my t doesnt move much and only sits in one corner

[shadeslayer]

hi im just wondering if i should be worried about my T since i got her she hasnt eaten and later i found out she was in pre molt. She finally molted still have no idea what she is and she just sits in a coner and doesnt move ever one in a blue moon she will move onto my enclosures door but other than that nothing. wondering if there is something im not doing or if some species just dont move around ever or web

 

[edesign]

Wrong subforum, you want Tarantula Chat or T Q&A (edit: Q&D) I'll ask a mod to move it to the appropriate forum for ya. No worries!

Gonna need to provide more details though. Some species really are essentially pet rocks.

- What species (or did you mean it is an unknown species by "still have no idea what she is"? I wasn't sure if you meant you weren't sure if it's female or male yet.)?
- What size?
- Photo of the enclosure would be helpful. Barring that, dimensions and a description of the substrate type, moisture level, and depth plus whether it has a hide or any other decor.
- What is the ambient temperature of the room? Any supplemental heating? If so, what kind and how is it being used?
- Where is the enclosure located and is it exposed to any bright light or strong drafts? High traffic area? Lots of vibrations?
- Anything else that might be helpful.

When posting questions like this you need to be detailed in the original post so we don't have to play 20 Questions to help the poster. TL;DR doesn't apply here (and shouldn't anywhere else). Details are your friend The more the merrier.

 

[shadeslayer]

Wrong subforum, you want Tarantula Chat or T Q&A I'll ask a mod to move it to the appropriate forum for ya. No worries!

Gonna need to provide more details though. Some species really are essentially pet rocks.

- What species (or did you mean it is an unknown species by "still have no idea what she is"? I wasn't sure if you meant you weren't sure if it's female or male yet.)?
- What size?
- Photo of the enclosure would be helpful. Barring that, dimensions and a description of the substrate type, moisture level, and depth plus whether it has a hide or any other decor.
- What is the ambient temperature of the room? Any supplemental heating? If so, what kind and how is it being used?
- Where is the enclosure located and is it exposed to any bright light or strong drafts? High traffic area? Lots of vibrations?
- Anything else that might be helpful.

When posting questions like this you need to be detailed in the original post so we don't have to play 20 Questions to help the poster. TL;DR doesn't apply here (and shouldn't anywhere else). Details are your friend The more the merrier.

Oh okay thanks and i have no idea what species i do have a photo of enclosure and her

 

[edesign]

Helpful, thanks. You skipped some questions though What about ambient temp and spider size? I'm guessing 5-8 cm leg span? I'm not sure what it is but I see a lot of people picking up Grammastola porteris even as slings and there is a triangular pattern on the carapace which that species has plus the leg striping. However, those can be seen on other genera (or is it just Brachypelma?) and Grammastola species as well. I'd create a separate thread with the photo of the spider you just posted and see if anyone can help. I could be completely wrong.

The enclosure is a nice one but it looks like it would be better suited to an arboreal species. Not to say you can't use it though. One thing that people are often advised is to ensure that the height from the top of the substrate to the top of the tank is relatively short for terrestrial species. I tend to aim for 1-1.5x the leg span of most terrestrials so that if they fall the distance is minimized in turn minimizing the chance of them being injured (mainly from a ruptured abdomen). They're built differently than arboreals and can't handle falls as well.

With that said you can risk it and keep it as is and let it grow in to it (if it's what I guessed that will be quite some time, years, if ever). You can add a lot more substrate but given the way the front opens you're limited on that side. You can always slope the substrate so it's much deeper at the back. I've done that with some Exo Terra Nano Wides that I have which house(d) some terrestrials but I didn't care for it at all. It works in a pinch though. Or you can purchase another enclosure which has more floor space than height and isn't so deep that you need to use an excessive amount of substrate (if you have an 18-20+ cm spider you're gonna need a lot regardless, of course) unless it is a burrower in which case it can never be too deep or an obligate burrower which may use the existing hide as is or may scrape it out deeper. Your spider, your choice, the forum members can only offer advice.

Is that her typical pose? If so I'd say that it's not stressed or scared. If they're scared they'll bunch their front legs up over their eyes. I see that you don't use a water bowl. Nothing inherently wrong with that. I don't really use them either (certain situations I might like in premolt or after a molt to ensure they stay hydrated when they're not eating) but I do spritz water drops on the walls 1-2x a week so that they can still get drinks/groom. Just a side note.

How long have you had her? How moist is the substrate (dry, damp, moist, dripping when squeezed, swampy)? You could try burying one end of the hide so it only has the opening in the front and see if it likes a darker hiding place. It may not matter as I said it doesn't appear stressed but Ts can be unpredictable and it may decide to just sit in there or it may explore more with a darker, more secure hide to retreat to. However, if you have only had her a fairly short time and she was in premolt when you got her she may just still be settling in.

I rehoused my 15-16 cm ornata earlier this year. It didn't take to the cork bark tube I provided and spent much of its time hunched up behind a large slab of cork bark flat I had also put in against the back wall which was made of cork bark tile. It did that for 2-3 months before it finally started relaxing and stretching out more, still hiding though. Took about 4 months to begin to web it up but I suspect that it is in premolt. Just a comparison for ya. Otoh, most of my spiders settle in within a day to a couple of weeks at most. Unpredictable

 

[boina]

I don't think this is a G. porteri. From the pic I'd think more in the direction of Euathlus sp.

Anyway, pre/post molt - and you said the tarantula just molted - lack of a water dish can really create problems. Tarantulas need a lot of water to successfully complete a molt and are often seen drinking around that time. I know a lot of people don't provide water dishes but I think it's the easiest way to make sure my tarantulas can drink when they are thirsty. I would put one in there and at this point even right in front of the tarantula to make sure dehydration is not the problem.

 

[mconnachan]

I don't think this is a G. porteri. From the pic I'd think more in the direction of Euathlus sp.

Anyway, pre/post molt - and you said the tarantula just molted - lack of a water dish can really create problems. Tarantulas need a lot of water to successfully complete a molt and are often seen drinking around that time. I know a lot of people don't provide water dishes but I think it's the easiest way to make sure my tarantulas can drink when they are thirsty. I would put one in there and at this point even right in front of the tarantula to make sure dehydration is not the problem.

With regard to water I caught my A. geniculata drinking last night, first time I've ever seen any of my spiders actually drinking, I always thought they did drink just not in my presence, it was cool to see, and proof that T's do actually drink, this was post molt.

 

[mconnachan]

hi im just wondering if i should be worried about my T since i got her she hasnt eaten and later i found out she was in pre molt. She finally molted still have no idea what she is and she just sits in a coner and doesnt move ever one in a blue moon she will move onto my enclosures door but other than that nothing. wondering if there is something im not doing or if some species just dont move around ever or web

How long since the spider molted? If it was recently they won't move for long periods, it's a draining process.

Is the substrate wet? If the substrate is too wet they don't like the feeling of it being too wet, add some dry substrate on top of the wet stuff.

Do you provide a water dish? Essential especially after a molt, they need re-hydrated after all that effort, like us running a marathon.

The fact that the spider is moving periodically is a good sign, if it's been more than a week since the molt, offer prey, I'm sure it will be hungry by now.

Hope this helps, let us know how your spider is getting on.

 

[shadeslayer]

she molted 4 days ago now and i do provide a water dish. still dont know what species it is so i have the substrate dry with on corner dampened down with a hide. i just transferred her to a smaller enclosure because i was advised to put her in a smaller one so she cant fall or hurt herself. my substrate is just coco fibre with a cork bark hide. and i tryed to offer prey but no intress in it so i am leaving her with no prey for another few days. is there anything specific i should look for in her behavior or just kinda ride it out and watch her every now and than. she virtually never webs anything except where she molted in one corner that she never leaves. thanks

 

[Moakmeister]

...and the problem...is?

 

[mconnachan]

she molted 4 days ago now and i do provide a water dish. still dont know what species it is so i have the substrate dry with on corner dampened down with a hide. i just transferred her to a smaller enclosure because i was advised to put her in a smaller one so she cant fall or hurt herself. my substrate is just coco fibre with a cork bark hide. and i tryed to offer prey but no intress in it so i am leaving her with no prey for another few days. is there anything specific i should look for in her behavior or just kinda ride it out and watch her every now and than. she virtually never webs anything except where she molted in one corner that she never leaves. thanks

I always wait at least 7 days before offering prey to larger specimens, four days really isn't long enough to let the exoskeleton harden. Leave the feeding for another week yet, provide a water dish with fresh water and top it up when it evaporates, you don't see it often but they do drink, I caught my A. geniculata drinking the other evening the first time I've seen any of my spiders drinking. so no nothing to worry about, just let the spider relax for a bit, molting is an extremely tiring process.

 

[edesign]

...and the problem...is?

That you're not posting anything helpful...

Nothing wrong with them asking. Maybe it's a pet rock. Maybe there's something else going on...which there is/was. Premolt and a very recent molt.

she molted 4 days ago now and i do provide a water dish. still dont know what species it is so i have the substrate dry with on corner dampened down with a hide. i just transferred her to a smaller enclosure because i was advised to put her in a smaller one so she cant fall or hurt herself. my substrate is just coco fibre with a cork bark hide. and i tryed to offer prey but no intress in it so i am leaving her with no prey for another few days. is there anything specific i should look for in her behavior or just kinda ride it out and watch her every now and than. she virtually never webs anything except where she molted in one corner that she never leaves. thanks

Yeah, like mcconnochan said, give it a few more days before offering food. They need water more than anything after a molt. Depending on the size they can go for weeks after a molt with no food but they have to rehydrate as the molting process is very exhausting and involves some fluid loss (find a detailed explanation of exactly how a molt occurs for more info).

Sounds like you're on the right path! Often times the sign of a happy T is one that doesn't move much or come out of its hide/burrow often. That means they're comfortable and feel secure. Not to say you won't ever see them or that some aren't fairly active. It can even come down to the individual specimen, like people, some are more active than others. Not all species will web much, especially terrestrials, but they will lay down a molting mat as you have observed

 

[mconnachan]

@edesign I like your signature, it's quite comical, it makes sense of course, but I find it rather amusing....LOL

 

[edesign]

I should add, regarding hydrating after a molt, that it isn't unheard of for the spider to use the exuvium as a hydration source and can sometimes be seen munching on it. Or you find the mangled, slurped remains of the cast skin thus negating your chances of sexing via molt lol. So, if you see your spider eating it, don't freak out. Well, do freak out if you were going to try and sex it that way