Mexican Red Rump and Chilean Rose.

[DEBBIE PARRATT]

Hi everyone I really am new to the society and relatively new to keeping tarantulas, I'm hoping someone will be able to help me with my enquiry, My MRR has excavated extensively and not eaten for nearly two weeks now, she justs sits in the corner of her viv, she does'nt appear to be stressed as shes not pacing she did moult in December and is approx two years old any thoughts? also my CR has extensively burrowed, he has gone from eating 3 three crickets a day to barely nothing, although he was extremely dehydrated and hungry when we got him in the beginning of January as far as Im aware there is no impending moult, he also is about two years old. I have consulted various books and searched the internet all to no avail, please help. Many thanks debbie

[Andrew Ferguson]

Hi Debbie. I'm new to the hobby too so don't take what I say as gospel. Although my info comes from the "tarantula bible", which is Stan and Marguerite Schultz's book The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. The book says that young spiders will often bury themselves for their own protection. My young smithi did the same thing too. Made a burrow and vanished. It briefly showed itself when a tiny cricket ventured into its lair. I think the cricket spooked it a bit

[Peter Lacey]

Hi Debbie and welcome to the forums.
3 crickets a day is more than I've heard any spider getting fed, more commonly a diet of 2 a week or 6 per month is quoted however many hobbyists provide a bit more. Tarantula are opportunist eaters, they eat when food comes their way and can fast for very long periods, even 2 years has been quoted! Whilst nobody would suggest feeding them under that timescale you will experience times when they fast for a month or more.
The Tarantula you have are also opportunist burrowers, they'll use a partial burrow and extend it, mine seem to do this too because I started a burrow for them. Other people find providing a hide, such as a flower pot or coco nut shell sufficient.
Make sure you have a water bowl, check your temperatures are not below 60, feed them 1 cricket at a time and if its not eaten remove it within 24hrs and try again in a few days time.
There's a thread on this forum entitled books which is worth checking but personally I'd grab a copy of the book Andrew refers to for a wealth of info or the book by Breene or Marshall for a good introduction into keeping tarantula.
Of course if your tarantula were young spiderllngs it would be important to feed them every 2 or 3 days.
There's only one other concern I know of which is referred to as "shipping sickness" where wild caught individuals refuse food and water or are simply unable to move to get them. The fact yours have eaten and are following their natural instincts of burrowing suggests things are fine but if you do feel there's a case for shipping sickness Breene suggests raising the temperature of the enclosure to 75-85 and varying the diet.

[DEBBIE PARRATT]

Dear Andrew, thanks for taking the time to read and reply, I have already downloaded informatiom from the Shultz's and will proceed to get the book, just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong. Best wishes, Debbie

[DEBBIE PARRATT]

Dear Peter, Thanks for taking the time to reply, I feel that perhaps the Chilean Rose wasn't as well fed and watered as the shop led me to believe, due to the amount he ate and the fact he immersed himself in his watered dish for long periods of time, I will certainly purchase the books you recommend, as I have gathered information from the Shultz website and they are very helpful, between Andrew and yourself I am feeling a bit more confident. Many thanks. Debbie

[Louise~Nichols]

Hi Debbie...welcome in.
I'm assuming by MRR you actually mean Brachypelma Vagans?

As so many of the species become confusing when referred to by an *English handle*, the Latin names actually give clarity for us to know the specific spider you are referring to.

Anyways...in reference to your issues, firstly...2 year old specimens, feed once a week only, offer a few crickets and remove what isn't eaten the next day. Next check the temps within your enclosures. Also what substrate are you using..is it boggy or dry?

With the B.Vagans, these guys actually need a higher humidity than other Brachypelmas, so check to make sure your little lady isn't feeling too hot and dry.

The chances are, your spids have just had a little more food than they required; try not to let their rear ends get too fat and bulky as this isn't healthy for them...body should equal carapace width, and certainly no wider than 1.5 times the carapace at worst. So...they could be ready to moult again if they've fed heavily!!

Good luck with them, and keep us posted with how you get on.

[DEBBIE PARRATT]

Dear Louise, Thanks for replying, you have been very informative and helpful, I will remeber to use the correct names in future to avoid any confusion, thanks for the advice. Best wishes. Debbie

[Louise~Nichols]

You're very welcome Debbie!
And there's no need to apologise...everyone here is of different experience levels, and all are equally respected and appreciated...I'm sure the latin names will grow on you in time...and a good book or two will certainly get you under way.

We're always here to help, so enjoy your time with us.

[KJ Vezino]

Debbie,

One thing to keep in mind with tarantulas is that their metabolism is pretty slow, a single meal will last them a while, but their stomach is still big so they can store up excess in times of famine. This is especially true in desert species like G. rosea and the Brachypelma. In the wild, they never know when their next meal is coming so they eat everything they can, whenever they can.

In captivity, they don't know that they have a steady supply of food, so they will still eat a lot. After a molt, they are essentially like empty piggy banks, they'll eat until they are full, but a full tarantula can go a very long time without eating, and they will until they work much of their stores down and feel that they need to resupply them.

A good maintenance diet is one feeding a week. A good feeding for a decent size G. rosea is 2-4 crickets. So basically you filled your T up, by feeding it 3 crickets a day, and it needs to work off some weight before it will want to eat again.