E sp red in premolt or....?????

Garth Vader

Arachnobaron
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Hi all- I posted about this in another thread and want to share pics here. My MF E sp red hasn't eaten since I got her in August and lately I've oberserved her as very still and her abdomen looks small. She has a water dish and I occasionally find it empty so she must be drinking.

Just want to make sure there's nothing to be alarmed about. I've assumed she's in premolt but her abdomen is so small.

The first picture is from today. The second and third pictures are from several months ago for comparison. I apologize for the poor quality.

She is moving around a little bit. No twitchy movements or anything.

I hope I'm just overly concerned and that she's ok!
 

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Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
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I think you have nothing to worry, judging from your pic yours seems ok for me.

Btw not even crickets?
 

EulersK

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Her abdomen doesn't look that small to me. Those in Euathlus don't have the round abdomen that most other NW terrestrials have, they retain that teardrop shape even when plump. It's likely in premolt or simply not hungry. Buckle up, because those in Euathlus have premolts that last forever and a day.
 

Garth Vader

Arachnobaron
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Thank you both for taking a look.

I offer her crickets (alive and prekilled), mealworms, wax worms and the other day I offered her my sandwich. Okay just kidding on the last one. She says no thanks to all of it!
 

sdsnybny

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Mine will fast in premolt and just to mess with me. Try to restrain the need to "feed my starving pet". I finally decided to not offer any food for 30-40 days and then she ate, but i still suspect a molt in the next year LOL
 

KezyGLA

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Euathlus sp. red are arid species and will fast similar to rose hairs.

Your specimens abdomen is the perfect size. I would suspect that this is just a fasting period.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
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The dark image-more plump, makes me feel better. Other pics, are OK, not in danger, but not as plump. Wouldn't worry yet...

She has a water dish and I occasionally find it empty so she must be drinking.
How do you know the water isn't evaporating instead? Unless you have seen it drink some way, you cannot say the above with any degree of certainty, unless you have some other evidence you haven't provided.
 

Chris LXXIX

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Her abdomen doesn't look that small to me. Those in Euathlus don't have the round abdomen that most other NW terrestrials have, they retain that teardrop shape even when plump. It's likely in premolt or simply not hungry. Buckle up, because those in Euathlus have premolts that last forever and a day.
"... those in Euathlus" :-s
 

Garth Vader

Arachnobaron
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@viper69 I've noticed the water disappearing faster than it does other times, and with no substrate appearing in the dish to soak it up I don't actually see her drink, so you're right, I do not know for sure until I install my 24/7 T cam :)
Of course, the water can be disappearing due to higher temps and since I run a space heater and my office temp fluctuates that can vary a lot. I've never actually see her drink, or eat. Sigh!

I'd like to see her more plump again too.
 

Garth Vader

Arachnobaron
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Thank you to everyone for your replies. I will continue to offer food periodically.

Very good news that a new T came to live with me today, a G pulchripes and she can eat all the leftover crickets! She's lovely and I'm now up to 4 Ts!
 

viper69

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@viper69 I've noticed the water disappearing faster than it does other times, and with no substrate appearing in the dish to soak it up I don't actually see her drink, so you're right, I do not know for sure until I install my 24/7 T cam :)
Of course, the water can be disappearing due to higher temps and since I run a space heater and my office temp fluctuates that can vary a lot. I've never actually see her drink, or eat. Sigh!

I'd like to see her more plump again too.
A drinking T is a mystery until you see it yourself. Everytime I see one of my drink I take pics, because I'll probably never see it again. I've never seen my juvi E sp Red drink, I'd like to get a picture of that.

I've seen my OW, I. mira drink more times than my juvi Red.
 

Trenor

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A drinking T is a mystery until you see it yourself. Everytime I see one of my drink I take pics, because I'll probably never see it again.
I see my Ts drinking a lot. I have multiple photos of my P.cam upside down in the water dish. I've spotted poecs and avics all drinking. I've never seen the GBBs or my B.smith girls but my B.vagans female has.

The air in the house dries out pretty bad in the winter here though.
 

viper69

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I see my Ts drinking a lot. I have multiple photos of my P.cam upside down in the water dish. I've spotted poecs and avics all drinking. I've never seen the GBBs or my B.smith girls but my B.vagans female has.

The air in the house dries out pretty bad in the winter here though.
No wonder your Ts are lushes hah ;)

I've seen my AF GBB drink at many different times during her life, she and my emilia tend to drink the longest for some reason. I spot my Psalmos, Brachy's, Grammo's Avics as well as others. I don't see my N. incei drink, they are way too skittish.

It's just rare for me to see them do it. But hey, I caught my I. mira doing it, and I caught her out for an entire day once, THAT was rare!
 

Jeff23

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Yours looks healthy to me.

At least you can see yours. My female took control of the the half cylinder cork bark I provided and turned it into a bunker. The end is now filled in with substrate. I don't see that she is drinking either but I am still making sure the water dish is always full.

EDIT* It may be wrong, but I am occasionally dribbling a little moisture on the end of the tube in case she molts and is weak.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
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My E. sp Red adult fem hasn't eaten since I got her in July. I think that @sdsnybny ordered her to drive me crazy....
Once a year rolls around, you start wondering when they will eat. I had a species that didn't eat for a year, and another species that didn't eat for 18 months, then she just started eating like a fiend for no reason I could discern. She wasn't skinny either, temps hadn't changed at all, nor the weather.
 
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