My a. genic locked himself up!!

vtecgsr

Arachnoknight
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I have a small pot in my a. genic tank and i noticed he wont eat and he kinda webbed himself in... He has small webs on the entrance? Is that a sign of a fast??
 

Gigas

Arachnoprince
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Could be a sign of a moult, try not to disturb it.
 

vtecgsr

Arachnoknight
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Ok, well i just took the cricket out... How long will he sit there if he is molting? Like 24 hours?
 

Windchaser

Arachnoking
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Ok, well i just took the cricket out... How long will he sit there if he is molting? Like 24 hours?
I've had tarantulas seal themselves into their hide for months. To be perfectly honest no one can give you an answer as to how long your tarantula will stay sealed in. It could be a day or it could be months. If it is molting, the molting process usually takes 24 hours or less. Older and larger tarantulas tend to take longer than smaller, younger ones.
 

rYe

Arachnosquire
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I'm no expert but everything I've seen/read it's either the T getting ready for some cold snap or molting.
 

Mina

Arachnoking
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Yes, usually. Once in a while they will moult upright. Your little one is probably getting ready to moult. My genic moulted right out in the open last time, and only took about 3 hours to complete the moult. Every T is different.
 

vtecgsr

Arachnoknight
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I noticed something strange... today when i looked in there the water dish was empty... It was almost 3 quarters of the way full the day before!!!
 

Alice

Arachnoangel
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maybe your genic needed a bit of water before beginning the molt. and yes, they molt on their backs. but until they get there, they might spend weeks or even moths hidden away, preparing for the molt. it depends on how big your t is - the bigger and older, the longer the pre-molt period and the molting process will take.
 

Windchaser

Arachnoking
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I noticed something strange... today when i looked in there the water dish was empty... It was almost 3 quarters of the way full the day before!!!
It is possible that there is some fine threads of web attached to the water dish which are wicking the water out and into the substrate. You can remove the water dish and clean it. Just be careful to not disturb your tarantula in the process. It is also possible that your tarantula came out and drank. Though I doubt it could empty the dish by drinking alone.
 

vtecgsr

Arachnoknight
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Hmmm, i looked in there today after school. He's still there but he looks really pale. Kinda like a gray color on one side of his body....
 

vtecgsr

Arachnoknight
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If he stays in his little fortress haha... should i attempt to feed him while he's in there... i mean from what i read he can stay in there upwards of months. Or should i not worry about feeding until he comes out?
 

Mushroom Spore

Arachnoemperor
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If he stays in his little fortress haha... should i attempt to feed him while he's in there... i mean from what i read he can stay in there upwards of months. Or should i not worry about feeding until he comes out?
If he's getting ready to molt, a cricket could dig down and kill him. When he's hungry, he'll come up looking for food. It's instinctive like that. :)
 

vtecgsr

Arachnoknight
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Ok, just wanted to be sure. I put a towel over the tank just to make him feel a lil more isolated... good idea?
 

Windchaser

Arachnoking
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Keeping his enclosure in an area that is quiet isn't a bad idea. The towel is ok provided that the enclosure still has good ventilation. As far as feeding goes, I stop feeding when a tarantula has sealed its burrow. I will not bother feeding again until it opens its burrow up.
 

Paramite

Arachnoprince
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Heh. I was just about to make a new thread about this.

I got my sub-adult female A. geniculata about a week ago. I gave her three crickets during the week and she ate well. However, yesterday she sealed off her flower pot hide. I'm not sure if she's in pre-molt because she was very thin when I got her. Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I know T's tend to hide, but I'm worried (atleast I was) because genics aren't supposed to hide much.
 
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