Grammostola-Pulchripes Questions

[SpiderFriend14]

Hey everyone, I’ve decided that I’m picking up a grammostola-pulchripes but have a few questions that I’d like to have answered, so thanks for any responses. All opinions are valued
1. What substrate is best for this species and should I change as it moves away from digging as it ages?
2. I’m getting one at 1/2 an inch, should I start with an 8 or 16 oz container?
3. Im going to start feeding with crickets, so how many and what size per week, especially at the beginning?
4. Finally, are there any warning signs I should look out for?
Thanks for reading, sorry for the question overload! Hopefully I can get this info sorted soon, I can’t wait to get my first!

 

[cold blood]

1. What substrate is best for this species and should I change as it moves away from digging as it ages?

There is no one best substrate....literally any usable sub can be used for any kind of t.....you can also mix them in any manner you like...there is no right or wrong answer. Dirt is cheapest, peat isnt fat behind, then coco fiber and then all the fancy coco fibers like eco earth or jungle mix. All work just fine.

2. I’m getting one at 1/2 an inch, should I start with an 8 or 16 oz container?

No, you definitely want something much smaller....a 2-4 oz condiment cup works best....no deep substrate and a hide isnt required....do this and you will see it all the time, it will eat every time and will be able to be monitored at will....this is also how you keep them growing at a good pace.

3. Im going to start feeding with crickets, so how many and what size per week, especially at the beginning?

There is no right or wrong answer...20 people could give you 20 different feeding schedules and all 20 could raise the same healthy t.

Finally, are there any warning signs I should look out for?

Curling legs or a deflated looking abdomen.

This is a very hardy and very easy t to raise as a sling, I doubt you will have issues as long as you keep things simple.

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

 

[viper69]

Hey everyone, I’ve decided that I’m picking up a grammostola-pulchripes but have a few questions that I’d like to have answered, so thanks for any responses. All opinions are valued
1. What substrate is best for this species and should I change as it moves away from digging as it ages?
2. I’m getting one at 1/2 an inch, should I start with an 8 or 16 oz container?
3. Im going to start feeding with crickets, so how many and what size per week, especially at the beginning?
4. Finally, are there any warning signs I should look out for?
Thanks for reading, sorry for the question overload! Hopefully I can get this info sorted soon, I can’t wait to get my first!

Many use top soil, many use coco fiber- or mixes of other materials

1/2” go smaller than 16 Oz deli, a condiment works well

Feed as often as they eat. They don’t eat on a schedule

Yes- don’t let abdomen get really small, Ts need to be hydrated

Suggest you read more before you get a T

 

[SpiderFriend14]

Many use top soil, many use coco fiber- or mixes of other materials

1/2” go smaller than 16 Oz deli, a condiment works well

Feed as often as they eat. They don’t eat on a schedule

Yes- don’t let abdomen get really small, Ts need to be hydrated

Suggest you read more before you get a T

Thanks for the advice, I’m trying to read as much as possible before I get one. I’ve been watching/reading many guides, these are just some of my final exact details I needed to get settled. I am just trying to keep learning as much as possible before I get one, so these are some last things I needed to be sorted. Thanks so much!

 

[cold blood]

Yes- don’t let abdomen get really small,

Yes...but also keep in mind that its normal to have a small abdomen, and this shouldnt be alarming. There is no rush to plump either, but the t can be fed more when thin and less and less as it plumps as its needs slowly change

 

[SpiderFriend14]

Hey everyone, sorry for posting so soon but I’ve just had a revelation about my soon to be tarantula. I’ve been planning on getting a g pulchripes at about 1/2 an inch but the more guides I watch the more they recommend a juvenile. My main question is are there significant benefits for a newb like me to get a juvenile over a sling? Also, how much bigger should the enclosure be? For the sling, I was looking into a 2-4 oz container, but the juvenile is 2-4 cm, so what size should their enclosure be? Thanks once again - SpiderFriend14

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Either way.
Slings are a little more delicate but still super easy. You may learn more and appreciate watching your little one grow.
Juvies are already sporting their colors and well on their way to being that big spider you're looking forward to.
Whatever you decide, keep it simple, set it up properly, do your homework and you'll love it.
Good luck and have fun.

the juvenile is 2-4 cm

cm?
Get the sling. At 2-4 cm it pretty much is one.

 

[jenniferinny]

Juvenile care is a lot more like the adult tarantula care which can take away a lot of confusion. Some tiny slings need to be kept a bit moister than you would ever keep a juvenile or adult and there is a very fine line to walk between enough and a disastrous swampy-killer-moldfest. A juvenile G. pulchripes you would just keep dry, give a water bowl to and just house in a smaller container than an adult. Easy peasy. Can probably eat the small crickets that are for sale at your local pet shop- all that stuff gets simplified.

The only real drawbacks of a juvenile are price AND if you are a bit fearful of tarantulas it can be easier to start with a tiny one and get used to them as they gradually grow.

Spiderlings are a bit trickier, they have a lot more frequent molts and each molt has risks. They need slightly more moisture, but, for most species it's not by much, which makes it kinda hard to accomplish. Some of them don't really like eating prekilled- but, a lot of them are fine with it. You will likely be prekilling and chopping up crickets or mealworms unless you are lucky enough to have a local pet shop that sells tiny feeders.

I really like spiderlings a lot- they are an economical way to break into the hobby. They take very little space- they are great for building confidence in your keeping because they are more sensitive.

I should add- I'm not particularly an expert, I had tarantulas for a several years about a decade ago- then lost most to a sudden die off. I bought a solitary tarantula again a couple years ago and since that one did fine, I added a bunch of spiderlings again recently- but, I obviously defer to the experts who have kept tarantulas for more years than I have.

 

[SpiderFriend14]

Thanks everyone for the replies, I’ve been thinking it over for the past hour and I’m leaning towards a juvenile now. I think that I’d rather start without worrying about the moisture, even if the price is higher. Thanks again, I’ve been learning a lot recently!

cm?
Get the sling. At 2-4 cm it pretty much is one.

Sorry, I think it is cm. It may be because of g’s slow growth rate or something else, I’m not sure. It’s about .75-1.5 inches, so idk…

 

[Emi248]

I started with juveniles, one of my best decisions.

 

[SpiderFriend14]

Also, I’ve been looking at at this set for a juvenile g pulchripes. Does it seem ok?

Terrestrial Juvenile Enclosure Kit

www.jamiestarantulas.com

 

[viper69]

@SpiderFriend14

There’s no rush to get one. I read for a couple of years before getting a T.

When I had problems with Avics, I stopped owning them for maybe 3-5 yrs before trying Avics again.

Also DO NOT read care guides at all!!!

Care sheets KILL tarantulas

Just come here with your Q’s

Yes...but also keep in mind that its normal to have a small abdomen, and this shouldnt be alarming. There is no rush to plump either, but the t can be fed more when thin and less and less as it plumps as its needs slowly change

This is true. I was typing on a phone and didn’t have time to type that out

Hey everyone, sorry for posting so soon but I’ve just had a revelation about my soon to be tarantula. I’ve been planning on getting a g pulchripes at about 1/2 an inch but the more guides I watch the more they recommend a juvenile. My main question is are there significant benefits for a newb like me to get a juvenile over a sling? Also, how much bigger should the enclosure be? For the sling, I was looking into a 2-4 oz container, but the juvenile is 2-4 cm, so what size should their enclosure be? Thanks once again - SpiderFriend14

Get a juvi puchripes.

Any T that is 3” and up is a solid bet over a tiny sling.

 

[Tarantuland]

Thanks for the advice, I’m trying to read as much as possible before I get one. I’ve been watching/reading many guides, these are just some of my final exact details I needed to get settled. I am just trying to keep learning as much as possible before I get one, so these are some last things I needed to be sorted. Thanks so much!

Be careful of who you watch...many youtubers aren't very good. A couple are though. This is the best place for information, but it's great that you're doing the research before getting one. Once you get it down they're easy. And that's a good species to start with

 

[Wolfram1]

Bigger spiders are generally a little more robust and hardy than smaller ones, i don't think u realise quite how small a half-inch spider is until you see it in front of you. Especially since they are measured by diagonal-leg-span and not body-length. Appropriate live feeders, which to be honest are way more fun than throwing in a pre-killed prey (i hate killing them myself) are probably exclusively the tiniest of crickets and they don't stay that way for long so you ether have to constantly buy tiny pinhead-crickets or do the killing yourself.

I see you have chosen the spider you want already and it would have been my first choice as well if they had been available, i ended up getting 2 slings from the Pamphobeteus genus which was very rewarding. They start out much bigger and are known to be much more voracious eaters which makes feeding easy if some of the crickets happen to have grown a bit, no problem . Personally i don`t think you can go wrong with any terrestrial new-world tarantula as a first T. Also i didn't really look into Lasiodora parahybana at first because i felt i wanted to start with something "rare" but ever since a friend gifted two of them to me i really loved them, beautiful spiders.

as for sling vs juvenile, i would go for the sling, personally i feel like keeping a tarantula is about the journey and not just about having that big fat spider with the colours you chose
its well worth the hassle

 

[Jumbie Spider]

I'd hold out and try to get a confirmed female of whatever species you're interested in... OR... get at least 3 slings if you are going for that...

 

[Smotzer]

Get a sling you’ll learn and grow as it does.

 

[VaporRyder]

I got a sub adult H/C.vonwirthi as my first T, when I first kept back in the day. I wanted a spider that was robust and ‘proven’, and to get the ‘big spider’ experience straight away.

Of course, not long afterwards, I then got a couple of slings (P.murinus, P.irminia)!

As mentioned above, some slings are tiny and I currently have to pre-kill for a couple of mine. For food convenience, I wouldn’t go smaller than 2 cm unless I had to, to get a particular species.