BAM! Wait, crap...BA-nope, another miss......BAAAM!!!

[GPulchra]

My probably pretty premolt Pulchra (abdomen top is black, around is dark grey, everything else is dark brown, and bottom is light brown) has acted strange since its last feeding. It had been out of its hide in the in the hunting position, so I decided to feed it a cricket. The cricket was normal size, not too big, not too small, but the Pulchra couldn't catch it. It pounced, but let go and the cricket got a way. Same happened the second time, but third time it caught the cricket. Is this a sign of something?

 

[popcangenie]

ummm i have never had a T miss but maybe its just being sluggish because of premolt? just an idea

 

[GPulchra]

ummm i have never had a T miss but maybe its just being sluggish because of premolt? just an idea

At first, I thought that was the case. But why would it even accept the food, then?

 

[Scoolman]

Mine have missed, and have released after a successful catch. Not to worry. The pulchra slings are very obvious when they go into heavy pre-molt. Very plump and dark abdomen.

 

[GPulchra]

Mine have missed, and have released after a successful catch. Not to worry. The pulchra slings are very obvious when they go into heavy pre-molt. Very plump and dark abdomen.

Opisthosoma's top is black, around the black circle is dark grey like a dart board, everything else on the top of the opisthosoma is dark brown, and the Pulchra's underside is light brown. I'm assuming that the black circle is a bald spot that is darkened due to the upcoming molt that will make the Pulchra jet-black, the gray part is like a flashing light saying premolt, and the rest just means "not quite ready to molt". What angers me is that my Pulchra is morbidly obese (regardless of the plump abdomen/opisthosoma due to premolt) compared to my Versi which I barely feed and hasn't accepted food for the past week because it molted yesterday. Although, my Pulchra molted before the Versi last time.

 

[Scoolman]

What angers me is that my Pulchra is morbidly obese (regardless of the plump abdomen/opisthosoma due to premolt) compared to my Versi which I barely feed and hasn't accepted food for the past week because it molted yesterday. Although, my Pulchra molted before the Versi last time.

The only way I ever got a thin pulchra was to nearly starve them, and some times after a molt. If they are fed, even moderately, they seem to just plump right up.

 

[GPulchra]

The only way I ever got a thin pulchra was to nearly starve them, and some times after a molt. If they are fed, even moderately, they seem to just plump right up.

I was scared because at one point when I was feeding mine every 3 days, it looked like Fran's T. Blondi. I stopped feeding it for a bit, and it still looks VERY overfed, but it kept wanting more food. *shakes enclosure* YOU ARE NOT A LP!!!

 

[Scoolman]

I was scared because at one point when I was feeding mine every 3 days, it looked like Fran's T. Blondi. I stopped feeding it for a bit, and it still looks VERY overfed, but it kept wanting more food. *shakes enclosure* YOU ARE NOT A LP!!!

Ha ha ha. Should be fine. IMO the slings need the energy for string growth, so I feed regularly. In a few years I will be able to prove or disprove this hypothesis with careful study and records.

 

[GPulchra]

Ha ha ha. Should be fine. IMO the slings need the energy for string growth, so I feed regularly. In a few years I will be able to prove or disprove this hypothesis with careful study and records.

I'm worried that I may be gutloading my new Dubias too much. It definitely wasn't a good idea to get them. That's besides the point, though. My point is that maybe I'm feeding the Pulchra overfed crickets/Dubias. A person (PA) can fill up on more carrots than a person (PB) who fills up on pure bread without getting as chubby. If they both had slow metabolisms and went on steady diets with the 1 same food given (carrots for PA and bread for PB), PB would become very overweight compared to PA (and will get constipated).

 

[LirvA]

I think I need to eat more carrots

 

[Scoolman]

I think I woudl agree with that statement, Snow. I try to give my Hissers a higher veg diet than potien.

 

[Bill S]

My probably pretty premolt Pulchra (abdomen top is black, around is dark grey, everything else is dark brown, and bottom is light brown) has acted strange since its last feeding. It had been out of its hide in the in the hunting position, so I decided to feed it a cricket. The cricket was normal size, not too big, not too small, but the Pulchra couldn't catch it. It pounced, but let go and the cricket got a way. Same happened the second time, but third time it caught the cricket. Is this a sign of something?

Since the spider is coming into pre-molt, it ptobably doesn't want to eat, and doesn't want the cricket around. What you mistook for feeding attempts were probably threats to scare the cricket away. In the end it probably figured killing the cricket was the easiest way to get rid of it.

I see "false attacks" from pre-molts every once in a while, and sometimes from spiders that are simply well fed and don't want to eat right now. When I see this, I remove the cricket and refrain from feeding for a while.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

Since the spider is coming into pre-molt, it ptobably doesn't want to eat, and doesn't want the cricket around. What you mistook for feeding attempts were probably threats to scare the cricket away. In the end it probably figured killing the cricket was the easiest way to get rid of it.

I see "false attacks" from pre-molts every once in a while, and sometimes from spiders that are simply well fed and don't want to eat right now. When I see this, I remove the cricket and refrain from feeding for a while.

+1 You beat me to it.

 

[2oCHEVYo0]

I'd say don't feed it for awhile... But if it turns into a raisen, that would be too long.

 

[Vespula]

I've seen my t's miss sometimes. your's was probably just trying to get rid of the cricket.