Theraphosa hiding with food

NormaLou

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
6
Hey guys,
What should I do or should I do nothing, my Theraphosa Blondi juvenile is possibly in premolt and has been in his sealed up hide for the past three weeks. The front of the hide is sealed with dirt almost to the top and a bit of webbing so you cant see him. Today Checked on him for the first time by lifting up gently some moss from the side where he had dug a little closer to the surface and could see him just sitting there with his quite big butt. However, I noticed a carcass of a half eaten grasshopper under his feet and it was greenish and moldy. I know you are supposed to clean the food next day after giving it but he had already webbed himself in there. Should I leave him alone or try to remove the moldy grasshopper???
 

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Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jun 4, 2020
Messages
65
It's fine to leave the carcass of the grasshopper in there; a little mold won't hurt the tarantula. Fortunately, most prey items (excluding vertebrates such as frogs and mice) we feed to our pets are small enough that they should dry out pretty quickly and not lead to a nasty bacterial bloom causing all sorts of interesting odors. T. blondi enclosures tend to be more moist than others, so it might take a bit longer for the carcass to dry out. I leave the job of cleaning out the burrows to my tarantulas and their springtails (when present in moist substrate enclosures); I take care of the boluses they toss out of their burrows or hides.

If you really want to remove the dead grasshopper by taking down the dirt barricade, you're not likely to do much harm as long as your tarantula is not actively molting. If she is actively molting or deep in premolt, then leave her be.
 

NormaLou

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
6
Thank you for your reply, makes me feel better! I actually tried to scoop it out gently from the hide as my Theraphosa had moved further. He wasn’t actively molting so I guess it wasn’t too bad. I’m moving the piece of grasshopper was unsuccessful however as the opening is in a difficult placement next to terrarium wall. But now it’s maybe mixed with other dirt and might dry / decay sooner! I sure wish he would molt soon!!! But it’s a waiting game with these guys ;) won’t disturb him anymore!
 
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