Hi guys

I received a 4 cm P.muticus about 6 weeks ago and till this

day it refuses to eat it isn't close to a molt at all . The substrate is ons the one side dry and other dampish the encloser is a normal plastic cup that we keep slings in. Am i keeping it wrong.there's lots of substrate in to burrow and it doesn't .

Please help any tips would be highly appreciated

try removing all live foods for a week or two and then releasing the smallest crieket you can find into the jar (pull of its legs first) also try keeping it in a dark room and let it be for a while so it can build a web or place a small piece of cork bark in along with a shalow water dish hope it helps

I agree with Ethan. All his advice is very suitable. I find that some of my slings can be intimidated very easy by prey items...even if the prey item is not bigger than the sling's opisthosoma...just be patient, they will eat eventually. With the night being slighty on the colder side my tarantulas tend to eat less frequently. At the moment i'm feeding each of mine 1 to 2 appropriate sized crickets every 10 days...and each one eats every time they are fed.

I too had a 4cm P. muticus and the thing did not molt and rearly ate for a year. while all the other slings kept in the same environements molted monthly and ate weekly so dont stress about it.

heinrich wrote: Hi guys

I received a 4 cm P.muticus about 6 weeks ago and till this day it refuses to eat it isn't close to a molt at all . The substrate is ons the one side dry and other dampish the encloser is a normal plastic cup that we keep slings in. Am i keeping it wrong.there's lots of substrate in to burrow and it doesn't .

Please help any tips would be highly appreciated ...

There's nothing about the photo that would lead me to think there was anything wrong with the tarantula.

You live in South Africa? (It's a fair question. There are a few of us who don't!) It's winter "way down there!" (I'm currently ensconced in Calgary, Alberta Canada, "way up there," literally on the other side of the planet!) Most tarantulas hunker down during the local winter or whatever winter they're accustomed to. During that time they often fail to eat or their food intake is reduced. This is especially true if they're allowed to get cool at least in the evening.

Also, remember that you're keeping it in a closed container, not the great, wild outdoors. That's a good thing because it's a lot less likely to get killed by something with a big appetite. It's a bad thing because with little or no experience to go by, it's probably a bit confused about whether it should run, or duck for cover and hide.

Set it in a quiet place somewhere in your home where the light's not too bright and there are relatively few disturbances. Then go away. Come back NEXT WEEK to check on it. Adjust the dampness a little if necessary.

If you're really brave, throw in one cricket that's smaller than the tarantula's abdomen IN THE EVENING just before lights out. Take the cricket out the next morning if it isn't eaten. Try again next week.

If you can't stand the stress and tension anymore, go out and get yourself another tarantula to fuss over!

:happy:

(Read that to be permission to add to your collection. Uncle Stan said so!)

:woohoo:


Seeing a spider is not the problem. It only becomes a problem when it disappears!
-- Unknown

Hi Heinrich, I know exactly what you're going through. I have had a little king for about the same amount of time and experienced exactly the same you are now. My advise is to do something drastic and do it right now! Put it in ICU and follow it up every morning and night. Keep it at a constant heat and humidity. Feed it small crickets with it's legs removed, to make easy prey. If it doesn't respond return it to ICU and don't stop until you get positive results.

Mine was the same size and everything looked good until this morning. It has now curled it's legs up and died. :blush: