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My pink-toed T HELP

I think my tarantula is sick. I bought it last October and it seems to have shrunk. I don't know if it's getting enough food. I feed it about 3 small crickets a week. I was looking up some pics online and I realized the container I keep it in is set up wrong so I'm going to set it up differently. Also, I can't seem to keep the humidity level above 50%. Any advice would be most welcomed.

Here's a pic about about the size it was last October. It's abdomen and midsections seem to be considerably smaller and I don't think it's molted ever. I'm concerned and need help. It' my first T.

Also, from the picture, upon the opionions of any experienced Avic Avic people; how old do you think it might be? Is it full grown? It doesn't seem to have tibial hooks.

~Thanks in advance, Becca.

https://sites.google.com/site/photomescent/home/wascana-lake
 
Aww I hope it gets better for you. I dont own any t's never had, but i used to have an emperor scorp. I personally. I dont know what the problem is, but if you need to increase the humidity, that shouldnt be too hard depending on your set-up./ GL
 
Hi Becca

It doesn't look to skinny / At least not about to die skinny

They are arboreal so it would prefer a tall tank to a long one, but I don't that would make that much of a differance

Maybe try standing your Kritter Keeper on it's side
If you can, cut the big piece of bark that you have in it so that if fits flat against the back
&
Add a few inches of moist peat moss to the bottom of the tank & give it a good misting every now & again
That'll help keep the humidity up

Maybe even add a plant or two

It doesn't look quite full grown / It should get a little bigger then that
&
Start feeding it large crickets instead of small ones / That might help put some weight on it
A spider that size can easily take down a large cricket

http://www.petbugs.com/caresheets/A-avicularia.html

Good Luck With It
DC
 
Males have smaller abs than females.. have you ever had him/her sexed?

I use a 10 gallon tank stood on it's end (made an acrylic door so I could access it) for my Metallica. Have coco fiber and LFS for the substrate and grapevines for the branches. Background is made from that spray foam stuff with coco fiber. With the coco fiber and LFS I have no problem with humidity.

---------- Post added at 04:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 AM ----------

Lol.. for the abs I should have added that it's not a definitive way to sex a T... just in my experience the males tend to be a bit smaller in the ab area than the ladies!
 
Hi there, I have an Avic avic and she is pretty big now, I don't see her much anymore cos she built a little "cloud" and lives in there most of the time at the top of her 10 gallon vertical aquarium. Here's a pic of her home anyway:

avic10gallon1.jpg


I put a few adult crickets in at a time once or twice a week, I don't want her to get fat but don't want her to starve either. If I see crickets before I feed again I hold off.
 
not the prettiest site,

but, I used to put a large wet sponge in the tank with all new spider arrivals at the store for humidity. Travel is hell on them.
Most would recover fine and a shallow dish with a little water and small sponge was enough to keep them happy.
happy humidity
 
It's hard to see in my pic but there is a "tree stump" shaped water bowl in the lower left hand corner Tarantulas do like to drink water so if you don't have a water bowl get one that she can fit over top of and get her "face" down into it.

Do not put a sponge or cotton wad or any thing like that in the water. Ts drink water straight from the bowl they don't suck it out of a sponge. A wet sponge is an invitation to disease and filthy conditions due to it's attractiveness to crickets, roaches and other animals put in as prey items. It's amazing how many pet shops and even professional sellers like LLL Reptile recommend putting a sponge in the water bowl. Just use pure clean water in a bowl smaller than the diameter of your spider.
 
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Thanks for the comments. I just want to clarify, the pic I posted is not current. It's the one from last October. The spider has shrunk since then. I would post a current pic but I can't find my camera. Anyways, I do appreciate the comments about feeding it adult crickets. They are so much easier to keep. The small ones are a nuisance and die with in a few days, whereas the bigger ones stay around for a few weeks as long as I feed keep fresh fruit in there.

Thanks. I have a 20 gallon tank I'm not using that I might try and set-up. I don't have a 10g, it's being used by my 6 red clouds. I'll figure something out. I know the spider doesn't have enough height or humidity and that's my fault...your comments helped. Hopefully I'll see some improvements here in the next few weeks. I'll update you on the progress. :)
 
A 20 gallon high should be fine, bigger is always better in my opinion. I just use a 10 cos that's what my shelf is set up for - four 10 gallon verticals side by side under a T5 HO lighting (for the plants).

But more humidity supplied by live plants and moist soil, more vertical space, a water bowl (they do drink water every day), climbing areas where she can make an aerial nest near the top and steady larger meals should hopefully turn her around. She should definitely be getting bigger and not smaller.
 
  • #10
Here's a pic of her home anyway:
Sorry to diverge from the topic - - but Swords, that really is a great tank - beautiful landscaping and a happy 'T' living in the cloud... :hail:

Becca, you can get 10 gal tanks for < $10 @ Wally world ...
 
  • #11
It's hard to see in my pic but there is a "tree stump" shaped water bowl in the lower left hand corner Tarantulas do like to drink water so if you don't have a water bowl get one that she can fit over top of and get her "face" down into it.

Do not put a sponge or cotton wad or any thing like that in the water. Ts drink water straight from the bowl they don't suck it out of a sponge. A wet sponge is an invitation to disease and filthy conditions due to it's attractiveness to crickets, roaches and other animals put in as prey items. It's amazing how many pet shops and even professional sellers like LLL Reptile recommend putting a sponge in the water bowl. Just use pure clean water in a bowl smaller than the diameter of your spider.

Sorry for the confusion.
The main reason for the sponge is to add more humidity, not drink from, they always had an open dish. The open dish needs to kept clean, as that is where the dead (drowned) crickets will be. As with all animals, daily cleaning tasks must be done to maintain a clean, disease free home.
I have always said, the more exotic the pet you own...the more exotic the care must be.
 
  • #12
thanks for the comments, Swords...I know she should be getting bigger and not smaller that why I was so concerned but definitely your comments are helpful. I mainly am wondering about molting. Do T's molt their entire life or just until their full grown? I've never noticed this spider molt. Maybe it's because the humidity levels are so low...I know they have trouble molting or won't molt when the humidity isn't right. I'll try the 20 g as suggested and we'll see where it goes from there.

Thanks again!

PS Ron haha Wally World...you wouldn't catch me in there if it were the last store on earth. I hate walmart. But thanks for the suggestion. I think I'm just going to use my extra 20 gallon.
 
  • #13
Yeah humidity s a BIG issue when it comes to molts
If the humidity isn't high enough they can have a bad molt
 
  • #14
Sorry for the confusion.
No problem, I'm glad you didn't take offense to my wording, I just wanted to be sure she didn't do what I rescued my poor Ts from at the pet shop. They had water bowls with a nasty pile of cotton batting full of cricket filth. I sure wouldn't wanna drink from that either.

After I moved my A. avic from her 1 gallon "baby cage" to her 10 gallon she molted within just a couple weeks.

Thanks for the kind words Ron!

I buy groceries (and 10 gallon tanks) at wal mart, you may now chase me with torches... :D
 
  • #15
well fed?

I know most of the spiders we had move through the store would extanguanate and devour a pinkie (newborn rat/mouse). They will not molt unless they are growing. Good food is the key here.
@ swords, it's all good, just wanting to see this animal doing bettter.
I am no arachnid expert by any means, just kept quite a few through the years.
Butt, if ya wanna talk Discus and other hard to breed tropical fish...I am yer man.
 
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