Black Widow Afraid of Food?

[remtomologist]

I have had a southern black widow (wild caught) for a little over a year now. She's done quite well up until now, she hasn't eaten in at least two weeks despite multiple attempts to feed her. I've been giving her small crickets but no matter what I do, she runs away from them. She used to pounce on food and didn't have a problem eating at all. She was pretty big when I got her, so there's a chance she's just nearing the end of her lifespan, but I wanted to post here and see how others solved this issue. I know it's not uncommon to be skittish around food, but it's hard for me to change much when I have to entangle it in her web manually. Any suggestions?

 

[Godsmack1934]

I have had a southern black widow (wild caught) for a little over a year now. She's done quite well up until now, she hasn't eaten in at least two weeks despite multiple attempts to feed her. I've been giving her small crickets but no matter what I do, she runs away from them. She used to pounce on food and didn't have a problem eating at all. She was pretty big when I got her, so there's a chance she's just nearing the end of her lifespan, but I wanted to post here and see how others solved this issue. I know it's not uncommon to be skittish around food, but it's hard for me to change much when I have to entangle it in her web manually. Any suggestions?

I see this most around the end of their lives, but that's not the only possibility, it (while unlikely) maybe over feeding or near molt. There are likely other possibilities that I am not aware of that others may be able to help more with.

Hope this helps, and I wish the best for you and your spider!

 

[remtomologist]

I see this most around the end of their lives, but that's not the only possibility, it (while unlikely) maybe over feeding or near molt. There are likely other possibilities that I am not aware of that others may be able to help more with.

Hope this helps, and I wish the best for you and your spider!

I'm afraid it's just about the end of her lifetime. She's really little at this point, and she's laid an egg sac before so I think she's an adult. I'll give her another try with something even smaller but I might just try to let her live quietly for the rest of her days. Thank you for your input!

 

[Godsmack1934]

I'm afraid it's just about the end of her lifetime. She's really little at this point, and she's laid an egg sac before so I think she's an adult. I'll give her another try with something even smaller but I might just try to let her live quietly for the rest of her days. Thank you for your input!

I'm sorry to hear that, I wish you the best, and I hope everything goes well!