SICK P METALLICA plz help

P

PaulWebb

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I have a 2 inch P Metallica, has tried to eat in the last 3 weeks but every time it goes to eat it seems like it never really starts, it leaves it's killed prey behind.

It has become more lethargic and it's abdomen isn't too big either, I've tried the ICU cup. Placing in there with paper towels & warm water for a day or so and it seems to have slightly revitalized em but it just seems incapable of eating.

When I look at the fangs they seem to be intact but slightly out of place, kinda like they are skewed to one side a bit.

Has anyone ever encountered something like this? Any suggestions? I'd hate to be unable to help it : /
 
BobGrill

BobGrill

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Putting it in an ICU won't do anything. All you can do is leave it alone.
 
cold blood

cold blood

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PaulWebb said:
I have a 2 inch P Metallica, has tried to eat in the last 3 weeks but every time it goes to eat it seems like it never really starts, it leaves it's killed prey behind.

It has become more lethargic and it's abdomen isn't too big either, I've tried the ICU cup. Placing in there with paper towels & warm water for a day or so and it seems to have slightly revitalized em but it just seems incapable of eating.

When I look at the fangs they seem to be intact but slightly out of place, kinda like they are skewed to one side a bit.

Has anyone ever encountered something like this? Any suggestions? I'd hate to be unable to help it : /
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Just sounds like pre-molt to me...all of my psalmos (which act a lot like pokies) and my P. vitatta will still hunt when in pre-molt, but will often just kill and leave the prey. I don't think an ICU is at all necessary. I doubt its "incapable" of eating, if its capable of the kill, it can almost certainly eat...it just doesn't want or need to is my speculation. If it were in real distress, it would almost certainly stop hunting.

Got any pics? How's its enclosure set up?
 
BobGrill

BobGrill

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Anyone noticing a lot of threads lately involving newbs freaking out when their tarantula stops eating, and putting them in ICUs?
 
Ultum4Spiderz

Ultum4Spiderz

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Your T is just not hungry , you can feed that size spider live prey.
Maybe it isnt interested in pre-killed.
 
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F

Formerphobe

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Multiple possibilities...
When did it molt last? Was the exuvium intact and do you still have it to see if the entire sucking stomach was shed? It is very possible for a tarantula to want to eat, but be unable to if there is a problem with the sucking stomach.

Many tarantulas in premolt will kill prey, then discard it.

If there is indeed something wrong with the fangs, it may be difficult for it to manipulate prey. You could try making cricket soup for it.

Be sure it has a full water bowl. ICUs can sometimes cause more harm than good. Unless it is obviously dehydrated, probably best to leave it in its regular enclosure and insure that it has easy access to fresh water.
 
telepatella

telepatella

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Don't just do something, sit there. Take it easy on your spider. I obsess on my spiders too but it will either be ok or it won't be, all you can do is keep a water dish full and don't stress it out. It does sound like something is happening but we cannot tell or do a whole lot. Sorry if that is too short an answer.
 
Poec54

Poec54

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telepatella said:
Don't just do something, sit there. Take it easy on your spider. I obsess on my spiders too but it will either be ok or it won't be, all you can do is keep a water dish full and don't stress it out. It does sound like something is happening but we cannot tell or do a whole lot. Sorry if that is too short an answer.
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+1. Sometimes the 'cures' given by an anxious owner are what kills a spider.
 
Akai

Akai

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Formerphobe said:
Many tarantulas in premolt will kill prey, then discard it.
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THIS All my baboons kill prey in premolt especially ones that wander into their burrows. Pokies can be hard to judge visually if they are in premolt. Mine have big rumps all the time and I don't feed every week but I've never known one to refuse a meal when they weren't.
 
awiec

awiec

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Akai said:
THIS All my baboons kill prey in premolt especially ones that wander into their burrows. Pokies can be hard to judge visually if they are in premolt. Mine have big rumps all the time and I don't feed every week but I've never known one to refuse a meal when they weren't.
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My C.darlingi will just kill any crickets she doesn't feel like eating and throw them in the corner for me to take them out. Spiders know when they are hungry and no interest in food and being very lethargic is the hallmark of pre-molt. I have a P.metallica who is in pre-molt as well and he's turned a very dull color and just sits there when he normally will run around the container and give threat poses to my boyfriend, all very normal stuff. OP just move the spider back in its container, make sure it has some water and then leave it alone for a few weeks.
 
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