Mexican Red Knee not eaten for 4months

FatherOfTheSpider

Arachnopeon
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Jan 10, 2020
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That looks like Reptibark or something :eek: Is that what it is? Sometimes my cocofiber chunks will work their way to the top on some of my fossorial enclosures and look like that, but those chunks look too big for that to have happened.

I think substrate preferences tend to get a bit personal for people. I like a 50/50 mix of Reptisoil and coco fiber, but I am trying to find a reliable brand of topsoil to mix in. This species likes it dry, so it would probably be fine on just coco fiber if that's all you can find, but coco fiber (like EcoEarth), Creature Soil, Reptisoil, or topsoil without any additives would all work.
Yeah I think it is reptibark chips Silly me! However I had just popped out to my local pet store and bought some coconut fibre after reading your reply so thank you very much :) will change this tomorrow also grabbed a small pot of locusts so will see if she will attempt to eat them, Time to get hairs flicked at me again just great lol!
 

CommanderBacon

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 21, 2018
Messages
498
Yeah I think it is reptibark chips Silly me! However I had just popped out to my local pet store and bought some coconut fibre after reading your reply so thank you very much :) will change this tomorrow also grabbed a small pot of locusts so will see if she will attempt to eat them, Time to get hairs flicked at me again just great lol!
It happens! Thanks for sharing your photo. I'm glad we could help get that substrate issue resolved.

Best of luck with rehousing!
 

FatherOfTheSpider

Arachnopeon
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Jan 10, 2020
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It happens! Thanks for sharing your photo. I'm glad we could help get that substrate issue resolved.

Best of luck with rehousing!
Just another quick questions any good tips for rehousing I don’t really handle my T as I’ve read there isn’t any need. I haven’t held her since she was half the size she is now and I don’t think I’d want to hold her lol as she is too much of a hair kicker. Any tips on how to scoop her out of the enclosure whilst I change the substrate.
Thank you once again
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
1,878
Yeah I think it is reptibark chips Silly me! However I had just popped out to my local pet store and bought some coconut fibre after reading your reply so thank you very much :) will change this tomorrow
That's great! :)

also grabbed a small pot of locusts so will see if she will attempt to eat them, Time to get hairs flicked at me again just great lol!
But I meant what I said... she doesn't need any food right now.

I made the same mistake when I got my B. hamorii back then. I fed her too often and too much and she looked this:

too fst.jpg
Got chastised quite a bit by these wonderful people here on the forums. :rofl::kiss: This was in January 2018. I stopped feeding her altogether and she moulted perfectly fine (and still being rather chubby) in June 2018 without any food in between. So, please, don't feed her right now. You might try again in a month or two, but she will become even more vulnerable the more you feed her.

As for getting her out of the enclosure... just get a big enough catch cup, poke some holes into it (rather big holes a thin brush or straw will fit through) and carefully direct her into it with a paintbrush or such. Put her aside, change the substrate and release her into her "new" home. If she's stubborn you can carefully prod her with a brush or a straw through the holes, touching only her hind legs or her abdomen.
 
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FatherOfTheSpider

Arachnopeon
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Jan 10, 2020
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That's great! :)


But I meant what I said... she doesn't need any food right now.

I made the same mistake when I got my B. hamorii back then. I fed her too often and too much and she looked this:

View attachment 330832
Got chastised quite a bit by these wonderful people here on the forums. :rofl::kiss: This was in January 2018. I stopped feeding her altogether and she moulted perfectly fine (and still being rather chubby) in June 2018 without any food in between. So, please, don't feed her right now. You might try again in a month or two, but she will become even more vulnerable the more you feed her.
Ah ok I won’t feed her thanks for the advice I’ll wait a few months till I feed her next :)
 

Feral

Arachnobaron
Active Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2019
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407
To add to the good, informative comments about her being, um... being a beautiful, rubensesque lady. (What a wagon!) I just wanted to add that it's been shown in studies on arachnids that maintaining a reasonable weight/diet restriction increases spider lifespan (due to metabolism/ROS production/antioxidant availability). And that's on top of avoiding all the physical dangers like, abrasion wounds, ruptures, increased fall risk etc. They're people here who can tell you how hard it is to get weight off of subadult and adult tarantulas, is strongly recommended not to allow it to happen in the first place. She will be a healthier animal who is your friend for a longer time.

Also, I need to point out, that she is quite a beauty. Lovely, lovely tarantula you have!
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
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1,878
Thanks, but she got even more beautiful after she had moulted and lost all of the excessive weight. :kiss:

Missy_freshly moulted_14062018.jpg
 

CommanderBacon

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 21, 2018
Messages
498
Just another quick questions any good tips for rehousing I don’t really handle my T as I’ve read there isn’t any need. I haven’t held her since she was half the size she is now and I don’t think I’d want to hold her lol as she is too much of a hair kicker. Any tips on how to scoop her out of the enclosure whilst I change the substrate.
Thank you once again
I recommend putting a cup over her, sliding a piece of cardstock or cardboard underneath, and moving her to a new enclosure, or a temporary cup while you change out the substrate.

Tom Moran has some good suggestions! Can't go wrong with these.
https://tomsbigspiders.com/2015/02/15/tarantula-rehousing-tips-with-videos/
 

Paul1126

Arachnoangel
Joined
Jun 14, 2017
Messages
818
Hamorii in my experience are weird eaters, sometimes they'll destroy anything in front of them, other times they will fast with no upcoming moult and resume eating as normal after the fast.
That goes for slings too
 

Brachyfan

Deactivated account
Joined
Jun 14, 2019
Messages
310
Hamorii in my experience are weird eaters, sometimes they'll destroy anything in front of them, other times they will fast with no upcoming moult and resume eating as normal after the fast.
That goes for slings too
My hamorii are weird too. I have seen my juvie seal off its burrow with no signs of premolt and fast for a few weeks. Then go into premolt for a month. After that it refused food for almost another month. That's one meal in almost 3 months! For a 1/2" sling!

My sub adult is pretty good with food. The weird things it does is sometimes kick hairs at its food. And happy dances on top of it's water dish (and sometimes drops half eaten worms in it's dish :vomit:)
 
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