UPDATE: After some discussion on various message boards with other spider keepers, I have been able to piece together one likely explanation for what may have happened to Blue which caused her death.  It seems likely that she must have fallen at some point in her journey from the open tank, to the nearby radiator. She would have had to have climbed a very smooth surface both vertically and briefly, even upside down, in order to follow that path. If this IS the case, it does mean that I am responsible for her death, and this is not a responsibilty I take lightly.

 

The moral implications, and lessons to be learned... 

 

I must confess that I fell asleep during the time-lapse recording of that video I was making, so was not aware of her escape until the video footage showed me what had happened when I awoke, several hours later, by which time it was too late, and the damage had most likely been done. She was very uncharacteristically lethargic when I found her beneath the radiator, but there was no sign of external damage, so I wrongly assumed she was OK. There are lessons to be learned from this experience, certainly for me, and I would hope, for other spider keepers too. I do not believe it is wrong to document the captive lives of our spiders (and other pets), or to make videos, and other media for the entertainment and education of ourselves, but I do feel that it is wrong if this is ever done at the expense or to the discomfort or stress of the animal itself, and on reflection, I should have stayed awake until I had shut the tank again, and was assured of her safety. I assumed, having never seen any evidence to the contrary (since the spider had settled in), that she had any desire to leave her home environment, and I was evidently wrong to suppose this. I feel this way about some other spiders I keep, especially Flash, my A.versicolor, and previous to this incident, would have been more than happy to leave her tank doors open. This episode has taught me that I cannot allow myself such luxuries. These are wild animals that we choose to bring into our homes, and even if captive bred, as all but one of mine are, they are still worthy of the utmost respect, and not just from a human safety point of view. This is not meant to be in any way 'preachy', but I hope that my mistake will make other keepers pause for thought, and then take extra care to make sure that they are attending, in the most whole-hearted way to the animals that we choose to keep.