# Mexican red knee help



## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

My Mexican red knee has been acting up, not eating and Shrunken abdomen, which now appears to be getting better.

I've had it for nine years and I believe it's around eleven years old, sex unknown.

It's not eaten for at least eight weeks and yesterday thought I'd had some luck, but it didn't eat it just killed it and left it alone.
Tried another one and it must of stuck the cricket around five times and almost lays on it, then gets ups and leaves it be.

I thought it may be molting but it's been around two-year since its last molt and I can't remember how long it didn't eat for.

Should leave it alone again for another couple of weeks incase it is molting?

Keep trying food once a week?

Could it be getting on a bit if it's a male?


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

If its 11 years old it definately not male, there are no palpal emboli. 

If she last molted 2 years ago it's likely gone into pre-molt so she won't feed, the abdomen does look a little small so you could try encouraging her to drink. Place a larger water dish in there with her keep it full and see how she does after a couple of days. If she doesn't improve you can always try the old ICU trick (plenty of instructional videos on YouTube that show how to make an ICU).


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

It's always had water but I will try a bigger dish.

Small abdomen can be caused by starvation and dehydration is that right?


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## ebmoclab (Nov 21, 2009)

thegolferful said:


> Small abdomen can be caused by starvation and dehydration is that right?


A small abdomen on its own isn't an issue, but, if it's recently shrunk and starts to look a little shriveled that's a key indicator of dehydration. Spiders get most of thier moisture from thier prey and occasionally drink from open standing water. If she's been a while without food due to premolt that could be the cause.


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

ebmoclab said:


> If she doesn't improve you can always try the old ICU trick (plenty of instructional videos on YouTube that show how to make an ICU).


If there was one single thing that I could wish for . . . . it would be that the so called ICU would be made illegal and that the person who first published using the useless bloody thing had his fingers broken when he first typed those 3 simple letters. :devil:


Just think about it logically. 

A spider isnt eating or is dehydrated so people say 'Try the ICU'. :censor:

WHY ? 
Exactly WHAT is going to happen when a tarantula that hasnt eaten for a while gets moved from its normal conditions (temp, humidity etc) and gets shoved into somewhere that is warmer and has much higher humidity ?
Nothing except to maybe stress it out. 
I have a few tarantulas that go off their food for months (No exaggeration) if i simply change the type or size of water bowl or add a new piece of decor to their tanks. 
I have one particular female (Sericopelma sp Santa Catalina) that didnt eat for 7 months . . . purely because i moved her half flower pot hide a few inches. 

I can understand raising the spiders temps in its normal enclosure to possibly encourage it to eat but why oh why is there any need for the humidity to be raised ? 
A tarantula is a basically a sealed unit. No fluids in or out except via the mouth (food and fluids in) or anus (waste fluids out)

The smithi in the photos doesnt not look fat and bloated like many spiders do . . .it looks just like it what it should look like. It does look a bit ropey but if it hasnt moulted for 2 years plus then that would be explected 
The older a tarantula gets then generally the longer the period between moults gets and the longer it will go off its food beforehand. I would expect a Brachypelma of 11 years old to moult every 2-3 years and not to feed for several months (3-4 ?) before moulting.

Personally I would change absolutely nothing. 
If you must, try dropping its usual prey insect directly in front of it once every 3-4 weeks but if it doesnt immediately grab it . . . take it out straight away and try again in another 3-4 weeks. 
Just keep it supplied with fresh water as a moulting tarantula needs the extra fluid intake before a moult and often after, to replenish the lost fluids


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

Just an update.
No change, abdomen looks better imo, just on the small side (due to molt hopefully)

Thanks for the replies
No interest in food, didn't attack it, just moved away from it.
Only physical change I have made is fitted a heat mat.
Temps are just under 20 degrees C in our house and it's now a steady 25 degrees in the tank.
Put a bigger water dish in there too


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

thegolferful said:


> No change, abdomen looks better imo, just on the small side


There is nothing small about its abdomen (looks perfectly proportionate to me), perhaps you are used to the fat bloated monstrosities that people happily post pictures of ?


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

Tbh that's probably what I'm going off!


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

Just a little update.
Still not eating.
That's now up to 3 months without food.

I have just caught it stamping it's front legs, and after what I've been looking at looks like it's trying to mate, or initiate mating with a female, obviously no female in there.
I'm trying to video it but it's not playing ball


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

thegolferful said:


> Just a little update.
> Still not eating.
> That's now up to 3 months without food.
> 
> ...


Why are you still assuming it male after being told it can't be, as per below? Males do not live to 11 years, there are no palpal bulbs, & no hooks under the front legs. Plus it doesn't have the spindly-legged look of a male- your t is a female.



ebmoclab said:


> If its 11 years old it definately not male, there are no palpal emboli.
> 
> If she last molted 2 years ago it's likely gone into pre-molt so she won't feed, the abdomen does look a little small so you could try encouraging her to drink. Place a larger water dish in there with her keep it full and see how she does after a couple of days. If she doesn't improve you can always try the old ICU trick (plenty of instructional videos on YouTube that show how to make an ICU).


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

thegolferful said:


> Bleeding hell mate. No wonder people get put off this forum
> 
> At what point in the last post did I state it must be male.
> I was simply stating it's behaviour which looked like a what a male does.


Wasn't having a go at you, simply pointing out that an 11 year old spider can't be a male, as well as it not looking like one, ie no palpal bulbs, hooks or spindly build.


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## Basin79 (Apr 1, 2014)

thegolferful said:


> Bleeding hell mate. No wonder people get put off this forum
> 
> At what point in the last post did I state it must be male.
> I was simply stating it's behaviour which looked like a what a male does.


Stop being so precious. Your post came across that you where calling your T a male due to it trying to initiate mating.

Wilks was just pointing out that it couldn't be male.


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

Nope. I would of put "it must be male with that behaviour"
After the replies I got from the start about its sex, I haven't questioned it.


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## Basin79 (Apr 1, 2014)

thegolferful said:


> Nope. I would of put "it must be male with that behaviour"
> After the replies I got from the start about its sex, I haven't questioned it.


Well that's furry muff. But your post didn't read that way. Maybe she got some sub stuck to her feet and she was just trying to get it off?

I've got a B.Smithi myself. Phenomenal T's. She's my favourite.


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## lozmick (Jun 24, 2013)

Your b.smithi just looks like mine does as stated earlier on its just not feeding due to molt so it ain't going to look bloated as such try and change its prey item mine will eat large locusts but won't touch a cricket then a few months down the line it's vice versa


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Just for the record I've had female T's that have drummed for no apparent reason; no mm's in the room, nothing going on at all. Obviously there will be a reason, perhaps a particular vibration has coincidentally triggered it. I've had it a few times with different species, surprised nobody else has mentioned this as I assumed others would have noticed this too?

I do remember one time when there was a definite trigger with a GBB when the inside edge of my tweezers scraped the plastic tank edge for whatever reason (sounded a bit like rubbing your finger along the edge of a comb), and I got a hearty drumming response. Felt a bit guilty for leading her on...


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

Well we're no different as of yet, still won't eat 
Locust, cricket and wax works
Just keeping well hydrated and keep an eye on her


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

thegolferful said:


> Well we're no different as of yet, still won't eat
> Locust, cricket and wax works
> Just keeping well hydrated and keep an eye on her


Not eating 3 months isnt something i would worry about in the slightest.

What you could do is put her somewhere cooler than she is usually kept to simulate a seasonal temperature drop (even move her to a lower shelf in the same room may be enough) until Jan or Feb and then raise her up again. 
I would be very surprised if she didnt eat after that : victory:


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

Little update, still not eating, this is what it does when it has the chance to


https://vimeo.com/196979075


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## thegolferful (Sep 29, 2016)

So it's been just under 5 months, it's taken a cricket and doing the Im eating dance of laying silk!!
Well over two years since last molt so I reckon that will be her done untill she brings out some fresh colours!


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