An OBT acting weird. Imagine that...

[dannyboypede]

My OBT sling molted about a week ago, so I have tried to feed it. The first time I tried was Sunday. The cricket ran down the burrow and I think it was bitten. Today I tried again and the OBT grabbed the cricket and didn't let go, as if it wanted to eat it. I let go of the cricket that was in my tongs and the spider was still holding on to it. So I thought, "Good, he/she is ready to start eating again." Now, the OBT is sitting next to the very, very dead cricket as if they are the best of friends. I don't believe he/she is eating it, which is really weird for an OBT. It is slightly expected that an OBT would behave this way, but I just thought I would share.

--Dan

 

[Vespula]

Hmm... That is strange. My OBT loves food...

 

[Bill S]

deleted by author.

 

[winwin]

It might not yet be ready to eat and finds the cricket as disturbance that's why he killed it.

 

[Leviticus]

Try leaving him alone, sometimes a disturbance will cause the tarantula to drop its prey. And why are you hand feeding it with tongs?

 

[dannyboypede]

Try leaving him alone, sometimes a disturbance will cause the tarantula to drop its prey. And why are you hand feeding it with tongs?

It turns out he wasn't really interested,he was just pissed. I don't hand feed him, I put the cricket in the tongs so if he doesn't want it, I can take the cricket away. Today he did a bit of house cleaning and now the dead cricket is outside of his burrow just sitting there dead. I will try again in a couple of days.

--Dan

 

[Salamanderhead]

Try doing it without the tongs.

 

[dannyboypede]

Try doing it without the tongs.

Good suggestion! Today I tried without the tongs, he was very interested;P!

--Dan

 

[Titandan]

My OBT's did the same thing... he doesn't eat the cricket that he killed and it starts to rot!

Then I have to clean it. I wonder why they kill and not eat? I was waiting for a molt and it wouldn't molt. I just fed it yesterday after weeks of not feeding it lest it not eat again but he ate yesterday! :clap:

 

[Leviticus]

Good suggestion! Today I tried without the tongs, he was very interested;P!

--Dan

Voila, he probably just didn't like the disturbance, I wouldn't worry too much about leaving a live cricket in overnight unless your OBT is in serious premolt. Good job that he ate, who knows sometimes they just don't want to eat for a while. I had an Aphonopelma sp guatemala who molted and wouldn't eat anything for almost a month after the molt. It wasn't until he had his burrow done that he finally began eating again, might be some type of comfort thing involved.

 

[dannyboypede]

This is what happened when I fed it without tongs...
I like how only one fang is in the cricket. A couple moments after this, he put his fang through the crickets neck.

--Dan

 

[Leviticus]

Cool shot, always a pleasure to watch this species hunt.