# Tarantula Not Eating - B.Smithi - Please help



## Calastein (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi,

Trying not to overly worry about my B.Smithi T but she hasn't eaten for at least 4 months now so I really am starting to get concerned. Here are the salient points...

She is mature, about 5 years old.

She has always eaten regularly with no problems prior to Jan 2013.

Her opithosoma has always been on the large side but not too large. Currently it is obviously getting smaller but is still not what I would consider dangerously so at about 3/4 of an inch across.

I have changed her food from crickets to roaches and back again with no success.

I had moved her tank to a new location along with the way it was setup but a month ago I moved it all back to the original setup/location. 

I have tried all different sizes of crickets with no success.

I did suspect DKS a few weeks ago after she had strange spasms but these have subsided after I put her in an ICU overnight (probably not long even I grant you) but she did not seem to have the normal DKS motions and this hasn't happened since.

Generally though her temperament has changed a lot during the last since months; She is far more skittish now than she ever was, it's extremely hard to handle her nowadays (in fact I don't anymore) whereas she used to be handled - and not dislike it - a few times a week.

I am trying to keep the humidity up around 60-70 as otherwise it drops to around 45. This mean misting once-twice a week but it hasn't improved the situation either.

Her last molt was coming up to a year ago.

I have checked her physically and everything seems ok including the underside by putting her in a glass bowl.

I really hope someone can help as I am starting to think there's something I am missing here and that it could be something more serious.

Thanks


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## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

B.smithis like it dry,that humidity is too high.


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## Blurboy (Feb 9, 2007)

I agree, that amount of humidity is way way too high. The drier the better and misting only if it's ready shed. It sounds like an unhappy spider you have there so I'd remove all the damp substrate, get some dry stuff and see how it goes.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

also, it's coming to the time of year when brachy's tend to moult.


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## Calastein (Dec 7, 2009)

Thanks to the posts so far. I have only started misting more regularly as an effort to figure out what has gone wrong. Up until a month ago the humidity was around 45-50 all the time?
Thanks


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## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

Yeah no need to mist unless going into moult.
Try not to change her surroundings too much, it might stress her out more.(feel free to correct me if i'm wrong peeps)


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

mrkeda said:


> Yeah no need to mist unless going into moult.
> Try not to change her surroundings too much, it might stress her out more.(feel free to correct me if i'm wrong peeps)


There's no need to mist when Ts are going into moult, they will have absorbed all the moisture they need from their food or drinking water, I don't mist any of my Ts when they look like they're gonna moult, all I do is provide fresh water for them to drink whether it's a water bowl or wetting a patch of substrate for my smaller spiders.


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## mrkeda (Nov 6, 2012)

AilsaM said:


> There's no need to mist when Ts are going into moult, they will have absorbed all the moisture they need from their food or drinking water, I don't mist any of my Ts when they look like they're gonna moult, all I do is provide fresh water for them to drink whether it's a water bowl or wetting a patch of substrate for my smaller spiders.


Ah ok, I'l bare that mind with mine. Does this only apply to the dryer spids?
What about the stressing the t out? Or are they not that fussy?


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## Blurboy (Feb 9, 2007)

I only mist to actually give them something to drink. Spiders like Chile Rose detest water and even misting but it's one way of making sure they get some fluids. If you check some pictures I've just posted in the section above you will see my Red Knee as actually just shed. Flipped over yesterday and within a couple of hours all done and dusted. Superb.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

mrkeda said:


> Ah ok, I'l bare that mind with mine. Does this only apply to the dryer spids?
> What about the stressing the t out? Or are they not that fussy?


In my own experience the thing that stresses them out the most is an incorrect environment, B smithi's like it bone dry so the extra humidity will not be doing the OP's spider any favours, my juvie has been being a pain and throwing her water dish all over the place, usually when it's full, so I have had to switch to a bigger lid to allow space for a heavy stone to weigh it down, in doing this she's made part of the substrate damp so she's now sticking to the dry side.

I do mist some of my other Ts now and then but when any are in pre-moult I tend to leave them alone to get on with it.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

My B. smithi hasn't eaten for over a year and hasn't moulted in over 2 and she's perfectly fine - once they hit adult size they don't moult much. They don't need to eat much either. It's not like they are doing anything much to burn calories.

I don't mist her, she has a dish with water which i occasionally see her drink from, but mostly she fills it up with dirt.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

garlicpickle said:


> My B. smithi hasn't eaten for over a year and hasn't moulted in over 2 and she's perfectly fine - once they hit adult size they don't moult much. They don't need to eat much either. It's not like they are doing anything much to burn calories.
> 
> I don't mist her, she has a dish with water which i occasionally see her drink from, *but mostly she fills it up with dirt*.


My smithi is the only one of my Ts so far that either chucks her dish all over the place or fills it with dirt, it's either that or the hide and bit of plant stuff is all over the place :lol2:


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## Calastein (Dec 7, 2009)

Thanks for all the messages guys, I feel a little more at ease now after hearing that someone's b.smithi hasn't eaten over a year! 

I am definitely going to let her dry out completely now and see what happens. Last night I tried her with a cricket that was dying (poor thing) but still moving and she went over it and started to squat up and down rubbing hairs off onto it! Never seen her do that before she often covers bugs with webbing but not urticating hairs?


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## Poxicator (Nov 14, 2007)

If your B. smithi is about to moult it will show signs of it - the abdomen will have a dark patch at the rear. This will get progressively darker as it nears the moult, and its quite likely it will reduce its intake of food. Most tarantula will moult in the rainy season, when humidity is at its highest. And, its important to remember that it does rain quite heavily in Mexico! The rain season, in this dry area last for 5 months! with an annual rainfall of 730-1200 mm. 
Merely soaking the substrate of some tarantula can bring on the moult if its the right time.

We need to look at the rainfalls and other methods of areas before we suggest they come from dry areas, even the Chile Rose receives a daily source of water.

However, in an enclosure that moisture level can lead to issues of stagnant air, so an occasional soak is more preferable.

Pictures of your tarantula would really help, but I doubt its doing any more than having a break from food. Its certainly NOT DKS!


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## Calastein (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi, thanks for the advice. Definitely not a molt, she' not showing any signs and rump isn't darkening at all.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

Sods law - after saying mine hasn't eaten in over a year, I thought I'd try her today and she is actually eating a cricket now :lol2:


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## MajesticJT (Jul 23, 2012)

Aye, Kind of agree here.
My B.Smithi'. is just a sling, moulted once.
I soak one end of it's RUB no so much to drown it, just enough to let the sub' soak it in.

same with my curly hair.

Both species prefer drier sub/enviroments, but i go against that.

Takes alot for a T to shed, alot of fluids and it hasnt let me down yet to give some moisture to even the most arid species of Ts.

Tends to be food items that may let you down, a single cricket can cause alot of stress to a moulting T'.

A little moisture will NEVER let you down, no matter what T.
I ain't saying spritz the whole tank, no.
for my B.Smithi , tends to be a 'cap' full in one end.


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## jb1962 (Sep 21, 2009)

Poxicator said:


> If your B. smithi is about to moult it will show signs of it - the abdomen will have a dark patch at the rear. This will get progressively darker as it nears the moult, and its quite likely it will reduce its intake of food. Most tarantula will moult in the rainy season, when humidity is at its highest. And, its important to remember that it does rain quite heavily in Mexico! The rain season, in this dry area last for 5 months! with an annual rainfall of 730-1200 mm.
> Merely soaking the substrate of some tarantula can bring on the moult if its the right time.
> 
> We need to look at the rainfalls and other methods of areas before we suggest they come from dry areas, even the Chile Rose receives a daily source of water.
> ...


How much water is what is needed when the word soaking is used for some might use jug loads..


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## jb1962 (Sep 21, 2009)

garlicpickle said:


> Sods law - after saying mine hasn't eaten in over a year, I thought I'd try her today and she is actually eating a cricket now :lol2:


My immature male smithi hasn't eaten for three year's.. Think he knows what happens once mature..lol


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