G. rosea moulting on her front

[cold blood]

That t is probably closer to or over 20...its definitely a lot older than 6...lol.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Before entering into this debate, I have to say that I envy those users able to add those lovely and quite 'exotic' emoji/smileys/whatever, in their comments.

Probably there's a new kind of Massachussets witchcraft technology I'm not aware of

 

[Ellenantula]

Before entering into this debate, I have to say that I envy those users able to add those lovely and quite 'exotic' emoji/smileys/whatever, in their comments.

Probably there's a new kind of Massachussets witchcraft technology I'm not aware of

Must be. I can't see a way to use font-based smileys here.
(Only copy and paste works, but I don't know why it works if the fonts aren't supported here)

 

[AraneaPulchra]

SHE MADE IT!!!!!

So, so happy! Will post a pic in a minute.

Re: the smiley, that's weird. I'm posting from my iPhone and so it is just a standard 'sadface' smiley from my point of view, rather than a text-based one.

I really appreciate all your help and info. This is a very supportive place!

Regarding the plastic mesh lid to the tank, is this a problem? It does mean the tank is quite dry. But the other plastic one we had kept getting full of condensation and mould kept growing on the substrate. We drilled more holes in the plastic tank but it didn't really help.

If the mesh is no good, anyone have a link to a really good home for a tarantula?

Thank you all again!

 

[AraneaPulchra]

Here she is:

 

[AraneaPulchra]

That t is probably closer to or over 20...its definitely a lot older than 6...lol.

Really??! Is that based on her size?

 

[Andrea82]

Really??! Is that based on her size?

This is a species that grows really slowly. They take two years just to get to 3 cm legspan
It is also one of the longest living species, getting over two decades old if cared for properly. Your son will have her for a looooong time

Mesh lids can be a problem because of the little tarsal claws at the end of their 'feet'. They use these for holding on, and they can get stuck in the fine woven mesh. Also, a determined spider can chew their way through it.

Easiest way to solve it is to buy a piece of acrylic and drill holes in it.
You could also consider to house her in a Kritter Keeper. Or in a plastic storage box that is modified for ventilation

Good to read she got out okay. I'd replace those crystals with water asap, she'll need a good drink when she's hardened up enough to walk around. I'd stop feeding her for at least two weeks so her fangs are hardened up enough as well.

G.rosea/porteri are notorious for fasting for long periods. But if you feed sparingly you can prevent that period from going to years long.

 

[AraneaPulchra]

This is a species that grows really slowly. They take two years just to get to 3 cm legspan
It is also one of the longest living species, getting over two decades old if cared for properly. Your son will have her for a looooong time

Mesh lids can be a problem because of the little tarsal claws at the end of their 'feet'. They use these for holding on, and they can get stuck in the fine woven mesh. Also, a determined spider can chew their way through it.

Easiest way to solve it is to buy a piece of acrylic and drill holes in it.
You could also consider to house her in a Kritter Keeper. Or in a plastic storage box that is modified for ventilation

Good to read she got out okay. I'd replace those crystals with water asap, she'll need a good drink when she's hardened up enough to walk around. I'd stop feeding her for at least two weeks so her fangs are hardened up enough as well.

G.rosea/porteri are notorious for fasting for long periods. But if you feed sparingly you can prevent that period from going to years long.

Thank you so much for the info. Isn't possible she could get caught in the kritter keeper too? I hadn't considered the mesh being a danger, so I'll move her next week and hope she doesn't hurt herself in the meantime. Do you think I ought to move out the bit of driftwood that's in with her, as she can currently use that to reach the mesh? Then she'll only have her water bowl and substrate, but no place to hide within her enclosure (although the enclosure itself is in a fairly dark, snug space in a bookcase). Might be safer though. Don't want her to damage herself after all she's been through!

Also, if she's already nearly 20 doesn't this mean she only has a few more years, though?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

You could also consider to house her in a Kritter Keeper.

While they are a lot safer than terrestrial enclosures with mesh lids, I wouldn't say they are without risk.

My L. difficilis snapped one of her fangs off trying to chew through the lid vents, it almost completely regenerated when she moulted yesterday but I only noticed that she'd broke one when she flipped over.

Thank you so much for the info. Isn't possible she could get caught in the kritter keeper too?

The vents are too large for a Tarantula to get their tarsal claws stuck in them.

As you can see above, the only risk they pose is that a Tarantula might try to gnaw on the vents and snap a fang but she's been the only one to do this out of 15 Tarantulas housed in kritter keepers (or similar enclosures).

I'm not sure if anyone else has ever had this happen but I'm known for getting oddball Tarantulas (e.g. my B. hamorii is evil, my P. cambridgei is a ghost, my P. irminia is pretty docile) so that'd probably explain it.

 

[AraneaPulchra]

Thank you, that's really helpful. I'm off to buy a new enclosure!

Erm, any more help on offer? (Sorry) Is she definitely a 'she'? Having looked at the moult, I can't find an obvious flap between the first pair of book lungs from the inside. But when I lift up the abdomen and look from below there does seem to be something (but not sure it's anything that marks her out as female).

 

[AraneaPulchra]

Oops, here's the other pic.

 

[AraneaPulchra]

She's gone a beautiful colour!

 

[boina]

That is a very beautiful G. porteri and it's definitely a female. The flap is a bit hard to see in the first pic because it's stuck to the rest of the exuvia and still moist and dark, but it's definitely there.
There's no telling how old she really is except the 6 years is not a very realistic estimate - she looks too big for that. I'd say anywhere between 10 and 25 . If you get this species as an adult you can only wait and see - she still may have 20 more years to go

 

[darkness975]

Erm, any more help on offer?

Yes. Now that you have fresh water for her (more critical now than ever because she just molted) you might want to buy a pack of 2 ounce souffle cups. I keep two in my Terrestrial species Enclosures, one on top of the other. The one below acts as the place holder in the substrate and the one on top is the dish. I swap it out when it gets dirty. A pack of 500 is like $3.00 at Wal Mart. Makes watering so much easier.

In addition to everything everyone else has said about the lid and everything, the distance from the substrate to the top of the Enclosure should not be more than 1.5 times the diagonal leg span of the Spider. If it is more than that and she climbs up and falls (which will happen, they climb randomly) it could cause irreparable damage to her insides. Give her time to harden up post molt and then you might want to add more substrate if it is a bit short.

Here is how I set up my terrestrial species that are in Kritter Keepers (including my G. porteri like yours). The simpler the better.
[/GALLERY]

G. porteri

• darkness975
• Oct 10, 2016
• 3

B. hamorii

• darkness975
• Oct 10, 2016
• 4

Irene 1

• darkness975
• Apr 27, 2017

G. porteri Drinking

• darkness975
• Apr 10, 2017

 

[Andrea82]

While they are a lot safer than terrestrial enclosures with mesh lids, I wouldn't say they are without risk.

My L. difficilis snapped one of her fangs off trying to chew through the lid vents, it almost completely regenerated when she moulted yesterday but I only noticed that she'd broke one when she flipped over.

View attachment 249985 View attachment 249986



The vents are too large for a Tarantula to get their tarsal claws stuck in them.

As you can see above, the only risk they pose is that a Tarantula might try to gnaw on the vents and snap a fang but she's been the only one to do this out of 15 Tarantulas housed in kritter keepers (or similar enclosures).

I'm not sure if anyone else has ever had this happen but I'm known for getting oddball Tarantulas (e.g. my B. hamorii is evil, my P. cambridgei is a ghost, my P. irminia is pretty docile) so that'd probably explain it.

Holy moly...I had no idea that could happen...thanks for the heads up!

@AraneaPulchra
I'd leave everything be for a few days, she won't be climbing soon since she needs to hardened up first. Just top off her waterdish and leave her be is all she needs.
Beautiful spider

 

[cold blood]

Really??! Is that based on her size?

size and their slow growth rate.

Thank you so much for the info. Isn't possible she could get caught in the kritter keeper too?

Also, if she's already nearly 20 doesn't this mean she only has a few more years, though?

yes, as mentioned, i have also had to remove ts from kks because of snapped off fangs.

This species gets old....when i got mine i estimated she was probably 15 to 20ish because she was full grown and molting on a long 5 year cycle....that was 18 years ago i got her...shes still with me and going strong.

Resized952017031195213608

• cold blood
• Mar 11, 2017
• 3

G. potato eating a roach.

While they are a lot safer than terrestrial enclosures with mesh lids, I wouldn't say they are without risk.

My L. difficilis snapped one of her fangs off trying to chew through the lid vents, it almost completely regenerated when she moulted yesterday but I only noticed that she'd broke one when she flipped over.

View attachment 249985 View attachment 249986



The vents are too large for a Tarantula to get their tarsal claws stuck in them.

As you can see above, the only risk they pose is that a Tarantula might try to gnaw on the vents and snap a fang but she's been the only one to do this out of 15 Tarantulas housed in kritter keepers (or similar enclosures).

I'm not sure if anyone else has ever had this happen but I'm known for getting oddball Tarantulas (e.g. my B. hamorii is evil, my P. cambridgei is a ghost, my P. irminia is pretty docile) so that'd probably explain it.

yep, your not alone.

Op, just replace the top with acrylic or plexi....hardware stores will cut it for you and drilling ventilation is pretty easy.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Holy moly...I had no idea that could happen...thanks for the heads up!

No worries.

The scratches don't show up that well (I had to play with the brightness and clarity to get them visible) but she's tried gnawing her way out on both sides at the front of hers, I might move her to a 6.5 gallon tank with an acrylic lid soon as I don't want a repeat.

 

[AraneaPulchra]

No worries.

The scratches don't show up that well (I had to play with the brightness and clarity to get them visible) but she's tried gnawing her way out on both sides at the front of hers, I might move her to a 6.5 gallon tank with an acrylic lid soon as I don't want a repeat.

View attachment 250005

Wow! Can't believe that she managed to scratch into the plastic like that. To be honest, I can't imagine mine doing anything like that - most of the time she does pretty much nothing!

Although maybe that'll change now she's moulted.

My son is beyond thrilled she's okay. He's even sung a version of Queen's We are the Champions to her - "You are a champion, my frie-e-end, and you'll keep on moulting till the end..."

 

[AraneaPulchra]

That is a very beautiful G. porteri and it's definitely a female. The flap is a bit hard to see in the first pic because it's stuck to the rest of the exuvia and still moist and dark, but it's definitely there.
There's no telling how old she really is except the 6 years is not a very realistic estimate - she looks too big for that. I'd say anywhere between 10 and 25 . If you get this species as an adult you can only wait and see - she still may have 20 more years to go

Thank you - very glad she's a female and will hopefully last a long time!

 

[keks]

Wow! Can't believe that she managed to scratch into the plastic like that. To be honest, I can't imagine mine doing anything like that - most of the time she does pretty much nothing!

Although maybe that'll change now she's moulted.

My son is beyond thrilled she's okay. He's even sung a version of Queen's We are the Champions to her - "You are a champion, my frie-e-end, and you'll keep on moulting till the end..."

Your son is great! I love children who loves their pets, the more when it is one they can't cuddle^^.

Congrats to the successfully molt .