Worried about my sling B. smithi. (Help pls)

Hi everyone! Im new here in this forums and new in tarantulas. I just acquired my sling b. smithi a month ago from a seller. But I have a problem, my sling hasnt eaten for 9 days now. he wont eat the superworm that i usually give him nor the lateralis cockroach that my friend have.

I'm really worried that my tarantula will die, I don't know if its pre-molt or something. Any advice/help will be greatly appreciated.

sounds like he's in pre-molt to me. My 5" b. smithi has just started to refused food too, acctually

9 days is nothing to worry about, even if it's not in premolt. Just make sure to remove any uneaten prey and don't feed anything too big for the T to eat.

uno said:

Hi everyone! Im new here in this forums and new in tarantulas.

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Hello and welcome to the hobby!

I just acquired my sling b. smithi a month ago from a seller.

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Very good choice for a first T. How big of a sling is it?

But I have a problem, my sling hasnt eaten for 9 days now. he wont eat the superworm that i usually give him nor the lateralis cockroach that my friend have.

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First off, take a deep breath.......... Kay, now some tarantulas are known to fast for weeks/ months/ years. 9 days is not very long in terms of tarantula time(from molt to molt, not day to day) and is absolutely nothing to worry about. Our B. smithi sling burrowed down the day after we got it and did not emerge for almost 2 months. When it did emerge though, it was bigger and bolder, and was clearly freshly molted.

I'm really worried that my tarantula will die, I don't know if its pre-molt or something. Any advice/help will be greatly appreciated.

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If you have offered it food multiple times and it does not eat, i would stop trying for awhile. Look for other signs of it being in pre-molt. Does its abdomen look dark/ black? Are its colors drab? Has it been laying down web on the substrate and kicking hairs on it?(Ours does this consistently) If it isn't in pre-molt(which i would bet it is), then it just doesn't want to eat right now. Just make sure it has water available. (depending on its size that could be wetting some of the substrate or a bottle cap if it is 2") Your tarantula knows what it is doing and sometimes you have to just learn that a T is going to act like a T.

Since you are new to the hobby, i would suggest doing some research on your pet. That way you know what is normal behavior and what is not. The search function will be your buddy if you let it.

Yup, it's probably in pemolt, but depending on how much you fed it since you got it, it might just be full. Keep in mind that a well fed T can survive for months without food, and I've heard of Rosehairs that have gone over a year without eating. Your smithi will be fine.

Thanks a lot everyone, especially to curiousme! Thanks for the info guys. Yeah I think he is in pre molt because his abdomen is dark.

If he is in premolt should I still try to feed him?

no sir....................

there is no need to since he wont need it and probably wont take it anyways.
welcome to the hobby!
im new to it too...we all learn together.

I am the same. I just bought B.Smithi from seller last month.

Only one worm was eaten by sling since I bought it. I use to be worried same as you now. But someone said that It might be premolt habit.

So, I thought I didn't have to be worried. I stop fed it for two weeks. But I keep moisture in its cage high enough to prevent it to die from dehydration.

I used a small amout of paper towel made to be a ball then dip into the water and placed in the cage.

Last sunday, It already molted but now it won't accept any food. I can't wait to feed it again.

PaPaSEK said:

So, I thought I didn't have to be worried. I stop fed it for two weeks. But I keep moisture in its cage high enough to prevent it to die from dehydration.

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It would take awhile for a T to die of dehydration, but it is a good idea to keep the humidity up in the enclosure. The reason for this is that it may make the molt easier. We have always kept the humidity up when our slings are in premolt, because that seems to be the general consensus/ advice given around here.

I used a small amout of paper towel made to be a ball then dip into the water and placed in the cage.

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In my opinion, this is bad idea. Wet paper towel molds fairly easily and with a sling, i would really try to avoid mold. The same thing can be accomplished by wetting the substrate on one side of the enclosure. They will drink directly from the substrate and i have seen all of my slings do it. Sometimes they will even immediately come to the spot and hunker down on it.(it's pretty cute) i don't know if they can do the same with paper towel, but i don't think a T needs to have paper towel in its mouth.

Last sunday, It already molted but now it won't accept any food. I can't wait to feed it again.

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How big is the sling? Sometimes they need more than a week to harden up and be ready to eat. If you get a look at its fangs, they should be black before you try and feed it. It isn't always easy to see fangs on terrestrial T's, so a better way to tell is to watch their behavior. When they are actively out(in the entrance to a burrow or just out in the open) and in hunting position, they are ready. Our 3" B. smithi molted last Saturday and is still not ready to eat today. She is laying flat on the ground all stretched out in the same spot that she molted in. Haven't seen her move from that spot, so based on her behavior we are waiting to try and feed. It can be harmful to feed a T too soon after a molt, so if you are trying it, maim/ crush the head of the prey for safety.

uno said:

Thanks a lot everyone, especially to curiousme! Thanks for the info guys. Yeah I think he is in pre molt because his abdomen is dark.

If he is in premolt should I still try to feed him?

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No problem, glad the info helped. No reason to try and feed since you already know it isn't eating.

curiousme said:

No problem, glad the info helped. No reason to try and feed since you already know it isn't eating.

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Also, note that if you DO insist on feeding the baby and the insect remains in there and your baby decides its time o turn on it's 'back' and molt, then your baby may just be food for that cricket. This is really good advice you're receiving here. A tarantula is extremely vulnerable after molting, and even a cricket can be dangerous. Believe us, your T will be fine for quite a while without a meal!

Well this thread saved me alot of time because I too have a sling B. smithi and its acting the same exact way. It had me worried that my T was stressed out because Ive been doing alot of changing to its environment.
but one thing i would like to add is my smithi almost acts scared of the pinheads I was putting in. I was putting about 3 at a time so was it feeling out numbered or what? can anyone give me some input on how i should do this exactly. I took all the pinheads out but 1.

Update

Sinley (my B.Smithi) finally ate on the crickets. After I removed 2 of the pins it went after the one left, not even 30 mins later. Then about 15 minutes ago I put another one in there with sinley and went right for it... WooHoo!!

ps. can anyone still tell me why this happened?

SPrice91 said:

Well this thread saved me alot of time because I too have a sling B. smithi and its acting the same exact way. It had me worried that my T was stressed out because Ive been doing alot of changing to its environment.

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Changing the environment on a T can definitely stress it out. A substrate change will especially, because the T will not know that it is in the same place. All of the web and traces of it being home are gone, so it will have to settle in and web and such again.

but one thing i would like to add is my smithi almost acts scared of the pinheads I was putting in. I was putting about 3 at a time so was it feeling out numbered or what? can anyone give me some input on how i should do this exactly. I took all the pinheads out but 1.

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First, how big of a sling are we talking about?(important detail to give when asking for advice )

If your T is acting 'afraid' of its food, then my first thought is that the prey is too big/ wily/ active. Try crushing the heads of the crickets and feeding less at a time.

Hi everyone! Im proud to say that my B. smithi have finally molted! Thanks everyone for all your information and advices! I know its all too common to see slings molt, but heck, im so happy to see my sling doing his T stuff normally!

But I still dont know how to measure him exactly.. maybe he's around 1 inch.. not really good with measurements. Is it ok for me to wait around 3 days to feed him? or should I just wait and observe his actions? I honestly cant tell if he's in hunting mode like curiousme just said. lol

uno said:

But I still dont know how to measure him exactly.. maybe he's around 1 inch.. not really good with measurements. Is it ok for me to wait around 3 days to feed him? or should I just wait and observe his actions? I honestly cant tell if he's in hunting mode like curiousme just said. lol

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*Is it still in the same place that it molted in?
*Is it sitting all stretched out?


You measure a T from the front leg of one side to the back leg of the opposite side.

Younger slings are ready to eat faster than older ones. We generally wait a week, unless we see them in hunting pose. Let me try and describe it with a picture demonstration:

Look at how she is sitting as if poised and waiting for prey. She is not laying on the substrate. She is up and alert and moved toward the camera when she sensed her lid being opened.



i hope that helps you understand it better. i'm glad that your beauty molted.

*Is it still in the same place that it molted in?
*Is it sitting all stretched out?

-Yes
-Yes

Thanks, now I understand.

uno said:

*Is it still in the same place that it molted in?
*Is it sitting all stretched out?

-Yes
-Yes

Thanks, now I understand.

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Awesome! Makes me doubly glad we take so many pictures of our T's. Glad i was able to help.

my slings are afraid of a cricket half their size...though maybe they think its my tongs.LOL.
anyways...i wouldnt ever feed live to a post molt T.
i offer prey to my slings a day afer the molt.
and i only feed a quarter of a mealworm,this wont do anything to the sling.