New Tarantula Parent

[T_spidey]

Hi Everyone,

I recently acquired a honduran curly hair. I researched a lot and as she is my first Tarantula so I chose to go forward with the Honduran curly hair for their docile temperament and reputation of being a great beginner tarantula.

However, the day after I got her (she is a sling) she molted and has not really eaten anything. I have given her crickets after removing their heads but she has not even touched them. She prefers to stay in her burrow in the wet sponge that she came in from the store. I have read that sometimes they take a while to eat but I don't think that curly hairs are known for fasting. When I coax her out of her burrow she is active and moves around but she is not eating at all. I have not placed her in her terrarium yet as she is really small and want her to get a little bigger. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

SC

 

[Tortoise Tom]

How along ago did she molt? If its been a few days, its time to move her into an enclosure and off the wet sponge. What size sling are we talking about? 1/2 inch or 1 and 1/2 inch? Most of them wait several days after molting to eat. Some large ones wait a week or more to eat after a molt.

 

[T_spidey]

How along ago did she molt? If its been a few days, its time to move her into an enclosure and off the wet sponge. What size sling are we talking about? 1/2 inch or 1 and 1/2 inch? Most of them wait several days after molting to eat. Some large ones wait a week or more to eat after a molt.

Hi Tom,

She molted 3 days ago. If I consider her leg span then she is close to an inch but pretty small otherwise. I have coaxed her our of her sponge and she seems active as she explores her small container. I am setting up her enclosure as we speak but for the time being planning to move her to a little bigger container with eco earth substrate so that she can burrow. I have been giving her crickets after removing their heads (I prefer this to squishing the heads) and they continue to move for a day or so before they die. I just want to make sure that I take good care of her as she is my first and I will do anything and everything to make sure that she is good and healthy.

Thanks again,
SC

 

[Enn49]

All Ts take a few days for their fangs to harden before they will eat plus it may be still a little stressed from the move and moult. One thing they don't like is wet substrate so that sponge won't have helped. Give it a few more days and I'm sure all will be well and it will eat a live cricket.

 

[T_spidey]

All Ts take a few days for their fangs to harden before they will eat plus it may be still a little stressed from the move and moult. One thing they don't like is wet substrate so that sponge won't have helped. Give it a few more days and I'm sure all will be well and it will eat a live cricket.

Thanks a lot Enn!

I just moved her to a taller container and put in the proper substrate. A little moist at the bottom covered with proper dry substrate. I put her in there and she seems happy. I already see that she has chosen a place to burrow. I put in the live cricket after squishing it's head so that it still moves. Right now she is poised right over the cricket and waiting (whether or not to strike that I do not know) but this is great. While I was putting her in the bigger container, she came out of her sponge and climbed my finger! That was the first time and I wasn't freaked out. I gently coaxed her back into the substrate and she moved away slowly.

Thanks again. I shall update this thread once she eats.

SC

 

[Inky]

Congratz on your first T.

 

[T_spidey]

Thanks a lot Inky. I believe spidey will be the first of many Ts that i hope will be with me.

SC

 

[DreadedNeith]

Congrats on your first T. I have always been scared of spiders until i got my first T an Avicularia Metallica and im not as scared anymore. Im actually not scared of her at all but still vet freaked out when a spider crawls across me in bed. My wife hates spiders and even she thinks my T is cute. Welcome to the forum. I'd love to see some pictures of your sling.
here's a pic of my girl. Avics are also very dossile. They do jump though and if threatened can shoot poop at you. The jumping part can make you a little nervous if you arent expecting it.

 

[Nunua]

Welcome to the family and of course, to the addiction!

 

[T_spidey]

Congrats on your first T. I have always been scared of spiders until i got my first T an Avicularia Metallica and im not as scared anymore. Im actually not scared of her at all but still vet freaked out when a spider crawls across me in bed. My wife hates spiders and even she thinks my T is cute. Welcome to the forum. I'd love to see some pictures of your sling.
here's a pic of my girl. Avics are also very dossile. They do jump though and if threatened can shoot poop at you. The jumping part can make you a little nervous if you arent expecting it.View attachment 31744

She is beautiful! My fiancee hates spiders as well and is pretty scared of the sling. She has already started burrowing and created a nice burrow in her small enclosure. When she is bigger I will place her in her terrarium. I will upload a pic soon Thanks as always for the warm welcome!

 

[T_spidey]

Welcome to the family and of course, to the addiction!

Thank you for the warm welcome Nunua!

 

[DreadedNeith]

She is beautiful! My fiancee hates spiders as well and is pretty scared of the sling. She has already started burrowing and created a nice burrow in her small enclosure. When she is bigger I will place her in her terrarium. I will upload a pic soon Thanks as always for the warm welcome!

Thank you. My wife was the same way. Now she looks in her enclosure and I'll often hear her say things like "aww. Look how cute she is when shes exploring her enclosure." I'd say give your fiance some time. Slings more closly resemble a house spider and even I am a little creeped out by them. Maybe with time and when the spider is bigger she will grow to be less creeped out by it.
Can't wait to see your sling. I'll be keeping an eye out for the pic.

 

[LC72uk]

Welcome to the Group..................LC72UK

 

[KingBaboon83]

Welcome to the forum

 

[T_spidey]

Thank you. My wife was the same way. Now she looks in her enclosure and I'll often hear her say things like "aww. Look how cute she is when shes exploring her enclosure." I'd say give your fiance some time. Slings more closly resemble a house spider and even I am a little creeped out by them. Maybe with time and when the spider is bigger she will grow to be less creeped out by it.
Can't wait to see your sling. I'll be keeping an eye out for the pic.

Here she is:

 

[DreadedNeith]

Here she is:
View attachment 31912

Nice. I cant wait till i get my first sling. Not sure what im going to get yet. Maybe a Poecilotheria striata.

 

[T_spidey]

 

[T_spidey]

View attachment 32105

Here is my new adolescent curly hair. She's a beauty too.

 

[MassExodus]

Here is my new adolescent curly hair. She's a beauty too.
View attachment 32106

Nicaraguan? I cant tell from the glare..I need a Nicaraguan..

Edit, yeah, Nicaraguan..I missed the first pic because I live in the country and my internet sucks pedipalp.

Then I reread the op...that doesn't look Honduran..am I seeing things? @Enn49 ?

 

[T_spidey]

Yup