My GBB isn't eating

[Madelynn Uhlmiller]

She molted a couple of months ago, she's drinking fine, but she just seems down. I keep offering food and she just runs away from it, she's usually a very aggressive eater and it's not like her to ever miss a meal. I misted down her enclosure a few nights ago and she went into her hide and hasn't come out, she looks like she might be curling when I looked at her tonight. I offered food earlier today and she hasn't come out to eat it and just ignores it. I've tried taking her hide out to see if she's okay and maybe if I need to get her into ICU but she has webbed the damn thing to the substrate and I'm afraid of smushing her.

 

[Ungoliant]

Posting a picture of your tarantula and the complete setup may be helpful.

She molted a couple of months ago, she's drinking fine, but she just seems down. I keep offering food and she just runs away from it, she's usually a very aggressive eater and it's not like her to ever miss a meal.

How big is your GBB? If it's a sling, it might be ready to molt again despite having molted two months ago.

I've tried taking her hide out to see if she's okay and maybe if I need to get her into ICU

ICUs are rarely appropriate, especially for an arid species like this. You generally only use them when the tarantula is extremely dehydrated and unable to drink on its own. (Even in that case, it might be better to flip the tarantula over and drip water into its mouth.)

 

[Madelynn Uhlmiller]

Posting a picture of your tarantula and the complete setup may be helpful.




How big is your GBB? If it's a sling, it might be ready to molt again despite having molted two months ago.




ICUs are rarely appropriate, especially for an arid species like this. You generally only use them when the tarantula is extremely dehydrated and unable to drink on its own. (Even in that case, it might be better to flip the tarantula over and drip water into its mouth.)

She's four inches, I've had her for two years. The enclosure she's in is similar to a cricket keeper, but obviously bigger, I'm currently in the process of finding a permanent one for her, but I seem to be having a hard time finding one online and the pet stores where I live only sell what she's already in. The picture I attached was shortly after she molted.

Edit: I tried taking a picture of her inside the hide and was unsuccessful but I was able to turn the video flash on on my phone and take a video at different angles so I can see what's going on in there (she's tunneled herself in) and she's not completely curled like I thought she was. Her toes aren't under her, she's just hunched up like she's uncomfortable.

 

[mconnachan]

How long has she been acting like this, has she been in the enclosure for long? She looks alright but you can see how she's behaving compared to normal, would you say her behaviour has changed recently after a rehousing or something similar, and change of substrate, post if there's anything different from usual, apart from that there's not much else i can think of apart from another molt.

 

[Madelynn Uhlmiller]

How long has she been acting like this, has she been in the enclosure for long? She looks alright but you can see how she's behaving compared to normal, would you say her behaviour has changed recently after a rehousing or something similar, and change of substrate, post if there's anything different from usual, apart from that there's not much else i can think of apart from another molt.

She's been in the enclosure for a few months, shortly after I moved her she molted. She didn't eat for a few weeks after she hardened up and then she only at a couple of crickets and then it's been a couple of months since her last meal after that. I still try and feed her regularly hoping that she will eat but she hasn't. My cat knocked her over one time (she had gotten into my room when I wasn't home and I wasn't aware of it) and after we got her back situated she hid in her hide for awhile and stopped eating then too. But my cat passed so it's not like that happened again. I haven't changed anything other than I took her water bowl away from her recently because she was digging under it and it made me uncomfortable because she chose to sit under than over her hide, she does that all the time though and I always give it back after a little while.

 

[AshS]

It's difficult to tell from the picture, but it looks like she has a large bold spot on her Opisthoma, where she has kicked off her urticating hairs. But she looks well hydrated and nice and plump. So I wouldn't worry to much she's probably just being a T. Leave off the food for a while and leave alone. I would however put another water dish back in if you took it out, something small like a bottle cap.

 

[Charlie69]

She should always have a waterdish, and they don't like misting at all. Give her a lighter waterdish if you worry about her burrowing under it. My GBB is also for inches. I looked at my record, their molt cycle was two months. They are very skittish, so best to leave her alone.

 

[Nightstalker47]

She's four inches, I've had her for two years. The enclosure she's in is similar to a cricket keeper, but obviously bigger, I'm currently in the process of finding a permanent one for her, but I seem to be having a hard time finding one online and the pet stores where I live only sell what she's already in. The picture I attached was shortly after she molted.

Edit: I tried taking a picture of her inside the hide and was unsuccessful but I was able to turn the video flash on on my phone and take a video at different angles so I can see what's going on in there (she's tunneled herself in) and she's not completely curled like I thought she was. Her toes aren't under her, she's just hunched up like she's uncomfortable.

Spider looks plump and healthy, keep her water dish full and don't worry too much about feeding. Could be in premolt, either that or she's just fasting.

 

[mconnachan]

She's been in the enclosure for a few months, shortly after I moved her she molted. She didn't eat for a few weeks after she hardened up and then she only at a couple of crickets and then it's been a couple of months since her last meal after that. I still try and feed her regularly hoping that she will eat but she hasn't. My cat knocked her over one time (she had gotten into my room when I wasn't home and I wasn't aware of it) and after we got her back situated she hid in her hide for awhile and stopped eating then too. But my cat passed so it's not like that happened again. I haven't changed anything other than I took her water bowl away from her recently because she was digging under it and it made me uncomfortable because she chose to sit under than over her hide, she does that all the time though and I always give it back after a little while.

I can only echo what the other members have said, replace the water dish then leave the spider in peace for a few weeks, then you should offer a prey item, try offering prey in 4 weeks, by then you should notice whether the spider is in premolt or just fasting. Even by then if you don't notice anything, one way or another just keep the water dish full. It's really the GBB just being a spider. Worst thing that you can do is worry, we've allseen this before, but it's a waiting game.

 

[JoshDM020]

The misting is probably making it uncomfortable, and the enclosure does look a tad small. And bare. They need lots and lots of webbing points to build... well. Webs. Theyre very heavy webbers and the lack of ability to build one may be adding to the stress of being misted. These guys do best on dry sub with a large waterdish (No. Misting.) and tons of webbing points. Maybe slightly dampening one corner of sub, but seriously, the waterdish is enough.
Edit: double checked. Enclosure actually looks a decent size for that spider. Its just too bare for her to web.

 

[Madelynn Uhlmiller]

The misting is probably making it uncomfortable, and the enclosure does look a tad small. And bare. They need lots and lots of webbing points to build... well. Webs. Theyre very heavy webbers and the lack of ability to build one may be adding to the stress of being misted. These guys do best on dry sub with a large waterdish (No. Misting.) and tons of webbing points. Maybe slightly dampening one corner of sub, but seriously, the waterdish is enough.
Edit: double checked. Enclosure actually looks a decent size for that spider. Its just too bare for her to web.

I actually bought fake plants for her to put in there yesterday before I posted this! I'm working on cleaning them off right now so I can build up here enclosure. The reason she didn't have any before was because she had been in other enclosures that weren't tall enough for them.

 

[Madelynn Uhlmiller]

Update: I checked on her just now when I got home from work and she's moved around and isn't curled anymore, so she's probably just being a brat and scaring me. I didn't think of using a water bottle cap for a bigger spider but I guess it makes sense so I'll get one in there. She never goes long without one, she just occasionally likes to hide under it and it's kinda heavy and I know they're sooo fragile. Her molting schedule is all over the place, I had a Vagans that molted every 4 months like clock work and my Chaco molts every 6, she's actually due for one and the size of her abdomen it's pretty obvious, but Castiel, the GBB, hasn't really gone with a schedule. As far as the bald spot, that photo is a couple of months old right after he last molt, she was flicking because I was moving stuff around in other enclosures and hers got bumped and she wasn't happy about it moving and just kinda went crazy with her leg She seems a lot better today, I was just really worried because I hadn't seen her in a few days and she looked off last night. Thanks for the insight guys.