G.aureostriata still not eating

Syngyne

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
229
Hi,

When I first got my 3" G.aureostriata, she seemed fine. After a couple of days to settle in, I gave her a cricket, which she took readily. Over the next week and a half she ate two more crickets, no problems.

She hasn't eaten in 3 weeks now, though, and I'm getting a bit worried. She doesn't have a bald spot from kicking, though I've read that Chacos don't really kick that much. I don't think she's stressed, but I'm not sure. She has a little corner of her cage she's adopted as her home, and spends most of the day curled up there behind her cork bark. However, she does come out later in the evening, perching on her bark, or in different parts of her enclosure. I haven't seen her pacing or anything, just sitting and every once in a while moving to a different position. When she's out in the open she doesn't scrunch, she just sits normally. She does scrunch a bit in her home corner, but it looks like that's more due to the limited space there.

I have seen her try to climb the glass occasionally in one corner of her enclosure, but it seems she can't stick. She'll walk into the corner and put her right legs against the glass, but her feet just slip down and she ends up sitting on the substrate with her legs up against the glass.

Her abdomen looks fine, and I notice water disappearing from her dish. I'm just not sure if there's anything else I should be doing at this point.

Le help?
 

Hedorah99

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
May 2, 2005
Messages
1,863
Hi,

When I first got my 3" G.aureostriata, she seemed fine. After a couple of days to settle in, I gave her a cricket, which she took readily. Over the next week and a half she ate two more crickets, no problems.

She hasn't eaten in 3 weeks now, though, and I'm getting a bit worried. She doesn't have a bald spot from kicking, though I've read that Chacos don't really kick that much. I don't think she's stressed, but I'm not sure. She has a little corner of her cage she's adopted as her home, and spends most of the day curled up there behind her cork bark. However, she does come out later in the evening, perching on her bark, or in different parts of her enclosure. I haven't seen her pacing or anything, just sitting and every once in a while moving to a different position. When she's out in the open she doesn't scrunch, she just sits normally. She does scrunch a bit in her home corner, but it looks like that's more due to the limited space there.

I have seen her try to climb the glass occasionally in one corner of her enclosure, but it seems she can't stick. She'll walk into the corner and put her right legs against the glass, but her feet just slip down and she ends up sitting on the substrate with her legs up against the glass.

Her abdomen looks fine, and I notice water disappearing from her dish. I'm just not sure if there's anything else I should be doing at this point.

Le help?
Its not uncommon for Grammastola, or any T for that matter, to go on a hunger strike. It usually simply means they are full and simply not hungry. If you see a black spot on her abdoemn, a molt may be approaching and would be the reason for her lack of appetite. Pre-molt can take several days to several months depending on size, temp, individual biology, etc. I would just make she she has water at all times a keep offering food once a week, removing it within 12-24 hours if not eaten. Keep us updated on how she does.
 

Alice

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 29, 2006
Messages
976
if she cannot stick to the glass, that might mean she's in premolt (the feet get less adhesive the more they've been used). they can go for weeks or even months without food before molting, it's nothing out of the ordinary. just make sure she always has access to water and leave her be, maybe she'll molt in the next month or three.
i once had a grammostola rosea go for 7 months without food before a molt... so don't worry.
 

Mushroom Spore

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 14, 2005
Messages
4,588
They should only be given a couple crickets a week anyway, and fasting is no big deal. I think the record is a cousin to this species, G. rosea, going two years just because it felt like it. :D
 

Sevenrats

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 4, 2006
Messages
301
Grammostola in particular are incredibly likely to not eat. G. aureostriata are really good eaters when they are small and growing but once they are full fahgettaboutit! They will sit there and let crix walk over them. Mine stopped eating went 2 months, sat around and then molted into a nice 3 to 4 incher. Now it's eating great. Grammostola grow so slow that they have a metabolism just slightly higher than the rock they hide under.

Keep it dry, give it a bowl of water, offer it a cricket every week. Nothing to it.
 
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