Tarantula not eating...?

[Arlo]

Hey, guys.I know, I know...tarantulas stop eating sometimes and that's OKAY. Bear with me. Shelob is my first and only tarantula and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The week I brought her home she had a mealworm, the second week she had a cricket. She has been refusing food for two weeks now. Should I stop trying to feed her because she is going to molt soon? How long before molting do they stop eating? It also looks like she hasn't left her tunnel in a couple weeks. Is she gonna be okay if she doesn't get any water for a while?
Aaaaaah. I. Need. Reassurance.

 

[x_raphael_xx]

Hey, guys.I know, I know...tarantulas stop eating sometimes and that's OKAY. Bear with me. Shelob is my first and only tarantula and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The week I brought her home she had a mealworm, the second week she had a cricket. She has been refusing food for two weeks now. Should I stop trying to feed her because she is going to molt soon? How long before molting do they stop eating? It also looks like she hasn't left her tunnel in a couple weeks. Is she gonna be okay if she doesn't get any water for a while?
Aaaaaah. I. Need. Reassurance.

I haven't seen my P.auratus, Mr T, for about 6-7 weeks now. And my H.maculata, Betelgeuse, hasn't eaten in the 2 months I've had her. They can go for a while without eating.
Just make sure fresh water is always available.

 

[Arachnoclown]

What species of tarantula do you have? Size?

 

[Arlo]

What species of tarantula do you have? Size?

T. Albopilosus, about 3 inches

 

[Arlo]

I haven't seen my P.auratus, Mr T, for about 6-7 weeks now. And my H.maculata, Betelgeuse, hasn't eaten in the 2 months I've had her. They can go for a while without eating.
Just make sure fresh water is always available.

I woke up this morning to find the entrance to her tunnel webbed up. How will she get to her water bowl without destroying those webs?

 

[Arachnoclown]

T. Albopilosus, about 3 inches

They can be stubborn eaters sometimes. I would feed a 3" curlie every two to three weeks. The longer you hold out on feeding the better response (feeding cycle) you get. Sometimes longer is better with the stubborn species. Too much food in a short period of time seams to kick in the fasting in these curly ones. Always keep that water dish full though.

 

[Arachnoclown]

I woke up this morning to find the entrance to her tunnel webbed up. How will she get to her water bowl without destroying those webs?

She can get water at night and seal her hole back up and you'll never know.

 

[Arlo]

She can get water at night and seal her hole back up and you'll never know.

Ah! This makes me feel better. Thank you so much. I'm stressing out way too much over this.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Ah! This makes me feel better. Thank you so much. I'm stressing out way too much over this.

Tarantula feeding is much different then any other pet. This hobby takes alot of patience.

 

[DustyD]

Spiders are like people, they share some similarities and can have many differences.

A few months ago my G. pulchripes webbed up the entrance to her hide and all over the substrate nearby. A week or two later she molted on her outside bed. It was another week or so before she opened up her she cave. Most of my tarantulas have molted underground. I think she was the first to do it above ground that I saw.

 

[Arlo]

Tarantula feeding is much different then any other pet. This hobby takes alot of patience.

Spiders are like people, they share some similarities and can have many differences.

A few months ago my G. pulchripes webbed up the entrance to her hide and all over the substrate nearby. A week or two later she molted on her outside bed. It was another week or so before she opened up her she cave. Most of my tarantulas have molted underground. I think she was the first to do it above ground that I saw.View attachment 60285

Thank you, DustyD! Everything you've said makes me believe my T is in premolt. Is there anything I should be doing to facilitate the process? Increase the humidity, for example? I've watched so many videos of tarantulas getting stuck in their molt and I want to make sure it doesn't happen to her.

 

[Ditch crawler]

Keep the water dish full and just leave it be, these animals have survived millions of years, so they know what their doing.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Thank you, DustyD! Everything you've said makes me believe my T is in premolt. Is there anything I should be doing to facilitate the process? Increase the humidity, for example? I've watched so many videos of tarantulas getting stuck in their molt and I want to make sure it doesn't happen to her.

Tarantulas use moisture from within to molt, not moisture in the air. They pump water between their old and new exoskeleton to slide on out. They receive all the moisture they need from their food and water.

 

[Steve's Ts]

Hey, guys.I know, I know...tarantulas stop eating sometimes and that's OKAY. Bear with me. Shelob is my first and only tarantula and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The week I brought her home she had a mealworm, the second week she had a cricket. She has been refusing food for two weeks now. Should I stop trying to feed her because she is going to molt soon? How long before molting do they stop eating? It also looks like she hasn't left her tunnel in a couple weeks. Is she gonna be okay if she doesn't get any water for a while?
Aaaaaah. I. Need. Reassurance.

No worries, I've had Ts not eat for many weeks. Some Ts will eat up to the day of premolt, others are finicky. It sounds like premolt to me. They will go into their tunnel and block off the entrance. I wouldn't worry a bit. My GBB was in her tunnels for 3weeks before molting about 10 days ago. I would expect a molt soon.

 

[Arlo]

No worries, I've had Ts not eat for many weeks. Some Ts will eat up to the day of premolt, others are finicky. It sounds like premolt to me. They will go into their tunnel and block off the entrance. I wouldn't worry a bit. My GBB was in her tunnels for 3weeks before molting about 10 days ago. I would expect a molt soon.

Thank you for the reply, Steve! I'm feeling way better about this. I only have one concern left. Since she has webbed up the entrance of her tunnel, I'm assuming her plan is to molt in there. I'm sure she is not dumb and she's got it figured out, but the thing is her tunnel is not very wide and she is a big girl. How will she get out of her molt is such little space?

 

[Steve's Ts]

Thank you for the reply, Steve! I'm feeling way better about this. I only have one concern left. Since she has webbed up the entrance of her tunnel, I'm assuming her plan is to molt in there. I'm sure she is not dumb and she's got it figured out, but the thing is her tunnel is not very wide and she is a big girl. How will she get out of her molt is such little space?

She'll make more room if she needs it, but if she's in the tunnel, then there's enough room for molting more than likely. I've seen fossorials and terrestrials way down in their burrows molt fine time after time. I'm sure she knows what she's doing. No worries.

 

[amberroseknows]

Hey, guys.I know, I know...tarantulas stop eating sometimes and that's OKAY. Bear with me. Shelob is my first and only tarantula and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The week I brought her home she had a mealworm, the second week she had a cricket. She has been refusing food for two weeks now. Should I stop trying to feed her because she is going to molt soon? How long before molting do they stop eating? It also looks like she hasn't left her tunnel in a couple weeks. Is she gonna be okay if she doesn't get any water for a while?
Aaaaaah. I. Need. Reassurance.

My A. Semanni burrowed, sealed off her tunnel, and disappeared before 4th of July and only came out today So almost 4 months without food or water. My husband was like "you know that thing is dead down there right?" And I was just like "ehhhh probably not, just wait." She finally unsealed her burrow, and I saw big fuzzy beautifully molted black legs. Little ****head. I love my Pet Hole though!

 

[Arlo]

My A. Semanni burrowed, sealed off her tunnel, and disappeared before 4th of July and only came out today So almost 4 months without food or water. My husband was like "you know that thing is dead down there right?" And I was just like "ehhhh probably not, just wait." She finally unsealed her burrow, and I saw big fuzzy beautifully molted black legs. Little ****head. I love my Pet Hole though!

Ah! That's amazing

 

[LinInuRen]

Hey, guys.I know, I know...tarantulas stop eating sometimes and that's OKAY. Bear with me. Shelob is my first and only tarantula and I want to make sure I'm doing everything right. The week I brought her home she had a mealworm, the second week she had a cricket. She has been refusing food for two weeks now. Should I stop trying to feed her because she is going to molt soon? How long before molting do they stop eating? It also looks like she hasn't left her tunnel in a couple weeks. Is she gonna be okay if she doesn't get any water for a while?
Aaaaaah. I. Need. Reassurance.

Just keep offering and remove uneaten food after 24 hrs... or as soon as it reappears

 

[Bugzrule]

I wouldn’t worry to much about it, it seems like your t is in premolt.
By the way, my first t was also a Curlyhair named Shelob.
Good luck!