Isoflurane anesthesia of wild-caught goliath birdeater spiders (Theraphosa blondi) and Chilean rose spiders (Grammostola rosea).
Anesthesia is used in theraphosid spiders to facilitate medical procedures (e.g., physical examination, sample collection, surgery); however, most information on this subject is anecdotal. This study was conducted to systematically determine the anesthetic parameters of wild-caught, subadult goliath birdeater spiders (Theraphosa blondi) (n = 11) and Chilean rose spiders (Grammostola rosea) (n = 12). Each spider was placed in a 3-L gas anesthetic chamber and subjected to an induction of 5% isoflurane at a rate of 1 L/min oxygen. Anesthetic depth was monitored by evaluating the righting reflex every 5 min. Animals were recovered in 100% oxygen. Induction, recovery, and overall anesthetic times were determined. After an 8-wk washout period, the procedure was repeated. For both species, median induction time was 10 min. Median recovery time was 30 min for T. blondi and 12.5 min for G. rosea.
Zachariah
Trevor T
TT
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA. zachariahdvm@yahoo.com
Mitchell
Mark A
MA
Guichard
Clare M
CM
Singh
Rimme S
RS
D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013112:Spiders / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D007530:Isoflurane