Size question

[Rappy]

Hi guys, quick question: Is my girl too fat?

I have been feeding her 1 superworm per week but that abdomen looks kind of big to me. She's an LP by the way.

Is my LP too fat?

• Rappy
• Feb 1, 2019
• 9
• brazilian salmon pink birdeater tarantula brazilian salmon tarantula lasiodora lasiodora parahybana lp parahybana salmon pink birdeater tarantula

 

[antinous]

I'd wait until her next molt to feed her IMO.

 

[Minty]

I like big butts and I cannot lie!

Yeah, she doesn’t need fed for a while. Haha

 

[cold blood]

Looks super fat to me.

Tip: After molting ts are at their hungriest....one super a week is great to plump them at this time, but as the t fattens, you should.... a) feed less frequently and/or... b) feed smaller prey items.

Like once it plumps a bit, go to feeding a worm every two weeks, then once a month....you could even downsize to a cricket or single meal worms in these latter stages.

Its really easy to feed an adult t, especially one with a high prey drive, to obesity....going the other way slimming an obese adult (a diet essentially) is much more complicated and time consuming...if it happens at all....as you basically need to feed a whole lot less, which dirrctly has an effect of lengthening the molt cycle....a whole lot.

 

[Teal]

Yes, she is.

Being obese isn't healthy for any animal. Many animals won't stop eating even when they are fat. It is up to YOU, as the higher functioning owner, to set limits.

 

[ccTroi]

Yeah she’s too big. I have a bad habit of over feeding my LP. It amazes me how her abdomen is 8x the size of her carapace the last molt..

 

[boina]

Yes, she is.

Being obese isn't healthy for any animal. Many animals won't stop eating even when they are fat. It is up to YOU, as the higher functioning owner, to set limits.

Just to put a bit of context to this: Inverts don't really get obese in the sense mammals do. Mammals will have metabolic problems and diseases from excess fat, but inverts process fat differently and it will not affect their metabolism. On the other hand there may be mechanical problems, especially from excessive strain on the pedicel, like in the spider not being able to lift her butt and getting drag injuries and I have even seen permanent weakening of the pedicell in excessively fat spiders...

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Yeah, too fat.

I normally feed my big murder tanks a superworm or 3-4 red runners once a fortnight.

 

[Ungoliant]

Just to put a bit of context to this: Inverts don't really get obese in the sense mammals do. Mammals will have metabolic problems and diseases from excess fat, but inverts process fat differently and it will not affect their metabolism. On the other hand there may be mechanical problems, especially from excessive strain on the pedicel, like in the spider not being able to lift her butt and getting drag injuries and I have even seen permanent weakening of the pedicell in excessively fat spiders...

A fat tarantula is also more vulnerable to fall injuries.

 

[Vanisher]

Could be eggs developing!? Tarantulas as you know sometimes lay Phantom sacs, so maybe that is what going on! It looks way to fat for the cause of feeding it 1 superworm a week!

 

[Rappy]

This is all awesome feedback! Thanks everyone.

I will wait a few weeks to feed her and then I will feed her maybe once every 3 weeks.

She’s the only T I have and I doubt that she had a sack. Maybe a phantom one if those can occur like this.

I think this lengthened her molt cycle, last year she molted in January.

Actually, I’m curious if her molt cycle last year was normal for a LP . It went like this:

Got her in September 2017, molted st beginning of January, then molted again In the middle of August. She hasn’t molted since.

 

[weibkreux]

Got her in September 2017, molted st beginning of January, then molted again In the middle of August. She hasn’t molted since.

How big is she? As a T grow larger, the molt cycle goes longer. Temperature can also be a factor, hotter temps can make a T molt more frequently.

 

[Rappy]

I haven't measured her yet, but I estimate she is around 4 inches. I will rehouse her this week and I'll take this chance to measure her. As for temperature, my room has an average of 70 (22 C) degrees F.