Curly hair tarantula stress?

[izzp99]

My tarantula has molted roughly 18 days ago, since then I have fed it and not seen any change in appetite however, I've noticed this weird behaviour of covering their body with the legs and occasionally running away into the hide if i get to close to the enclosure. Is this a sign of stress? I haven't made any enclouse/ food changes

 

[SullivanC]

Hi is it adult or sling? for a sling 18 days would be more than enough obviously but sometimes very old adults it might take them up to a month before they are comfortable enough to accept food again but its very strange for curly hair to not accept food since they are one of the species that always eat unless they are in premolt

 

[izzp99]

Hi is it adult or sling? for a sling 18 days would be more than enough obviously but sometimes very old adults it might take them up to a month before they are comfortable enough to accept food again but its very strange for curly hair to not accept food since they are one of the species that always eat unless they are in premolt

The curly hair was a juvenile when I got it and this was its first molt with me. There isn't any problems with the food, just the other strange behaviour that I haven't seen before in my curly hair

 

[SullivanC]

The curly hair was a juvenile when I got it and this was its first molt with me. There isn't any problems with the food, just the other strange behaviour that I haven't seen before in my curly hair

Does it drink water at least? if it drinks I wouldnt panic just yet, the only time you should worry is if abdomen starts to get very smaller but still not eating at all.. you know the area where they web from? check if there is something white there, sometimes tarantulas can get impaction that cause them to not eat, drink or poop.. I hope its not that but just to be sure is it okay if you can take a picture? I am trying to understand what's the situation now with the curly hair

 

[izzp99]

Does it drink water at least? if it drinks I wouldnt panic just yet, the only time you should worry is if abdomen starts to get very smaller but still not eating at all.. you know the area where they web from? check if there is something white there, sometimes tarantulas can get impaction that cause them to not eat, drink or poop.. I hope its not that but just to be sure is it okay if you can take a picture? I am trying to understand what's the situation now with the curly hair

I do see it next to its water bowl frequently and I occasionally mist the enclosure. I'm currently unable to take a picture of the hiding behind its legs, however this is a picture of their abdomen that I just took

 

[Jeef]

I've had personalities completely change post molt. My A. chalcodes went from eating absolutely everything to living off air. My B. emilia also went from barely eating to eating quite frequently after a molt.

That said, I don't mist at all. They don't like it. Overflowing the water dish works out better for me.

 

[SullivanC]

I do see it next to its water bowl frequently and I occasionally mist the enclosure. I'm currently unable to take a picture of the hiding behind its legs, however this is a picture of their abdomen that I just took

She might also be shy eater like Jeef said they do change personality after each molt which can also change their appetite too so I would just leave the food next to her and check on her, if she doesnt eat it until the day or two just take it out and replace it with new food and you can try doing this until she eats again which I hope she does from the picture her abdomen seems healthy I wasnt able to see the impaction at all maybe because she doesnt have one or she was covering it with the 2 things they make webs with. Did she never eat at all after the molt?

 

[TwinkleToes19]

My curly hair took half a month before she started eating regularly after her molt, she too is a juvie. The tuck posture you're talking about is a sign of stress. They do that when they feel unsafe, just give them a few hours and they'll usually unwind. Molting is a stressful process for them so it's natural for there to be some defensiveness. If they keep making that posture constantly for a good period of time, there may be something stressing your T. For now though, it just sounds like they may need some more time to relax. Also the abdomen doesn't seem that small, they'll be fine for a bit. Just try to feeding them once every week or so.

 

[izzp99]

She might also be shy eater like Jeef said they do change personality after each molt which can also change their appetite too so I would just leave the food next to her and check on her, if she doesnt eat it until the day or two just take it out and replace it with new food and you can try doing this until she eats again which I hope she does from the picture her abdomen seems healthy I wasnt able to see the impaction at all maybe because she doesnt have one or she was covering it with the 2 things they make webs with. Did she never eat at all after the molt?

Yes the food wasn't an issue, she's been eating well. It's the other behaviour of running away and hiding behind her legs a lot