What are the signs of a stressed Tarantula?
- Thread starter Mermaid
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depending on the species, they will either run or will flick their urticating hairs when there annoyed, or feel threatened, then they will raise their front legs and display their fangs to the direction of the threat, after that they will strike what ever is annoying them. although this depends on the tarantula its self, for instance you could have a Grammastola rosea, that will never flick hairs, will never display threat postures, and wont run away, on the other hand you could have one that flicks hairs as soon as you walk into the room, or one that just runs to their hide when you go near them... typically OW (old world) tarantula's are more defensive than NW (new world) OW tarantula's are also typically faster and harder to keep for.
hope this helped.
hope this helped.
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also stressed tarantulas tend to just sit in a corner with the legs tucked in.
How long have you had it? Did you just put it in a new set up? Sometimes it takes them a while to settle into a new set up. One of mine was clinging to the wall for 10 days before it decided that it was okay to touch the substrate when I put my B. bohmei in a newer bigger cage.
it could indeed be the substrate, it does depend on the species of T though, it could be the mentally of the T though, some T's HATE shadows as they think its a predator, could it be your shadow causing the stress? or the T could be sleeping. try and get a picture of the T curled up if you can.
+1 substrate and shadow could very well be the problem, in my case it was the exact same substrate it was on before and didn't have a problem with it, it just can't stand being put into a new situation. like Status says, a picture of what your T is doing would be very helpful.
Crone Returns
Arachnoangel
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Pictures of the T and his cage, please.
the sith witch
Arachnopeon
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If your tarantula is in pre-molt, it would not want to eat (it might actually not be able to eat at all past a certain point!) and so having a cricket in the enclosure at all might be stressful to it. Just remove the crickets and let the spider be for a little while. It takes a while for them to acclimate to a new home even if everything is perfect in it. It's just normal. And yep, pictures would help to determine if your setup could be a problem too, as not having a proper hide/burrow will stress a T out if it feels exposed all the time
the sith witch
Arachnopeon
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You spider doesn't very plump at first glance, so pre-molt can probably be ruled out and it might just be stressed form the relocation or it might have molted before you acquired it and not ready to eat yet. It looks fine at fist glance so I wouldn't worry too much unless you see the abdomen really shrink or it keeps staying in a ball o' legs mode.
However there are some changes you should make for the enclosure, to prevent future problems. First, remove the sponge from the water dish, it'll just collect all sorts of dirt, poop(from crickets and T both) and bacteria and can't be cleaned, it's just an infection hazard. Second, the hide looks translucent? While tarantulas don't have good eyesight, they do see light and it might not feel secure in it as a result. Third, while I am not familiar with A. seemanni requirements specifically, the mesh cover to your enclosure might be letting too much humidity escape. But that 3rd point also depends on your ambient humidity and someone more familiar with that species can probably give more accurate info there.
And whoops, just noticed that thread is a wee bit old even if Zebra's question is recent XD
However there are some changes you should make for the enclosure, to prevent future problems. First, remove the sponge from the water dish, it'll just collect all sorts of dirt, poop(from crickets and T both) and bacteria and can't be cleaned, it's just an infection hazard. Second, the hide looks translucent? While tarantulas don't have good eyesight, they do see light and it might not feel secure in it as a result. Third, while I am not familiar with A. seemanni requirements specifically, the mesh cover to your enclosure might be letting too much humidity escape. But that 3rd point also depends on your ambient humidity and someone more familiar with that species can probably give more accurate info there.
And whoops, just noticed that thread is a wee bit old even if Zebra's question is recent XD
Nightshady
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Setup looks reasonable, but as Sith Witch pointed out, removing the sponge and getting a more seclusive hide would benefit your T.
How long have you had the T exactly? It took one of mine like a week to settle in, although the other settled in almost immediately. Perhaps it just needs more time? As far as not taking crickets, I wouldn’t get too concerned. Give it some time and I bet it will come around to eating.
Make sure the temperature and humidity are in the ideal zones for your specific T. I would disregard internet care sheets and use the info placed on these boards as your guideline. I’m sure a quick search can find info on such topics.
@the sith witch i put in a deep cup for him to hide in is this good? He is still stressed but went in his hide:
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@Nightshady ive had him for about 2 days now. What else can I give him water in?(suggestions please I’m a beginner) I only bought the sponge because I saw that tarantulas. An drown in water caps.
Nightshady
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Two days isn’t a long time for a T to get comfortable with its new home. As I said, I had one settle in immediately, and one that seemed unsure of itself for almost a week. One of mine ate immediately after I got it, while the other took about a week and a half before it started eating.
As for the water, that container you have seems fine, just remove the sponge. I would consider partially burying it so that the lip is either even or just slightly higher than the substrate.
Also, I think you were trying to say in your post that you were afraid that the T could drown? That’s a myth according to the experts here. I don’t think there’s been any reported T drownings in water dishes.