Mexican red knee not eaten for almost 5 months

[Robert Northam]

I've had my Mexican red knee for over a year but lately she hasn't fed for almost 4 -5 months. she's happy and malted 3 times but since her last malt she just won't eat! any suggestions would appreciated

 

[AnObeseHippo]

Mind posting pictures of it? Tarantulas normally fast for long periods of time. Although, since you say it hasn’t eaten since its last molt, it sounds like it is either a mature male, or a sucking stomach problem. Also, do you have it’s last molt still?

 

[Killertut]

yeah, not eating can be totally normal. pics would be appreciated to see how plump he/she is.
fasting is no problem as long as you provide water to your T.

 

[Robert Northam]

yeah, not eating can be totally normal. pics would be appreciated to see how plump he/she is.
fasting is no problem as long as you provide water to your T.

she's happy enough after I've just cleaned her tank , here is her last malt too

 

[AnObeseHippo]

How long ago was the molt? It looks pretty plump so I wouldn’t worry about it not eating right now.

 

[Robert Northam]

Mind posting pictures of it? Tarantulas normally fast for long periods of time. Although, since you say it hasn’t eaten since its last molt, it sounds like it is either a mature male, or a sucking stomach problem. Also, do you have it’s last molt still?

her last molt is as follows,

How long ago was the molt? It looks pretty plump so I wouldn’t worry about it not eating right now.

Her last molt was around mid August, that's her 3rd molt in 9 months

 

[Killertut]

yeah, that spider wont need to eat for a while. water is provided as in the picture shown. all fine and dandy.

 

[Dorifto]

Don't worry, my G Pulchra is fasting since august xD

 

[ShockWave]

Healthy looking T. Abdomen not anywhere near shriveled. I wouldn’t worry too much...

 

[Robert Northam]

Healthy looking T. Abdomen not anywhere near shriveled. I wouldn’t worry too much...

Thank you,

 

[boina]

Has everyone suddenly gone blind in this thread?

OP, why is there all this water at the sides? This is an arid species. They do not need any kind of humidity and if you keep them humid like that they are going to suffer for it. What kind of substrate are you using? Sand is not a good choice at all, but most importantly the substrate needs to be dry, as in completely dry.

You tarantula is plump enough, yes, but not so plump as to explain the fast. There is a strong possibility that she's fasting because it's too humid and her body is fighting adverse conditions. Keep the humidity up and you've a good chance of killing her.

@AnObeseHippo - how did you not see how wet the enclosure is?

 

[AnObeseHippo]

Has everyone suddenly gone blind in this thread?

OP, why is there all this water at the sides? This is an arid species. They do not need any kind of humidity and if you keep them humid like that they are going to suffer for it. What kind of substrate are you using? Sand is not a good choice at all, but most importantly the substrate needs to be dry, as in completely dry.

You tarantula is plump enough, yes, but not so plump as to explain the fast. There is a strong possibility that she's fasting because it's too humid and her body is fighting adverse conditions. Keep the humidity up and you've a good chance of killing her.

@AnObeseHippo - how did you not see how wet the enclosure is?

Honestly, I didn’t look that hard. Good eye on you. @Robert Northam you definitely should dry out the substrate

 

[Robert Northam]

Has everyone suddenly gone blind in this thread?

OP, why is there all this water at the sides? This is an arid species. They do not need any kind of humidity and if you keep them humid like that they are going to suffer for it. What kind of substrate are you using? Sand is not a good choice at all, but most importantly the substrate needs to be dry, as in completely dry.

You tarantula is plump enough, yes, but not so plump as to explain the fast. There is a strong possibility that she's fasting because it's too humid and her body is fighting adverse conditions. Keep the humidity up and you've a good chance of killing her.

@AnObeseHippo - how did you not see how wet the enclosure is?

The temperature , humidity is right on the level according to guide to owning tarantulas, I use a soil / sand substrate recommended by The Ark pet store where we acquired her! the substrate is new and therefore looks damp but it is actually dry ! I've given it a desert feel due to the her native home!

 

[Nightstalker47]

The temperature , humidity is right on the level according to guide to owning tarantulas, I use a soil / sand substrate recommended by The Ark pet store where we acquired her! the substrate is new and therefore looks damp but it is actually dry ! I've given it a desert feel due to the her native home!

They dont require any set humidity numbers, so your guide is basically worthless. This is an arid species, stop misting if you are...and let the sub dry out.

Has everyone suddenly gone blind in this thread?

OP, why is there all this water at the sides? This is an arid species. They do not need any kind of humidity and if you keep them humid like that they are going to suffer for it. What kind of substrate are you using? Sand is not a good choice at all, but most importantly the substrate needs to be dry, as in completely dry.

You tarantula is plump enough, yes, but not so plump as to explain the fast. There is a strong possibility that she's fasting because it's too humid and her body is fighting adverse conditions. Keep the humidity up and you've a good chance of killing her.

@AnObeseHippo - how did you not see how wet the enclosure is?

Lol, did you not notice that the sucking stomach was absent on the molt? Seems to be the more important issue. The specimen looks pretty fat though, so it should manage to survive and hopefully molt again.

 

[Robert Northam]

Honestly, I didn’t look that hard. Good eye on you. @Robert Northam you definitely should dry out the substrate

thanks guys, I've looked at both your reviews and taken out the water bowl, would you say a dryer bark type substrate would be better than the recommended soil/ sandy substrate provided by per store?

 

[Nightstalker47]

Yeah, I would go for something softer rather then the coarse sand you are currently using...peat, coco fiber, or top soil will all do the job.

Also, make sure you re-examine that molt thoroughly. If the sucking stomach isn't there(which appears to be the case) it will not be feeding until it molts again. See this thread. http://arachnoboards.com/threads/checking-for-the-sucking-stomach-on-your-molts.306981/

 

[The Seraph]

Also, don't leave locusts in the cage with a tarantula for an extended period of time. That is very dangerous as they can harm the tarantula if it is molting.

 

[boina]

The temperature , humidity is right on the level according to guide to owning tarantulas, I use a soil / sand substrate recommended by The Ark pet store where we acquired her! the substrate is new and therefore looks damp but it is actually dry ! I've given it a desert feel due to the her native home!

Those specific care guides are absolutely worthless. Please, do your tarantula a favor and stop checking humidity. What humidity are you aiming for anyway? Do you seriously think that a tarantula from arid scrublands that get really, really dry during the day needs a fixed humidity above a certain level? That makes no sense at all - and so much for care guides. Put the water bowl back, though - tarantulas do drink on occasion. Generally, though, no tarantula needs any kind of humidity in the air above their heads, though some species (not yours) need moist substrate, because that's where the tarantula is.

Pet stores are even worse when it comes to information about tarantulas - they just want to sell stuff.

Lol, did you not notice that the sucking stomach was absent on the molt?

No, I didn't even look. Let's hope for the tarantulas sake it just broke off from the molt. If it really didn't mold one can only hope she'll make it to the next molt without eating.

 

[viper69]

Fat T, no problem, keep a water dish around. I have an albo that didn't eat for 18 months.

 

[Robert Northam]

Yeah, I would go for something softer rather then the coarse sand you are currently using...peat, coco fiber, or top soil will all do the job.

Also, make sure you re-examine that molt thoroughly. If the sucking stomach isn't there(which appears to be the case) it will not be feeding until it molts again. See this thread. http://arachnoboards.com/threads/checking-for-the-sucking-stomach-on-your-molts.306981/

Thank you Nightstalker, I do appreciate your advice and have taken everything you and others have told me, she's happier since I cleaned her out and walks straight on my hand when I go to pick her up, before she was a little agitated at 1st! which is a relief. she's very active and likes to be handled