Hey guys,
So I recently purchased two new tarantulas from the Hamburg Reptile show in PA. I got a new Rose Hair and a Pink Zebra Beauty. From what the vendor was telling me, they seem to be wild caught. The women who sold them to me told me they were both females. The Rose Hair is doing wonderful. She has settled in to her new enclosure and just ate her first meal with me. She couldn't be happier. My PZB however, is not doing as well. I was told by the vendor that she was in pre-molt, but I'm not sure how true that is.
She's about 5" DLS and she looks very drab. Most of her hair near her spinnerets is completely gone. She was covered in potting soil when I picked her out and I noticed not too long after we made it home that there were tiny insects crawling around in her temporary enclosure. They were completely white. I immediately moved her to a 10 gal. tank that I had for her which contained a hideout, a small dish and coco fiber for substrate. She has been overly lethargic and she shows little signs of movement when I touch her. However, she will randomly walk around the enclosure and she consistently tries to climb the glass walls of the tank (but she can never get a grip to lift herself off the ground). I tried giving her a single cricket today even though I knew the odds of her taking it were slim to none. It was not surprising when she showed no interest in food. I removed the cricket after an hour.
My main question is: should I be concerned about the tiny insects that were in the large Tupperware when I bought her? Or is she only in pre-molt? I have checked her multiple times since I've gotten her and she does not seem to have any insects on her. Would an ICU for a day be wise? Or should I just wait it out and see if she molts soon? Also, does anyone have any experience with PZB molts? Are they often long? I know it can be different for every tarantula but I was only wondering if anyone had some personal experience with these beauties. I know she's been under a lot of stress for the past few days being moved from one place to another so that probably has not helped if she is planning to molt. I'm her stress level will decrease within the upcoming days and a molt will happen. This would be the ideal scenario for her. Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks guys.

All white bugs could be any number of things. Mite, springtails, phorid fly maggots... some things are harmless, others are not. What temperature do you have it at?

Also, it's been a long time since I've seen them WC. Maybe someone can chime in on this being true or not.

Now then, I'd keep it evenly moist, without dampness and warm (80-85F) and wait. Unless it is extremely starved there is no reason to add the stress of trying to feed just yet. I have kept this species from 1/2" up to mature adults, but have nothing odd to report about their molting cycle.

Good luck.

Christian

I've had many wild caught T's over the years and never had a problem with mites or other infestations, not to say that it doesn't happen. New acq's should have a week or so to adjust to their cage before you feed them. Exception being if it's very thin and malnourished. Priority #1 is a clean water bowl and a natural, low-stress environment. Once they settle in and still don't feed, a molt is usually in the works.

Thanks! Yea she's being kept around 80F. Little change in her attitude but she definitely spends a lot of time near her water dish. Keeping fingers crossed. Thanks for the info!