My B. emilia won't eat. Any ideas?

[WYSIWYG]

I know it's typical for brachys to go without eating for awhile, but my B. emilia just looks way too thin. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was dehydrated or something. (There is a bowl of clean water in there now). What can do to plump her up? It doesn't look like a molt is approaching, though my spiders don't usually go bald before they molt. She's had water for awhile and I didn't see her drink when I checked on her. Her carapace is wider (rounder) than her abdomen and that's pretty scary! All she does when I put crickets in there is to thwap them away. I usually end up taking them out and feeding them to some other
HUNGRY critter.

Any ideas on how I can help her? It's only about 3.5 inches or so (unsexed). :?


Wysi

 

[TheDon]

hmm... could be pre-molt... but not sure... if she is thin prob not. She might just not be hungry... I wouldnt worry too much... just make sure she has water and everything should be good.

peace

TheDon

 

[Mendi]

Maybe put her in a food ICU with a pinky/beefheart and see that gets her to eat... If she doesn't like that by the next evening take it out and try a roach. I hope she starts eating soon for you and stops the worries!

 

[arachnopunks]

I dunno.....maybe something is wrong with her water source. I am kinda bad about just filling their water dishes over and over again. Have you changed it in a while. Maybe she is dehydrated but won't drink from it. We just switched our male T. blondi's water dish to a deeper one and he was enjoying it today. The dish we had was too shallow and didn't hold enough water for enough time for his size. Who knows....could be approaching a molt. When was the last one?? It is summer and they do seem to molt more when it is warm out.


-Jill

 

[WYSIWYG]

Originally posted by Mendi
Maybe put her in a food ICU with a pinky/beefheart and see that gets her to eat... If she doesn't like that by the next evening take it out and try a roach. I hope she starts eating soon for you and stops the worries!

Wishes DOOOOOOOO come true!!!

I posted this thread after attempting to feed "her" again.
Then we went out to dinner. When we got back, I read all the responses and then I went to check on her. I have her in a plastic shoebox so it's hard to see for sure.........

But I shined a flashlight through there (rather than removing the lid and disturbing her any further), and it looks like she's chowing down.

Now if I could only get my G. pulchra to do the same. It's also on the thin side and won't eat. I got the pulchra last year in April and it hasn't molted in the whole time I've had it. Hopefully, soon!

Thanks for your good wishes.

Wysi

 

[Professor T]

Wysi,

Glad your redknee is eating. It is not uncommon for a T to go a long time without eating. My B. smithi stopped eating two weeks before she shed.

I just had a G. pulchra burrow for a month, and then emerage as an eating machine. Offer the food, and if its not gone in 8 hours, take it out.

I have a full water bowl in with all my T's, and I've seen all of them drink except for my Brazilian Black. She might drink when I'm not looking, but I'm guessing she drinks less than my other T's. I'm not worried.

If your T's are kept in the right temperature and humidity, they'll eat when they're ready. :}

Why and when they fast is sometimes a:

Sometimes they fast in patterns that enable you to be able to predict when they will molt.

 

[atavuss]

you could always try alternative food sources, pinkies or rat pups if the t is big enough to take them...........wax worms, silkworms, etc.
Ed