Brachypelma boehmei not eating?

[Spiderguy1992]

I know I’m probably just being paranoid being a new keeper, but I bought this girl 3 months ago and she has never eaten. Can premolt last this long at her age? Most of the time she has spent hanging out on the side of her enclosure, although she has started using her hide more recently. She is about 2”.

 

[vancwa]

The abdomen seems small. Maybe dehydrated? The hide should be an angled piece of cork going into the sub to form a cave. Needs deeper substrate. Need more info and better pic of set-up. Where did you buy and what were the conditions?

 

[Vanessa]

I enlarged the photo and I don't see a problem with the abdomen size right now. At 2", it is possible for them to be in pre-moult that long, but it isn't probable. What are you feeding her? And a wider shot that shows the entire setup would be good. As mentioned above, they should have fairly deep substrate, deep enough to prevent a fall, a water dish and a hide.

 

[Spiderguy1992]

Here are some pictures of the complete setup. I have tried feeding her mealworms, super worms and crickets, both live and pre killed. I added the second water dish recently and that seemed to stop her from climbing as much. I bought her from Tarantula Canada.

 

[Vanessa]

That's a decent setup, I don't see anything wrong with it. My only concern would be that the hide is heavy and the spider can burrow underneath and have it fall on her. The standard for hides is usually cork bark - it's light, doesn't mould, it's more natural - but other things do work fine as well.
I would just keep offering prey every week or so until she eats, or moults. Be sure to take it back out if she doesn't eat it within a day.

 

[TwiztedNinja]

I agree about using cork bark for a hide

My B. albo's hide sits on about 4" of substrate and he has dug what appears to be all the way to the bottom of the enclosure. Tons of dirt displaced all the way to the back end of the hide

Let us know if/when she eats

 

[Feral]

You've gotten great advice, I just wanted to add that her abdomen shouldn't ever be shrinking in size no matter how long she refuses food. (Other than having a smaller abdomen directly after molting, that's a different thing and normal.) So if she's refusing food AND her abdomen is shrinking in size or looking shriveled or uneven, then that's a problem.

 

[atraxrobustus]

They've been known to fast for extensive periods of times given their seasonal states which are brought on by the prevailing weather. If Brachys are kept in colder temps (around the upper 60s and lower 70s) they tend not to eat as much. Rasing the temp to 75-80 F should fix the problem if that's the case. a Spider can also spend up to several months in a pre-molt state- so its really nothing to worry about.

 

[EtienneN]

I'm the guy with a .75" G. pulchra that hasn't moulted since 26/12/2018. Happily though, it has refused food for the very first time this week and its looking awfully heavy premoult-y. Here's to hoping both of our spiders moult soon!

 

[atraxrobustus]

I'm the guy with a .75" G. pulchra that hasn't moulted since 26/12/2018. Happily though, it has refused food for the very first time this week and its looking awfully heavy premoult-y. Here's to hoping both of our spiders moult soon!

Its worth noting that Temp and humidity can influence molting. Warmer Temps = more eating and hence shorter intervals between molts, especially in slings and juveniles.

 

[EtienneN]

Its worth noting that Temp and humidity can influence molting. Warmer Temps = more eating and hence shorter intervals between molts, especially in slings and juveniles.

I don't know what its problem is; my room is about 79˚F and its been eating like a champ each and every week. I was pretty excited when it refused food.

 

[atraxrobustus]

I don't know what its problem is; my room is about 79˚F and its been eating like a champ each and every week. I was pretty excited when it refused food.

To be fair, G. Pulchra is a super-slow grower as compared to most others.

 

[Ungoliant]

I'm the guy with a .75" G. pulchra that hasn't moulted since 26/12/2018. Happily though, it has refused food for the very first time this week and its looking awfully heavy premoult-y. Here's to hoping both of our spiders moult soon!

That is a little slow for a pulchra sling, but sometimes they just take their sweet time.

 

[Spiderguy1992]

Almost a month later, and still nothing, but I thought I’d post a picture of the latest feeding attempt. She was not happy, so I removed the cricket immediately.

 

[TwiztedNinja]

A few of mine are now refusing food. I dont like it, but its what they do. My normally ferocious eater T. vagans just molted and right before that, she was very lethargic and refusing food

I just make sure I can contribute to their well-being in other ways by always providing water, a proper hide (the one you're using wont help if they want to burrow), and nice deep moist substrate

Pictures of my A. seemani with her starter burrow using cork bark in eco earth and potting soil, and tunnel she created

 

[Spiderguy1992]

Small update, her abdomen has definitely changed a lot, really hoping it’s a sign she’s going to molt soon and not just from hair kicking. Also, I’ve notice sometimes her left rear leg will twitch, anything to be concerned about?

 

[Vanisher]

You've gotten great advice, I just wanted to add that her abdomen shouldn't ever be shrinking in size no matter how long she refuses food. (Other than having a smaller abdomen directly after molting, that's a different thing and normal.) So if she's refusing food AND her abdomen is shrinking in size or looking shriveled or uneven, then that's a problem.

This is not true. On those slow metabolism tarantulas like a G porteri, it is normal that the abdomen decrease in size when they goes on 1 year fasts. I have had my female for 20 years and a couple times she has gone on nearly 1 year fasts. Her abdomen decrease in those instances. What happen is that they use up stired fat. They eats for a long period, plumps up. Then goes on fasts. The fat is consumed and the abdomen shrinks. Since for ex G rosea can go 6 years between moults they are not acting like fastgrowing speicies in that sense that they are just eating, plump up and then moults. They have little diffrent growing strategys. Nothing odd about that. They will moult and breed no matter if they having a plump abdomen or a small one. I have bred my G porteri sucessfully during a 7 month fasting period, when she had a very small abdomen. Now, is this the same way with B boehmei, i am not sure, but i guess it is. About dehydration. Sevearly dehydrated tarantulas can have shrinken small abdomens, but if it has water and shrinken abdomens in one of thise low metabolism tarantulas, thereis no reason to think it us something wrong

 

[cold blood]

View attachment 330269 Small update, her abdomen has definitely changed a lot, really hoping it’s a sign she’s going to molt soon and not just from hair kicking. Also, I’ve notice sometimes her left rear leg will twitch, anything to be concerned about?

That is indeed from flicking hairs. The skin, which is now visible, will blacken as it nears molting.

Leg twitch...sounds like flicking hairs.

This species is notorious for their eagerness to flick hairs.

 

[Feral]

This is not true. On those slow metabolism tarantulas like a G porteri, it is normal that the abdomen decrease in size when they goes on 1 year fasts. I have had my female for 20 years and a couple times she has gone on nearly 1 year fasts. Her abdomen decrease in those instances. What happen is that they use up stired fat. They eats for a long period, plumps up. Then goes on fasts. The fat is consumed and the abdomen shrinks. Since for ex G rosea can go 6 years between moults they are not acting like fastgrowing speicies in that sense that they are just eating, plump up and then moults. They have little diffrent growing strategys. Nothing odd about that. They will moult and breed no matter if they having a plump abdomen or a small one. I have bred my G porteri sucessfully during a 7 month fasting period, when she had a very small abdomen. Now, is this the same way with B boehmei, i am not sure, but i guess it is. About dehydration. Sevearly dehydrated tarantulas can have shrinken small abdomens, but if it has water and shrinken abdomens in one of thise low metabolism tarantulas, thereis no reason to think it us something wrong

OP is asking about a 2" boehmei... so this is a case of a young juvenile, actively-growing tarantula we're talking about. Therefore, I think its abdomen should never shrink without cause for immediate concern.

 

[Spiderguy1992]

While twitching she definitely wasn’t flicking, her leg was nowhere near her abdomen and she was just hanging on the side of the enclosure. The twitching will sometimes go on for quite a while. Also, her abdomen definitely hasn’t gotten any smaller in the 6 months I’ve had her, despite her never eating in my care.