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Don't do what I did new folks, spiders can go w/o eating

tapkoote

Active Member
3 Year Member
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127
Location
the great north west
Got my first Tarantula "B smithy" about 3 years ago. Turned out to be a male (bought as female) so when it quit eating I thought it was in final molt.
There's a thread "how long can a tarantula go w/o eating. Here's 875 days. !!!!!
NOT on purpose, thought he was in final molt.
Here's the story, kinda long.
Fed 2 crickets on Oct. 6th 2017, only 3 left in the bin on the 8th, thought I'd get rid of them. grabbed one by hand and thought I dropped it before it made it to the opening. Couldn't see it in the tank. Brought the other two with tongs and dropped them in. On the 10th, I see Andy sitting back from the corner where the heat light is. Couldn't figure out why, closer look, all three crickets were huddled in corner at the light/heat source. I thought for sure Andy was in molt. About a year later find out they can go almost 3 years to molt. So I got another 3 inch (female guarenteed-ya sure you betchya) Mexican red knee, to replace him.
Well HE wouldn't eat the first week of April this spring, so I figured he's off to final molt also. The new one "Mr Torts" started acting funny last week, roaming, searching and climbing. So I got some crickets the other day. Boom he's hungry again.
Now that gave me pause... what if Andy just took a break from eating???
Dropped a cricket in and BOOM he's on it like stink. He's had three in the last two nights.
He went 875 days with out eating anything but clean water. He looked perfectly fine, abdomen didn't shrink up. Nothing out of the ordinary except he didn't move around much. I thought he was using his resources to build a final molt.
Advice for the new folks, if they stop eating, wait a month or so and try again, thats if they've got some size to them.
 

Jess S

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1,000+ Post Club
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1,197
Location
South Wales
It's stories like this we all really need to hear. I'm sure a lot of people get weird stuff like this happening but are reluctant to share, which is a shame. This is one that I will certainly remember going forward, and it will reassure me if I ever have a T that goes on a long hunger strike.
They just continually suprise me!
 

Rs50matt

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3 Year Member
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Location
London
It's amazing to discover how long a T can go without food, but then it makes sense if you think bout the bigger picture :) I've heard over 2 years some will go fasting but that's pretty cool that u have an accurate number

One thing I did pick up on thou was heat lamp/source? Unless it's really really cold where you are it isn't required. Just costing you money :D
 

tapkoote

Active Member
3 Year Member
Messages
127
Location
the great north west
It's stories like this we all really need to hear. I'm sure a lot of people get weird stuff like this happening but are reluctant to share, which is a shame. This is one that I will certainly remember going forward, and it will reassure me if I ever have a T that goes on a long hunger strike.
They just continually suprise me!
That wasn't a hunger strike, it was my bad, he ate 5 crickets in three days and was full, couldn't eat any more I guess. So I thought he was in final molt. Funny thing, before his last molt, he'd come out of the cave and go searching for prey with his front legs raised. After he molted he quit doing that, thats one thing that threw me off track.
One thing to learn if you are going on vacation, all they need is water.
 

tapkoote

Active Member
3 Year Member
Messages
127
Location
the great north west
One thing I did pick up on thou was heat lamp/source? Unless it's really really cold where you are it isn't required. Just costing you money :D

Heat source is a funny subject. One person scolded "if you can't keep a room at 70* you shouldn't keep spiders". I disagree, B smithi lives under ground, not too far below the surface it's a constant 55*. My furnace comes on only in the morning, heats to 65*, if it's cold I'll start a wood fire. And I've noticed if the house gets over 90*, these two go into the cave. The house gets below 60* they head for the heat source, which is a 25 watt bulb. And when it's really cold out they can sense the wood stove blazing away, and sit in that corner. I believe these spiders could live ,(in a burrow) anywhere it doesn't freeze more than a night or two at a time. So that would be California and across the south USA.
However over the last 3 years I find these two enjoy the extra heat lamp in the winter up here in that pacific northwest.
Last winter we had 3 weeks of snow and freezing temps,in a row, the spiders in the wood pile didn't die, the ones who hitched a ride in on fire wood became room mates once they warmed up.
 

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