.  I couldn't touch her and so managed to
lift the bag that she had attached herself to.  I was horrified to see her
read end was split open and her insides were oozing out.  It was clear that
she had attempted to escape from her enclosure but once at the top of the
aquarium, had no where to go but down.  She must have fallen at least 10"
onto the top of the dresser where her enclosure sits, directly onto her
rear end.  The impact caused a hugh split on her abdomen.  I burst into
tears for I knew that I was responsible for her eventual death... How could
I have been so stupid!
 
We did what we could to try and save her, but alas, this morning proved
that our attempts were in vain... our hairy baby passed on at a time when
we felt she had a few good years left in her.  I am devastated... just as
much as if I had lost one of the other furry babies in our home.
 
It is hard to accept her death, as for the last year and a half, almost two
years, my husband and I tried our best to save her from a bad molt.  One
can never appreciate the kind of dedication it takes to save a creature's
life until you have to give a tarantula antibiotics off of a tiny
syringe... but we managed.  And our dedication worked...
 
Our love for the animals under our care knows no bounds... and Ripley will
be greatly missed.  I hope there is room for a special creature like her
up in heaven, for she is one of God's creatures, and He would not turn her
away, for all have a place in His heart....
 
And ours too...
 
Betty and Her Blur O'Fur... Missing Ripley the Terrific Tarantula
For the love of ferrets, and all creatures great and small
[Posted in FML issue 3233]