Not Feeding, No sign of moulting

[kelly murray]

Hi can anyone give advice.
my grammostola aureosriata has not eaten since mid december and has not shown any signs of moulting. she has become quite defensive in the past week and rearing up on occasion. very worried about her. she doesn't seem to have shrunk or shrivalled however i think her legs look a bit thinner (or i'm geting too paranoind)
Can anyone please explain what she is going through. none of my other tarantula's have shown such a change in character even pre-moult. she has everything she needs and conditions are good. Please help

Thank You

Kelly

[Peter Lacey]

Hi Kelly, sorry there's no replies to this but I think the situation is rather common.
G. rosea are very well known for fasting as are many other species. Whilst tarantula usually reduce their food intake prior to moulting its not necessarily the case that fasting is a sign of pre-moult.
The most important thing is to make sure it has a water bowl so that it can at least drink. As long as the abdomen hasn't shrivelled there shouldn't be an issue but you might want to try some of these suggestions:
1. raise the temperature to 80+, perhaps your temperatures are too cold and therefore your G. aureostriata has slowed its metabolic rate down?
2. Try different foods, tarantula often seem to go off a typical kind of food so try alternatives eg. crickets, locusts, roaches, morio/meal worms, grubs, moths etc.
3. Post some pix so we can view her. Perhaps there are some signs of a moult or is it possible she is gravid or he is mature?

[Colin D Wilson]

A picture would be very helpful, and if the enclosure could be photographed then this may help too (just in case there may be little improvements that could be made to make for a more natural environment)

Long lanky legs for a G pulchripes (ex G aureostriata) "could" mean a mature male specimen, has the spider got boxing glove like ends to the palps (emboli) next to the mouth parts, or can you see little hooks (or spurs) near the ends of the front legs (leg I)??

As Peter has said above the Grammostola genusfor the most part are renowned for fasting prior to moult (and to be honest just because they feel like it sometimes)
So yes.......
picture would be a great help
water bowl definitely
try a different food item
try raising the temp slightly

[kelly murray]

Thank you guys

Thank you so much.
Well if it has worked this is eddie a few months ago. hasn't really changed since but you have made me wonder about what sex eddie is. i ordered ed's from the spider shop and he told me it was a sub adult female. please let me know what you think. i am also going to do my best to check.

Thank you so much for your help

[Thomas Pitchford]

There are so many people so much more knowledgable than I on this forum that I can't wait to see what they have to say, but just upon looking she (he?) looks healthy. I know you're worried because mid-December is a long time for us, but these little critters are hearty when healthy. As Peter said, water is always key, but I am also surprised how finicky these things can seem to be. If you have another type of food try it - I can't believe how many times my biggest girl will eat the same type of thing and then the little madame will just flick the next one away until I give her something else.

I realise they may not be the solution and if it is something more serious, I am sorry for that, but more times than not things are okay and we the keepers are merely worried about our lovely "little" friends.

[Stephen Bryceland]

Hi Kelly.. aureostriata have to be one of my fav spids, they can go without eating for very long periods think my girl went around 7-8 months without eating anything.. main thing like others are saying is water, as long as you have water in there he/she should be perfectly fine.. with you saying its getting a little grumpy then thats a sure sign a moult could be on the cards, mines do the same but they can take months before actually moulting, i've also had mines go without food for months thinking she could moult then she'd start eating again..a good sign to look for with this species is the mirror patch on the abdomen this will go duller, you should also see the rest of its body dull up slightly..
mines sitting with a big sac atm so loads of babies going shortly..

if you bought it from Lee and he said it was a female then I would trust his judgement.. Lee has plenty experience and does know his stuff..
from the picture's you've posted up yours looks perfectly healthy to be honest..I have a nice boy here looking for a girl if you'd like a loan of him..just let me know..

Steve.

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Kelly, I'd say she looks fine, we've got a G. Rosea AF that's had 3 crickets in about 10 months without a moult, they're well known for this kind of behaviour. As long as water is available, temp about 22-26c should be ok.

[kelly murray]

Thank you all very much

thanks guys i guess i will just have to be patient with her and watch. she is my favourite girl and would hate anything to happen to her (i expect you all feel the same ways about yours)
Thank you