Is my tarantula okay?

[Purecar6on]

Hi, I got a tarantula a month ago and she's been doing well until last week I noticed she didn't eat her food. I was thinking maybe she's going to molt soon? I just want to make sure she isn't stressed. I do see her with her legs tucked to her body a lot. What do I do?

 

[TheraMygale]

Nothing really. so far it looks all good. Its not skinny.

enclosure does look high though… photo of enclosires please.

premolt or not, its nothing to worry about.

 

[Purecar6on]

Nothing really. so far it looks all good. Its not skinny.

enclosure does look high though… photo of enclosires please.

premolt or not, its nothing to worry about.

That’s so good to hear. Here’s a closer look at her enclosure

 

[viper69]

Normal

SEEMS you need to adjust distance to sub to lid to 1.5x its DLS, sure looks like a fall can happen, and your Ts new name will be SPLAT, esp for such a heavy bodied species, that's just rolling the dice of death.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Congrats on your new T! As already said, more substrate. I can see there your T also wants to burrow a bit. More substrate would help her do just that. Also if that’s a wire mesh top, a T can get their claws stuck in it and get injured, so it’s best to change those out. If those sticks came from outside, make sure they were from an area that wouldn’t have ever used pesticides or fertilizers and I’d check for other bugs already living in them. Your T looks fine and just may not be hungry right now. Try again next week.

 

[Purecar6on]

Normal

SEEMS you need to adjust distance to sub to lid to 1.5x its DLS, sure looks like a fall can happen, and your Ts new name will be SPLAT, esp for such a heavy bodied species, that's just rolling the dice of death.

Okay thank you

Congrats on your new T! As already said, more substrate. I can see there your T also wants to burrow a bit. More substrate would help her do just that. Also if that’s a wire mesh top, a T can get their claws stuck in it and get injured, so it’s best to change those out. If those sticks came from outside, make sure they were from an area that wouldn’t have ever used pesticides or fertilizers and I’d check for other bugs already living in them. Your T looks fine and just may not be hungry right now. Try again next week.

Okay, I will definitely add more substrate. Also what type of enclosure would you recommend? This is the one they gave me at the pet store. And I boiled the sticks to make sure it didn’t have any bugs or pesticides

 

[Mustafa67]

Hi, I got a tarantula a month ago and she's been doing well until last week I noticed she didn't eat her food. I was thinking maybe she's going to molt soon? I just want to make sure she isn't stressed. I do see her with her legs tucked to her body a lot. What do I do?

As already said, more sub. Also replace those branches with cork bark and get rid of the hydrometer thing you don’t need it

Read the beginners guide, lots of helpful info:

Admin Announcement - Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

 

[Gevo]

Okay, I will definitely add more substrate. Also what type of enclosure would you recommend? This is the one they gave me at the pet store. And I boiled the sticks to make sure it didn’t have any bugs or pesticides

Depends on your budget, preferences, and how many spiders you think you’ll end up getting!

I have a couple of acrylic enclosures from both Primal Fear Tarantulas and from Tarantula Cribs, and I love them, but they’re pricey and may not be best for growing collections. I also ordered a Reptile Growth Terrarium from Amazon (just search for it and it’ll come up), and I’m loving that brand too. I like plastic or acrylic because it’s lighter than glass, but to each their own.

Some people use plastic storage bins with holes added for ventilation!

You can also keep that enclosure and just replace the mesh screen. I haven’t tried this personally, but this guy’s method seems solid, and his video shows the steps really clearly:

EDIT: if you get a good photo of the lid, we can also help you see if it even needs replacing. The woven mesh screens where there are fine threads that interlace over and under each other are the dangerous ones. There’s also a stamped metal or coated metal type where it looks like one piece with holes punched into it that is okay. No sense going on a runaround if you can leave well enough alone!

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Okay, I will definitely add more substrate. Also what type of enclosure would you recommend? This is the one they gave me at the pet store. And I boiled the sticks to make sure it didn’t have any bugs or pesticides

Personally, I use the glass, front- opening enclosures that have a row of air holes at the substrate level for adults as most of mine like some moisture. The air holes keep the air from getting dank and stagnant. The lids still need to be replaced though. I drill 1/4” acrylic sheets for mine, although 12” is my biggest width. Acrylic can warp at bigger sizes.

 

[Brewser]

Welcome to A boards,
Curly seems normal / stress free.
Additional Substrate may be added, Water and Wait.
Enjoy Your Terrific Tarantula.