my first tarantulas and some questions

[CWilson1351]

actually i have not done any feeding

She has done opposite thing - dragged molt inside deeper . Should i fish it out before she destroys it ?
Now my LP is clearly in premolt - her bald abdomen is turning black .

As long as she is not in the burrow you can get the molt out. If she has it in there with her you can just leave it until she leaves the burrow. It won't harm her or anything.

 

[Tenevanica]

It isn't really proven that moisture has any effect on molting successfully. As long as your GBB has access to a small water dish, it'll be fine. I've kept mine on bone dry substrate since I got them at around 1" DLS.

I'd be careful about that. I bought two GBB slings at 1.5" and kept them on bone dry substrate as I had heard was acceptable. They both perished even with regular feedings, and I think it was due to dehydration. Then again, I live in a particularly dry climate and the base humidity of the room I keep my tarantulas in is 9% right now, so check your environmental variables before you decide when to take an arid species off of dry substrate. (I've kept adult Ts on dry substrate with water dishes, and they're fine. It's just the GBB slings that didn't do well like that.)

 

[Moonohol]

I'd be careful about that. I bought two GBB slings at 1.5" and kept them on bone dry substrate as I had heard was acceptable. They both perished even with regular feedings, and I think it was due to dehydration. Then again, I live in a particularly dry climate and the base humidity of the room I keep my tarantulas in is 9% right now, so check your environmental variables before you decide when to take an arid species off of dry substrate. (I've kept adult Ts on dry substrate with water dishes, and they're fine. It's just the GBB slings that didn't do well like that.)

Yeah, I live in a relatively humid area. It never gets super dry here. I think that's a factor to consider, but this species should really be fine on completely dry substrate around that size as long as they have access to a water dish at all times.

 

[cold blood]

actually i have not done any feeding

She has done opposite thing - dragged molt inside deeper . Should i fish it out before she destroys it ?
Now my LP is clearly in premolt - her bald abdomen is turning black .

Just leave the molt....it wont break down or mold or anything....if you were hoping to sex it, well just wait till next molt.

 

[zxneon]

I have some updates on ts . LP molted some days ago - not going to feed till end of month.
Most important is that my GBB is finally out from hers hide . She has molted ,now she has that cool coloring .
But i dont know when she actually molted ... dont know how long she was waiting inside after molt . She did come out about 5 days ago and now mostly stays in open . When Should i feed her ?
Next molt incoming B.smithi.

 

[Ungoliant]

Most important is that my GBB is finally out from hers hide . She has molted ,now she has that cool coloring .
But i dont know when she actually molted ... dont know how long she was waiting inside after molt . She did come out about 5 days ago and now mostly stays in open . When Should i feed her ?.

The safest thing to do would be to wait until you can confirm that her fangs are black. (My GBB sometimes climbs onto the plastic walls, so I can get a look at his fangs once in a while.)

Otherwise, as a very conservative rule of thumb, a week for slings, two weeks for juveniles, a month for sub-adults or larger.

 

[boina]

I have some updates on ts . LP molted some days ago - not going to feed till end of month.
Most important is that my GBB is finally out from hers hide . She has molted ,now she has that cool coloring .
But i dont know when she actually molted ... dont know how long she was waiting inside after molt . She did come out about 5 days ago and now mostly stays in open . When Should i feed her ?
Next molt incoming B.smithi.

If it molted in it's hide and then came out it is very likely that it came out in search for food. I'd say feed it now. When my tarantulas come out of their hide after a molt I feed them immediately.

 

[CWilson1351]

I have some updates on ts . LP molted some days ago - not going to feed till end of month.
Most important is that my GBB is finally out from hers hide . She has molted ,now she has that cool coloring .
But i dont know when she actually molted ... dont know how long she was waiting inside after molt . She did come out about 5 days ago and now mostly stays in open . When Should i feed her ?
Next molt incoming B.smithi.

My GBB usually stays in her hide with her exuvia for a few days at least before coming out. Last time it was a full week. Just to be safe I'd try checking the fangs still. As long as they are black yours is ready to eat again.

 

[Ellenantula]

My GBB usually stays in her hide with her exuvia for a few days at least before coming out. Last time it was a full week. Just to be safe I'd try checking the fangs still. As long as they are black yours is ready to eat again.

I know my adult GBB takes the longest to want to eat post-moult -- usually 18 -20 days. All my other adults act like they're starving within 2 weeks of a moult. GBBs must take longer to harden up or something. I wait for her to emerge and let her set her own post-moult feeding timetable....

[side note: mine's exos are deeply buried in her basement under webbing, I have never been able to collect a single one of them -- it would be take a mammoth effort to dig one out]

 

[CWilson1351]

I know my adult GBB takes the longest to want to eat post-moult -- usually 18 -20 days. All my other adults act like they're starving within 2 weeks of a moult. GBBs must take longer to harden up or something. I wait for her to emerge and let her set her own post-moult feeding timetable....

[side note: mine's exos are deeply buried in her basement under webbing, I have never been able to collect a single one of them -- it would be take a mammoth effort to dig one out]

Yeah now that you mention it mine takes longer than all my others too. None of mine are even mature yet though. When she is ready she is definitely hungry though. Vicious feeding response, worse than the P. fasciata who is more than double her size.