After molting behavior

[ponyo_33]

I have a Chilean Rose Tarantula, promptly named Rose. She molted about a week and a half ago, before her molt she would roam all around her enclosure on the warm side, and now after her molt she’s been holed up in her burrow, then at one point she also started blocking the entrance to her burrow with webs. I’ve never seen her act like this, granted she has not molted in quite a number of years, I think she’s around 12-13 years old, I’ve had her for about 8-9.

I do have a theory that because she molted she is much more sensitive to light, being nocturnal she’s already sensitive to light, but even at night I haven’t seen her come out. I fed her a few days after she molted, she’s eaten all the crickets I put in there, but I really can’t tell if anything else is wrong. Any advice is welcome and I’m open to all ideas.

 

[m0lsx]

NEVER feed a tarantula a few days after molting. Leave it at least a week. When they molt, they get new fangs & they are susceptible to damage when soft.

Also, you say.. "she would roam all around her enclosure on the warm side." Does this mean you have a heat pad in use? If so, that could easily be why she is burrowing. It is what tarantulas do in the wild to get away from the heat & it's why heat pads can be dangerous in captivity. In general, if your room is warm enough for you. Then it is warm enough for your T. Burrowing could also be because she is seeking out a higher humidity, which they naturally need following a molt.

Lastly. T's can change behaviourally from molt to molt. And with adult T's, it takes longer for them to acclimatise to a new molt.

 

[ponyo_33]

NEVER feed a tarantula a few days after molting. Leave it at least a week. When they molt, they get new fangs & they are susceptible to damage when soft.

Also, you say.. "she would roam all around her enclosure on the warm side." Does this mean you have a heat pad in use? If so, that could easily be why she is burrowing. It is what tarantulas do in the wild to get away from the heat & it's why heat pads can be dangerous in captivity. In general, if your room is warm enough for you. Then it is warm enough for your T. Burrowing could also be because she is seeking out a higher humidity, which they naturally need following a molt.

Lastly. T's can change behaviourally from molt to molt. And with adult T's, it takes longer for them to acclimatise to a new molt.

Oh, I thought a few days would be fine and she was hungry, thanks for letting me know. As for having a heat pad, I have one on the side of her tank along with a heat lamp on the same side, if she’s too hot the other side has her water and is cooler, maybe I’ll unplug her pad to see if that changes anything. I’ll also up her humidity to see if that helps her.

I prefer my room on the colder side as well, but I do keep it warmer for her, she’s not showing signs of being cold, ie like standing directly under the heat lamp with all her limbs tucked close to her body like she’s done previously. Thank you for taking the time to reply!