Why won't my Chilean Rose eat anything ?

[Keith Heywood]

Hi, this is my first post, well done for having a fantastic site.

I have had my Chilean Rose around 2 years now, and for the first year he (she?) ate sporadically, sometimes 3 crickets in one day, then usually one a week, sometimes less. However, He hasnt touched a cricket now for a YEAR !

He looks fhealthy enough, and I refull his dish every so often, but over the last few mothns I have bought crickets, thrown them in, only to find them dead on the bottom the next day. He has been doing this for a year now, he hasnt touched any at all. I am currently taking out the dead crickets from last time. (Why do some crickets hide under the water dish?)

Should I be worried ?

[Ray Hale]

Hi Keith and welcome to the board. Lets see if we can set your mind at rest.

First of all the fact that your spider is not eating is not really a problem.

A few questions?

How big his he/she

If its adult then dont worry too much. In my experience tarantulas can go a long time without food. I once had an Aphonoplema seemanni go nearly 15 months without food she then shed and was fine. Overfeeding is a common cause of the tarantula ceasing to feed. Feeding three crickets a day is overfeeding. Indeed three crickets a week is possibbly too much. I feed my spiders once every seven to ten days. You spider may simply be full and needing to moult

When did it last moult?

Depending on size she may need to molut. My own personal research as shown that taratntulas seem to have an ability to defer a moult until they feel secure. I base this on years of bringing tarantulas home form shows and then when I put them in a new tank they moult shortly afterwards. You spider may benefit from a change of habitat. Check your temperature and humidity.

How often are you feeding ?

I think your spider is fine. If she is active and has a plump abdomen she sounds ok.

PS. Why do crickets hide under the dish...........wouldnt you!

Hope this helps

Ray

[Keith Heywood]

Hi thanks for your quick reply.

I think she is an adult, she looks fully grown and sheds about once a year (She hads only shed twice in the 2 years I have had her). It was a long time since she last moult, I cannot remember but it was several months ago at least. Size wise, she is an adult, maybe 7-8 inch legspan ?

when I said she ate 3 in one day, that was a one off, she hadnt eaten for 2-3 weeks before or after that day. I bought some juicy crickets and fed her one after another til she started ignoring them, just to make sure she had had her fill really. Usually I leave her a couple of weeks at a time before I buy a new box of crickets, I last bought a box first week in Jan, she left some the others just died in the box, she didnt eat any.

Temperature, I keep her in my office on a shelf, the temp strip usually says about 22-24 degrees when I have the heating on, plus she has a heat mat. I sometimes open the window (while I have a cigarette at my desk) but thats only about 1 day per week.

Humidity, I usually keep her dry, she doesnt like moisture at all. Ive never once seen her near her water bowl, and if I spray her tank she climbs up the wall until it has dried again, she won't walk on moist bark. I spray her every couple of weeks or so, sometimes more. Even that much seems too much, she storms off in a huff when I do it.

Her abdomen looks about the same size as ever, I havent noticed any shrinkage etc.
Ive heard that Chilean Roses do just go off their food without reason, but after a year I started to get a bit concerned !!

Thanks for your help so far.

[Geoff]

Although fasting does often precede moulting, it's not uncommon for Chilean Grammostola species to go for an extraordinarily long time between meals. In past years there have been several reports published in the bulletins of the American Tarantula Society and the British Tarantula Society of these spiders behaving this way. For example, in the ATS Forum, Vol. 1, No.2, p.33 (1992) the author reported that his "Common Chilean" had refused to eat for 5 or 6 months but stayed healthy and active. I seem to remember reading about even more exceptional examples.

It's important to remember that some of these Chilean spiders originate from regions with a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and cool, wet winters and so are more adapted to hot and dry conditions than spiders from tropical regions. I seem to recall that there have even been reports of them being found under snow in winter.

I wouldn't worry unduly so long as your spider has heat and water and appears healthy.

With regard to the crickets under the water dish, you've not said what type of crickets you're using but the black ones especially seem to favour confined damp spaces when they moult. Most, if not all, crickets seek out damp areas in which to lay eggs.

[bobgepstein]

Chilean Rose

My Chilean Rose hasn't eaten for a few weeks now. I think it's got something to do with winter. My flat is quite chilly and both spiders have slowed down a lot (they do have a heat source but the ambient temperature must have dropped).


Take it easy,
B

[Marko Sajovic]

Hi!
I'm going through the same as you are right now.
Mine rosea last ate a cricket on may 2006 and nothing ever since. But I don't worry about it because she looks healthy (nice round abdomen).
I try to feed her almost every week, with differnt kind of food. Nothing.
But few weeks ago I noticed something interesting.
I threw a cricket in her enclosure and she immediately jumped to it, grabed it and then released it. Then she folowed it around the enclosure, grabbing it from time to time, but always releasing it. I left cricket with her over night, but in the morning they were both alive, though she has lost all her interest in it, she didn't even want to play anymore.

Well, she is properly housed, has water dish and looks healthy. Fine with me. One mouth less to feed...

[Daniel]

I bought some locusts for my Lasiodora Klugi today and she bit it and then released it immediately, only to come back to it a few minutes later and eat it. I wonder if this is a way of injecting venom and disabling the prey without any chance of injury and then waiting for the venom to take effect before eating.

I feed her every few days and she is quite young and growing. Sometimes I feed her every day and assume it can't do any harm (as long as uneaten food is removed). Last night after not feeding her for a few days she was jumping at things in the tank and so I assumed she was asking for food! So cute....

[tracy dale]

i got a chile too she is a right greedy guts it's not uncommon for her to have 2 crickets in her mouth at once i find it quite funny

[Colin D Wilson]

With regard to the crickets under the water dish, you've not said what type of crickets you're using but the black ones especially seem to favour confined damp spaces when they moult. Most, if not all, crickets seek out damp areas in which to lay eggs.

A point well worth noting, one reason i tend not to feed crickets anymore. i had a population explosion in a T tank in the 1980's, woke up one day to find there were hundreds of the little critters bouncing around my brazilian black, i bet the poor thing was wondering what had hit him. Locusts are my prefered choice now, you can still gut load them, dust them with whatever and in my experience they don't chew on the T when its moulting if you miss judge and feed the day/night before.

[mike halewood]

Locusts are my prefered choice now, you can still gut load them, dust them with whatever and in my experience they don't chew on the T when its moulting if you miss judge and feed the day/night before.

Are hoppers the same as locust?? I've fed both to my T's and would prefer to use only hoppers with the occasional Locust as long as it was an ok diet for the Spiders.

[Colin D Wilson]

Are hoppers the same as locust?? I've fed both to my T's and would prefer to use only hoppers with the occasional Locust as long as it was an ok diet for the Spiders.

"Hoppers" is the term generally given to juvenile locust that have no wings as yet, I have fed almost all my tarantulas / scorpions on a locust based diet without any problems in the 37 years (ish) that i have kept exotic pets. you may add a little variety (the odd mealworm, waxworm etc) and in my experience there shouldn't be any issues. As i mentioned earlier you can gut load locusts with the same effect as crickets, basically what goes into the food item is transfered to the animal eating it. This is by no means 'gospel' but i've had no problems with dietary needs or longevity.

[mike halewood]

Cheers Colin, helps alot. One more if I may?
What do you feed your locust on?

[Colin D Wilson]

Cheers Colin, helps alot. One more if I may?
What do you feed your locust on?

I feed my locusts on mixed greens, a few chopped veggies (carrots, parsnips etc) and a moist mixture of ground up dog biscuits and calcium supplement. plus you can't beat good old fresh grass (chemical free of course)
I have a routine so when i buy the locusts in they are about 1 inch long, in little time they moult and grow to the next sizes along to suit the differing sizes of T we have, this links in nicely with feeding times....until my daughters awquard Chili rose goes on her little hunger strike of course.

[Marko Sajovic]

Just to share... I was feeding my tarantulas yesterday and I offered my rosea one cricket. And she took it and didn't let go.
This was the first cricket (or something) she ate after 10 months.

[Johanna Turner]

In response to Tracy
I have a B, smithi that caught 3 in her mouth one after the other the other night! I was impressed! Likes it's food as much as I do!
It is eating like it's going out of fashion at the moment though!

And Loved Daniel's post and the 'So cute...' comment - I'm not the only one that thinks my spiders are cute and have characters then??

My friends and work colleagues think i'm weird!! lol


I also have a G, rosea sling that I was asking about with feeding as it also seems a bit unimpressed with food at the moment - seems happy enough though!

Jo
Jo