# New river rust rump T



## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

I bought a 18 month old New river rust rump about two weeks a go. She hasn't eaten since, the temperature stays around 70-80 Fahrenheit and the substrate is peat moss mixed with dark chippings. I mist it daily a little or every other day. I was wondered why she hasn't eaten. I know they don't eat before going into molt or after but she doesn't seem to be going into molt anytime soon. Could it be because her glass exo terra is too big which makes it difficult for her to catch prey? I have included a picture of her on my hand, so you can get a look at her size compared her glass tank which I have also included a link too. Is this tank too big for her? Should I keep her in a plastic vivarium until she's larger? Thanks everybody! 
My T (Sorry for the bad quality) -








Her Glass exo terra -


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

You are keeping her well too damp. Misting once a week is fine. When did it last moult and what size is it?


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

I got told to mist daily when I got her, I thought that would be too much, thanks. I'm unaware of when she last molted and I have included a picture of her


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Kimberley5 said:


> I got told to mist daily when I got her, I thought that would be too much, thanks. I'm unaware of when she last molted and I have included a picture of her


Shes wayyy older than 18 months from that pic (the pics didnt show up at 1st lol). The exo terra is a bit of a waste on her tbh. Your better off with a faunarium or small terrestrial custom aquaria. From what i know they come from a very dry habitat. They like a fair amount of dry substrate to dig in too


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

Yeah that's my bad I didn't upload them right. She is a still a juvenile tarantula I assure you, she just look fairly big on my hand because I have very small hands lol. I have been told all the wrong information then, thanks. I was planning on moving her into a faunarium until she gets to her full size. I shall move her into it tomorrow anyway thanks


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Kimberley5 said:


> Yeah that's my bad I didn't upload them right. She is a still a juvenile tarantula I assure you, she just look fairly big on my hand because I have very small hands lol. I have been told all the wrong information then, thanks. I was planning on moving her into a faunarium until she gets to her full size. I shall move her into it tomorrow anyway thanks


If it was 18 months old it would be a spiderling lol they are incredibly slow growers. They arent an overly big species either so i imagine its a sub adult


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

Oh wow ok then, I'll take your word for it. The guy who served me is officially an idiot then. She is my first tarantula, that's why I aren't 100% on my knowledge on them either. thanks. I have read they get up to about 5inches


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Kimberley5 said:


> Oh wow ok then, I'll take your word for it. The guy who served me is officially an idiot then. She is my first tarantula, that's why I aren't 100% on my knowledge on them either. thanks. I have read they get up to about 5inches


iv never seen one at 5 inches even the AFs lol. Its one of those things you take with a pinch of salt sadly. I saw the 1st trio in the UK a few years back


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

God dammit! Haha I was hoping for a decent sized T! Nevermind she's still a pretty little thing lol


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Kimberley5 said:


> God dammit! Haha I was hoping for a decent sized T! Nevermind she's still a pretty little thing lol


Most Aphonopelmas are on the small side sadly . They are fantastic beginner species though.


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

Ah nevermind, at least now I have a spare tank possibly for a new pet! lol. Thanks for your advice anyway, you know your stuff!


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Kimberley5 said:


> Ah nevermind, at least now I have a spare tank possibly for a new pet! lol. Thanks for your advice anyway, you know your stuff!


Experience and knowledge comes from keeping and making mistakes hun . Now what are you putting in that tank :whistling2:


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

selina20 said:


> You are keeping her well too damp. Misting once a week is fine. When did it last moult and what size is it?


might be better to never mist at all, like a chile rose, but with a bit of heat.



selina20 said:


> Shes wayyy older than 18 months from that pic (the pics didnt show up at 1st lol). The exo terra is a bit of a waste on her tbh. Your better off with a faunarium or small terrestrial custom aquaria. From what i know they come from a very dry habitat. They like a fair amount of dry substrate to dig in too


they come from the sonoran desert in arizona.



selina20 said:


> If it was 18 months old it would be a spiderling lol they are incredibly slow growers. They arent an overly big species either so i imagine its a sub adult


they also fast like chile roses, which might explain why it hasn't eaten.



selina20 said:


> iv never seen one at 5 inches even the AFs lol. Its one of those things you take with a pinch of salt sadly. I saw the 1st trio in the UK a few years back





selina20 said:


> Most Aphonopelmas are on the small side sadly . They are fantastic beginner species though.


but according to lee arden at TSS, they can top 8''. at any rate, he reckons they get huge, & says so on the TSS site.


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

Hmmm I might have to get back to you on that selina lol I'm not too sure! Any suggestions?


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

wilkinss77 said:


> might be better to never mist at all, like a chile rose, but with a bit of heat.
> 
> they come from the sonoran desert in arizona.
> 
> ...


Odd iv never ever seen one over 5 inches even when Colin Wilson showed us the 1st trio that came into the country.


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

I guess it depends on the tarantula itself on how big it they get, everyone says different sizes its slightly confusing. What do you mean by "they also fast like chile roses, which might explain why it hasn't eaten."


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Kimberley5 said:


> Hmmm I might have to get back to you on that selina lol I'm not too sure! Any suggestions?


What kind of spider do you like? An arboreal would go nicely in that exo


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

selina20 said:


> What kind of spider do you like? An arboreal would go nicely in that exo


I'm not sure about another tarantula just yet, I'm going to wait until i'm more confident and knowledgeable on them. I'd probably get a fat tail gecko or something because I'm more experienced with geckos. It always worries me when I don't know everything about the species lol


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Kimberley5 said:


> I guess it depends on the tarantula itself on how big it they get, everyone says different sizes its slightly confusing. What do you mean by "they also fast like chile roses, which might explain why it hasn't eaten."


chile roses fast for months on end, gorge on as much food as they can get, then fast again. NRRR t's do this also, as do the majority of desert t's.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

I keep quite a few Aphonopelma's & can assure you they are not massive spiders, at most a female new river will get to about 6" :2thumb:. They are best kept dry as they come from dry areas in the States, i just have a water bowl in my tubs & overflow it slightly every few weeks so the corner is a bit wet which helps raise the humidity.

Hun if you are thinking of selling then give me a shout as i'd buy her from you :2thumb:.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

wilkinss77 said:


> chile roses fast for months on end, gorge on as much food as they can get, then fast again. NRRR t's do this also, as do the majority of desert t's.



Sorry i disagree with you here, my Aphonopelma's all feed very well indeed. If you don't overfeed they won't fast, i feed mine every 2-3 weeks on a roach & all feed fine & have never fasted with me.


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

wilkinss77 said:


> chile roses fast for months on end, gorge on as much food as they can get, then fast again. NRRR t's do this also, as do the majority of desert t's.


Ahh, thanks I'm not so worried about her now


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## Kimberley5 (Jan 2, 2012)

corny girl said:


> I keep quite a few Aphonopelma's & can assure you they are not massive spiders, at most a female new river will get to about 6" :2thumb:. They are best kept dry as they come from dry areas in the States, i just have a water bowl in my tubs & overflow it slightly every few weeks so the corner is a bit wet which helps raise the humidity.
> 
> Hun if you are thinking of selling then give me a shout as i'd buy her from you :2thumb:.


Okay, thanks. I've got so much more information off a forum than a guy who owns a reptile shop that's supposed to know everything! -_-. If I end up selling her, i'll send you a message right away


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

Kimberley5 said:


> Okay, thanks. I've got so much more information off a forum than a guy who owns a reptile shop that's supposed to know everything! -_-. If I end up selling her, i'll send you a message right away




I've messaged you hun :2thumb:.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

wilkinss77 said:


> chile roses fast for months on end, gorge on as much food as they can get, then fast again. NRRR t's do this also, as do the majority of desert t's.


Never ever had a fasting rosea or porteri



Kimberley5 said:


> I'm not sure about another tarantula just yet, I'm going to wait until i'm more confident and knowledgeable on them. I'd probably get a fat tail gecko or something because I'm more experienced with geckos. It always worries me when I don't know everything about the species lol


If you can keep a gecko you can keep a T. I have my golden geckos in one of my exos i kicked a tarantula out of lol


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

I got my New River Rust Rump as a sub adult, she's about a 4 inch leg span, she's housed in a large flat faunarium with a plant pot hide, fake plant & water dish and I don't mist at all - they come from Arizona desert, a dry arid place with sporadic rain fall so I see no need to mist, I just keep her water dish topped up, never seen her drinking & at the moment she's stopped feeding, she hasn't fed for weeks.

Yours looks lovely but to me it looks a bit too damp and too big, she doesn't need a big exo terra like that, a large flat faunarium will do just fine but that's just my opinion.


That enclosure would best suit a semi arboreal species, not much good really for a desert terrestrial species.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

corny girl said:


> Sorry i disagree with you here, my Aphonopelma's all feed very well indeed. If you don't overfeed they won't fast, i feed mine every 2-3 weeks on a roach & all feed fine & have never fasted with me.


they usually tend to, though- the desert aphono's have a reputation for doing so.



selina20 said:


> Never ever had a fasting rosea or porteri


you are lucky- they usually fast more often than they feed- some fast for a year or more.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

wilkinss77 said:


> they usually tend to, though- the desert aphono's have a reputation for doing so.


Mine is fasting, she's not fed for a few weeks now, she was fed about every 2 weeks, I started off with locust when I got my Ts, then tried Dubia's & now feeding Turk roaches & my New River is the only one that's not fed for weeks, Sept/Oct I think was the last time it fed.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

wilkinss77 said:


> you are lucky- they usually fast more often than they feed- some fast for a year or more.


I find a lot of it is to do with moult cycle and time of the year. Have had great success by dropping temperatures during winter and not feeding during this period . Never had one fast after doing this


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

AilsaM said:


> Mine is fasting, she's not fed for a few weeks now, she was fed about every 2 weeks, I started off with locust when I got my Ts, then tried Dubia's & now feeding Turk roaches & my New River is the only one that's not fed for weeks, Sept/Oct I think was the last time it fed.


that's more like what i'm told they behave like. several members here have said the same about them, & also desert blondes.


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

selina20 said:


> Have had great success by dropping temperatures during winter *and not feeding during this period* . Never had one fast after doing this


So you forced them to fast...and afterwards they were hungry.... and *didn't *fast :lol2:

Same thing, it's just you're choosing when they do it.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

wilkinss77 said:


> that's more like what i'm told they behave like. several members here have said the same about them, & also desert blondes.


I'm not at all worried about her, she's not skinny and she still drinks & is as active as you would expect, she'll feed when she's ready.

Of course as she's never moulted yet with me she could ber in pre-moult, am not sure.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Veyron said:


> So you forced them to fast...and afterwards they were hungry.... and *didn't *fast :lol2:
> 
> Same thing, it's just you're choosing when they do it.


Not really because its no different to my normal feeding regime anyway. AF grammies here get fed once a month that is it.


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## k_orbz (Sep 8, 2009)

I am keeping an adult New River Rust Rump for 3 years now, molted on me twice already. Its my favorite T as well. 

1. they are not big eaters, they can surely stop eating for a month to three.

2. Gets paranoid with water, I even notice that it will dump substrate inside the bowl full of water most of the times.

It's a hardy specie as well.


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

selina20 said:


> Not really because its no different to my normal feeding regime anyway. AF grammies here get fed once a month that is it.


But if you're starving a T for 3 months every year, then that *is *it's 'fast'. I doubt any T would allow itself to be starved for a quarter of its life and then *choose *not to eat for another quarter, or more, aswell.

Your feeding routine is fine, most people over feed, so the T will then fast. 

You're just taking _choice/need _out of the equation, but it's fasting nonetheless.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

k_orbz said:


> I am keeping an adult New River Rust Rump for 3 years now, molted on me twice already. Its my favorite T as well.
> 
> 1. they are not big eaters, they can surely stop eating for a month to three.
> 
> ...


That second point is quite fascinating, mines has never done that, she's the only one I've not had to clean substrate out of the water dish after they've decided to fill it lol.


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

AilsaM said:


> That second point is quite fascinating, mines has never done that, she's the only one I've not had to clean substrate out of the water dish after they've decided to fill it lol.



You're lucky then, all my Adult Aphono's will dump earth in their water bowls & need clearing before i can top them up :whistling2:.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

corny girl said:


> You're lucky then, all my Adult Aphono's will dump earth in their water bowls & need clearing before i can top them up :whistling2:.


She's never dug at all in her substrate, all my other Ts are like mini tanks, even my small slings, all she's done is lay down silk all over the inside of her hide and round the entrance.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Veyron said:


> But if you're starving a T for 3 months every year, then that *is *it's 'fast'. I doubt any T would allow itself to be starved for a quarter of its life and then *choose *not to eat for another quarter, or more, aswell.
> 
> Your feeding routine is fine, most people over feed, so the T will then fast.
> 
> You're just taking _choice/need _out of the equation, but it's fasting nonetheless.


Look up the wild routines of most Grammostolas. A lot of them go into hiding around winter and some are even under a couple of foot of snow. Do you think they will be wandering out to look for some ice cube beetles?


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

selina20 said:


> Look up the wild routines of most Grammostolas. A lot of them go into hiding around winter and some are even under a couple of foot of snow. Do you think they will be wandering out to look for some ice cube beetles?


:lol2:

That's what I'm saying :bash:

Either starve them...or they will fast :no1:

You starve them...so yours don't fast. Others don't starve them...and they do fast. Typical behaviour.

As you do it on their behalf, you can't say yours don't display such routines by choice, as they've already been subjected to it. : victory:


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Veyron said:


> :lol2:
> 
> That's what I'm saying :bash:
> 
> ...


Even when i dont "starve" them they eat anyway. I do think a lot of it is down to overfeeding


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

selina20 said:


> Even when i dont "starve" them they eat anyway. I do think a lot of it is down to overfeeding



I have to agree with you hun, most cases of fasting are down to the spiders being overfed. I feed my adult Aphonopelma's once maybe twice a month & they all eat fine :2thumb:.


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## Tarantulaguy01 (Mar 31, 2012)

selina20 said:


> Even when i dont "starve" them they eat anyway. I do think a lot of it is down to overfeeding


totally agree all my t's only get fed once every two weeks


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## Poxicator (Nov 14, 2007)

I found this pic which is quite interesting:
Arizona Tarantulas - Two Tarantulas - Tarantula Picture from New River Arizona

This species comes from New River, Maricopa County, Arizona where temperatures can reach over 100F during the summer months with a low of 70F. However during the winter months of Dec/Jan the temperature rarely goes much over 60F with a low of 40F. Its during these cold months that its likely to be found in a dormant state and therefore eats very little if anything.
A water bowl is sufficient, absolutely no need to spray or dampen substrate. Think of Las Vegas and you'll have a good idea of the landscape. To give an idea of the landscape, take a look through these images:
Panoramio - Photo of Desert at New River, Az

I've personally never seen one of these larger than 6", it seems odd to suggest they can grow as large as 8" considering the environment and the Aphonopelma genus which seems to stick around 5-6" tarantula. Very slow growing and with a very long life of 25-30 years. They are so slow to grow that within a year you might not see any difference in size! I think the feeding regime of once a fortnight to once a month suits this species well.


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