Help: Aphonopelma chalcodes Not Eating

Adubblj

Arachnopeon
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Aug 31, 2019
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I have a Aphonopelma chalcodes female, she ha . Even in premolt for I'd say almost 3 months now. She started to refuse food about 2 and a half months ago. She doesn't move around a lot, but she freaks out whenever she feels the smallest vibration. I mean she cautiously moves in the direction of the vibration, sometimes showing her fangs. Anyone know what's going on?
 

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Kitara

Arachnodemon
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Jun 21, 2019
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I have no idea, but what is that substrate she's on? To me it just sounds like she's being a T. lol But let the experts answer that. I'm just curious about the substrate.
 

fried rice

Arachnoknight
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May 25, 2019
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Woodchips are really dangerous. They can cut your tarantula. Your aphonopelma chalcodes should have at least 4 inches of coconut fiber or topsoil.
 

Adubblj

Arachnopeon
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Thankyou for letting me know! I got the enclosure from someone along with the spider. I have since replaced it with coconut fiber.
 

The Grym Reaper

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This species can fast for over a year for giggles, mine randomly refused to eat for over 8 months.
 
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Adubblj

Arachnopeon
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Aug 31, 2019
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It's just so odd to me because none of my other 10 tarantulas have fasted like this. Maybe for a week and a half at most.
 

Vulksgren

Arachnopeon
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It's just so odd to me because none of my other 10 tarantulas have fasted like this. Maybe for a week and a half at most.
Seems normal, have A. Chalcodes sling that's been buried for nearly 5 months. I know for a fact it molted like two months ago. Buried for the winter I guess.(but hell are they gorgeous when they show their adult colors).
 

cold blood

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It's just so odd to me because none of my other 10 tarantulas have fasted like this. Maybe for a week and a half at most.
Welcome to the world of slow growing adults....they have a stupid low food requirement....most in captivity are over fed, as a result, most in captivity regularly fast for ridiculous lengths of time.

Not eating will almost never be a real concern.
 

Adubblj

Arachnopeon
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Welcome to the world of slow growing adults....they have a stupid low food requirement....most in captivity are over fed, as a result, most in captivity regularly fast for ridiculous lengths of time.

Not eating will almost never be a real concern.
I have been told about this before, this is just my first time explaining it! I usually feed my Ts once a week, unless they are on a diet, they get 1 cricket. There usually isn't ever a problem.

Seems normal, have A. Chalcodes sling that's been buried for nearly 5 months. I know for a fact it molted like two months ago. Buried for the winter I guess.(but hell are they gorgeous when they show their adult colors).
I have a Brachypelma Vagans that never leaves her burrow. I keep the water dish full, but it doesn't seem like she ever visits it. It has been forever since I've seen her. But she still takes food from the entrance if I put it there.
 
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Vanisher

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It's just so odd to me because none of my other 10 tarantulas have fasted like this. Maybe for a week and a half at most.
As said. This is a speicies that often refuse food for many month or a year at the time. Even juveniles can go very long times without eating. I see absolutly nothing unusall here.
As said, most tarantulas in captivety are overfed. In the wild, tarantulas dont have this constant influx in insects that we give them in terrarium. Some speicies have more food, but those desertliving speicies do not i'd say. Adult A chalcodes can almost be kept happily their entire life on fresh water and 50 crickets

And you need to change substrate to soil, coco fibre or peat. You can mix in little sand in the substrate, or mix in luttle barkchips, but we are talking about 10-20%. The sub must support digging.
 
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Adubblj

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I did replace it! It was changed to coco fiber, but I'm going to buy something that is better for digging and is more solid. I usually use lugarti
 

cold blood

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I did replace it! It was changed to coco fiber, but I'm going to buy something that is better for digging and is more solid. I usually use lugarti
Coco fiber is just fine...just be sure to tamp it down tightly.
 

Rigor Mortis

Arachnobaron
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Nov 7, 2018
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498
Your T's fine. A. chalcodes are notorious jerks for fasting and being in premoult for about a century. As long as you got her off of the woodchips and make sure she's got access to fresh water she's okay.
 

Swagg

Arachnoknight
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Nov 15, 2019
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I have an A. chalcodes sling that has been barricaded for about 2ish months and stopped feeding about a week before that. No big deal with the glacial species. Your T. Knows what it’s doing. Let it spider lol
 

nicodimus22

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It's just so odd to me because none of my other 10 tarantulas have fasted like this. Maybe for a week and a half at most.
My female A. chalcodes hasn't eaten in nearly 2 years. She's quite chunky and shows no signs of premolt, either.

They are extremely efficient at conserving energy. Nothing to worry about.
 

MikeofBorg

Arachnosquire
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Dec 12, 2017
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I have a mature female Aphonopelma chalcodes that fasted over 18 months. My girl molts about every 20-24 months. Once they are mature they do not molt nearly as often as they did as slings. I've had my girl 4 years now and she has molted once in my care as an adult. As a sling she was molting once a month.

My female A. chalcodes hasn't eaten in nearly 2 years. She's quite chunky and shows no signs of premolt, either.

They are extremely efficient at conserving energy. Nothing to worry about.
Very true. Almost all desert species from mice to tarantulas have to be efficient at energy and water conservation, because it could be months between meals and drinks. Especially for ambush predators like Aphonopelma chalcodes that once mature rarely leave their burrows; except for mature males during mating.
 
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