A. seemanni behaving oddly

FloridaTGuy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Messages
6
Hey everyone, I hope you're all having a good day. I had some questions about husbandry for A. seemanni.

So, I don't normally buy T's from pet stores, but I saw her (I think it's a her, haven't got a good molt yet) and I just knew I had to buy her. She was 30 dollars and was just in a small deli cup with no sub whatsoever.

So I bought her, and I put her in a HabiFlat enclosure I had with around 6" of coco fiber substrate. I put in cork bark and made a small hole, which she promptly dug out within 24 hours of moving in. I also added some sphagnum moss and some fake plants to make it look nice. I've read they like it moist, so I keep her water bowl full, which she always dumps, and refill everyday.

Now, the first few weeks I've had her, she's been perfect. She's sits in her burrow and just waits for night and then she struts around hunting crickets or mealworms, exactly the sort of behavior most keepers seem to observe from what I've read.

So, a few days ago I got home from work and found her in the corner just sitting there. She moved a bit when I went to refill her water, but stayed above ground. I'm worried I may have overlooked something, because she basically just sits here all day now. She still moves at night, but her appetite isn't nearly as big and she never uses her burrow anymore.

Is the enclosure to humid? Should I rehouse her in something smaller with a top soil/peat mix? Any advice would be amazing.

Thanks for your time.
Patrick
 

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Teal

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
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Jan 11, 2009
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4,096
I think your enclosure looks great. They do like their sub moist, so overflowing the water dish a bit is good.

Do you keep live feeders in there? If so, it is possible something has come into her burrow and made it stressful for her to be in there. Mealworms burrow and pupate into beetles underground, and the beetles aren't appealing feeders for most Ts.
 

FloridaTGuy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Messages
6
Not usually. I always watch the mealworms because they burrow and crickets I remove after a few hours.
 

Goopyguy56

Arachnoangel
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Nov 16, 2017
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830
It looks like the sub could be a little too moist. I keep mine with some moisture i pour to keep and inch or two moist on the bottom.
 

FloridaTGuy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
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6
Should I setup a new enclosure and move her or just wait for it to dry out naturally? I've had it on my screened in porch all day and it appears to be drying up little by little .
 

Goopyguy56

Arachnoangel
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Nov 16, 2017
Messages
830
It should be ok if that is truly the problem. When I see the enclosure from the side it looks like the water line is 3/4 the way up the substrate which, in my opinion, is too much. I would try to let it dry out on its own. Just keep an eye on her
 

Goopyguy56

Arachnoangel
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Nov 16, 2017
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830
She looks pretty plump you dont have to worry about her starving for a while
 

FloridaTGuy

Arachnopeon
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Apr 9, 2019
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Awesome thanks so much for the advice. That was my original idea, so I'm glad I'm thinking along the right lines at least.
 

Goopyguy56

Arachnoangel
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Messages
830
If it really starts webbing up the area surrounding the entrance it could be getting ready to molt too. Could be in prwmolt anyways. I noticed my b elimia stopped eating, then came out of her burrow to start webbing up the surroudning substrate
 

Clareesi

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 18, 2019
Messages
29
I think everything looks ok. Shes nice and plump and her not eating at that size wont be an issue since shes nice and plump. A.seemanni is not the most voracious eater out there. Mine hasnt eaten in 2 months and is still nice and plump. I'd probably let the enclosure dry out a bit and see if she goes back in.
 

FloridaTGuy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Messages
6
I let it dry most of the day, and I'll set it back outside tomorrow to dry some more. She's always been voracious, for the month I've had her at least, but when I got her her abdomen was really small, which is partly why I saved her from the pet store anyways lol. I think she'll be fine, I just get worried when they start acting differently than normal.
 

FloridaTGuy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 9, 2019
Messages
6
Just an update on my spider.

She seems to have decided to return to her burrow, and she built a little wall and webbed up a bit. I suppose she could be in premolt, and I've sorta been expecting it for awhile.

I'm just gonna leave her alone until I she her out looking for food again and let her do her thing.

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions, y'all are an awesome community.

Thanks,
Patrick
 
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