"My tarantula won't eat. Help!"

[A guy]

First of all, if it's/its....

- Newly rehoused, leave it alone for a couple of days or weeks even; let it get settled in.

- Abdomen is generally larger than its carapace than most probably it's just full and doesn't want to eat. Leave it alone and offer food another time.

- Abdomen is big, shiny and looks like a grape; it's in premolt. Again, leave it alone.

- You're offering too big of a prey item(bigger than the actual tarantula, especially live prey); you might want to switch to a smaller prey item or prekill it.

Always make sure that a full waterdish is provided if possible.

If it's something other than what's listed above, then make a post about it or just comment here and I'll try to help with the best I can. So we don't repeat ourselves everytime this happens to every new person in the hobby.

 

[campj]

It's not a puppy and you don't need to feed it twice a day.

 

[curtisgiganteus]

My P. rufilata are shy eaters. They will let prey walk all over them if the light is on, but leave it off for an hour and come back? They are chowing down.

 

[campj]

@Marcostaco in another decade you'll be the new @viper69: jaded to the core of your soul by year after year of the same beginner question threads, arachnopeons ignoring the search function as if out of spite. Eventually your "help" devolves into terse barking as you watch those around you recoil in fear.

 

[A guy]

@Marcostaco in another decade you'll be the new @viper69: jaded to the core of your soul by year after year of the same beginner question threads, arachnopeons ignoring the search function as if out of spite. Eventually your "help" devolves into terse barking as you watch those around you recoil in fear.

I'll accept that lol

 

[curtisgiganteus]

@Marcostaco in another decade you'll be the new @viper69: jaded to the core of your soul by year after year of the same beginner question threads, arachnopeons ignoring the search function as if out of spite. Eventually your "help" devolves into terse barking as you watch those around you recoil in fear.

I got a compliment from @viper69 for the first time in 13 years the other day though. It was the best Christmas present ever LOL

 

[Dorifto]

Lol, I was going to post what happened to you

Nice to see everything it's fine

 

[Wolfram1]

good idea to make these easy to find "self-help-guides" :^)

I got a compliment from @viper69 for the first time in 13 years the other day though. It was the best Christmas present ever LOL

a rare milestone to be sure XD

 

[DustyD]

I think that some new tarantula owners go into panic mode when something different happens with their T and they need to know right away what is wrong. That happened with me with my first tarantula. And I thought I had read up on T’s before getting one. Some common sense things go out the window when you are worried. At least for me.

Having said that, I can understand and appreciate long-time keeper’s’ frustrations about all the newbie questions that keep resurfacing again and again and again.

With what seems to be an upsurge in popularity of tarantulas and other inverts, there is a genuine concern that these animals are or will become a spur of the moment and throw awayable purchase. A passing fancy.

Encouraging people to do their own research invests the person, hopefully, in tarantula ownership.

 

[A guy]

I got a compliment from @viper69 for the first time in 13 years the other day though. It was the best Christmas present ever LOL

Well I got a complement from @viper69 more than once. I guess that makes me a better human than you

 

[curtisgiganteus]

Well I got a complement from @viper69 more than once. I guess that makes me a better human than you

Oh definitely! That’s for sure lol

I will say, I took a hiatus from the site in 2014, and didn’t come back until 2019 xD so it’s relative? lolol

 

[A guy]

I
Oh definitely! That’s for sure lol

I will say, I took a hiatus from the site in 2014, and didn’t come back until 2019 xD so it’s relative? lolol

I've been a lurker since 2014 and just officially made an account on 2020 lol

 

[viper69]

Encouraging people to do their own research invests the person, hopefully, in tarantula ownership

I’ve been telling peeps this for eons- spot on Dusty.

why? Because in my own search for knowledge I came across numerous posts here that were of additional value beyond my initial question

 

[curtisgiganteus]

I've been a lurker since 2014 and just officially made an account on 2020 lol

See, relative

I also made my account when I was 16? I think? Lol

 

[campj]

I’ve been telling peeps this for eons- spot on Dusty.

why? Because in my own search for knowledge I came across numerous posts here that were of additional value beyond my initial question

Yeah, there's some pretty deep info here once you start digging. Folks just want everything handed to them though lol.

 

[viper69]

Yeah, there's some pretty deep info here once you start digging. Folks just want everything handed to them though lol.

They want to be Spoon fed!

Ive learned far more from reading than asking Qs when I first started

 

[campj]

They want to be Spoon fed!

Ive learned far more from reading than asking Qs when I first started

Agreed. There's no guarantee that the folks who know what they're talking about are going to weigh in on the thread you created.

And it's also smart to wait until you have at least SOME meaningful experience before you start to give advice. There are these folks with dozens of comments providing advice and then they post something along the lines of "I'm expecting my first molt, hooray!" or "After one month of husbandry, I'm buying my second spider, what should I get?" I think when there are enough people doing this, it results in the advice echo chambers you see on sites like reddit... everyone just parrots what they've read and very few have actual experience.

 

[Gilligan]

Agreed. There's no guarantee that the folks who know what they're talking about are going to weigh in on the thread you created.

And it's also smart to wait until you have at least SOME meaningful experience before you start to give advice. There are these folks with dozens of comments providing advice and then they post something along the lines of "I'm expecting my first molt, hooray!" or "After one month of husbandry, I'm buying my second spider, what should I get?" I think when there are enough people doing this, it results in the advice echo chambers you see on sites like reddit... everyone just parrots what they've read and very few have actual experience.

Exactly. I’ve noticed it degrades actual good information as well, making it into something totally misapplied. Reading stuff in threads like “I don’t have a tarantula yet but here is my take” or “I’ve researched all I could but am disregarding more experienced keepers actual experiences with the spider” and you know you are in for some misinformation and parroting.

 

[campj]

Exactly. I’ve noticed it degrades actual good information as well, making it into something totally misapplied. Reading stuff in threads like “I don’t have a tarantula yet but here is my take” or “I’ve researched all I could but am disregarding more experienced keepers actual experiences with the spider” and you know you are in for some misinformation and parroting.

It's the age we live in . Reddit is plain awful. Never had Facebook, is it as bad? I'm guessing this is a universal phenomenon.

 

[viper69]

Agreed. There's no guarantee that the folks who know what they're talking about are going to weigh in on the thread you created.

And it's also smart to wait until you have at least SOME meaningful experience before you start to give advice. There are these folks with dozens of comments providing advice and then they post something along the lines of "I'm expecting my first molt, hooray!" or "After one month of husbandry, I'm buying my second spider, what should I get?" I think when there are enough people doing this, it results in the advice echo chambers you see on sites like reddit... everyone just parrots what they've read and very few have actual experience.

I’ve seen this tons of times- blind leading the blinding

Generally I reach out to experts who are either scientists or have a lot of experience, like industry leading breeders, when I’m first starting out with a new exotic animal type.