so i've had my T since december 2012 and i fed him (her? idk the gender) pretty consistently like about 2 crickets a week and he slowly stopped eating as much and molted in october 2013 and then kept eating less and less and he molted again in august this year and he's very very skinny and he runs away from any crickets i give him even when they're not aggressive and i take them out after a while and i try feeding him about once a week but he never eats and i keep his water filled but a few days ago i went to feed and he was walking funny like he's unbalanced because his abdomen is so small and then he flipped over but seemed to be struggling really hard to flip back and eventually did and then i put him in an icu and he seemed to drink A Lot and then flipped again but half in his water? (i have a small paper cup i cut to be shallow and it's about the size of a gatorade or milk top) and then flipped back over again without molting! and he's not curling up but he's kinda in the 'scared spider' stance and it's been a few months since he's eaten (he'd accept a cricket every now and then) and i'm worried about him and im really not sure what's happening. thank you for any help!
my g. rosea is probably dying
- Thread starter jkp
- Start date
Nepenthe56
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2011
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- 36
Pictures? He may have molted into a mature male, in which case he'll eventually die (are you sure it's male?). Also G. rosea are notorious for fasting for long periods.
KezyGLA
Arachnoking
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- Apr 8, 2016
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- 3,013
Not that useless info....
You are offering way too much food to a species that naturally doesnt eat that much. It is a desert sp and will fill up quickly and fast.
It turning skinny may suggest a mature male thats health will deteriorate until it passes. It has only mating on the menu but might eat now and then.
Be it male ir female there is no need to offer food so much to this sp. If it is an old female specimen it may refuse food for the same reason, coming to the end of its life cycle.
Pics would help to make sure its not husbandry issues though.
You are offering way too much food to a species that naturally doesnt eat that much. It is a desert sp and will fill up quickly and fast.
It turning skinny may suggest a mature male thats health will deteriorate until it passes. It has only mating on the menu but might eat now and then.
Be it male ir female there is no need to offer food so much to this sp. If it is an old female specimen it may refuse food for the same reason, coming to the end of its life cycle.
Pics would help to make sure its not husbandry issues though.
BobBarley
Arachnoprince
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2015
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- 1,486
What's the humidity in the enclosure? We need pics.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2013
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- 3,292
This absolutely sounds like a mature male. Can you get us a picture of the pedipalps? A picture example is below, they're highlighted in red. That's what we need to see.
(click the image to enlarge)
If it is indeed a mature male, then there's nothing you can do for him. Males largely stop eating once they've reached maturity. The good news for you is that this species is very long lived. It's not entirely uncommon for G. rosea/porteri mature males to live for over a year and upwards of two years. This is almost unheard of with other species, so count yourself grateful. Many of us ship off mature males to be bred, but you unfortunately have a very common species... one that almost no one would want to breed. That being said, just keep your pet, enjoy it while you can. Always keep a full water dish, even if you think he's not drinking. Offer food about once per month, and that's about it.
(click the image to enlarge)
If it is indeed a mature male, then there's nothing you can do for him. Males largely stop eating once they've reached maturity. The good news for you is that this species is very long lived. It's not entirely uncommon for G. rosea/porteri mature males to live for over a year and upwards of two years. This is almost unheard of with other species, so count yourself grateful. Many of us ship off mature males to be bred, but you unfortunately have a very common species... one that almost no one would want to breed. That being said, just keep your pet, enjoy it while you can. Always keep a full water dish, even if you think he's not drinking. Offer food about once per month, and that's about it.