Newbie Q's:T's not eating

[Laura Watson]

Sorry I know Q's are always being asked about feeding but I just wanted to check what other people thought as Im new to this! My A.Avic juvenile isn't eating, I've had it about a week and a half now and it's built a thick web at the top corner of the tank, while the crickets sit at the bottom-will it come down to eat if its hungry or should I put a cricket near its web? Also could the web be a moulting web as when I bought it the guy said they do this and one of the others in the shop had built a similar thick web to moult in.

-My A.Bicoloratum also isn't eating, its not eaten since I got him nearly 4 weeks ago and his abdomen looks a bit shrunken to me (but I could be imagining it). I've tried feeding him dead crickets the last few days but he's just been ignoring them and today he got cross and flicked at me when I put the cricket near him. He's also built a shallow burrow-could he be preparing to moult or be stressed from moving house? here's a pic of it-the burrow is normally against the wall.

in good news my A.versicolour spiderling is on its 7th cricket in the 6 days since I got it

-Laura

[Simon Batten]

the A.Avic sounds like its going to moult I had this problem when I first got mine take out all the crickets and leave her and you should find she will moult in a few days maybe a bit longer.

As for the other one, could be the same reason building a web is an indication that she could be ready to moult, also Avics sometimes take a while to settle down after a move, id take the crickets out and leave them both for a while and see what happens if no change in a couple of weeks come back and ask advice some people on here are very knowledgable and will definately be able to help. anyway hope that helps a bit

[Samer Mashlab]

My Ts not eating!

Hi all,

I still consider myself a newbie as i have only been around for a month or so. My fully grown chilean rose has not eaten since i have inherited it. Its previous owner told me that it hasnt eaten much since he had it. I have had it about two months now and still no sign of appetite. I tried with crickets and nothing, i have left it alone for several weeks (more than a month) and i tried in the past few days with locusts. The locust walk on it and under its mouth and the T seems to be not interested at all, it moves away. Could it be ill? I need some advice.

[Simon Batten]

Hi all,

I still consider myself a newbie as i have only been around for a month or so. My fully grown chilean rose has not eaten since i have inherited it. Its previous owner told me that it hasnt eaten much since he had it. I have had it about two months now and still no sign of appetite. I tried with crickets and nothing, i have left it alone for several weeks (more than a month) and i tried in the past few days with locusts. The locust walk on it and under its mouth and the T seems to be not interested at all, it moves away. Could it be ill? I need some advice.

some times Rosea just stop eating mine hasnt eaten for months now its nothing to worry about i heard somewhere that they can go for 12 months with no food just keep fresh water in with it unless it gets a really shrunken abdomen for a while its not likely to be ill.

[Samer Mashlab]

Oh well, it is easier to look after then i thought so....although would have liked to see it eat. What shall i do with the locusts now! Got a box with 12 large locusts! Would it be wise to let them free in the garden?

[Simon Batten]

Oh well, it is easier to look after then i thought so....although would have liked to see it eat. What shall i do with the locusts now! Got a box with 12 large locusts! Would it be wise to let them free in the garden?

if I was you id just feed them on apple and bran flakes and keep them, if you let them go they will die quickly.

Your Rosea will start eating sooner or later I say keep them and try feeding her every so often, every couple of weeks she will need to eat sooner or later like I said just change the water regularly and she will be ok.

One other thing I read some where is sometimes they dont eat if they are too cold do you have a heat mat or is it hot enough in her tank? or have you tried feeding her smaller crickets?

[Samer Mashlab]

i do have a heat mat on, but only on one half of the tank. Im finiding it hard to keep humidity levels low. I have a wood cover on the tank with holes for air circulation. But this keeps humidity level very high. I will take the locusts out of the tank and try to keep it more areated. I tried feeding it crickets when i first got it with the same result. In 4 days 3 of the 5 locusts have moulted, could it be a sign that the conditions in the tank are not appropriate?

[Simon Batten]

i do have a heat mat on, but only on one half of the tank. Im finiding it hard to keep humidity levels low. I have a wood cover on the tank with holes for air circulation. But this keeps humidity level very high. I will take the locusts out of the tank and try to keep it more areated. I tried feeding it crickets when i first got it with the same result. In 4 days 3 of the 5 locusts have moulted, could it be a sign that the conditions in the tank are not appropriate?

having the heat mat under half the tank is how it should be so thats all good.

as for the locusts like all invertabrates they shed when they grow so I wouldnt say thats a sign of inappropriate conditions just so happens that they all shed at the same time.

You tried feeding her crickets and the heating is alright so I would think the reason shes not eating is like I said, just a strange thing that happens sometimes dont worry though, just try and feed her every so often and sooner or later she will eat.

Another thing I just though of is if the T is a male, mature males eat alot less than females, I dont know the age of your T but that could be a reason not definately though im just thinking of all angles.

might be a silly question but have you got the water bowl over the heat mat?? keeping the water dish as far away from the heat mat as possible will keep humidity levels down.

[Samer Mashlab]

The heat mat is on the opposite side to the water tray. To be honest i wouldnt have a clue if my T is a male or a female. How can i find out? As i write i just noticed a locust walking underneath its mouth and it would just move away!
My Friend had the T for a year before passing it on to me, and the person before also had it for sometime but not sure how long. I assume its a fully grown T but no clue whether its a male or female.

[Simon Batten]

The heat mat is on the opposite side to the water tray. To be honest i wouldnt have a clue if my T is a male or a female. How can i find out? As i write i just noticed a locust walking underneath its mouth and it would just move away!
My Friend had the T for a year before passing it on to me, and the person before also had it for sometime but not sure how long. I assume its a fully grown T but no clue whether its a male or female.

its hard to tell whether its a male or female without looking at its shed skin idealy with a microscope but not totally neccesary.

Females live 20+ years males 3 years or so. As for humidity id recomend making more holes or take the lid off for a little while when you have time but dont leave it with the lid off you dont want an escape.

My Rosea does the same thing when food is put near her I wouldnt worry just yet.

[Samer Mashlab]

it seems like i will not know whether its a male or a female until next year, when it will be approximatly 3 years! All i can do is keep it happy in the mean time and try to feed it from time to time.
Thanks for your help simon

[sarah Smith]

having the heat mat under half the tank is how it should be so that's all good.

you shouldn't put the heat mat under the tank as the spider will instinctively burrow to avoid heat, thus overheating itself. It's far better to mount it on the back of the tank using sticky tape (on the outside), still only covering around half of the length of the tank.

You can sex your T by looking for hooks on the tibia of the front pair of legs, or for the bulbs on the pedipalps, but these methods only work for sexually mature males. If you have a large enough shed skin, you can sex it internally from about 6th instar.

[Simon Batten]

you shouldn't put the heat mat under the tank as the spider will instinctively burrow to avoid heat, thus overheating itself. It's far better to moult it on the back of the tank using sticky tape (on the outside), still only covering around half of the length of the tank.

oh yeh I should of thought about that sorry