G. pulchripes

[Paiige]

Alright, so I have a little 1.5" G. pulchripes that I got the day before Christmas. It was out and about for a few days, ate one dubia and then sealed off its burrow with a big ol' pile of dirt the next day. I assumed an incoming molt, even though it didn't look particularly plump or have any darkness to its abdomen.

It's been about six weeks now, and I can see it moving around from the other side of the burrow. No molt yet, and the abdomen is looking a little small. I've increased her humidity a tiny bit and make sure to keep filling her water dish. I want to try to feed her in case she's just wasting away in there, but I also don't want to disturb her if she is thinking about molting - there's a tiny hole at the top of her dirt pile that leads into her burrow and I just know that a pesky cricket would find its way in. Assuming she isn't hungry, I don't want to dig her out to remove the cricket.

I've done some reading and it seems like these guys like to seal themselves in weeks before a molt and then sometimes don't come out for weeks later...I'm just torn now with what to do. Any advice?

I may also just be going crazy because literally all my Ts are fasting/in premolt and no one is doing anything

 

[KezyGLA]

I would usually say leave it be, though if the abdomen is noticably smaller there is no harm in digging her out.

I once had a small juvenile G. pulchra that I hadnt seen in a very long time. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened her burrow for a better look. I saw a very lethargic T with very small abdomen next to an exuviae. I thought I was wise to intervene. I thought maybe she didnt have the strength to dig herself out.

At the end of the day as long as your T isnt flipped and in the process of moulting then I wouldnt hesitate. If all is well your T will block up the burrow again, simple.

 

[Paiige]

I would usually say leave it be, though if the abdomen is noticably smaller there is no harm in digging her out.
I once had a small juvenile G. pulchra that I hadnt seen in a very long time. Curiosity got the better of me and I opened her burrow for a better look. I saw a very lethargic T with very small abdomen next to an exuviae. I thought I was wise to intervene. I thought maybe she didnt have the strength to dig herself out.
At the end of the day as long as your T isnt flipped and in the process of moulting then I wouldnt hesitate. If all is well your T will block up the burrow again, simple.

How long would you consider "a long time"?

 

[KezyGLA]

I went on the size of my specimen and growth rate. She was 2.5 inch and I didnt see her in over 3 months. Pulchra are slow growers I know but as she was small I thought it wasnt right.

Edit: I couldnt see into her burrow which made me a little more paranoid.

 

[Paiige]

Okay. I'll see how she's looking tonight and figure out a game plan from there, thanks for the help. If she were nice and plump I wouldn't even consider trying anything but she's awfully tiny and I'd have thought she would have molted by now, considering her size.

 

[gypsy cola]

G.pulchripes annoy me as slings, They will show signs of a pre-molt and still accept food.

If you want to feed the spider, I say pre-kill the cricket or mortally wound it. They will scavenge.

 

[Paiige]

G.pulchripes annoy me as slings, They will show signs of a pre-molt and still accept food.
If you want to feed the spider, I say pre-kill the cricket or mortally wound it. They will scavenge.

But is she going to know it's there if I kill it and drop it at the entrance? She doesn't move around much, is basically just spinning in circles from what I can see. I'm pretty sure she's stupid. Prior to burying herself she thought she was arboreal.

 

[Kendricks]

I'd say leave her be, your own research kinda suggested that already and tarantulas do tarantula things, I wouldn't worry, unless she gets 'really' meager.
From the sound it, you're just experiencing the normal "I love my spider" paranoia and over-think/worry things, though all is fine, most likely.

Edit: Your T isn't stupid - just "special".

 

[Andrea82]

If she comes out for a drink at night, she'll find the the dead cricket. You can check if she comes out for a drink by cleaning the waterdish and fill it so there are no traces of substrate in it. If you find substrate in it the next day,
you'll know if she is coming out.

But if you're worried and her abdomen is small you could carefully dig her out.

 

[Moakmeister]

Alright, so I have a little 1.5" G. pulchripes that I got the day before Christmas. It was out and about for a few days, ate one dubia and then sealed off its burrow with a big ol' pile of dirt the next day. I assumed an incoming molt, even though it didn't look particularly plump or have any darkness to its abdomen.

It's been about six weeks now, and I can see it moving around from the other side of the burrow. No molt yet, and the abdomen is looking a little small. I've increased her humidity a tiny bit and make sure to keep filling her water dish. I want to try to feed her in case she's just wasting away in there, but I also don't want to disturb her if she is thinking about molting - there's a tiny hole at the top of her dirt pile that leads into her burrow and I just know that a pesky cricket would find its way in. Assuming she isn't hungry, I don't want to dig her out to remove the cricket.

I've done some reading and it seems like these guys like to seal themselves in weeks before a molt and then sometimes don't come out for weeks later...I'm just torn now with what to do. Any advice?

I may also just be going crazy because literally all my Ts are fasting/in premolt and no one is doing anything

My little girl sealed herself in her hide but she wasn't in premolt - nowhere near it. It was because her enclosure was too big. I relocated her to a more appropriate enclosure, and fed her and she gobbled it down. She's in premolt right now, but it's been well over a month since her rehouse. I would get her a smaller enclosure. I remember your picture in the gallery of her sealed burrow. Looked like mine.

 

[gypsy cola]

My little girl sealed herself in her hide but she wasn't in premolt - nowhere near it. It was because her enclosure was too big. I relocated her to a more appropriate enclosure, and fed her and she gobbled it down. She's in premolt right now, but it's been well over a month since her rehouse. I would get her a smaller enclosure. I remember your picture in the gallery of her sealed burrow. Looked like mine.

My b.abiloposum will occasionally seal itself off for a few weeks at a time, come out and not even molt. I have even seen it attack food through it's substrate

 

[nicodimus22]

My G. pulchripes went on an 8-month fast last year. Six weeks is nothing to worry about.

 

[Paiige]

Edit: Your T isn't stupid - just "special".

That sounds about right.

If she comes out for a drink at night, she'll find the the dead cricket. You can check if she comes out for a drink by cleaning the waterdish and fill it so there are no traces of substrate in it. If you find substrate in it the next day,
you'll know if she is coming out..

That is brilliant, I never would have thought of that. She's definitely not coming out at night though, her bowl is pristine. But I will keep this in mind in the future!

My little girl sealed herself in her hide but she wasn't in premolt - nowhere near it. It was because her enclosure was too big. I relocated her to a more appropriate enclosure, and fed her and she gobbled it down. She's in premolt right now, but it's been well over a month since her rehouse. I would get her a smaller enclosure. I remember your picture in the gallery of her sealed burrow. Looked like mine.

I think you may be right on the money with this one.
She doesn't have much floor space, but it's definitely a taller enclosure than what she needs. It's what she came in so I decided to just leave her in it to give her time to adjust but then she sealed herself off, so.
I was assuming premolt because she did it right after eating. Does yours get super plump before a molt?
I've been eyeballing her enclosure for another T of mine too...

 

[Moakmeister]

I think you may be right on the money with this one.
She doesn't have much floor space, but it's definitely a taller enclosure than what she needs. It's what she came in so I decided to just leave her in it to give her time to adjust but then she sealed herself off, so.
I was assuming premolt because she did it right after eating. Does yours get super plump before a molt?
I've been eyeballing her enclosure for another T of mine too...[/QUOTE]
Well I've had mine for less time than you've had yours, AND it's my first tarantula, so I have zero experience with molts. But the first and currently only time I fed her, it was a big chubby mealworm and her abdomen got HUGE. That was in the middle of January and she hasn't eaten since. I didn't want her to be obese. She did go into premolt a few weeks later and will probably molt in a few days.

 

[Paiige]

What size container do you have her in?

 

[Moakmeister]

What size container do you have her in?

A container that's supposedly 12 ounces, but it's the same exact size as a tupperware container I have that's labeled 16 oz.

 

[Rittdk01]

Leave it alone. I have two little ones. One stayed out and molted, the other ate and burrowed for a few weeks. That one came out one day and ate until it looked ready to burst (which currently does in premolt). Just keep water in there and maybe spray a bit on the sub for a little humidity.

 

[Paiige]

Leave it alone. I have two little ones. One stayed out and molted, the other ate and burrowed for a few weeks. That one came out one day and ate until it looked ready to burst (which currently does in premolt). Just keep water in there and maybe spray a bit on the sub for a little humidity.

I think I'm going to try leaving a dead/maimed cricket outside her burrow tonight to see if she's hungry and will go from there

 

[Trenor]

But is she going to know it's there if I kill it and drop it at the entrance? She doesn't move around much, is basically just spinning in circles from what I can see. I'm pretty sure she's stupid. Prior to burying herself she thought she was arboreal.

I've had sling find and scavenge pre-killed dubias regularly even without heavy webbing. When you crush the head of a dubia (or a lot of other feeder insects) they give off a danger/distressed scent. I think this helps the T find them a lot easier. I'd try that if you're worried.

When mine were really small they burrowed a lot. Now that they are bigger in the same enclosure they rarely do. I'm curious how they will behave once they are moved to the shoe boxes which are a lot bigger.

 

[Rittdk01]

I think I'm going to try leaving a dead/maimed cricket outside her burrow tonight to see if she's hungry and will go from there

Yea, that can't hurt.