A little help with a couple of things

[jon ross]

Hi guys and girls. Right ive got a couple of questions.

1 my smithi is small but she hasnt molted for ages. I got her about 4 months ago and she molted in the first month and thats it. She keeps eating and her colors seem to have faded some what. Is this normal or not?? Would there be a reason for a t not to molt?

2 ive literalky just feed both my ts and with the chille the cricket walked straight into her and she got it, then once dead she walked over to her water bowl and dumped it in it and went back in her shelter. Whats she doing??

 

[jon ross]

Just poked the cricket. Its not dead. Defo got got by the chille tho

 

[Charmyknux]

I wouldn't worry about the smithi as long as it is still eating. They grow very slowly and thus don't molt often.
Not sure what the Chile is doing... she just might not be hungry.

 

[Sabeth]

My smithi's colors fade before molting, too. Don't know if it's an actual sign of an upcoming molt, but I wouldn't expect it would be much longer before yours molts. Like Charmyknux said they do grow slowly; plus how much or how little you feed can have an impact.

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

B.smithi don't molt frequently, they grow slowly and become very old possible 25 years and older.

 

[jon ross]

Oh coool. Ive got her for a while then lol. I feed her one fat cricket a week.

As with the chille. She weird. She must of bitten and stunned the cricket cos it was alive wen i poked it (with abit of spagetti) and it moved enough to tell me its alive. I looked back over 5 mins later and she came out, picked it up and went back and ate it. Weird t lol

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

Some tarantulas will drop their food due to disturbances, later pick it up again. Like my Lasiodora Parahybana, she will take multiple crickets grab a few while eating drop one spin over it pick it up later and eat it. With slings i have seen them scavenge, so i will drop parts and if they don't take them directly leave it a while they will come by later and pick these parts up and eat.

 

[jon ross]

Yea she often eats a cricket but then leaves the legs in or by her water bowl for me to pick out afterwards lol

 

[harleyqueen]

Chiles can be weird. One of my old girls used to torture them, she was quite wicked, I felt sorry for the crickets she would stand with a foot on them then walk away like she weren't hungry then spin round and dive on them. I've seen some of my little ones do really odd things, Money Spider punched one in the face once and knocked it across the tank.

 

[jon ross]

HA!! Brilliant!!

 

[harleyqueen]

Yeh it was hilarious, he's so funny, i've seen him kick hair in there face as well. God knows what he'd be like after a few cans of beer, he actually is off his trolley. I've had a lot of mad rosies, my new one is quite cheeky.

 

[jon ross]

Lol they defo have personalitys. Mine was torturing the other cricket last night. She was just watching it and it was stuck in the corner and wen it made a break for it she would pounce on it but then let it go. I gave up watching in the end and went to bed but the cricket was still there come morning lol

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Weird, my 4 inch female smithi molted oct.4 of last year and molted again in late december of 2013. I don't feed often so she is far from being well-fed or powerfed. Yours should've molted by now too

 

[harleyqueen]

Lol they defo have personalitys. Mine was torturing the other cricket last night. She was just watching it and it was stuck in the corner and wen it made a break for it she would pounce on it but then let it go. I gave up watching in the end and went to bed but the cricket was still there come morning lol

I was watching David Attenborough the other day, he said " I like spiders, they all have different personalities ." Can't argue with him but I don't know what he would make of Money spider or miss muffet

 

[Christell Erasmus]

Chiles are also known to be fussy eaters and can go on fasting periods.