Suicidal M. Robustum

[Kibosh]

I have only been keeping T's for about 2 years now so there is much I have not experienced. I owned 2 M. Robustum but just found one of them dead in its burrow. Both of my m. robustum burrowed a lot spending 99% of there time underground and me never seeing them, they are both about 3-4". The difference is this one would burrow itself down and cut itself off from any food or water for weeks with no sign of premolt. I would try and moisten the soil around it so it had water. I would even try put crickets right down into its hole to feed and it would normally ignore them. Finally I found it in a death curl a couple months back and had to put it in an ICU and revive it. After about 24 hours it recovered and fed normally..... couple months later it did the same thing and shut itself off from food or water until now its dead and it wont revive. My other m. robustum loves to burrow and I almost never see it, but is always a veracious eater whenever I drop crickets into its burrow. Any ideas why this one might have starved itself to death given the behavior I described?

 

[Roosterbomb]

You're gonna get asked to post pics. I'm pretty sure m robustum is a big fan of burrows and moisture so staying in a burrow isn't outa sorts.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Well, did you try putting water inside of the burrow? By your description it died of dehydration and your efforts were too late to help it recover fully. Was it kept dry with a water dish? When you have a tarantula that makes a burrow, it will seldom leave the protection of that burrow to find water and food. Water should be provided by putting some water inside of the burrow and the substrate kept moist. Depending on your type of substrate it very well could not drink from it.

 

[Cavedweller]

I'm sorry to hear that, hope your other one stays healthy.

When my Ts seal up their burrows for months at a time, I drip some water onto the substrate and make sure it reaches all the way to the bottom. (Sorry if this is what you already do and not helpful advice)

How big was the Ts abdomen when it died? If it wasn't small and shriveled maybe it died from something other than dehydration?

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I'm sorry. IMO The key to keeping Megaphobema robustum is humidity. Lot of humidity. High humidity. My AF is in a large plastic enclosure, full ventilated (full ventilation is a dogma for me and for all my T's, i don't cover the holes btw) with a cork bark (where she start, under the cork bark, her burrow) and a lot, but a lot of substrate.

Substrate is only coco fiber, and, for mantain humidity, vermiculite (fine grain). There's a large water dish, always full and overfilled more than 2 times a week. Stop. No fake leaves, nothing. I can say that mine lives in a 85/90% always, highly moist substrate.

Mine is always in the open, in the night. Great eater, like a horse. Best, along with Hysterocrates gigas, N°1 shy T i had/have. A nothing and she "180°" in her burrow with fast light speed.

Also, you probably heard about the fact that those Megaphobema sp. T's can't hold hot temperatures.. well, here is really, but really hot, like if the gates of hell opened two weeks ago. More than 33° C, even 30° C at night, on my room where i keep my T's (maybe, and i say maybe, hot weather stopped today) a weather that we never had to face.. and she is fine, and recently molted with no problems.
Who's the only T of my collection not near, or drinking in the water dish? Yes, Megaphobema robustum. Even my OBT seems annoyed by this hot weather (and they're African) and spend her day sleeping near the water dish. Not her.

A lot of owners worry about high humidity and mold issues.. just remove the food remains and there's no problems. Mine disappeared for two months in her burrows for pre molt, closing the entrance with web. Jumped out 15 days ago, trashing the web.

In sum high humidity and the right inches of substrate (at least 15 inches) are the key for Megaphobema robustum, for me. Cross ventilation and a full air cycle (windows and door always open) do the rest.