P. Irminia, one fang smaller than the other

[Whaagh]

Hi Guys

I purchased a P. Irminia at a expo about 3 weeks ago, and since i got it, it hasnt eaten once. A friend of mine also purchased a Nha. Tripedii from the same person and her's is showing signs of Nematodes (not eating and drooling under the carapace), so i isolated my T and took her/him out cleaned out the enclosure and while it was in a smaller container i had a look to see if there was signs of Nematodes on it. Luckily no drooling or white stuff at the mouth but it has a fang bigger than the other and it hasn't eaten since i purchased it.

I know you cant force feed T's, i have tried giving it smaller meal worms and roaches but no luck and due to its defensive nature its hard to really do anything. Any advice?

 

[BossRoss]

what size is your T? Any pics of the T, enclosure and fangs might help.

If the abdomen is not thin then it should not be a problem(from the description you have provided)

 

[Whaagh]

id say the T is about 4", its abdomen is not completely thin but its not very big either, i will try and take some pictures tonight. Was a bit difficult to get it out the first time to clean out its enclosure.

 

[Neoza]

id say the T is about 4", its abdomen is not completely thin but its not very big either, i will try and take some pictures tonight. Was a bit difficult to get it out the first time to clean out its enclosure.

P. irminia's their abdomen is normally smaller in comparison with a smithi or chromatus etc, keep that in mind.

 

[Angel Minkov]

As long as the T has at least 1 fang, I think there shouldn't be a problem. Pics would definitely help.

 

[IHeartTs]

Yeah most arboreal abdomens are a bit smaller than terrestrials. Sometimes the fangs look like two different sizes when closed, for lack of a better word. But idk how much of a difference you're looking at. Picture would be nice.

 

[cold blood]

Pre-kill a cricket and leave it outside her "den". When in doubt, offer pre-killed prey

 

[14pokies]

Irminia can be fickle eaters..

+1 to coldbloods advice

 

[Storm76]

Irminia can be fickle eaters..

+1 to coldbloods advice

Fickle eaters? Psalmos? First time I hear that statement.

On that note - one of mine had a broken fang when I got her, she restored it the next molt and had no trouble catching prey and eating. Still attacked prey with gusto - would just make sure to offer "soft targets", as in crickets, until the fang is back to normal!

 

[IHeartTs]

Fickle eaters? Psalmos? First time I hear that statement.

On that note - one of mine had a broken fang when I got her, she restored it the next molt and had no trouble catching prey and eating. Still attacked prey with gusto - would just make sure to offer "soft targets", as in crickets, until the fang is back to normal!

Me either. Mine eats just as good as my genic. Just as viciously too. Pokies can be a bit fickle though.

OP as long as she can effectively incapacitate her prey, she'll be ok. My 7 in a half legged, limpy juvie avic does just fine.

 

[14pokies]

Fickle eaters? Psalmos? First time I hear that statement.

On that note - one of mine had a broken fang when I got her, she restored it the next molt and had no trouble catching prey and eating. Still attacked prey with gusto - would just make sure to offer "soft targets", as in crickets, until the fang is back to normal!

I have 2 females that some times refuse...it could have something to do with how often I feed though...all my ts get offered food every 2-3 days...

---------- Post added 01-01-2015 at 04:28 PM ----------

Me either. Mine eats just as good as my genic. Just as viciously too. Pokies can be a bit fickle though.

OP as long as she can effectively incapacitate her prey, she'll be ok. My 7 in a half legged, limpy juvie avic does just fine.

That's funny because on my 2-3 feed schedule the only times my poecs refuse is when there in late premolt..



Sorry guess I should of said in my experience! My bad!

 

[IHeartTs]

I have 2 females that some times refuse...it could have something to do with how often I feed though...all my ts get offered food every 2-3 days...

---------- Post added 01-01-2015 at 04:28 PM ----------


That's funny because on my 2-3 feed schedule the only times my poecs refuse is when there in late premolt..



Sorry guess I should of said in my experience! My bad!

Mine doesn't refuse she just takes FOREVER to catch it. I've heard of others having this experience. Like the crickets will walk all over her for a while before she eats. It's like she knows I'm watching. That sounded creepy . Guess they like to hunt on their own time without an audience.

 

[Storm76]

I have 2 females that some times refuse...it could have something to do with how often I feed though...all my ts get offered food every 2-3 days...

Considering the extremely slow metabolism of tarantulas, an adult Suntiger doesn't need food every couple days. There's your reason. Mine get fed every other week, sometimes every 3rd week only. They're certainly not malnourished on that note.

 

[14pokies]

Considering the extremely slow metabolism of tarantulas, an adult Suntiger doesn't need food every couple days. There's your reason. Mine get fed every other week, sometimes every 3rd week only. They're certainly not malnourished on that note.

I keep my room pretty warm and feed often for maximum growth..
I figure there's no harm in offering..I breed my own crix,so there basically free and most of my ts eat when offered a small meal frequently.

 

[Storm76]

I keep my room pretty warm and feed often for maximum growth..
I figure there's no harm in offering..I breed my own crix,so there basically free and most of my ts eat when offered a small meal frequently.

As I said: Mine are adult, both. Yours obviously aren't.

 

[14pokies]

Mine doesn't refuse she just takes FOREVER to catch it. I've heard of others having this experience. Like the crickets will walk all over her for a while before she eats. It's like she knows I'm watching. That sounded creepy . Guess they like to hunt on their own time without an audience.

I have a female ornata that has adopted that feeding habit starting about a month ago..she usually decides to grab the crik when I'm try to pull it out and it runs near her a few times...when I first got her she was ravenous..

I have juvie vitatta that is about 3 1/2 - 4 inches and is still in a 32oz deli inside of a brood case..when I take out his deli and toss in a crick I have to put him back in the case and close it before he will take it..once he has the first crik tho I can pull his deli out and toss in another and he takes it right away.
Ts don't have too much "personality" but the little they do have is pretty unique!

---------- Post added 01-01-2015 at 09:49 PM ----------

As I said: Mine are adult, both. Yours obviously aren't.

No there about 2in..

 

[Whaagh]

Ive tried getting a better picture of my T but as its very defensive getting out of its holder is seeming increasingly difficult after the last time i got it out. Will upload some pictures soon

---------- Post added 01-02-2015 at 07:43 PM ----------

Ok, so moments ago i put in a pre-killed roach and she took it right out of my tweezers but it doesnt look like she can even grab it, i sat for about a min watching and she has it in her pedipalps but her fangs dont extend out for her to be able to even digest food and her enclosure smells extremely sweet. Then i noticed the following:



She does not have any live food in the enclosure with her so it could not be from anything else but her.

 

[Storm76]

Spider-poop. The white dots. Also, try crickets, roached have harder chitin hulls.

 

[Whaagh]

Here is the size of my P. Irminia, i could not get a proper photo of her underside:

 

[Stan Schultz]

Hi Guys

I purchased a P. Irminia at a expo about 3 weeks ago, and since i got it, it hasnt eaten once. A friend of mine also purchased a Nha. Tripedii from the same person and her's is showing signs of Nematodes (not eating and drooling under the carapace), so i isolated my T and took her/him out cleaned out the enclosure and while it was in a smaller container i had a look to see if there was signs of Nematodes on it. Luckily no drooling or white stuff at the mouth but it has a fang bigger than the other and it hasn't eaten since i purchased it.

I know you cant force feed T's, i have tried giving it smaller meal worms and roaches but no luck and due to its defensive nature its hard to really do anything. Any advice?

This probably isn't the only reason a tarantula has one or both fangs smaller than expected, or deformed, or missing altogether, but it might be an answer. Since you've only had the tarantula a few weeks you really don't know a lot about its previous care. Read Fangless Zombie. Also included there are directions for feeding it.

One reason why it may not be eating is that the last molt may have been very recent. And shortly thereafter, you acquired it and changed its entire life. It may just be getting over being abducted by aliens again! As well as hardening up after a molt.

For the next few weeks, don't bother it any more than you have to. If it's in a busy or brightly lit room, try covering the cage with a towel to shut out as much commotion as possible and dim the cage lighting a little. Make sure it has easy access to water. Try feeding it once a week as per the instructions in the webpage above. Get back to us on this same thread (so we can keep track of its history) as soon as you notice any changes, or at least every week or so to tell us there's not been any change.


Best of luck.