# Tarantula hibernating?



## whazzup101 (Mar 30, 2008)

so i got an orange usambra baboon tarantula at an reptile expo back in december 07. he came in a little plastic container and i fattened him up a bit, but he never shed. so i moved him into a 10g tank which i think it might be too big for him? and he hasn't been eating for a month and a couple weeks now and he made like a burrow which he enclosed with dirt and web. he basically made an underground cacoon in the aspen bedding and i took him out yesterday which was tough cuz of the webbing and he appeared to be very slow. for an example, when he was in the small container, he was active, but now i can actually hold him and i attempted to yesterday. he's also about 2-3" in legspan.
do these guys hibernate or what?

Reactions: Helpful 1


----------



## Pestilence (Mar 30, 2008)

Whats happening right now is that your little guy is in pre molt stage. better not touch or bother him for at least a few days because its gonna shed soon. it'll just stress him/her out. closing or barricading the enclosure is a good a sign enough to tell you not to bother him/her. sluggish movements is a sign too that it will be molting soon. make sure he has a waterdish in there.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## whazzup101 (Mar 30, 2008)

are you serious? crap!
i destroyed it's lil cacoon yesterday, but i think it made a messed up one and went back in. should i spray the area for moisture? i don't think it'll ever come out again for awhile... so i was afraid it was gonna starve itself to death. how long does the molting process take cuz it's starved for quite awhile now with no water too.

Reactions: Helpful 1


----------



## Mushroom Spore (Mar 30, 2008)

Wait, aspen? Like wood shavings? Once your spider has molted and then recovered (usually 2-3 weeks before they can eat again), you should change it to some kind of soil or peat moss or something.



whazzup101 said:


> so i was afraid it was gonna starve itself to death. how long does the molting process take cuz it's starved for quite awhile now with no water too.


You GREATLY underestimate your tarantula. A month and a couple weeks is nothing. Some spiders go three months, five months, eight months, two years. I think yesterday someone mentioned an A. seemani that's fasted for three years now.

As long as it's not losing weight (needs to eat) or shrivelling in the bum region (needs water), it's fine, whether for one month or eight.  Note that your spider's bum will be MUCH smaller after it molts, this is normal, they burn a lot of their stored fat so they can grow.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## whazzup101 (Mar 30, 2008)

Mushroom Spore said:


> Wait, aspen? Like wood shavings? Once your spider has molted and then recovered (usually 2-3 weeks before they can eat again), you should change it to some kind of soil or peat moss or something.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


ohhhh, i've heard of g.rosea's fasting for that long, but i didn't know all tarantulas do it for molting. yeahh, i saw it yesterday and it was pretty fat. and i will change the substrate after its molt to peat. could you tell me exactly what i could use. last time i used the eco-earth coconut soil substrate, but i wanted to switch it up a bit. should i also spray the cage too? i heard murinus like dry places, but also read during a molt it should be moist. and do you think i should keep it in a small kritter cage instead of the 10g? also, my room run's kind of cold at night during these months so maybe i need a infrared heater?


----------



## Pestilence (Mar 30, 2008)

10g is pretty big. how big is the lil feller? sure you can mist it a little but actually as long as you have a waterdish all is well. is your substrate bone dry? and the aspen shaving has got to go. just leave it alone for a while it'll be molting soon enough.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Mushroom Spore (Mar 30, 2008)

whazzup101 said:


> i didn't know all tarantulas do it for molting.


Yep, all tarantulas will stop eating for a while before a molt. 



whazzup101 said:


> and i will change the substrate after its molt to peat. could you tell me exactly what i could use.


I just use regular old peat moss myself, Schultz has a brand that's chemical/fertilizer-free and you can get a huge bag at Wal-mart for like two bucks. Use a lot of it with your spider, so it can keep burrowing if it wants.



whazzup101 said:


> i wanted to switch it up a bit.


Generally, unless the substrate is not a good substrate, or it's moldy or got mites, you won't ever need to replace the substrate once the spider's settled in there. They're very clean little critters, and they prefer keeping the same familiar dirt. 



whazzup101 said:


> should i also spray the cage too? i heard murinus like dry places, but also read during a molt it should be moist.


External moisture doesn't matter squat for molting, unless something has already gone wrong and the molt isn't coming off and needs to be softened so the spider can try again. For normal molting, INTERNAL hydration is what matters. As long as your spider has access to a water dish and isn't wrinkly-bummed (again, that means dehydration), it's fine. 



whazzup101 said:


> and do you think i should keep it in a small kritter cage instead of the 10g?


It doesn't NEED a 10g, but if you fill it very deep with peat moss you can make an awesome burrower tank. With a 3" legspan spider, whatever size enclosure you use, you want the substrate high enough that it's only about 4.5/5" from dirt to ceiling (1.5x the spider's legspan). This is so it is less likely to be hurt if it climbs and falls, which happens sometimes.

I think. Are OBTs classified as semi-arboreal, guys? I can never remember. If someone says they ARE semi-arboreal, you can give a little more room. Maybe six or seven inches from dirt to ceiling.



whazzup101 said:


> also, my room run's kind of cold at night during these months so maybe i need a infrared heater?


Unless it's below 60F, it's fine.


----------



## Pestilence (Mar 30, 2008)

Mushroom "girl" beat me to it. well what she said... that about sums it all up.


----------



## whazzup101 (Mar 30, 2008)

thanks guys. that pretty much sums up everything i need to know for now.
you both have been a really great help. now i can relax and now worry about it lol.


----------



## Mushroom Spore (Mar 30, 2008)

Pestilence said:


> Mushroom "girl"


Oh ho I see what you did there


----------



## 7mary3 (Mar 30, 2008)

To Mushroom Spore: 

Yes, OBTs are semi-arboreal. They're totally comfortable in either setting. I've got my OBT enclosure set up so that she can either burrow or climb, and she's done both. Sometimes I don't see her for a week or so, and then I'll check it in the morning and she's upside down on the top of the tank just hangin out... she's webbed in the upper corners as well as around her burrow on the ground. I expect that as she grows, her enclosure will be come relatively un-viewable due to the webbing. Anyway, again, yes, semi-arboreal. You can set up the tank for either one and they'll thrive. Extremely hearty Ts, ya can't kill 'em (not that you'd want to).


----------



## Pestilence (Mar 31, 2008)

Mushroom Spore said:


> Oh ho I see what you did there


lol... nothing can get past us "nerdy types" remember?


----------

