Novice to tarantulas, please help!

Margot J

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
52
A couple weeks ago I got my first tarantula, a B. albo. I had planned to feed it every seven days, but it is a juvenile and it is kind of small so should I feed it more often? Also, should the abdomen be roughly the same size as the cephalothorax? Thank you in advance.
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
1,878
Post a picture of your T and the enclosure and tell us how big your B. albo is (diagonal leg span in inch or cm). It's easier to help when we see the spider. ;)

Usually, I feed my juvies once a week, slings every 3-5 days, and adults every fortnight or less.
 

EtienneN

Arachno-enigma
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Messages
1,038
A couple weeks ago I got my first tarantula, a B. albo. I had planned to feed it every seven days, but it is a juvenile and it is kind of small so should I feed it more often? Also, should the abdomen be roughly the same size as the cephalothorax? Thank you in advance.
Tarantulas don't have cephalothoaxes. Their body is divided the carapace and abdomen or alternatively the prosoma (carapace) and opisthosoma (abdomen). I feed about once a week, actually right around every eight days, though sometimes it's ten and sometimes it's two weeks. When I had itty bitty slings that were 0.5" or less I fed every three to four days until the reached the 1" mark.
 

EtienneN

Arachno-enigma
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Messages
1,038
Cephalothorax and prosoma are synonymous. ;)
yes, it’s used that way but in my college bio course it was stated that only insects have cephalothoraxes despite some spider anatomy sheets still having it on their labels. While technically it’s in a sort of “colloquial use” it is still wrong. Science adapts to new understandings but it’s hard to get rid of old outdated information that’s become part of people’s ‘common knowledge’. Language and labels are hot wired into our human brains; sometimes we just aren’t as proficient at it (as well as the fact that old habits die hard) and we often have synonyms that aren’t really accurate or equivalent to each other but still perpetuate them in common use.
 

The Seraph

Arachnolord
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
601
yes, it’s used that way but in my college bio course it was stated that only insects have cephalothoraxes despite some spider anatomy sheets still having it on their labels. While technically it’s in a sort of “colloquial use” it is still wrong. Science adapts to new understandings but it’s hard to get rid of old outdated information that’s become part of people’s ‘common knowledge’. Language and labels are hot wired into our human brains; sometimes we just aren’t as proficient at it (as well as the fact that old habits die hard) and we often have synonyms that aren’t really accurate or equivalent to each other but still perpetuate them in common use.
I mean no offense to you Etienne and I do not assume to know more than you since I never went to college, but I can find no source that states the term cephalothorax is incorrect when referring to a spider's fixed head and thorax. Would you mind providing one please?
 

EtienneN

Arachno-enigma
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Messages
1,038
I mean no offense to you Etienne and I do not assume to know more than you since I never went to college, but I can find no source that states the term cephalothorax is incorrect when referring to a spider's fixed head and thorax. Would you mind providing one please?
I’m beginning to think the professor just preferred the prosoma/opisthosoma as being more correct. But it’s weird she mentioned cephalothoraxes when talking about shrimp and horseshoe crabs. I guess I had it in my brain that cephalothoraxes were the combined head and thorax of like an ant or something and it just never dawned on me that all arthropods have a cephalothorax, some have it as a combined head and thorax and some like spiders have it in one part.
 

EtienneN

Arachno-enigma
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Messages
1,038
Why do you think there are two words? Is one derived from Greek and the other Latin?
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
1,878
Why do you think there are two words? Is one derived from Greek and the other Latin?
No. Both words derived from Greek (or Ancient Greek), but they describe the same part of the spider in slightly different ways.
I found a good and simple explanation in German:
Mit dem Begriff Prosoma (gr. πρό pro ‚vor‘ und altgr. σῶμα soma ‚Körper‘) oder Cephalothorax (altgr. κεφαλή kephalē ‚Kopf‘ und θώραξ thorax ‚Brust‘) bezeichnet man den Vorderleib bei Spinnentieren.
(Source)

Translation:
Prosoma = pro (in front of) and soma (body)
Cephalothorax = kephalē (head) and thorax (well, thorax)
 

dangerforceidle

Arachnoangel
Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Messages
780
Why do you think there are two words? Is one derived from Greek and the other Latin?
Perhaps because the opisthosoma is a distinctive characteristic of chelicerata, the term prosoma is favoured by some. Preference to keep the terminology consistent.
 
Last edited:

Ellenantula

Arachnoking
Joined
Sep 14, 2014
Messages
2,009
Newbies can't win.
How dare you use common names, learn the proper scientific genus and species here.
How dare you use fancy scientific words, use the hobby's common parlance around here. ;)
Let's argue now! :troll:
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
A couple weeks ago I got my first tarantula, a B. albo. I had planned to feed it every seven days, but it is a juvenile and it is kind of small so should I feed it more often? Also, should the abdomen be roughly the same size as the cephalothorax? Thank you in advance.

Feed more often or it will die based on your body segment idea.

Also schedules aren’t helpful for growth.
 

Margot J

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
52
Thank you all so much, I have realized that I can tell when he's hungry because he goes to a certain place in his tank and sits perfectly still. I will make sure not to overfeed or underfeed him. Thank you all again!
 
Top