Curlyhair question.

[Damnathius]

I am wondering why my B. albopilosum has a very grey looking abdomen, and why is it so massive looking? It looks as if it would pop if squeezed. Not that I would squeeze it, but it just looks that way.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[stu]

could be many things really

how old/big is the little fella? Ive seen pics of s'lings that look more like ticks than T's.

Maybe he is just full? maybe premolt? maybe he is a she and gravid?

post some pics - I know a couple of people on here love the big-butt T's

plus a pic might help answer your question.

Stu.

 

[RugbyDave]

my little ones look insanely massive too.

no worries.

what are you feeding your T? How big is it?

pce
dave

 

[Damnathius]

Unfortunately she is quite shy, and I only catch her out of her hide in the early morning. Any movement of the lid to take a pic and she is back inside.

She is 5 1/2"+, but I don't know how old she is. She moulted in February, but her butt has gotten VERY big since then.

Okay, I very carefully lifted her clay pot out of the cage, and she just stayed put for a few pics. Set the pot back over her... Stayed put. The green circle in the pic is 6", so I'm pretty sure she'd measure 5 1/2" splayed out. She also has this bald spot behind her left rear leg that she has had for about 3 months.

 

[Damnathius]

Oh, I feed her only crickets.

 

[Damnathius]

Anyone?

 

[NightCrawler]

How often do you feed and how many crix?

 

[Damnathius]

I feed her an average of 7 to 10 small (1/2" to 3/4") crickets a week.

 

[NightCrawler]

My bet then would be that she's just fat

 

[Damnathius]

Thanks NC... I suspected that.

 

[Joy]

My experience is that all B. albopilosum females will get extremely plump if given half a chance. They are naturally a rather rotund spider

The bald spot just means she saw fit at some point to use some of her arsenal of urticating hairs and is nothing to worry about. When she molts it will disappear, and in the meantime it will give you a visual cue when molting is imminent. IME, the skin on the bald patch will usually darken 1-2 weeks prior to molting.

Joy

 

[Damnathius]

Joy, the location of the bald "streak" seemed a bit off to me to be a bald spot from flicking hairs, and it is just on one side. But I'm new to this, so I don't know.

Your Curly looks rather plump as well... Cool looking spider.

 

[dennis]

Originally posted by Damnathius
Your Curly looks rather plump as well...

All Joy's spiders do ....


Dennis

 

[Botar]

Originally posted by Damnathius
...very grey looking ... It looks as if it would pop if squeezed.

Thanks,

Dave

Same thing happened to me as I got older. I dare to say there is nothing unusual about her appearance, but on a side note, you've made me feel better.

Botar

 

[Nixy]

Our larger curly is getting to be a plump butt.
It Eats, and eats and eats, and plays with its food alot....
Literaly..
I drop a super worm in, which seems to be her favorite, and even if she doesn't pounce and munch right away, she steps back, waits for it to start burrowing, then digs it up, flips it around a bit, then steps back and watches it start burrowing again and repeats the dig up and flip. I have watched her bat a super worm around her enclosier for an hour before getting seemingly bored, go about grooming then play pet rock. She's about two and a half inches. And a pure Doll.
But between her and the other sling curlies we have. Yep, a respctable rump seems to be the usual.
Yours is a pertiful little dear by the looks too.
I wouldn't worry about the off to the side bald spot. Our smithi has a few cresent spots like that one her sides from flicking while I'm working in her tank. It Seems. That the lazier flicks are side sweeps, and the all for the mark " I'm gonna hair you to death!" flicks are more on center.
Least as I have observed with ours.

 

[Damnathius]

Botar, I'm glad to have been of service.

Nixy, I wish mine would do SOMETHING besides sit in her hide and wait for the hapless crickets to wander into her maw.