# Brachypelma Boehmei and Brachypelma Smithi not eating.



## Fresher (May 1, 2010)

Hey guys just wondering if anyone could shed some light on why my two T's are not eating.

Its been atleast 5 months since they have taken a cricket, i seriously can not remember the last time they did :?

They have bald spots and neither of them have gone dark, so neither in pre molt...
They are constantly kept between 18 to 24 degres celcius

And yet they show no interest in food, they just both run away 

Does any one have any similar experiances with the same species?


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## BrynWilliams (May 1, 2010)

How large are both the Brachy's of yours?

If juvenile/large then a couple things come into play. Firstly brachypelmas are really quite slow growing, so a long fast could be quite possible without any problems.

Potentially: I have to go through a bit of a process with a couple of my juveniles, whereby if i whack open the lid (click-top locks) and then try feed them they just run away. Whereas if I open the lid and leave them to settle down for a couple of minutes before trying to introduce food, they usually go for it. It seems they get startled by the vibrations of me opening the lid to their enclosure and then won't pursue food items.

The above just might be something to try?


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## Xian (May 1, 2010)

I wouldn't worry too much if they have a healthy sized abdomen on them. Just keep their waterbowl full. I have a _Brachypelma emilia_ that hasn't eaten since October, her abdomen is the same as you described yours to be.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Fresher (May 1, 2010)

the smithi is about 1 1/2 inches and the other about 2 1/2


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## Mack&Cass (May 1, 2010)

They could be in premolt. We had a G. rosea in premolt for 6 months and her bald spot didn't turn dark until the day before she molted.

Edit: Everyone beat me to it  haha

Cass


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## Singapore_Blue1 (May 1, 2010)

*Raise the humidity*

I currently own a B. boehmei and I've owned a B. smithi. Try to raise the humidity granted they are a dry species however that I found will cause them to quit eating. What type of prey are you feeding them?? Also how do they look? Do they still look healthy?? Sometimes T's will go long periods of time.


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## Fresher (May 1, 2010)

there abdomens are still quite full and they look healthy its just before this period they both use to eat often and molted like once every 2 months for a year


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## Fresher (May 1, 2010)

BrynWilliams said:


> How large are both the Brachy's of yours?
> 
> If juvenile/large then a couple things come into play. Firstly brachypelmas are really quite slow growing, so a long fast could be quite possible without any problems.
> 
> ...



Ok ill try it now and ill let you know what happens


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## Xian (May 1, 2010)

I wouldn't fret too much about it then. They'll either molt or eat when they are ready.


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## BrynWilliams (May 1, 2010)

Agreed. 

It still took my rosea juvenile 9 months to want to eat. I still definitely get better results with letting them chill out for a second though before live food gets thrown in. My N chromatus are the worst, my juveniles are so skittish, they just about do a lap each time i move the enclosure the slightest bit 



Xian said:


> I wouldn't fret too much about then. They'll either molt or eat when they are ready.


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## Xian (May 1, 2010)

BrynWilliams said:


> Agreed.
> 
> It still took my rosea juvenile 9 months to want to eat. I still definitely get better results with letting them chill out for a second though before live food gets thrown in. My N chromatus are the worst, my juveniles are so skittish, they just about do a lap each time i move the enclosure the slightest bit


I agree as well, sometimes they do get a little freaked out from the vibrations.


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## Fresher (May 1, 2010)

Thanks for your advice guys, its pretty much what i thought anyway (just ganna have to wait for the T's to either molt or eat when there ready) but better to be safe then sorry . Also what do you guys think about spraying these species tanks? atm i just have quite large water dishes in each tank, but i never see them drinking from them.


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## Fresher (May 1, 2010)

Heres my Brachypelma Boehmei btw, after he decided to destroy his whole tank LOL


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## BrynWilliams (May 1, 2010)

Nice looking 'dozer you've got there


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## Mack&Cass (May 1, 2010)

I want a boehmei 
Also, re: your misting question, we just use a water dish and overflow it a bit if we notice they're in premolt.

Cass


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## BrynWilliams (May 1, 2010)

Catching Ts at the watering hole is an art  

Check out THIS THREAD for some quality snaps


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## winwin (May 1, 2010)

Why not try increasing the temperature?


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## sjn01 (May 2, 2010)

btw your bohemi is really beautiful, cant wait for miine to grow up, although i still think b.arautum is the best looking bracky.

18 degrees sounds like an unnecessarily low temperature to drop to although its dont think its a particularly wrong temp, T's like the high temperatures to increase metabolism and to help them digest food properly.
And maybe you could try increasing the humidity, you substrate from the pic looks quite dry, ive got my b.emilia in a mix of coconut coir and vermiculite that is quite damp, and she is more than happy - never climbs the walls or anything although still at times likes to hug the heater.

And it could also be like some others said that maybe you disturb them to much, my emilia never eats when i put something in the cage next to her, but usually in the night or after shes been alone for a couple of hours. 
What i do is, put some cricket feed in a stategic position ( which is on a piece of a cork arc that spans the lenght of the cage and which she never climbs upon) and the cricks find it and remember where it, that way i can leave a few in the cage wiith no worries.

And increasing the humidity is always a good thing for young T's, maybe that will make em' more comfortable


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## BrynWilliams (May 2, 2010)

sjn01 said:


> And increasing the humidity is always a good thing for young T's, maybe that will make em' more comfortable


I'd say this is totally dependant on the species...
Brachy's and Grammy's are the species requiring dryer conditions, making a juvenile rosea's substrate damp will just make her climb the walls and actually have the opposite effect to 'making them more comfortable'

I'd say just make sure there is a water dish available at all times, if she's thirsty, she'll make great use of it


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## YearsOfDecay (Feb 6, 2011)

My emilia is the same, she backed off away from a dubia the other day, and when I put a couple of crix in instead and left them in there for a couple of days.....nothing also. However, it's only been a couple of weeks since her last feed and I've only had her just over a week. She has a good supply of water, looks healthy enough, she too has a bald patch but not yet dark. She's a really mellow spider so far, will quite happily let you touch her and sit on your hand.

 Here's a pic of her.


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## webbedone (Feb 6, 2011)

Kick up the temperature a bit, dampen the side of the enclosure a little and they should molt soon. if not than i wouldnt worry about it Brachy's are known for fasting period.


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## sjl197 (Feb 6, 2011)

Indeed, if they are not feeding well, then try changing the conditions. 

Many creatures like spiders rely on external conditions like heat for their metabolism. So to me, if theyre not eating, its definately worth considering if theyre too cold. Thankyou for reporting you use 18-24c, this indeed sounds too low.

Here is a climate chart for Acapulco, which is part of their natural range
http://www.climatetemp.info/mexico/acapulco.html
You will see the annual minimum is about 22C, and max about 31C. Now consider microhabitat, they commonly live in shady well vegetated valleys and deep burrows, so avoid the highest temps. They can certainly cope with warmer than you have, and may prefer that. Spiders regulate their own temp in the wild, if they are cold they may come out to sit in the sun. Often they live under rocks that absorb the suns rays. They often prefer warm. So try warming them up.

As for the 'they live in dry conditions' thats a legacy of old guide books that say they come from deserts. Completely wrong. Yes much of mexico is dry, but these come from the green pacific coast, which is cooler and more humid than the cool and arid interior or the hot dry north mexico. In much of the range of B.smithi it is rather more humid, especially in the microhabitat where they prefer. So give them a more humid area, easy around a water dish. If you see them hang out there, you should get the hint they are wanting the higher humidity. consider expanding the humid area and see how they react to that. But dont keep them dry please.

You can treat B.smithi, B.boehmei and other redlegs similarly. B.emilia do indeed come from the drier warmer north zone, so prefer dryer and warmer. 

Regards
stuart

Reactions: Agree 1


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## YearsOfDecay (Feb 7, 2011)

My B.emilia has it between 25-26degC, lowest it drops to is 23 before the stat kicks back in and fires the heat strip up. Humidity is around 70%. I know Stan Schultz has mentioned on another forum that the emilias are known for this, and will often ignore prey for a few days as well as being the good old "pet rock" and sometimes just sitting in the same position for days on end lol!!! Maybe your Brachys are doing the same??? Just a thought.


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## webbedone (Feb 7, 2011)

i've been observing my Smithi sling for last couple of weeks its at stable 80 degrees F and does tend to ignore food (one day it teleports onto a unsuspecting cricket and the other day sits there having a chat with it) now an than and it does the whole "i am a rock" thing so that might be true


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## mimiguy13 (Oct 15, 2016)

Mack&Cass said:


> I want a boehmei
> Also, re: your misting question, we just use a water dish and overflow it a bit if we notice they're in premolt.
> 
> Cass[/QUOTEif you live in America look no further:http://www.backwaterreptiles.com/tarantulas/mexican-fireleg-tarantula-for-sale.html

Reactions: Disagree 2 | Funny 1


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## cold blood (Oct 15, 2016)

You resurrected a 5 and a half year *dead* thread to...gasp...suggest what's quite possibly the worst place to buy a t from in the entire country...lmfao...bravo.   If I had a choice between "the plague", or that place, I would run in the direction of the plague with open arms.

Someone needs to do their homework.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Funny 1


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## lolthqueen (Oct 7, 2020)

I just adopted a b. Smithi about a week ago and her Humidity and temperatures are just right, she’s just been pacing her terrarium not interested in food at all. If anyone has found a resolution to this let me know! She also has the slightest bald patch that isn’t dark either but she’s a juvenile and hasn’t molted in a while either. No interest in dubias, and a cricket has been in there for almost a day now


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## Rigor Mortis (Oct 7, 2020)

lolthqueen said:


> I just adopted a b. Smithi about a week ago and her Humidity and temperatures are just right, she’s just been pacing her terrarium not interested in food at all. If anyone has found a resolution to this let me know! She also has the slightest bald patch that isn’t dark either but she’s a juvenile and hasn’t molted in a while either. No interest in dubias, and a cricket has been in there for almost a day now


1. Pics of the entire enclosure would help greatly.
2. Humidity does not apply to tarantulas in general but especially this species. They like it dry with maybe some overflowing on a water dish.
3. They need time to adjust to their new surroundings.
4. I'd suggest making your own thread for this instead of resurrecting the dead.  
5. Take that cricket out if the spider hasn't eaten it by now.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Frogdaddy (Oct 7, 2020)

lolthqueen said:


> I just adopted a b. Smithi about a week ago and her Humidity and temperatures are just right, she’s just been pacing her terrarium not interested in food at all. If anyone has found a resolution to this let me know! She also has the slightest bald patch that isn’t dark either but she’s a juvenile and hasn’t molted in a while either. No interest in dubias, and a cricket has been in there for almost a day now


I agree, chasing false specific humidity parameters will not benefit the T. 
Perhaps there are some husbandry issues? Pictures of the entire enclosure will help.
What's that rocky looking substrate?

Reactions: Agree 2


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## lolthqueen (Oct 7, 2020)

Rocks, and a small bit of sand. She seems to like the texture, otherwise she would just hang out on the walls, I can include photos later when I’m home


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## Tarantulas R cool (Apr 16, 2021)

Guys I need help I have a brachypelma Emilia and she never eats her mealworms/crickets/cockroaches when I offer them. She only eats them later. But now she doesn’t eat them and she can’t be in premolt because she molted like a month ago!! Please help! (She doesn’t have the bald spot anymore).


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## Smotzer (Apr 16, 2021)

@Tarantulas R cool first it may just not be interested In food, prey size could be a factor, or it has eaten a lot and is already plump enough, is it’s abdomen particularly large. Also depending on size if your have a sling it could have easily eaten it’s quota for nutrients needed for a molt in a month dending on frequency and prey size. You should post pictures of the Tarantula and the entire enclosure for us to see.


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## Tarantulas R cool (Apr 16, 2021)

Ok thanks! But I’m at my dads office so I cant right now. I can do at about 2:30 PM.
Thanks. That’s an old foto right now she’s already molted and I’ve seen her abdomen smaller. And I don’t have new fotos.


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## kingshockey (Apr 16, 2021)

ahh op you should post a new thread as this ones like 10 years old

Reactions: Agree 1


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