thats what im thinking aswell.
There is always a reason. Tarantulas that recently moulted do not go on hunger strikes unless something is wrong.
Indeed. For example, dehydrated tarantulas are sometimes too far gone to actually take in water. They may crawl with their last strength to the water dish and dunk their faces in the water, but they are not able to drink. I had this once with a rescue T. Didn't make it.
can also say it's certainly not on its last legs right now, its got some pep in its step. I'd give it a minimum of two more weeks before it starts curling by my estimation
No nothing you can do, but hope it molts out of the issue! Sorry friend :/
I also want to add that it's mouth parts look wet, not nematodes wet but wet for sure. pretty sure their hairs don't soak up the water when they drinkI took the web out of it's enclosure so I could monitor it better, very lethargic and no signs of defensiveness or bolting.
Go to the top of this thread, I did see sucking stomach. Must be something else internal.
I think the fact that it happened post molt makes it most probable that it is an internal molt issue.This is very perplexing. It's probably something wrong internally as other people are saying, and I'm sure people are too quick to blame unexplained problems on nematodes, which are extraordinarily rare.
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I just want to add that I saw one confirmed case of nematodes a long time ago that started eerily exactly the same way.
At first: killing but not eating, webbing excessively, walking in a slightly disoriented way, drinking noticeably
Then: walking in a slower-than-usual and more disoriented way, drinking very often, mouth always looked wet even when water bowl was removed for most of a day
Later: hitting the food but with fangs/chelicerae not grabbing/not killing, dunking prosoma in water bowl constantly
Finally: refusing food altogether, and the wetness around the mouth became creamy white. Examined the cream under microscope and saw the nematodes. Got people who study nematodes to confirm that that's what they were. I cleaned the whiteness away with a Q-tip at least twice a day, but it always reappeared.
Larger/macroscopic nematodes became visible in the whiteness. The spider died.
That tarantula was wild-caught and bought at a pet store (not by me), and wild-caught feeders had been used. The feeder bin had an outbreak of phorid flies too. This was a thin and sickly spider that I had confiscated from an unfit keeper (my little brother).
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I hope that's not it. The recent molt suggests that it might be an internal problem from molting that might be resolved by another molt, just as others have commented. I only suggest keeping an eye on that wet looking mouth. Wishing the best for you
It's got no bulbs, doesn't wander and the last molt looked female, it's also only a little larger than a water cap.
My MM. I sent him off to get laid in NC. Not sure if he got chomped. Yours looks either extremely famished or perhaps even penultimate or mature (in the drinking photo) male.
big, like 4'' plus. The sp. doesn't get more than five and a half inches.