Rose Hair grabs food but then lets go...very unusual

tiaj13

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2017
Messages
5
Hi,
New to these boards, been keeping Ts for about 15 years, no more than 4 at a time and partial to just a few species. Olivia, my G. rosea is behaving quite oddly and I have never seen this in her or any other I have kept.

A few facts that people may ask:
I got her in Nov 2010, I do not know how old she is
Her last molt was Aug 2016 (easy, clean, no problems)
She lives in the same set up as long as I have had her
Pleanty of fresh water all the time
She has always been a very typical tarantula and typical of her species.
She will not eat anything but crickets - I have lizards and other Ts so have tried everything with everyone - supers, roaches, hornworms, silkworms...

She ate a bit after her molt, not voraciously, but I was not concerned. She ate a few crix sometime in fall or winter. I noticed her getting thin and that she was not taking any offerings, then a couple disappeared and one had died (I try not to let that happen :-( poor little cric). Now what she does is go for it grabs and holds it but it never makes it to her fangs, she just drops it below her - unharmed. It is the oddest behaviour I have seen. I took her out the other day to inspect her chelicerae and they seem fine

Any ideas? Sorry this is lengthy, but wanted to cover any ?? that might arise.

Thanks!
lele
 

klawfran3

Arachnolord
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Feb 6, 2013
Messages
645
Check her last molt and see if her pumping stomach is still in it. They're supposed to molt the inside of their esophagus and pumping stomach, which should be a little flappy thing between the chelicerae on the inside of the molt. If it's there then perhaps molting created some sort of internal issue or she could have a disease. One of the G. roseas I had molted as an adult and withered away in a similar fashion, but would catch food, stab it with her fangs, then drop it, no eating.
 

Venom1080

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Sep 24, 2015
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4,611
maybe she just doesn't like the food offered. if shes losing weight though, then its a problem.
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
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Pictures of the spider and the enclosure would help. In terms of the behavior you are describing, I again would ask that you post some pictures. One possibility is that it is a mature male, in which case it would not be as interested in eating and they tend to wither away in that fashion. But we would not be able to tell you if it is a mature male until you post pictures. You can also examine it yourself, look for tibial Hooks and the boxing glove pedipalps typical of a mature male of this species. Fasting in and of itself is not unheard of especially with this species, but confirming the sex of it is an important first step in trying to figure out what's going on.
 

tiaj13

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 17, 2017
Messages
5
Thank you all for your replies

Check her last molt and see if her pumping stomach is still in it. They're supposed to molt the inside of their esophagus and pumping stomach, which should be a little flappy thing between the chelicerae on the inside of the molt. If it's there then perhaps molting created some sort of internal issue or she could have a disease. One of the G. roseas I had molted as an adult and withered away in a similar fashion, but would catch food, stab it with her fangs, then drop it, no eating.
Thanks. I am uploading some pics of her last molt.

Did you get her as an adult?
Yes. As I said in op I got her in 2010 and do not know how old she was then. I adopted her from someone who had gotten her from a pet store. I am sure she was wild caught. She has mellowed with age.

Pictures of the spider and the enclosure would help. In terms of the behavior you are describing, I again would ask that you post some pictures. One possibility is that it is a mature male, in which case it would not be as interested in eating and they tend to wither away in that fashion. But we would not be able to tell you if it is a mature male until you post pictures. You can also examine it yourself, look for tibial Hooks and the boxing glove pedipalps typical of a mature male of this species. Fasting in and of itself is not unheard of especially with this species, but confirming the sex of it is an important first step in trying to figure out what's going on.
If you read my post fully, you will see that I have been keeping tarantulas for over 15 years. Being selective in just a few species I have gotten to them well. I am not concerned about her setup because, as I said, she has been in it for the 7 years I have had her. She is definitely a she.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
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Mar 7, 2012
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I see the parts of the digestive tract that are supposed to shed.
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
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Thank you all for your replies



Thanks. I am uploading some pics of her last molt.



Yes. As I said in op I got her in 2010 and do not know how old she was then. I adopted her from someone who had gotten her from a pet store. I am sure she was wild caught. She has mellowed with age.



If you read my post fully, you will see that I have been keeping tarantulas for over 15 years. Being selective in just a few species I have gotten to them well. I am not concerned about her setup because, as I said, she has been in it for the 7 years I have had her. She is definitely a she.
By that logic, if I kept a spider on gravel for 15 years and it survived, then it could be considered a success, despite it being an improper substrate. I was just trying to offer a simple/basic possibility before jumping into the deep end. Also, I did read the full post.

Good luck with your spider, hopefully it eats again soon and this behavior it is displaying is just a passing hiccup.
 
Last edited:

viper69

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17,851
If you read my post fully,
Don't assume that @darkness975 didn't. I've not known Darkness to jump to conclusions, that member always provides helpful info here.

The request for pics is pretty standard around here. I don't expect you to know that btw. The reason is too many people don't provide meaningful/complete info.
 

cold blood

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Well that's good. Not knowing her age is always a dilemma.
Age is completely and totally meaningless.
Me too, which suggests there must be some sort of internal problem with the spider, neurological or otherwise.
From what im gathering, its eaten a few meals since molting, this alone means its not a molt issue and almost certainly not an internal problem.

To me its just a classicly picky rose hair thats not quite ready to stop fasting...i wouldnt worry for a long long time....summers around the corner, it will eat in time....personally i just wait to see a hunting posture to feed when mines on the fast.

Their food requirements are crazy low....adults typically molt every 3-5 years, thats a lot of time to fatten themselves up, theyre not always in a hurry and you shouldnt be either. I get seeing a slim t and wanting to fatten it, thats a normal reaction, but not a real concern with chilean species.

Still, pics wouldnt hurt.
 

klawfran3

Arachnolord
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Feb 6, 2013
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645
Age is completely and totally meaningless.


From what im gathering, its eaten a few meals since molting, this alone means its not a molt issue and almost certainly not an internal problem.

To me its just a classicly picky rose hair thats not quite ready to stop fasting...i wouldnt worry for a long long time....summers around the corner, it will eat in time....personally i just wait to see a hunting posture to feed when mines on the fast.

Their food requirements are crazy low....adults typically molt every 3-5 years, thats a lot of time to fatten themselves up, theyre not always in a hurry and you shouldnt be either. I get seeing a slim t and wanting to fatten it, thats a normal reaction, but not a real concern with chilean species.

Still, pics wouldnt hurt.
That is true, I had a Rosea refuse food for about a year and a half, always had fresh water and didn't lose too much weight. Hopefully this one is totally fine and just being a picky spider
 
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