Haplopelma lividum confusion...

[Silence1984]

Ok so my roommates and I are well into the hobby now with 21 T's of various species. I am the proud owner of a female Cobalt and am confused as to why she will not burrow, eat, or pretty much move around at all (except when provoked then she goes insane). The room the collection is in stays between 70-75 degrees pretty consistently. I spray the cage every one or two days to keep the humidity up, but avoid spraying her directly. The guy we got her from said he honestly has never seen her eat in over a year... Is she sick or in some sort of a pre-molt phase? I would rather have a healthy pet hole than a stressed cobalt blue without a naturally built home. Any information on how to really care for this species would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Widowman10]

how long ago did you get her? if only recently, they sometimes take a little while to burrow. sometimes even up to a month. that's what mine is doing right now. just don't stress it and leave it up to it's own- it'll settle in after awhile.

 

[Alice]

if she didn't burrow or eat in a year, than something must be wrong with her. that could be stress, or the wrong sort of substrate for burrowing. if she has been like this for a year (did she only fast with her previous owner or did she also refuse to burrow?), i think it unlikely to be an illness. every t illness i have encountered so far kills its victim in less than a year. but i may be wrong on this point.

do you have a pic? how small is her abdomen and is it shrinking any further? and did you try prestarting a burrow for her? just dig a small whole 3" deep and shade the entrance with an artificial plant or pot or something. maybe she just needs encouragement, it worked for a friend of mine.

 

[Thoth]

Often giving them a prestarted burrow will encourage them.

 

[green_bottle_04]

Often giving them a prestarted burrow will encourage them.

thats what i had to do with mine. and it didnt take much. i just dug down about an inch and 2 days later she had a very nice, deep, elaborate burrow.

 

[monitormonster]

No, the H. Lividum looks nice and fat (I am the roomate).....the guy we bought her from said he has never SEEN her eat, but the crickets disappear after a day or so. IMO, she looks like she's in good shape, but since being moved into her new, bigger, better cage, she just sits in the same spot out in the open.

 

[Giantsfan24]

I have a WC female who WILL NOT burrow either. But she will readily take to a premade burrow of any size. My advice, just dig a hole to the bottom of the tank and don't be surprised if in the morning, she is at the bottom of it.

I have heard reports of cobalts going a month or two before burrowing while some(like my little one burrows in 1 night).

Matt

 

[Silence1984]

Update!

OK So this morning I roll out of bed and go check on all the T's and sure enough the old Cobalt Blue is on her back, At first I thought she was dead but Lindsay said shes molting. So I guess her not digging/eating/inactivity was all just pre-molt stuff. Im gonna take a series of pictures of her molt. How long you guys think this should take her?

 

[Talkenlate04]

If its a big girl then you might be in for a bit of a wait......... whats her size, that will help a bit.

 

[Silence1984]

Well Im not ever planning on getting close enough to her to get an exact measurement but from what I can guestimate I would say from the back left leg to the right front she is roughly 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 inches...Cant wait to see how big she is/ what she looks like after the molt!

 

[Silence1984]

First Pic...

 

[Talkenlate04]

Well you have no way of knowing when she flipped over, she may have done it 5 minutes after you went to bed last night, so anywhere from now to 4 hours. Who knows..... but when she pops her top things should pick up speed thats for sure.
Make sure you post more pics when you have the chance!

 

[Silence1984]

Absolutely! This kinda sucks, I know this is normal but I cant help to think the poor girl is dieing just because of the way spiders flip on their back like that to molt. I hope shes done when I get back from class at around 5:30pm

 

[FryLock]

Better it moulted in the open then in a burrow without a chamber with enought room to moult, iv seen spiders do this even when using a pre made burrow.

 

[Stylopidae]

Let her moult and she'll be OK.

Bury a log hide halfway in her tank after she's done, and she'll start to burrow.

 

[monitormonster]

Here's the rest of em.....

What a badass!

 

[Talkenlate04]

Great pics! They are always so stunning after a molt like that.

 

[Giantsfan24]

Mot that is matters with mine, but that substrate seams a little dry for a humid lovind T. like the cobalt blue. Maybe spray it up, dig a nice premade burrow and wake up with a pet hole

 

[Silence1984]

Ok just sprayed the cage quite a bit but then she started freaking out...Im gonna leave her be for a few days =)

 

[P. Novak]

Gorgeous T. My H.lividum didn't make it when it tryed to molt awhile back. It was pretty sad.