Avic avic not coming down to eat

Mica

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 16, 2012
Messages
7
Hey,
so this might be a newbie question, but then again this is my first arboreal.
this avic avic loves the uppermost perches in his terrarium, but he's been up there for about a week and i'm worried since i'm pretty sure he has not come down to drink or eat. I've been trying to feed him crickets (though i remove them from the terrarium when i leave the house... i don't trust unsupervised crickets not to attack the spider if he molts). The individual crickets are usually in there for intervals of two hours. Will he eventually come down and eat? is something wrong? or is this pre-molt behavior, same as terrestrials? humidity is 80%, temperature is 74.
 

Nightstalker47

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Jul 2, 2016
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2,612
Two hours is not always enough time for the spider to find them, especially a nervous avic.

You can leave the crickets in overnight, just remove them if they're still there in the morning.
 

Little Grey Spider

Arachnoknight
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May 14, 2017
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262
I can almost positively guarantee it comes out in the middle of the night. It's a good sign its staying up high, I'd honestly be concerned if it wasn't. An Avic lingering on the sub is not a good thing.... I would leave the feeder in overnight. Keep the water dish full. It should be just fine. Mind posting a pic of your set up?
 

Mpmackenna

ArachnoNerd
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Feb 11, 2014
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149
I'm looking at the pics you posted and I am not so great at sexing or have all that much knowledge about Avics, but that looks like it could be a MM. That palp looks fairly bulbous. How old is your T? Perhaps someone else can verify that for you. If it is a MM it may very well lose interest in food.
 

Little Grey Spider

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May 14, 2017
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I'm looking at the pics you posted and I am not so great at sexing or have all that much knowledge about Avics, but that looks like it could be a MM. That palp looks fairly bulbous. How old is your T? Perhaps someone else can verify that for you. If it is a MM it may very well lose interest in food.
It looks like it still has its juvie coloration in the second photo, or am I mistaken?
 

cold blood

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i'm pretty sure he has not come down to drink or eat
Unless you watch 24/7, you cannot make that determination.

I've been trying to feed him crickets (though i remove them from the terrarium when i leave the house... i don't trust unsupervised crickets not to attack the spider if he molts).
Avics molt inside thick web tubes, for this reason, a cricket or two running around the tank is a complete non-issue.

Will he eventually come down and eat?
of course.

humidity is 80%,
Maintaining high humidity and chasing these numbers is flat out the best way to kill your Avicularia.

Take your hygrometer, and throw it in the trash, or return it if you still can.

Despite all the total crap you see saying they need humidity, they don't. In fact they need things dry. Keep the sub predominantly dry and if you mist, do a light half mist on the wall, or on the webbing...this is for drinking, not husbandry. Ventilation is actually the most critical aspect of Avic care.

Look at it like this, if they requires high humidity, they would live on the ground, under something, where things stay consistently damp...they do not, they live high in trees where things dry out very quickly because of constant breezes and airflow...even after heavy rains.

This insistence on high humidity has undoubtedly killed more Avics in captivity than all other reasons combined.

Do not read care sheets (EVER), do not listen to pet store advice.
 

PidderPeets

Arachnoprince
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If it's the Avic that you posted pictures of in the media section (it's much more helpful to include pictures in your threads as well, btw), it's definitely not a mature male.

It can take them a bit to find food. You can try putting the food on their webbing up top. If you leave it on the ground, it should be safe to leave overnight.

Do NOT worry about humidity. Often, caresheets tell you it's important, but that info is outdated. High humidity kills Avics. Just keep it with dry substrate and a water bowl and it should be fine.
 

The Grym Reaper

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Jul 19, 2016
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humidity is 80%
Disregard anything about maintaining high humidity unless you want a dead Avic, they should be kept predominantly dry and with a shedload of ventilation, I overflow the water dish every now and again but I let it dry out completely before repeating, that's it.
 

Mica

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 16, 2012
Messages
7
Thanks so much for the responses, really appreciate it. will definitely take all the advice.
I do not know the tarantulas age or sex (though I've been calling him "he" based on the palps and apparent epiandrous fusillae) but he is 3.5 inches... i'm pretty sure mature avics are a bit larger? or am i wrong?
Yes, it is the spider in the photos i posted. RIMG0455.JPG
 

Vanessa

Grammostola Groupie
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Mar 12, 2016
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Not mature, they are a juvenile/sub-adult based on the markings on the abdomen. My mature male is around the 4" mark - this is a species where the males can mature quite small. You will know when he (if he is a he) matures because the pink tips on his pedipalps will be gone and will be replaced with his papal bulbs.
 

boina

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humidity is 80%
In addition to what all the others already said on high humidity (i.e. it's bad) - the first thing that an Avic will do if it starts to suffer from high humidity related problems, is stop eating. Since your Avic is rather thin and still a juvenile and therefore should be hungry, I'd dry the enclosure out rather sooner than later. High humidity may be a reason for decreased appetite.
 

viper69

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Unless you watch 24/7, you cannot make that determination.
My words exactly, as you well know.

Thanks so much for the responses, really appreciate it. will definitely take all the advice.
I do not know the tarantulas age or sex (though I've been calling him "he" based on the palps and apparent epiandrous fusillae) but he is 3.5 inches... i'm pretty sure mature avics are a bit larger? or am i wrong?
Yes, it is the spider in the photos i posted. View attachment 272321
At 3.5" the abdomen is too small for my liking. Needs to eat or drink IME.
 
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14pokies

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Oct 25, 2014
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You can dribble a bit of water onto its webbing every few days at night to make sure it has the chance to drink.. You can also drop the cricket right on the web giving the T the greatest chance of aquiring the prey item..

While doing feedings earlier I found one of my smaller A.metallica's starting to death curl from dehydration.. It has a large full water dish just inches below.. I used a syring to dribble water onto it's front legs and it started drinking from the web immediately.. It's fully recovered now just a few hours later.. For whatever reason avics just get stupid sometimes forgetting to venture out for food or water..
 

Mini8leggedfreak

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Dec 21, 2017
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270
Just thought I’d add a little information about mine.
My 2.5” female doesn’t eat until dark....most times. I leave a big cricket in and in the morning she’s got a little ball in her fangs. I’d rather see her take the cricket but it is what it is
 

cold blood

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You can dribble a bit of water onto its webbing every few days at night to make sure it has the chance to drink.. You can also drop the cricket right on the web giving the T the greatest chance of aquiring the prey item..

While doing feedings earlier I found one of my smaller A.metallica's starting to death curl from dehydration.. It has a large full water dish just inches below.. I used a syring to dribble water onto it's front legs and it started drinking from the web immediately.. It's fully recovered now just a few hours later.. For whatever reason avics just get stupid sometimes forgetting to venture out for food or water..
you gotta think, in the wild theres little reason to ever come down...every night their webbing is covered with dew drops....mimicing this every now and then isnt a bad idea.
 

awiec

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Feb 13, 2014
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Avics vary a lot in boldness, I have some that will come up to top of the cage and nab the cricket in the air and others hide and come out at night. You'll learn to just dump the cricket in there and check back on it the next day. Avics are pretty hardy and self sufficient if you make the corrections suggested to you in the thread.
 

NukaMedia Exotics

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Do you watch it at night? That's when they usually move around and are most active. Try leaving a cricket in overnight and see if it is there still in the morning, or even later the next day.
 
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