Damon variegatus not eating

[42LegAPede]

I threw in a cricket two days ago and he hasn't eaten it yet. Anyone have any guesses why he isn't eating? The cricket is chirping because of the heat in my room and it is so irritating.

 

[Aquarimax]

Is it possible that your ambly is in premolt? My D. diadema usually refuse food for a week or two before they molt. Their abdomens are usually a bit swollen, and they aren't as active. I avoid leaving crickets in with them for more than 24 hours, as crickets will nibble on newly molted tailless whip scorpions.

 

[pannaking22]

I'd off the cricket and try feeding the whip again in a week or so. As Aquarimax said, it could be premolt, so it won't eat for a while before molting.

 

[42LegAPede]

UPDATE: I looked in it's enclosure to try and find the cricket and took a look at the whip spider and his abdomen looked swollen; but I also found a corpse of a cricket that I put in two days ago. Did he kill the cricket and is just fat? Or is he molting?

 

[jaredc]

Damon may refuse food if they're well fed, in premolt, or any number of reasons. They can go weeks to months without eating as they eat intermittently in the wild. I'd suggest trying to feed again in a week as others have said and not stress if it has eaten recently. When my damon is annoyed by food and doesn't want it, it will sometimes crush the cricket just to kill it and then drop it. That may have been what happened. I've also had damon kill a cricket and then drop it only to come back to scavenge its corpse later.

Hope that helps.

 

[42LegAPede]

Damon may refuse food if they're well fed, in premolt, or any number of reasons. They can go weeks to months without eating as they eat intermittently in the wild. I'd suggest trying to feed again in a week as others have said and not stress if it has eaten recently. When my damon is annoyed by food and doesn't want it, it will sometimes crush the cricket just to kill it and then drop it. That may have been what happened. I've also had damon kill a cricket and then drop it only to come back to scavenge its corpse later.

Hope that helps.

I think he might be in premolt because of how inactive he is; he has never come out of a piece of bark

 

[jaredc]

That's somewhat normal too, one of the only times I see mine out is when they're hungry and hunting or exploring at wee hours of the morning. They spend the daytime hiding in crevices in bark. One of the things you want to look for in premolt is an obvious swollen abdomen that gets bigger even when you're not feeding.

 

[Veribug]

My Damon diadema molted about 24hours ago and I'm about to make a post on what I observed but I'll just sum it up here for you too

Mine went super lethargic and slightly lame in her back legs. She was actually struggling to get around. She had been taking pre-killed crickets occasionally and half-eating them. She refused even pre-killed for 2-3weeks before a molt.

I'd not seen it suggested but try pre-killing a cricket once every 1-2weeks and leaving it in for no more than 24hours. The humidity makes them mould over super quick. I usually left them in one of the nooks in her cork bark and she'd find it if she wanted it

 

[42LegAPede]

My Damon diadema molted about 24hours ago and I'm about to make a post on what I observed but I'll just sum it up here for you too

Mine went super lethargic and slightly lame in her back legs. She was actually struggling to get around. She had been taking pre-killed crickets occasionally and half-eating them. She refused even pre-killed for 2-3weeks before a molt.

I'd not seen it suggested but try pre-killing a cricket once every 1-2weeks and leaving it in for no more than 24hours. The humidity makes them mould over super quick. I usually left them in one of the nooks in her cork bark and she'd find it if she wanted it

Helpful, but I don't have the heart to kill anything myself. Could I just snap a freeze dried cricket in half?

 

[Veribug]

Helpful, but I don't have the heart to kill anything myself. Could I just snap a freeze dried cricket in half?

Sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure. I would honestly suggest pre killing a fresh cricket. I usually take my tweezers and swiftly crush the head in one motion. I know it's not very fun but sometimes you've gotta bite the bullet and try something for your beloved pet..!