My rose isn't eating.

[Dylan Campbell]

she usually eats pretty quickly after I put three or four crickets in but she just ignores them but she goes into a strike pose when they get near her and that's it. Does that mean she's about to go into pre molt?

 

[BobBarley]

she usually eats pretty quickly after I put three or four crickets in but she just ignores them but she goes into a strike pose when they get near her and that's it. Does that mean she's about to go into pre molt?

It's 100% normal. Many t's, including these, are infamous for their fasting periods.

 

[KezyGLA]

It means shes not hungry. If you regularly feed this species. they can fast over a year. They fill up quick as food isnt regularly available in the wild. This causes them to fast. It is common in almost every species from arid habitats

 

[darkness975]

4 crickets per feeding ? Holy smokes that's a bit excessive.

 

[mistertim]

4 crickets per feeding ? Holy smokes that's a bit excessive.

Yeah, unless you're doing that once every couple of weeks that is a ton of crickets. As other have said, G. rosea tend to fast and tarantulas in general will eat as much as they can but when it is enough they'll just stop until they molt again. Very normal behavior. Remember, tarantula metabolisms and eating habits are completely different than mammals.

 

[BobBarley]

Yeah, unless you're doing that once every couple of weeks that is a ton of crickets.

1-2 crickets every couple of weeks is already, more than enough...

 

[mistertim]

1-2 crickets every couple of weeks is already, more than enough...

Agreed. Only time I tend to up it a little is after a molt. My B. smithi just ate for the first time after a molt and I gave her 3 medium sized crickets which she handled easily.

 

[cold blood]

4 crickets would cover 6-8 weeks worth of food.

They have very low food requirements. And because they can go so incredibly long between molts, you have a ton of time to fatten them up. The sooner they fatten, the more and longer they generally fast. Adults go 4-6 years between molts.

 

[cold blood]

With some species food refusal is a sign or can be a sign of pre molt, but not with all, and certainly not with a rose hair.

Because they are already prone to binge and fast, as most people do seem to over feed them, a fast for one can be pretty meaningless. Also because they rarely burrow or flick hairs, other signs are not generally very obvious.

I will say, when i see my old porteri drinking for a long time, its a good bet she will molt soon. Otherwise keeping records is the best way to guess which fast is molt related and which isnt. Unfortunately, because they take so long between molts, it can take over a decade to see the pattern and predict the third or fourth molt.

 

[Dylan Campbell]

1-2 crickets every couple of weeks is already, more than enough...

I feed her every couple of weeks. She usually loves that amount of crickets. This is just the first time I've seen her refuse food like that so it was just a little odd to me.

 

[Dylan Campbell]

4 crickets would cover 6-8 weeks worth of food.

They have very low food requirements. And because they can go so incredibly long between molts, you have a ton of time to fatten them up. The sooner they fatten, the more and longer they generally fast. Adults go 4-6 years between molts.

Thanks for letting me know. Guy at the pet store told me to do 4 crickets every 10 days but I even thought that was too many at the time.. I've only seen my king baboon eat once since I got her so I get their metabolism is a whole lot different

 

[BobBarley]

I feed her every couple of weeks. She usually loves that amount of crickets. This is just the first time I've seen her refuse food like that so it was just a little odd to me.

Interesting, have pics of her? Has she molted in your care? Eating that much makes me think she *could* be gravid. How many times did she accept all 4 crickets at a time?

 

[Dylan Campbell]

1-2 crickets every couple of weeks is already, more than enough...

Interesting, have pics of her? Has she molted in your care? Eating that much makes me think she *could* be gravid. How many times did she accept all 4 crickets at a time?

she really did eat that many at a time. I've had her for 3 and a half months. She hasn't molted yet I'm still waiting on it.

 

[cold blood]

Its not very tubby yet, so my guess is that it hasnt been all that far from its last molt. Even rose hair types have great feeding responses post molt for a while before they slow. Like i mentioned, she doesnt need to be quickly fattened, youve got years to fatten it....or if its younger a year.

 

[Dylan Campbell]

Interesting, have pics of her? Has she molted in your care? Eating that much makes me think she *could* be gravid. How many times did she accept all 4 crickets at a time?

I probably fed her 4 or 5 times and she accepted all of it

 

[Paiige]

Interesting, have pics of her? Has she molted in your care? Eating that much makes me think she *could* be gravid. How many times did she accept all 4 crickets at a time?

In his defense, when I was younger and knew absolutely nothing about Ts aside from what Petco had told me, I used to feed my rosie about the same - and if she wasn't fasting, she'd eat five crickets in a day. I used to think I was being nice feeding her breakfast, lunch and dinner
...after 6 months of that she fasted for over a year and I learned my lesson

I probably fed her 4 or 5 times and she accepted all of it

When she does fast (notice "when" and not "if"), do not be alarmed if it's 6+ months. This is normal. You might feel like a neglectful owner and like she's going to starve to death, but she won't. When my rosie is fasting I try feeding her once every 3 weeks just to see how it goes.

 

[Dylan Campbell]

In his defense, when I was younger and knew absolutely nothing about Ts aside from what Petco had told me, I used to feed my rosie about the same - and if she wasn't fasting, she'd eat five crickets in a day. I used to think I was being nice feeding her breakfast, lunch and dinner
...after 6 months of that she fasted for over a year and I learned my lesson



When she does fast (notice "when" and not "if"), do not be alarmed if it's 6+ months. This is normal. You might feel like a neglectful owner and like she's going to starve to death, but she won't. When my rosie is fasting I try feeding her once every 3 weeks just to see how it goes.

Really appreciate the input guys. I'm not too worried about her not eating anymore now lol. The only one I'm worried about is my king baboon and she is probably in pre molt anyway

 

[Paiige]

Really appreciate the input guys. I'm not too worried about her not eating anymore now lol. The only one I'm worried about is my king baboon and she is probably in pre molt anyway

Only two of my Ts are eating right now, the rest are all in pre-molt...just means you need more Ts, that way one of them will always be doing something

 

[Dylan Campbell]

Only two of my Ts are eating right now, the rest are all in pre-molt...just means you need more Ts, that way one of them will always be doing something

Lol it really does make you want more honestly

 

[Andrea82]

Lol it really does make you want more honestly

Go for a couple of slings, preferably of a fast growing species like Gbb or A.geniculata. You can feed those almost every day