Bubz10 wrote: ...The top of her abdomen, however, started to grow a bit of mold (so it looked) and I then put her into a sterile tank n it cleared up quickly. She seems fine and active, but hasn't eaten in nearly 3 months. I know they can go quite a while without eating, but I'm worried she's still infected or hurt somewhere? ...
My guess is that you injured her while trying to remove the old exoskeleton. Mold usually doesn't grow unless you're keeping the cage damp. If you are, you should allow it to dry out slowly over the next month or two.
Is there anything I can do to check or help?[/quote]
There is little that you can do at this point except give her the best general care you can. Tarantulas that experience injuries often molt more frequently for one or two molts immediately thereafter. We presume this is to help the healing process.
Brachypelma smith (Mexican redknee tarantulas) should be kept as an arid species: dry substrate with a water dish. They also often appreciate a small hide.
Check for eating with only one (1) adult cricket (or equivalent food) a week. Feed it in the evening. Leave the cricket in with it for a day or two. If it declines to eat, remove the cricket and feed it to one of your other tarantulas.
YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER TARANTULAS?
Well! We're just going to have to see what we can do about that!
When it does begin to eat again, you can feed it a little heavily (e.g., 4 or 5 adult crickets a week) for several weeks, then drop back to only one or two crickets a week.
If it continues to not eat for another few weeks, or begins to act weak, or begins to go into a death curl, put it in an
ICU
for a few days, and get back to
using this same thread.
Best of luck with your little 8-legged invalid.