Worried about A. avicularia

[pinkfoot]

Hi all! My first post...

I have a young (age uncertain) Avicularia avicularia who I have just obtained from a pet shop. I have housed her in a glass tank 30x30x45cm in size with copious faux vegetation and moss and real driftwood, above 5cm of Mulch. She has a water dish and the temp is around 21 degrees celcius.

She seems never to move which is worrying, and I have fed her several crickets with no reaction at all. The layout gives crickets plenty of hiding places and I cannot see any 'leftovers' so I have no idea if she's eating. Also, I have found her lying with her left legs on the glass and her right legs kind of folded beneath her. On prodding gently, she moves onto the glass proper, but painfully slowly and I am really concerned that I am doing something wrong here. Naturally, I don't want her to expire due to my inexperience. (First T)

Can you help?
Thanks
Paul
South Africa

 

[bonesmama]

It takes awhile for a T to get accustomed to a new home- they don't eat right away, and many roam around their cages, so your's sitting in one place is better than it roaming. Avics will start making a tube web and settling in after awhile--but it could take several weeks to several months- just keep things around it as quiet and calm as possible, and don't disturb it too often. If it's not eating, just give it a big bowl of water an offer a cricket or other feeder once a week. If it doesn't feed after 24 hrs, remove the prey item and try again next week. Humidity and ventilation are very important with avics, so make sure you have enough of both. Most A. avics are WC, so have pity on the poor thing and let it adapt to it's new life without any more stres than it's already had to deal with.
And good luck!

 

[Scolopendra55]

Welcome to the boards!! It may be in premolt.

 

[MindUtopia]

How big is your T from the tip of its front legs to tip of back legs? Generally you want a tank that is about 3x its length long and 2x its length wide. For arboreal species like Avicularia this would be 3x its length high and 2x wide. Make sure your tank is not too big. If it is too big and has too many hiding places for crickets, this may become a problem for feeding. You also will want to make sure that you can clean out cricket remains. Otherwise they will mold and mold is very unhealthy for Avics. If all of that is fine, then just give her time. It will take them several weeks to a month or longer to settle in.

Also, I see you are from RSA! I've spent a lot of time there either studying or working. And I'll actually be back in Cape Town for about five weeks in July and August. It's a beautiful country. Welcome to the boards!

Karen

 

[Ewok]

It also may have molted recently while at the pet store. Some times after they molt they act kinda funny. Mine do atleast, sitting on the side of the cage in an odd fashion and not eating right away.

 

[pinkfoot]

Many Thanks

Thank you to all of you for the kindness in replying and your welcome!

I have a feeling that I may have 'over decorated' I have a lot of foliage and moss in the tank and I cannot find remains of, OR live crickets.

Size also has me concerned, Karen: By your measurements the tank is at least twice too big. Now, she's already been relocated from the pet shop to a transportation tank and then into this new 'condo', so

• Should I change her home to a new one, or
• Should I clear out all of the moss, etc
  
  Gracias
  Paul

 

[Mina]

Change her to a smaller home and cut way down on the vegetation. After all if you have problems finding the crickets, it makes sense that she might have problems finding them too, right?
It will be kinder to move her now before she makes her tube web. It took mine 2 1/2 months to rebuild her web after rehousing, and they are stressed with out one. My girl does not move around much at all, she stays in her tube.
Welcome to the hobby and to the boards!!!!!!!