Geriatric changes in t's?

[Joanie]

I was just reading the tarantula memory thread (very interesting) and wanted to spin off with this:

do you think tarantulas' senses begin to fail with age as vertebrate animals' do?

I have an "older" rosehair (I got her as a mature female in '94....no idea how old she was then) and I've noticed that over the past couple years she's gotten both more defensive and more clumsy capturing prey. I'm just wondering if this is happening because all of her senses are dimming a little with age; maybe she can't sense the vibrations as well, or "smell" the way she used to.

Anybody know anything about this?

Joanie

 

[mebebraz]

Hell, I just had to go out and buy eight canes......=D

 

[Jakob]

I have a female that seems rather old. She's 6" in legspan and is rather clumsy and rather slow at times. She has difficulty catching crickets at at times - that's when I give her a superworm instead hehe.

 

[RugbyDave]

interested thread eh
i'm not too sure about this at all...

i do notice that a couple of my old mama's tend to be more clumsy. I only say this since i've had them over the past 10 or 12 years and know their behaviour...

interesting question to say the least...

be glad they don't drive, though

does anyone else notice that their older T's use their legs alot more? In other words, a couple of my older Ts tend to 'feel' things out with a much shakier motion than when they were younger... .well maybe not 'shakier' but they tend to move their legs a lot more ... never mind

peace
dave

 

[Joy]

A very interesting question! My senior smithi (age unknown) has always shown the utmost disdain for crickets. All she'll eat are pinkies or superworms in cups--in other words, food she doesn't have to chase down. I always attributed it to simple B. smithi inertia, but maybe it's all she can catch at her age!

Joy

 

[Kenny]

Hi

Rugbydave:

So this is T's that you have had since you were 10 years old? Right?

 

[RugbyDave]

well my rosea's, yes... I kind of grew up with T's -- my family used to breed and keep T's.

I've posted about my old girl a couple of times...
she's getting pretty shaky though...

she's doing good though
peace
dave