G. pulchripes eating weirdly.

[Uial]

Hey, so, my G. pulchripes sometimes eats things in a strange way. She will bite the prey item and will do a happy dance with it. Then she will drop the prey. She will web over it, till it's completely covered in web. Then she will pick it back up and eat it. She's done this with big and small prey. Does anyone know why she does this? I'm not really worrying, just wondering what the purpose could be?

 

[viper69]

What data do you have that supports your characterization that this feeding habit is weird or out of the ordinary? Have you observed other tarantulas eat based on your question? If you haven't, then you cannot with any certainty characterize said behavior as weird, or normal or...

I suggest you read up on Ts first- your Ts life depends on your level of interest here. This question has been asked "billions" of times here.

There is nothing wrong or weird w/your T.

 

[Uial]

None of my other T's have done this. They don't let the prey go after grabbing it. I have used the search function and have found no threats with explanations as to why T's do this or that many do this. I have read people suggest that T's web while eating (happy dance) to make it more hygienic or deter predators or to make it harder for the prey to escape. I have read of T's letting go of prey to let the venom do it's thing when the prey was struggling too much, or of T webbing over their prey to eat later, but since the small cricket was very dead, and she ate it right away, that does not seem to apply. I was just wondering if anyone could pitch in with a theory on what the benefit for the T would be.

Never mind, logical thinking kicked in eventually. It's cause the venom needs time to liquefy the cricket and the web is so it doesn't dissolve in that time, I would assume, or keep it safe from ants? Still don't know why she's the only one doing it though. It seems beneficial and everyone else just keeps their fangs in the prey at all times or kind of squishes it with the fangs.

 

[Theneil]

It is most likely just a method used to help hold the item together better as it is digested.

 

[Vanisher]

Hey, so, my G. pulchripes sometimes eats things in a strange way. She will bite the prey item and will do a happy dance with it. Then she will drop the prey. She will web over it, till it's completely covered in web. Then she will pick it back up and eat it. She's done this with big and small prey. Does anyone know why she does this? I'm not really worrying, just wondering what the purpose could be?

This is a pretty normal way

 

[vancwa]

Your T wanted a Burrito.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

She will bite the prey item and will do a happy dance with it. Then she will drop the prey. She will web over it, till it's completely covered in web. Then she will pick it back up and eat it. She's done this with big and small prey. Does anyone know why she does this?

That's how tarantulas eat.

It's cause the venom needs time to liquefy the cricket

The purpose of tarantula venom is to subdue prey, it actually plays very little (if any) part in digestion, digestion is carried out by the tarantula regurgitating digestive fluid onto the prey and then mashing it up with their chelicerae.

Webbing stops everything from falling apart in the process.

 

[Paul Osullivan]

Hey, so, my G. pulchripes sometimes eats things in a strange way. She will bite the prey item and will do a happy dance with it. Then she will drop the prey. She will web over it, till it's completely covered in web. Then she will pick it back up and eat it. She's done this with big and small prey. Does anyone know why she does this? I'm not really worrying, just wondering what the purpose could be?

Yup, my G. Rosea did this too!