G. Pulchripes sling, when to expect a molt

[tybaltPOC]

I adopted a Grammostola Pulchripes (her name is Chihiro, ain't she adorable?) at the end of November 2024. She eats well and seems to be healthy; maybe about 1/2" right now. I was just wondering about how often they molt, just so I know what to expect. Today is 1/10/2025, and still no molt. I read up online that G. Pulchripes grows slowly, but couldn't find straight answer as far as a timeframe. Maybe I'm just overthinking this because this is my first baby T.

I'm aware that you can't tell the gender at this age, I'm just being optimistic

 

[TheraMygale]

My three molted almost once a month when i had them that size. It was early spring. Last molt was late fall.

they are well over an inch now and its not going anywhere. Could take much longer.

they tend to molt faster when small. But its all relative to environment and feedings. They slow down quickly after that.

your tarantula isnt ready to molt yet. But its going to happen eventualy. Just dont overfeed it.

 

[tybaltPOC]

So, I've been feeding her 2/week. Do you recommend more? She's been eating pin crickets and shows no mercy when I put them in there.

 

[TheraMygale]

So, I've been feeding her 2/week. Do you recommend more? She's been eating pin crickets and shows no mercy when I put them in there.

thats fine. Some people do that and more because they are afraid their tarantula is fragile and to get it to grow quickly.

i dont think its necessary: g pulchripes will always be slow growers. So powerfeeding a sling isnt going to get you a giant tarantula in a year.

pinheads are excellent. Its the right size. Its better to go small more often then big.

once it shows no more food interest, you wait. Try a prekill a week later.

once i was feeding mine once every two weeks. Small pinheads or just a tint bit bigger because i couldnt get pinheads.

my g pulchripes are really healthy and sturdy. I dont feed them much when i notice they are over 1.5x the carapace size.

you can also give small mealworms if you have access to them. Just cut off the head.



this is too fat to my liking. One of my three. Was about a 1/3 inch in march

Worse is, i dont even feed it that much. Been off of food for over 3 weeks now. It took a piece of mealworm. And it was a tiny piece. This spider is getting ready to slow down.

 

[A guy]

I adopted a Grammostola Pulchripes (her name is Chihiro, ain't she adorable?) at the end of November 2024. She eats well and seems to be healthy; maybe about 1/2" right now. I was just wondering about how often they molt, just so I know what to expect. Today is 1/10/2025, and still no molt. I read up online that G. Pulchripes grows slowly, but couldn't find straight answer as far as a timeframe. Maybe I'm just overthinking this because this is my first baby T.

I'm aware that you can't tell the gender at this age, I'm just being optimistic

They molt when they're ready. No one can say when exactly.

 

[tybaltPOC]

Understood. I appreciate the advice. I suppose I'm just fretting because she's a baby. We had rosehairs growing up, but we always got them as adults, as rescues. After we got them back to good health, they were pretty sturdy.

They molt when they're ready. No one can say when exactly.

I guess this probably gets asked alot, or at least something similar.

 

[TheraMygale]

Understood. I appreciate the advice. I suppose I'm just fretting because she's a baby. We had rosehairs growing up, but we always got them as adults, as rescues. After we got them back to good health, they were pretty sturdy.

Its ok. Thats what you need to let go of. Its not that much of a baby. Its a g pulchripes spiderling. And this species, has adapted to so much. It has been around in captivity for ages now.

its hard to make mistakes with this one, if you did your research well. If you had rosies in the past, this is a piece of cake.

dont smother it like we smother babies. Thats the key to success.

i dont have as much experience as most people on these boards. But before i got my tarantulas, i was lurking on arachnoboards. I read everything i could. Im still searching the gold mine.

my approach was the stereotypical dad vibe. I was not overprotective: i was throwing the kids in the pool style. Metaphor of course.

i decided to do everything differently, in a way. I didnt want to rush them out of sling phase. I kept some tiny moisture. I didnt panic when they stopped eating. If they buried themselves up, id dig it up, sometimes. Just to investigate.

i wanted to do my own thing. And assume my mistakes. So far, my mistakes have only have positive outcomes.

i like to follow my own instinct. Develop my own confidence.

youve had adult rosies before. Probably in bad shape and perhaps, psycho rosies. This g pulchripes spiderling is a diamond in the rough.

if its Chihiro as in Ghibili studios, @tybaltPOC, the better. Insert cute totoro emoji

 

[viper69]

As often as you feed water and have proper temps

 

[tybaltPOC]

if its Chihiro as in Ghibili studios, @tybaltPOC, the better. Insert cute totoro emoji

So, I figured if she is actually a girl, then it would be Chihiro from Ghibili, and if it's a male then it would be Chihiro from Danganronpa. Preparing for either-or.

 

[TheraMygale]

So, I figured if she is actually a girl, then it would be Chihiro from Ghibili, and if it's a male then it would be Chihiro from Danganronpa. Preparing for either-or.

Its going to be a long ride anyways. Thats the magic of g pulchripes.

my hopes for you is female of course. But the second you know its male, if it is, keep enclosure small. It will live longer if it spends less energy being in heat 24/7.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

I adopted a Grammostola Pulchripes (her name is Chihiro, ain't she adorable?) at the end of November 2024. She eats well and seems to be healthy; maybe about 1/2" right now. I was just wondering about how often they molt, just so I know what to expect. Today is 1/10/2025, and still no molt. I read up online that G. Pulchripes grows slowly, but couldn't find straight answer as far as a timeframe. Maybe I'm just overthinking this because this is my first baby T.

I'm aware that you can't tell the gender at this age, I'm just being optimistic

Varies so much I have 2 just now that I've had from tiny slings and both have always been kept side by side and fed together and such and one is nearly half an inch bigger and has moulted 2 time more than the other.

 

[Brewser]

Welcome Grammostola pulchripes / Chihiro, to the Neighborhood.
Congratulations on your Adoption.
Provide essentials, Sit back and enjoy the journey together.
Patience, no hurry, no worry.

 

[tybaltPOC]

It's sorta funny, because I went to feed her after posting this and she didn't kill it immediately like she has been. Maybe getting ready to molt? I'll post updates.

 

[TheraMygale]

You never know.

thats the fun of it. There is a challenge in patience. It also creates excitement. But that can quickly change to worry, when a week becomes a month… months.

if you ever suspect a premolt, you can not go wrong with a prekilled. After that, its all about time and calibration.