T Blondi not eating, premolt, worried

[msneat13]

I have a Goliath Birdeater (T. Blondi) that has not eaten since late August. She is housed in a 40 gallon breeder tank. She has a full abdomen but very few hairs on it. Her legs have black marks that seem to be getting larger. She has a mark on her abdomen that I don't know what it is and I am very worried about her. I have downloaded some pics and would love some advice.

 

[Ran]

Very nice Theraphosa stirmi you have there! It looks to have a scar on its abdomen. She looks very healthy. Make sure she has warmth with high humidity especially when she is in premolt. Theraphosa can take 3-4 months of premolt before molting then another 2 months before emerging to feed...a very long process. I have raised all 3 Theraphosa species and stirmi are generally the hardiest to raise. They do eat a lot but that fat storage gets them through this long molting process.

 

[cold blood]

Why on earth would you even want to feed a t that is that obese? Just wait for a molt, it definitely doesn't need more nourishment, it just needs time.

There's not a whole lot of substrate in there, is there a reason? Can't say for sure without a pic of the enclosure, but it looks like there's an awful lot of vertical space, falls can be dangerous, especially for super fatties like yours.

 

[Poec54]

There's not a whole lot of substrate in there, is there a reason? Can't say for sure without a pic of the enclosure, but it looks like there's an awful lot of vertical space, falls can be dangerous, especially for super fatties like yours.

Right, that's a formula for disaster.

 

[JustSomeDude]

Yea I couldn't agree more I have a t stirmi molting as we speak. He stopped eating over two months ago and is now finally molting! He started last night and still hasn't finished the molt. Up the humidity and give it time. Try to back off the feeding that is an obese spider. The bigger they are the harder they fall and with little to no substrate in a 40 gallon tank you should be happy she hasn't died from a fall! I know it's stressful because you obviously care about her which we are happy to hear however like cold blood said give her time! Keep us posted and congrats on the molt!

 

[peterUK]

I wouldnt feed that grossly overweight spider until it was at least half the size it it is now no matter how long it went without food for.

 

[nunoskii]

Great looking Blondi. You should have nothing to worry about, she looks healthy to me and fat! So just wait for a molt or wait for her to drop some weight. Also I agree with previous comments about vertical space. Just add more substrate and itll also give her more room to burrow if she wants to and maybe shell even find herself a spot to molt

 

[peterUK]

Great looking Blondi.

That is not a blondi, it is a stirmi

 

[Poec54]

That is not a blondi, it is a stirmi

Almost all of the Theraphosa in captivity are stirmi. It's the only ones being imported now from the wild, making it the only affordable one in the genus. Good thing, as they're hardier than the other two.

 

[Benurmanii]

In my opinion, even when a T is not in premolt, trying to stuff your tarantula with food can do more harm than good. Not only do they get more delicate the fatter they get, trying to feed a T when it is full will just stress it out more than it needs to. I try to leave a couple weeks in between feedings, that way my T will get decently hungry and readily accept the food. Its also easy for crickets to get lost in the substrate, which is never good, even when a T is not in premolt.

 

[Benurmanii]

I forgot to mention, this can depend on the species, some eat more than others. I have no experience with the Theraphosa genus, so what I said previously may not apply.

 

[Poec54]

In my opinion, even when a T is not in premolt, trying to stuff your tarantula with food can do more harm than good. Not only do they get more delicate the fatter they get, trying to feed a T when it is full will just stress it out more than it needs to. I try to leave a couple weeks in between feedings, that way my T will get decently hungry and readily accept the food. Its also easy for crickets to get lost in the substrate, which is never good, even when a T is not in premolt.

Right, you don't want your spiders looking like those obese alligators at the zoo. I've never seen alligators in the wild that fat, neither are tarantulas in the wild. It's dangerous for them to have their soft abdominal skin stretched so thin and fragile.

 

[peterUK]

Almost all of the Theraphosa in captivity are stirmi. It's the only ones being imported now from the wild, making it the only affordable one in the genus. Good thing, as they're hardier than the other two.

Fortunately in my collection they are all blondi (3.2) and apophysis (1.2)

 

[Poec54]

Fortunately in my collection they are all blondi (3.2) and apophysis (1.2)

You're lucky in Europe, where prices aren't as high for the two Theraphosa you have.

 

[Angel Minkov]

Almost all of the Theraphosa in captivity are stirmi. It's the only ones being imported now from the wild, making it the only affordable one in the genus. Good thing, as they're hardier than the other two.

In America, maybe, but in Europe I see all 3 a lot. Of course I see stirmi a bit more, but there's no shortage of blondi/apophysis for sure

 

[Poec54]

In America, maybe, but in Europe I see all 3 a lot. Of course I see stirmi a bit more, but there's no shortage of blondi/apophysis for sure

Almost no one here knows what conditions they need to breed. What we get for blondi and apophysis are expensive CBB slings from Europe.

 

[msneat13]

Okay, so I learned some things from my post. The main reason for the post was the fact that she had not eaten since late August. When this happened I figured she was going to molt so I was not concerned but after 2 months and doing some research, I was beginning to worry. Now I guess I should address some items that have been brought to my attention since this post. In none of the pictures that I posted could you tell how much substrate was in her habitat. I did do the research and she has at least 3 inches in the cage. Now is this enough - according to some of my research yes but I feel I will get responses that it is not so I will have to decide whether I need to add more or not. Second, she is obese or fat - I did not feed her every day and all her crickets were gone when I did feed her. She went after them as soon as they were put in the cage so I did not feel I was over feeding her - though I will keep an eye on her after she molts and make sure she does lose some of the weight over time. Third I had no idea that she was not a T. blondi because when I purchased her I was told she was a Goliath Birdeater and I googled for the scientific name ant that was what came up. I can now see the difference between the T. blondi and T. Stirmi since doing another google search on differences. I am not even sure where I purchased her that they were given the correct name - which she was purchased at a reptile show from a breeder. Thanks for all the information and I will keep you posted on her progress.

 

[Poec54]

- When tarantulas are in premolt, the abdominal skin turns very dark (no longer pink). It's usually easy to tell on most NW's, as they often have bare patches. Also, colors dull, and the spider looks shiny.

- For a good sized Theraphosa, 3" of substrate is a minimum, and more is needed if the sides of the cage are high, to prevent injuries during falls. Theraphosa are big and heavy, tend to wander, and fall often in tall cages.

- When any subadult/adult spider is plump, ease up on food. With slings, fat abdomens turn into growth, not so much with big spiders. Many people feed their adults a couple times a month, less in the winter.

- Many of the w/c stirmi imports are mislabeled as 'blondi.' Importers/dealers don't know, and don't care. If it was a true blondi, you probably wouldn't have spent that much money. Stirmi are almost identical, and hardier in captivity. Blondi was being imported from the wild in the 1990's, and apparently virtually no one in the US was able to keep them going, which is why the slings we get now come from Europe, and are pricey.

- Ignore common names. They cause a lot of confusion, and people getting the wrong species. The only name that matters is the scientific name.

 

[truecreature]

If I remember right, 40 gallon breeders are about 15 inches tall, which means you should add in at the least 3 more inches of substrate in addition to the 3 you already have, and more than that certainly wouldn't hurt

 

[Angel Minkov]

Almost no one here knows what conditions they need to breed. What we get for blondi and apophysis are expensive CBB slings from Europe.

It's not as hard as people think, but it's certainly no walk in the park. You got great breeders over there as well, like Chad, Tom, Chris, Joey and others. You'll catch up to Europeans at some point