T. Blondi rejects food and has shrunken abdomen

Sharkulka22

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
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13
Hi, I came here for advice: in May I bought imported T. blondi, female from Guyana, was told approx. 2 years old. She lost many hairs by transport and had small abdomen, but was fed and except those hairs she looked in shape. In August she rejected pinkie for the first time, I tried it in another 14 days, after few hours of rejecting she started to feed. After another 14 days she rejected it again and rejects till now. She used time by time walk in terarium, now she is in her shelter and sometimes does not move for days, even for 14 days. She drinks much less then before. Her skin at abdomen starts to look a little shrunken though it is not much smaller. Abdomen does not turn dark, it has colour of my skin, so i think she is not going to shed (although I wait for it). I can´t make a photo, she is hiden. Terarium is 80cm long x 40 cm wide x 40cm high, double ventilation, 90% humidity, 60% of the surface is usualy wet, temperture 26C. Does anyone know what´s going on? Shall I get worried? I do my best, change her water every few days, keep the humidity... She is very calm from the moment I brought her, never kicks hairs, never threating or biting... Please help!
 

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Versi*JP*Color

Arachnoknight
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May 11, 2010
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203
First you should stop feeding her pinkies.:embarrassed:
Then maybe try something new,like roaches.
My a.metallica hates superworms and devours roaches.:)
 

Sharkulka22

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
13
But she is pretty big for insects, isn´t she? With legs she has 15cm. The good sized food seems to me as big furry pinkie or weaned mice... Though I will try to get some realy big roach and we will see. Any other advice?
 

Fran

Arachnoprince
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Nov 8, 2007
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Ahoj,

Stick to inverts like roaches and some worms and let her be.

If the temps are as described, theres not much you can do, except maybe a bigger water dish. :)
 

Sharkulka22

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
13
O.K., I will offer her what you said. Watter dish is 10cm in diameter and 1,5cm deep. To mee it seems perfect, tomorow I can post the photo of drinking blondi, her water dish is almost as big as her.:D
 

webbedone

Arachnobaron
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
410
Stay away from pinkies. Spiders do not have bones and thusly cannot absorb calcium and mice contain alot of calcium it can cause molting problems esp in T. blodies they are known for that. I would recomend getting invertibrate feeders such as B. dubia roaches for larger tarantulas.
 

Nicole

Arachnosquire
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Apr 30, 2004
Messages
95
Stay away from pinkies. Spiders do not have bones and thusly cannot absorb calcium and mice contain alot of calcium it can cause molting problems esp in T. blodies they are known for that. I would recomend getting invertibrate feeders such as B. dubia roaches for larger tarantulas.
I see this "fact" a lot around here lately. Can anyone tell me where it comes from? Was there a study or just hobbyist observations? I don't want to start an (almost inevitable) argument, just genuinely curious.
 

codykrr

Arachnoking
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Sep 22, 2008
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I see this "fact" a lot around here lately. Can anyone tell me where it comes from? Was there a study or just hobbyist observations? I don't want to start an (almost inevitable) argument, just genuinely curious.
so far, it is not a fact, nor is anyone sure of this. Just hobbyist hearsay.:rolleyes:

I have yet to see a valid paper written saying mice are bad. I dont feed my Ts mice for 2 reasons. 1. they stink when they make a bolus. 2. live mice can do some SERIOUS damage to a spider.

a pinky mouse wouldnt be a problem, but it would still stink after the T discarded the bolus.:barf::barf:
 

Nicole

Arachnosquire
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so far, it is not a fact, nor is anyone sure of this. Just hobbyist hearsay.:rolleyes:

I have yet to see a valid paper written saying mice are bad. I dont feed my Ts mice for 2 reasons. 1. they stink when they make a bolus. 2. live mice can do some SERIOUS damage to a spider.

a pinky mouse wouldnt be a problem, but it would still stink after the T discarded the bolus.:barf::barf:
That's pretty much what I surmised. I do give my spiders pinkies or fuzzies occasionally, usually new acquisitions that need fattening up or females destined for breeding. There's usually not much left, but what little there is can be pretty gross indeed.

For the OP: I wonder if there could be a parasite issue considering she is WC? I don't think there is really much more you can do unfortunately.
 

Sharkulka22

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 21, 2010
Messages
13
I also though about some parasites, but she is only going to shed. Sorry for bordering you, on Monday it could not be seen yet, but yesterday evening she had a darker shade at her abdomen. Shame for me I did not wait one more day, than I would not have to make an issue out of it... But I have realy never seen such a shrunken skin at abdomen. :8o See foto from yesterday evening and also older photo of her watter dish.
 

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Sharkulka22

Arachnopeon
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Sep 21, 2010
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Arachnos482: Thank you.

Thanks for support. I am very happy and looking forward the shed. She is pretty napless from import.
 

AmbushArachnids

Arachnoculturist
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Sounds like his Ts diet was strictly pinkies. I am curious to see how the molt goes.
 

felmor

Arachnosquire
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it gonna slows down her molting if she doesn't want pinkies right? or it depends? :D
 

AmbushArachnids

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it gonna slows down her molting if she doesn't want pinkies right? or it depends? :D
Im not sure what you mean. :? Pinkies may cause bad molts. One reason could be calcium in mice. Another cause is the blood and fat are hard to digest and process. All around its better to feed them a diet of strictly inverts. They are what they eat. They are bugs, feed them bugs.
 

JimM

Arachnoangel
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Nov 6, 2003
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They are what they eat. They are bugs, feed them bugs.
The advisable captive diet aside, that is completely erroneous logic in this case.
A, they are not bugs, and B they consume a fair amount of vertebrate prey in the wild.
 

AmbushArachnids

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The advisable captive diet aside, that is completely erroneous logic in this case.
A, they are not bugs, and B they consume a fair amount of vertebrate prey in the wild.
Well you can see the point i made. I just threw it in laymans terms for the heck of it. IMO The nutrition in mice is not ideal for them. They also take anything that moves in the wild. It would be fair to say they do eat vertebrates in the wild but that doesnt mean its good for them as a sole diet. My opinion is to feed them inverts. Mice maybe ok once in a while but highly unneccesarry IMO. You can feed your T inverts only and never have a problem. The case with vertibrates only, would have to be tested. But i believe it would end very bad. That being said. I am out of this thread before it goes off topic.
 
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