Worried about h. lividum

[Sarah Joy]

I have had my H. Lividum for almost a year. It has always come out at night looking for food, no matter when I feed it. As of late, the last week or so, I haven't seen it as much. I know they are known to be "pet holes", but it hasn't eaten. I pull the uneaten crickets within a day and try again to no avail. Should I worry about it, or could it be molting in the burrow, or just suddenly not hungry anymore? It is such a change to its normal behavior, I really don't want to go bothering it if it is just doing its thing. Please help.

 

[Nada]

Nothing to worry about. It could very well be in pre-moult, or moulting. Or it could just be full.

 

[Sarah Joy]

Thank you. That is just what I wanted to hear. I really didn't want to go poking around. I need to start thinking about cleaning its house but I will just wait until I see it again.

 

[Nada]

Thank you. That is just what I wanted to hear. I really didn't want to go poking around. I need to start thinking about cleaning its house but I will just wait until I see it again.

They're actually pretty clean animals. You should be able to just spot clean, as they tend to keep their burrow clean.

 

[Sarah Joy]

That is one of my favorite things about them. It has been a long time though. The substrate is "shrinking" and becoming harder to keep the humidity up. How long can they go without their homes being redone?

 

[Nada]

I like to completely re-do them every 18 months or so, but more often then not I find that I'm wasting my time lol

 

[Sarah Joy]

Well then that is awesome! That is one tarantula I don't like to dance with too often. ha ha ha

 

[Sarah Joy]

Update: My cobalt came back out... looking close to twice its size!!!

 

[spiderengineer]

Congrats on a successful molt. Just some food for thought burrow species tend to stay in one burrow their whole life. Some times they may make another one but the point is that they are not constantly making a new burrow every time they get to big for their current one. They just make it bigger for their new size. So switch out their substrate is really not neccessary unless its smells or you can't control an outbreak of mold. I don't switch out my sub and I know people who have the same substrate. In a tank for years now.

 

[Sarah Joy]

That is so shocking to me. It is the opposite from what I am used to. Thank you for the advice, I really don't want to upheave it for nothing.