Um, Spida dont wanna eat

[Jobe]

I know in my other post, i said they seemed fine, but i forgot to mention that they werent eating....

The male moves around once innawhile, and the femal seems quiet enough, but none of them are eating.

Wasnt worried for the past week as they were settling into their new tank, but now beginning to worry, as i havent seem them eat since i got them. Female last week, Male day b4 yesterday.

also, is it a sin for putting this many threads? not sure bout the netiquette here

: /

 

[MrDeranged]

You haven't really gone overboard that much, but you could try keeping it to one thread in the future.....

I wouldn't really worry that much about them not eating unless their abdomens are seriously shrunken. Sometimes it can take a bit (over a week) for a T to truly settle in. Another question is are they WC. WC sometimes take a very long time to settle in and some never do. Give them a deep, moist (not wet) substrate that they can burrow in. You may even want to pre start a burrow for them by poking a hole in the substrate so they can use it as a starting point. Also, is there alot of traffic where you are keeping them. They may just need some quiet time alone. You can try covering their enclosures with a towel to block out light and noise and give them 24 to 48 hrs like this and see what happens then.

Hope that helps some,

Scott

 

[Ephesians]

Don't worry too much about it yet, couz. There could be several reasons why not, and a week isn't always enough time. Especially if they are wild caught, like Scott mentioned. Whenever I get new ones, I usually aquire a cardboard box a little larger than the tank they are kept in, line it with a towel misted with warm water and place the tank inside with the lid of the box closed. Make sure there is at least a midrange of ventilation. I keep them like this for a week or so, opening the lid every now and then to check on movement, burrow advancement, etc. to see if I can spot any signs of settling in. Then I try food, but at least give them a week. Also, make sure there aren't any signs of balding on the abdomen as you could have bought them before a molt. Hope this helps. Good luck friend, and God bless.

Marcus

 

[Jobe]

Thanks, great advice.
Yes, I believe they are wild cought and the shop has no idea on their specie or any info at all.
Will try.

Do i need to put crickets in there if they do get hungary ??

 

[Ephesians]

If I were you I would put in one cricket when you notice extra movement (usually when they are the most active they are checking the premesis for some "take-out") and I would just put one cricket in for the moment. If it doesn't get devoured at that time just leave it for a few hours and check again later. If the cricket is still not eaten then remove it and try again in a day or two. If the cricket is left in for too long without being eaten you will ultimately stress out your spider and it may take longer for it to eat. Of course my cobalt would just get really pissed off and kill it without eating it, making things worse because you would then have to locate each little piece and remove it before it began to rott. Blessings.

Marcus

 

[Jobe]

And some ppl said their not THAT agressive : )
heh heh

Cheers for the info : )

-Jobe

 

[Arachnopuppy]

T's tend to fast every once in a while.

 

[Jobe]

Okay, Just got back from work, two things :

The female Cobalt had built a burrow, but at a 45 degree angle, is it in danger of collapsing ? it seems lined with webbing, but the overhang seems soft...

Also, i popped a cricket in to see if it would start taking food...was that a good idea at this soon a time ?

 

[Ephesians]

Her burrow is fine. She knows what she is doing. Even if it did collapse, (which it won't unless it is tampered with by means of transporting the cage, etc) she would be able to dig herself out. How deep is her substrate? They are obligate burrowers and need plenty of substrate to burrow in. If she has enough she will, at the bottom of this burrow, cut in a continuance parallel to the bottom. And with the cricket, just make sure you can remove it after a few hours if she has not eaten it. Other than that you're good to go.

 

[Jobe]

Substrates about 6 inches. Potting soil.

The cricket wasnt around, and well, yeah, the first like 4 inches of burrow is against the glass, the the rest of it dissapears into the substrate.

Now, if she dines on the cricket inside the burrow, how do i remove the remains? or will she just eat it at the entrance?

question questions.....sigh....i have so many ... : (

 

[Ephesians]

Hey you can never have too many questions, that's how we all learned...so if anyone thinks you ask too many, just remind them that they had to start somewhere also. Anyhoo, don't worry about the remains in the burrow...spiders are very clean and most of the time she will eat the entire thing. If not she will either burry it under a buttload of web and substrate or it will just be there. But just as long as you change substrate every 6 months or so, it should be fine. And yes, 6 inches should be great...mine isn't even lucky enough to have that much. LOL. I am on the search for a new container as we speak.

Marcus

 

[Jobe]

Thanx.

Im improvising at the moment...using a 4' aquarium devided down the middle with a plastic devided.

Sad to say the market here doesnt cater to arachnomaniacs...hoping to change that in the future...

Going around marketing the hobby like some deranged salesman...if this catches, i might even set up a shop with the local pet kiosks and maybe even give them a lesson in displaying their specimens...they are currently sold in microwaveable plastics like some cheap takeout dinner...

 

[Ephesians]

Sounds like our local arachno-thrifter. Doesn't even seem to care about the poor guy's housing. Just plops them in a dirty, tiny petpal with plastic grass and a milk lid for a water bowl...which in fact never has any water. I hate going in there because I wanna buy all the Ts just to save them. Lord, if I only had my own home. I can't wait to get out of this apt. It puts such a restriction on my love for animals.

 

[Devildoll]

yeah... i have a cobalt redrump that i got in mid april that has eaten maybe 2 dozen crickets.... maybe!
She still looks healthy, so i don't really care.... of course, i would like to see her molt and maybe grow another inch or so.... oh well.... not all spiders can be like my pokie....