smithi b spiderling not eating

[sean grey]

once again thanks for you time stan.

i have tried the spider with a cricket again but the cricket kept jumping and the spider just freaked out and ran away .
so now i have killed the cricket and will leave it in there for a day or two.
i havnt yet had chance to change the substrate but hopefull will try this at the weekend.
do you think it would be worth trying different food?? just dont dont the little thing to die of starvation

[Stanley A. Schultz]

... i have tried the spider with a cricket again but the cricket kept jumping and the spider just freaked out and ran away ...

I don't remember...at what temperature are you keeping it?

... so now i have killed the cricket and will leave it in there for a day or two. ...

Good move!

... i havnt yet had chance to change the substrate but hopefull will try this at the weekend. ...

It's not a great priority anyway. But, it does change the predominant thing in its life at the moment, and I was hoping that would stimulate it to eat. "Wake it up," as it were.

... do you think it would be worth trying different food?? ...

Probably wouldn't do any good, but you can try a baby roach if you have any or know where to get one.

... just dont dont the little thing to die of starvation

No danger of that until next fall. I looked at the photos again. It's positively chubby! Remember that almost all tarantulas are slow, patient, meditative creatures. They barely eat enough to maintain life. In fact, until you disturb them, they ARE just barely alive. Their kind have been that way for millions of years. They have that science and art down pat. And, your smithi, with only a minimal amount of care, could live almost as long as you! Just sit back and enjoy the show!

Make sure that its substrate is slightly damp, and get on with your life. Check on it every evening, but don't stress over it. It'll be just fine. So will you!


Enjoy your little 8-legged enigma!

[sean grey]

sorry to take so long to reply . the temprature is usually between 21 - 26 degrees. ihave tried to find some horticultarul peat but i am finding this realy difficult to find. i have posted a new post to see if any one can help me loacaly. still not eating but still looks fine. i have changed the substrate to vermiculite but i dont think the smithi likes it much as it has been hanging off the side of the pot ever since i put it in. i left a live cricket in the pot in the hope that the smithis instincts would lead to it killing the cricket. when i returned this evening the cricket was lying on its back in the pot. from what i could see it did not look like the cricket had been eaten at all so i tried to remove it to inspect it. when i tried to remove the cricket it was stuck to a few pieces of vermiculite by a thin stran wich i can only presume was silk. if so is it possible that the smithi had killed it and lay silk over or around it?? . i put the cricket back in the pot and will check again tomorrow.
once again thanks for your help. and i will continue my search for some peat.

thanks sean

[Peter Roach]

I really cant think of any substrate worse than vermiculite except maybe loose sand or gravel.

To be honest Sean it sounds like you are or about to 'fuss' the spider to death.

Go out in the garden, scrap off the top few inches of dirt and then grab a few handfuls of the dirt underneath. If you really must, stick the dirt in the oven or microwave to kill any organisms. (cant see the point myself which is why i never have) or another alternative is to take a trip to any garden center or DIY center and buy a bag of peat, compost, topsoil or potting compost and use a few handfuls of that. Put the spider in the tub with its new substrate (anything but vermiculite) add a hide and small water bowl and then leave it alone for the next 4-6 weeks minimum apart from pouring some water into the waterbowl so that it overflows, thereby changing the water and at the same time providing a small damp area if the spider wants or needs it.
Put its tub on a shelf in a warm room and totally forget it, do not fuss it, check it, disturb it or anything else.

Whenever I get a new spider I repot it if needed and then leave it alone for anywhere from a week (slings) to a month or more (adults) likewise if I move or repot a spider I will do the same thing. I have found that many spiders do NOT like being moved and can take several weeks or even months to settle in to their new home.
Tarantulas THRIVE on neglect as long as they have the basic's like warmth, water and the occasional once a month insect.

[Stanley A. Schultz]

In the interests of simplicity, I'm going to reply to you both at the same time.

sorry to take so long to reply . ...

And, I as well. I took a short "vacation." (That's a joke because I'm retired, live in a motorhome, and am a card carrying snowbird!)

... the temprature is usually between 21 - 26 degrees. ...

That's excellent! Even if it goes up to 35 or 38 it's okay. If it approaches 15 C you need to start considering a "Plan B." If it goes below 15 C you need to implement said plan.

"Plan B" should be something like moving it to a warmer part of your home temporarily. If the cold spell is a long term thing, perhaps more than one or two evenings, consider moving it to a neighbor's or friend's house for the interim. If the cold seems to be a season long episode, you might want to start looking into other strategies for gently warming the cage. If so, get back to us for details.

... ihave tried to find some horticultarul peat but i am finding this realy difficult to find. ...[

Just about any landscaping, or garden supply store should have it. Even some enlightened pet shops. Also, see below.

... still not eating but still looks fine. ...

Excellent again! Don't stress. It's bad for your blood pressure.

... i have changed the substrate to vermiculite but i dont think the smithi likes it much as it has been hanging off the side of the pot ever since i put it in. ...

As Peter says below, not a good idea. Although it was once considered to be the ultimate substrate, it's now fallen out of favor by almost everybody. While it has some advantages, it's principle disadvantage is that it doesn't pack solid, and tarantulas hate a substrate that moves under their feet as they walk. They apparently need the stability (psychologically, if not physically).

... i left a live cricket in the pot in the hope that the smithis instincts would lead to it killing the cricket. when i returned this evening the cricket was lying on its back in the pot. from what i could see it did not look like the cricket had been eaten at all so i tried to remove it to inspect it. when i tried to remove the cricket it was stuck to a few pieces of vermiculite by a thin stran wich i can only presume was silk. if so is it possible that the smithi had killed it and lay silk over or around it?? ...

That's about as clear a "LEAVE ME ALONE!" message as your smithi is likely to give you. Relax. Sit back. Enjoy another beverage.

I really cant think of any substrate worse than vermiculite except maybe loose sand or gravel. ...

I will at least partly agree with you. Certainly there are better ones around.

... To be honest Sean it sounds like you are or about to 'fuss' the spider to death. ...

Well, I was trying to be a little more tactful, but I think you're right!

... Go out in the garden, scrap off the top few inches of dirt and then grab a few handfuls of the dirt underneath. ...

I usually rant against this practice because gardens, even in our 21st century, are often laced with all sorts of pesticides, and there have been a few cases where tarantulas have died mysteriously on garden soil. (But then, they also often die mysteriously on other substrates!) However, I also have to admit that a large number of people use garden soil with no ill effects, only a marginally fatter wallet from the money they saved. If you wish to do this, first think back. Have any pesticides been used on your lawn or garden within the last 2 or 3 years? If no, you can try it if you wish. If you're not sure, it's probably better to be safe than sorry and either use horticultural peat or shredded coconut husk (a.k.a., coir). If you live in a 4th floor flat, the question is probably already moot.

... Put the spider in the tub with its new substrate (anything but vermiculite) add a hide and small water bowl and then leave it alone for the next 4-6 weeks minimum apart from pouring some water into the waterbowl so that it overflows, thereby changing the water and at the same time providing a small damp area if the spider wants or needs it. ...

From the photo, the tub may be too small for a water dish. Just keep the substrate a little damp. Otherwise, what he says.

... Put its tub on a shelf in a warm room and totally forget it, do not fuss it, check it, disturb it or anything else. Whenever I get a new spider I repot it if needed ...

Almost everybody feels a compulsion to move a newly acquired tarantula out of the container it was shipped in into a new, improved, more modern cage. This is usually necessary with partly grown to adult tarantulas because they're shipped in too small deli cups or the pet shop hands them to you packaged in a cardboard box which they'll chew out of tonight. However, babies are almost always shipped or sold in pill vials or the small tubs like that your tarantula is in, and don't need to be immediately rehoused. They've grown nicely in those containers for months and there's little or no hurry in getting them into larger quarters. The trick is knowing when "if needed" is now or can wait a while.

Generally, if the container doesn't stink because it's too filthy, and the baby/spiderling can easily sprawl out like a teenager on your couch (davenport, chesterfield, divan, etc. Another bizarre cultural idiosyncrasy), you can let it go for a week or two with no problem whatsoever. Tarantulas are generally neither very demanding nor very fragile organisms.

WE'RE THE FRAGILE SPECIES,
NOT THE TARANTULAS!

... and then leave it alone for anywhere from a week (slings) to a month or more (adults) likewise if I move or repot a spider I will do the same thing. I have found that many spiders do NOT like being moved and can take several weeks or even months to settle in to their new home.
Tarantulas THRIVE on neglect as long as they have the basic's like warmth, water and the occasional once a month insect.

What he said!



Tarantulas and base jumping don't mix.
-- David Desoer

[sean grey]

thanks again stan and all

great news the t has molted so it looks like the reason it was not eating was that it was about to molt. i have noticed that some how in the molt it has lost a leg and i realise that it should grow back within its next couple of molts noy sure how it lost its leg as i did not see the molt. i had changed the substrate and also have changed its pot to a larger container but i am getting a lot of condensation in the pot and i think i might be getting a bit of mold i have plenty of pinholes in the top of the container and am wondering if i should change the substrate again but try and dry it out first before putting it in the container.. here are a few pics of my molted B smithi.

[sean grey]

Hi eveyone just a update on my b smithi it has molted again about a month ago and is doing very well it is starting to look more like a tarantula every day. i would like to thank stan and everyone else for their help on this subject i will update the photos shortley

[sean grey]

photos

Hi eveyone just a update on my b smithi it has molted again about a month ago and is doing very well it is starting to look more like a tarantula every day. i would like to thank stan and everyone else for their help on this subject i will update the photos shortley

so here is my t after its second molt and as you can see its leg is growing back fine.