Noob question ! Very skiddish Aphonopelma chalcodes

[Iamzannah]

Hi everybody !

I just got my first T she’s a Aphonopelma chalcodes(Arizona blonde) she’s 3” . I got her just a few days ago and she is crazy crazy skiddish !! Any kind of movement ( me opening her enclosure to feed or pulling a drawer opening from the same stand she is on, changing her water ) and she takes off pretty fast or jumps. Will this get better over time? I choose an Aphonopelma chalcodes for my first because of everyone saying their a good beginner T because of their docile and easy going nature but she is the complete opposite.. while unboxing her she even started kicking hairs .. makes me a little on edge! Is there anything I can do to make her feel less on edge ? Will this get better over time ?

 

[BoyFromLA]

First thing I would do is, place the enclosure where it can be less startled.

About the tarantula being skittish can’t be helped really. Just try to be gentle when opening the enclosure, that’s all.

 

[AnimalNewbie]

It might go away with time or it might not my b. Albo is known as a very docile and calm spider but mine is skittish and flicks hairs everywhere. It’s jsut different with each spider.

 

[Theneil]

How lo g have you had her?

My guess is that she will probably settle down quite a bit once she settles in. Got any pics of the spider and setup we could see to check for other reasons?

 

[Iamzannah]

It might go away with time or it might not my b. Albo is known as a very docile and calm spider but mine is skittish and flicks hairs everywhere. It’s jsut different with each spider.

Do you have any kind of method when it comes to rehousing and cleaning(changing out substrate) skiddish T ?( thinking for the future)

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Get a pic did you give her a hide? I usually use plastic Tupperware like sour cream containers or old flower pots. Make em feel safe so I don’t get haired!!!

 

[Iamzannah]

How lo g have you had her?

My guess is that she will probably settle down quite a bit once she settles in. Got any pics of the spider and setup we could see to check for other reasons?

I just got her 3 days ago ! From net.bug. She has already eaten 3 large crickets for me .

 

[Garth Vader]

She is lovely! She might calm down a bit after she settles in. My A. chacodes was a bit of a mess when I first brought her home but now she's pretty chill and loves to dig holes and trash her enclosure. Of my small collection, she is the main culprit of bulldozing and water dish messes. Also remember you really don't need to get into her enclosure too often so the more you leave her be, she will likely be less startled and she will hopefully settle in better.

That said, some tarantulas are just more skittish than others. Many on here have heard my laments about my non-eating, non-molting, very skittish, clinically depressed G. pulchripes ("oh such a great species! Such a great eater! So curious and always out on display.. blah blah blah" they say. Pshah! I BEG TO DIFFER). Anyway, I've tried it all to help her be more comfy and try to figure out if I am doing something wrong. But nope. She is healthy and her enclosure is fine. She is just a high-strung, sensitive gal, which is actually kind of endearing and (to me) very relatable!

 

[Iamzannah]

She is lovely! She might calm down a bit after she settles in. My A. chacodes was a bit of a mess when I first brought her home but now she's pretty chill and loves to dig holes and trash her enclosure. Of my small collection, she is the main culprit of bulldozing and water dish messes. Also remember you really don't need to get into her enclosure too often so the more you leave her be, she will likely be less startled and she will hopefully settle in better.

That said, some tarantulas are just more skittish than others. Many on here have heard my laments about my non-eating, non-molting, very skittish, clinically depressed G. pulchripes ("oh such a great species! Such a great eater! So curious and always out on display.. blah blah blah" they say. Pshah! I BEG TO DIFFER). Anyway, I've tried it all to help her be more comfy and try to figure out if I am doing something wrong. But nope. She is healthy and her enclosure is fine. She is just a high-strung, sensitive gal, which is actually kind of endearing and (to me) very relatable!

Thanks for the advice ! I did just get her a few days ago so I’m going to move her to a quieter place I sorta have her on display she’s my first T and I think she’s the coolest thing ever she’s fun to watch ! Hopefully she will get a little better with time and patience fingers crossed if not I’ll still love her for the skiddish crab butt she is. I have also read juveniles being a little more on edge and getting calmer as they mature tho

 

[Sinned]

I just got her 3 days ago ! From net.bug. She has already eaten 3 large crickets for me .

Beautiful T and heard nothing but great things about them. Put them on my wish list a while ago You aren't feeding her every day I take?

Anywho, all my T's are on the same table. They all react differently when I walk into the room and/or bump or put something down on the table. My B. albo doesn't mind the sound of the door... but the slightest tap on the table makes he bolt into her hide. My GBB just sit's there but casually walks into a web-tunnel if I pick her enclosure up.

My B. vagans, my largest T right now -- often doesn't even ever bother coming out of her hide ... lazy bastard just knows roaches will scurry inside for her to feast on.

My A.genic ... just doesn't care - the bloody house could be on fire. Till something moves *inside* of her enclosure... she then tries to eat it. But only after her last molt, before she did just used her hide and was pretty skittish. One of my Phormic slings just sits there looking at me ... never moving. (that thing freaks me the hell out) The other one, skittish and retreats into it's burrow/hide if she spots movement in the room.

Fun thing is .. that might all change again after their next molt. (Except the A.genic, it will keep trying to eat everything from what I learned here...)

Your T might still be settling in... some T's can take their time doing so. They might also show different behavior after each molt. Some stages they might be very skittish and then as they grow larger become great display T's always sitting in the open not caring what happens. Ymmv, every T is different in the end.

They do prefer behavior that freaks out new keepers... just because they can and have a lot of free time... Mine do at least.

 

[Arachnophoric]

I just got her 3 days ago ! From net.bug. She has already eaten 3 large crickets for me

Just a note that you may wanna reel it back on the frequent feedings. A T this size will be well fed with 1 large cricket a week. It's easy to get excited with your first T and you can't help but want to feed them a lot, but at the rate you're feeding her she'll be more than ready for premolt and could end up fasting/not eating until her next molt. Which knowing Aphonopelma sp. and their notoriously slow growth rates, could be a LONG time. Nothing is more frustrating when your first and only T refuses food for months straight until it finally molts.

Very nice setup and very pretty T. Welcome to the boards!

 

[Theneil]

Is the sub damp? She can be on Dry sub. This is a burrowing species (though my sling has tried every lifestyle EXCEPT for that... ) so you may even consider a bit more sub depth and make sure to pack if down so the surface isn't too loose. Also it is hard to tell in the pic but you don't want want more than 1.5× the legspan in vertical height between the lid and the sub to decrease fall risk. Looks like you are okay there but it's hard to tell. Over all, its a very nice looking setup. She will settle in eventually and probably calm down. Might take a week might take 6 months. Depends on her.

 

[Iamzannah]

Just a note that you may wanna reel it back on the frequent feedings. A T this size will be well fed with 1 large cricket a week. It's easy to get excited with your first T and you can't help but want to feed them a lot, but at the rate you're feeding her she'll be more than ready for premolt and could end up fasting/not eating until her next molt. Which knowing Aphonopelma sp. and their notoriously slow growth rates, could be a LONG time. Nothing is more frustrating when your first and only T refuses food for months straight until it finally molts.

Very nice setup and very pretty T. Welcome to the boards!

Wow okay thank you so much for telling me that ! When I got her her abdomen looked a little grape shaped to me and i read that’s not how it’s suppose to be ? so I thought she wasn’t being well fed so I kinda went maybe a little crazy with the crickets ? I fed her 1 on Tuesday when I first got her and then 2 today Thursday. So I shouldn’t feed her until next Thursday and just one large cricket then ?

And thank you so much i worked hard on it ! Thank you

 

[Garth Vader]

Thanks for the advice ! I did just get her a few days ago so I’m going to move her to a quieter place I sorta have her on display she’s my first T and I think she’s the coolest thing ever she’s fun to watch ! Hopefully she will get a little better with time and patience fingers crossed if not I’ll still love her for the skiddish crab butt she is. I have also read juveniles being a little more on edge and getting calmer as they mature tho

Yes- she will probably like a quieter place better.

My first T was a juvenile Aphonopelma anax. Oh man, I really bugged that little dude a lot when I first got him so I get what you are saying. This is why it is good to have more than one tarantula- I have 12 now and even then it is common that no one is up to much. But the more you have, the more you can watch feedings, molts, digging, etc. So there I am, enabling the addiction to tarantulas!

 

[Iamzannah]

Is the sub damp? She can be on Dry sub. This is a burrowing species (though my sling has tried every lifestyle EXCEPT for that... ) so you may even consider a bit more sub depth and make sure to pack if down so the surface isn't too loose. Also it is hard to tell in the pic but you don't want want more than 1.5× the legspan in vertical height between the lid and the sub to decrease fall risk. Looks like you are okay there but it's hard to tell. Over all, its a very nice looking setup. She will settle in eventually and probably calm down. Might take a week might take 6 months. Depends on her.

I don’t believe the sub is Damp i have not misted it at all . It’s cocofiber. I couldn’t fill it that high because of the ventilation holes on the sides of the enclosure I ordered it from Jamie’s Tarantulas’s.com . I could probably fill it a little more so it’s right underneath the holes but then what do I do with her ? She’s so skiddish

 

[Arachnophoric]

Wow okay thank you so much for telling me that ! When I got her her abdomen looked a little grape shaped to me and i read that’s not how it’s suppose to be ? so I thought she wasn’t being well fed so I kinda went maybe a little crazy with the crickets ? I fed her 1 on Tuesday when I first got her and then 2 today Thursday. So I shouldn’t feed her until next Thursday and just one large cricket then ?

And thank you so much i worked hard on it ! Thank you

Her abdomen not being large isn't a huge concern, as long as it isn't shriveled; small abdomens are usually just a sign of a recent molt. Shriveled, on the other hand, are signs of starvation/ dehydration.

And that is correct - you should be a-okay to wait on her next feeding until Thursday, and one large cricket should be plenty to tide her over until her next feeding.

 

[Iamzannah]

Thank you so much !! Any advice to make me a better new T mom helps thank you

 

[Sinned]

Feeding to often will result in your T fasting ... it will just stop eating and it still freaks me out knowing they can keep this up for *months* (there are species that did so for a year+)

Though, honestly, I still do now and then slip one an extra cookie(roach) when I *think* it looks hungry or previously molted and needs to put on some weight.

 

[Theneil]

as long as there is not a fall risk i think there enough sub for her to be fine. Ts usually adapt well within reason. Coco fiber holds moisture very well so it may just be residual from when it was in the bag or hydrating the brick when you bought it OR it might just be the my eyes and the pic looks darker at the bottom. Either way as long as you arent adding moisture it will be fine. just wanted to check.

If you were going to change the enclosure, the simplest theing would be to place a Deli cup (or similar container) over her and adjust while she is "cupped" then just uncover her when done.

 

[Iamzannah]

as long as there is not a fall risk i think there enough sub for her to be fine. Ts usually adapt well within reason. Coco fiber holds moisture very well so it may just be residual from when it was in the bag or hydrating the brick when you bought it OR it might just be the my eyes and the pic looks darker at the bottom. Either way as long as you arent adding moisture it will be fine. just wanted to check.

If you were going to change the enclosure, the simplest theing would be to place a Deli cup (or similar container) over her and adjust while she is "cupped" then just uncover her when done.

Oh yes first pictures is when I first got done setting the enclosure up and just put in the sub and it was I yellow lighting last picture she’s in the dark and I used flash. But okay nice tip ! Hopefully when the time comes when I need to “cup” her she won’t run away lol . Thank you for your advice !