• Are you a Tarantula hobbyist? If so, we invite you to join our community! Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your pets and enclosures and chat with other Tarantula enthusiasts. Sign up today!

Not eating

akakallum

New Member
Messages
6
Location
Telford
hi guys I'm new to the hobby and know that tarantulas can go a while without food but my tarantula hasn't ate since before premolt which was about 3 months ago and refuses to eat and backs away from its food imnusing dubia roaches.
 

m0lsx

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
2,009
Location
Norwich, UK
Do you leave food in overnight? Some T's prefer to eat when it's dark & a T can change after a molt. So what it did before is not always relevant after a molt.
Also try smaller food. My wifes Poecilotheria tigrinawesseli is a total woss when it comes to food, anything too big & I mean anything like a standard sized cricket & she hides. But put two or three small ones in at a time & she will eat all she can get, over night.
Another thing worth doing is try some crickets, see it they induce an eating response.
But another thing worth considering, is. If it does not want to eat & T's can go months without eating, then get yourself a cold beer & put something worth watching on the TV, because it could be a long wait.
 

akakallum

New Member
Messages
6
Location
Telford
Do you leave food in overnight? Some T's prefer to eat when it's dark & a T can change after a molt. So what it did before is not always relevant after a molt.
Also try smaller food. My wifes Poecilotheria tigrinawesseli is a total woss when it comes to food, anything too big & I mean anything like a standard sized cricket & she hides. But put two or three small ones in at a time & she will eat all she can get, over night.
Another thing worth doing is try some crickets, see it they induce an eating response.
But another thing worth considering, is. If it does not want to eat & T's can go months without eating, then get yourself a cold beer & put something worth watching on the TV, because it could be a long wait.
Thanks the dubia roaches are about as big as her abdomen but thought it should be fine so I might as she was eating fine before and I forgot to mention that its a unsexed Tliltocatl vegans and it may be in there nature to do this it tends to run straight to its hide as soon as i open the lid and but it never came out before and it did run at me out of the enclosure thinking presumably that I was food so its clearly hungry.
 

akakallum

New Member
Messages
6
Location
Telford
Thanks the dubia roaches are about as big as her abdomen but thought it should be fine so I might as she was eating fine before and I forgot to mention that its a unsexed Tliltocatl vegans and it may be in there nature to do this it tends to run straight to its hide as soon as i open the lid and but it never came out before and it did run at me out of the enclosure thinking presumably that I was food so its clearly hungry.
I have also had to remove the hide a few times which has clearly stressed the t out as its strikes at the tweezers but j have had to do this to remove the roach that I have put in as after a day theyre still in the Hyde but theyre buried and would rather it not stay in there with the t
 

octanejunkie

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
4,163
Removing a hide to retract a feeder is more stressful than leaving the feeder, especially if it's a burrower. Don't do that.

Crush the heads of dubia to keep them from burrowing

Try different feeders, some Ts don't care for dubia
 
Last edited:

akakallum

New Member
Messages
6
Location
Telford
Crush the heads of dubia to keep them from burrowing

Try different feeders, some Ts don't care for dubia
Well I was feeding it crickets with no problems but my pet supplies store is dodgy to say the least and half the tub would be dead before you even buy them and then the rest would die after a few days and whilst not too expensive at £2.50 a box that money soon mounts up hence why i changed to the roaches as they last longer. And was also worried about parasites that crickets can cause
 

octanejunkie

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
4,163
Have a go with those, then

CVcYtFJ.gif
 

Konstantin

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
967
Location
Preston,UK
Well I was feeding it crickets with no problems but my pet supplies store is dodgy to say the least and half the tub would be dead before you even buy them and then the rest would die after a few days and whilst not too expensive at £2.50 a box that money soon mounts up hence why i changed to the roaches as they last longer. And was also worried about parasites that crickets can cause
Hi
Ask them what they of the week they get delivered.Only buy them on that day.. They should get them twice per week at least.My local P@H gets them Mon and Thurs. I dont buy Monday(too many dead in tubs as feeders are shipped probably Friday(Sat) and stuck in post longer but I buy Thursday and most are alive with only few dead inside. After you get them move them in bigger tub(I use critter keeper) and offer water cristals(or potato,carrot or cucumber slices ) so they get a drink they are often very dehydrated.I keep mine on cheap porridge oats diet and water cristals changed every few days and my feeders are all good.
Regards Konstantin
 

Latest posts

Top