T stirmi never comes out of hide

[ARACHNO-SMACK48]

Hey guys, I transferred my large female T stirmi (8.5 or 9 inches) into a nice big 40 gallon long enclosure a few months ago. She has a big half log hide that is partially buried and covered with a layer sphagnum moss on top. She is on a good amount of eco earth with a thin layer of moss on top for humidity and aesthetics. When I put her in the enclosure she explored for a bit then went in her hide and started digging it out etc. She used to move around a bit inside her hide but rarely came all the way out. But now she will go days and days without moving an inch. She just stays huddled up in an awkward position with her front legs up near her carapace in the back right corner of her hide. She will occasionally move a bit in her hide and stretch her legs but she still has yet to come out since I have put her in her new enclosure. She is also fairly uninterested in food. It could be because I ran out of roaches and have had to feed her large quantities of crickets instead. Premolt maybe? Any suggestions?

 

[Poec54]

It's wild caught and adjusting to captivity. As long as the abdomen isn't getting too thin, it should be okay if the cage conditions are good. The substrate should stay moist, but not wet, and there should also be cross ventilation.

Have you sexed it? Males can be penultimate at 9".

 

[ARACHNO-SMACK48]

Haven't gotten a molt yet but it looked extremely female last time I looked and it was sold to me as a female. I am aware that it is wild caught. I saw her at a reptile show and brought her home and gave her a thawed mouse as she was looking really hungry. She was looking really thin when I got her and a bit beaten up ( I actually have another thread about it that I believe you answered) so I bought her and put her in a nice 40 gal setup with moist substrate, good temps, live plants, and good humidity. My husbandry is fairly on point. I had cross ventilation in her old setup but I have no way of cross ventilating in her current setup. She gets plenty of ventilation through the large mesh top though. I think she may just be a bit depressed since she is wc. But I also suspect possible pre molt.

 

[Poec54]

You don't need a molt to sex a stirmi. Look at the vent. Females tend to have a pouch, and males have a dark triangle that points to the sternum.

 

[cold blood]

If the whole top is mesh, you may have trouble holding your humidity and that will effect the "micro-climate" you are trying to establish. I'd cover the middle and let the sides open to encourage air movement. A whole mesh type top might just be too much.

I'd love to see some pics of the set-up...I see a lot of Theraposa set-ups that look sick!

 

[ARACHNO-SMACK48]

I will try to post pics later. Also Poec54, I agree that you don't really need a molt to sex them but I would like to have one just to be 100% sure because I haven't gotten a look at the epigastric furrow area in a while.