T. Albo overfeeding question

[Chancho1507]

So I've had my T. Albo for a little over a week. It started off mildly skinny and at first I only had access to smaller crickets. I fed it a medium cricket 3 days in a row, then waited a couple days before finally getting something better for it's size. I fed her a hornworm after about 2 days of not eating and since then she has barricaded herself in her burrow with only a small hole leading inside. For reference, she is about 4.2" long. It hasn't been out since eating that worm so I can't tell if she is obese or not. Based on what I'm reading, I definitely feel like I over fed it. Does this behavior describe premolt, or is this normal behavior for a T. Albo? I can provide pictures of the T. and the enclosure if necessary.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

May have gone in to rest up for a molt.
Could be a food coma. Lol

 

[Dorifto]

And now you will have a nice empty enclosure for months

 

[DomGom TheFather]

You'll learn pretty quick that their dietary requirements are quite low. No harm done but overfeeding leads to fasting. Not a problem for the spider. Might be a while before you get to enjoy your new pet, though.

 

[Spoodfood]

If you overfeed what usually happens is they go into a VERY long premolt period. Don’t expect to see it for a few months. If it’s a male, it will probably mature out this molt as well.

I recommend feeding as-needed. Some people have a feeding schedule like once a week or every other week, but I personally just look at them when I’m doing water dishes, or scan the room every day or every other day. This way you can pick out who needs water, spot cleaning, or fed. A lot of times a hungry spider will sit out in the open or in the mouth of its burrow, or an arboreal will poke their feet out of their web tube. If their abdomen looks small, feed them. If it still looks small, wait a week and feed them again.

 

[kingshockey]

you stuffed it (we all have done this before ) now you get to wait the wweks/months now until it molts for you just be sure it has access to water all the time

 

[Neonblizzard]

It's tempting to do this when you want to fatten up a thin T, but when you feed them repeatedly every couple of days like this you end up with a T that will not eat / probably seal up for long periods.

Done this with my A. Chalcodes myself now i won't see her until at least my 40th birthday (I'm 29)

 

[Chancho1507]

you stuffed it (we all have done this before ) now you get to wait the wweks/months now until it molts for you just be sure it has access to water all the time

I also have a vinegaroon and I've had to wait 8 months before seeing her again. She is also currently buried after being out for 3 months lmao.

 

[Craig73]

you stuffed it (we all have done this before )

I‘ve never stuffed my T’s, I’m not even sure what end you’d start with.

 

[cold blood]

So you fed it 2 months food in less than a week...lol.

There is no reason to plump ts quickly, especially adults. They have long molt cycles with gives you a long time to fatten the t. When you pile the food in, its nutritional needs will be met quickly and the typical response is to burrow away until its physically ready to molt...so heavy feeding leads directly to looong fasting periods...which is what dorifto referenced in his post.

Just sit back and wait...no need to even offer food until it emerges.

 

[Chancho1507]

So you fed it 2 months food in less than a week...lol.

There is no reason to plump ts quickly, especially adults. They have long molt cycles with gives you a long time to fatten the t. When you pile the food in, its nutritional needs will be met quickly and the typical response is to burrow away until its physically ready to molt...so heavy feeding leads directly to looong fasting periods...which is what dorifto referenced in his post.

Just sit back and wait...no need to even offer food until it emerges.

Lesson learned. Hopefully I can keep these dubias alive until December or whenever I see it again.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Hopefully I can keep these dubias alive until December or whenever I see it again.

Those things live for several months, they'll be fine.

 

[LucN]

Here's an idea : Get another T, if you don't have any others. The best is Acanthoscurria geniculata. Not only do they have stunning patterns, but they possess one of the strongest feeding responses of all Ts. Basically for them, anything that moves is food, including your fingers and the kitchen sink

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Here's an idea : Get another T, if you don't have any others. The best is Acanthoscurria geniculata. Not only do they have stunning patterns, but they possess one of the strongest feeding responses of all Ts. Basically for them, anything that moves is food, including your fingers and the kitchen sink

This is literally what I did, my first T (T. albopilosus) sealed itself away in pre-moult so I went and got a genic lol.

 

[LucN]

This is literally what I did, my first T (T. albopilosus) sealed itself away in pre-moult so I went and got a genic lol.

I don't have a genic (yet), but it's quite likely going to be my next purchase, whenever that will be. Thus far, I'm really thinking about Brachypelma klaasi, but given that I already have a boehmei and a hamorii, might as well vary my collection just a bit more. Here's a question especially for you, if I'm tossing G. iheringi into my possible choices, would you pick that one over A. geniculata ? I know that genics are far beefier in look, but I also like the unusually leggy G. iheringi. If you were forced to only pick one of the two, which would it be ?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I don't have a genic (yet), but it's quite likely going to be my next purchase, whenever that will be. Thus far, I'm really thinking about Brachypelma klaasi, but given that I already have a boehmei and a hamorii, might as well vary my collection just a bit more. Here's a question especially for you, if I'm tossing G. iheringi into my possible choices, would you pick that one over A. geniculata ? I know that genics are far beefier in look, but I also like the unusually leggy G. iheringi. If you were forced to only pick one of the two, which would it be ?

G. iheringi and A. geniculata are my two favourite NW terrestrial species so that's really tough but I'd edge it to the genic as it gets bigger, grows faster, has a slightly better feeding response, and isn't as high strung as the iheringi. You can't really go wrong with either though, they're both great to keep.

 

[Chancho1507]

Here's an idea : Get another T, if you don't have any others. The best is Acanthoscurria geniculata. Not only do they have stunning patterns, but they possess one of the strongest feeding responses of all Ts. Basically for them, anything that moves is food, including your fingers and the kitchen sink

Just looked it up, that species is beautiful.

 

[YungRasputin]

first, i would say spiders are a v low metabolism animal and there’s no need to feed them everyday, and second, that if you notice them to be getting too plump and their abdomen seems disproportionate to the rest of their body you can always skip a week

eg: i usually feed my specimens once a week however my M. balfouri was getting a little too chonky so i cut feeding for a couple weeks and now they’re back to a healthier size

 

[Chancho1507]

Here's an idea : Get another T, if you don't have any others. The best is Acanthoscurria geniculata. Not only do they have stunning patterns, but they possess one of the strongest feeding responses of all Ts. Basically for them, anything that moves is food, including your fingers and the kitchen sink

I actually have a vinegaroon also. Just no other T......yet at least....

 

[Jonathan6303]

I actually have a vinegaroon also. Just no other T......yet at least....

Trust me in the next year you’ll have ten maybe even twenty ts