Is my G pulchra too skinny

[Yx326]

Hi,
I am a new tarantula owner and recently got this 1.5 inch G. pulchra sling from an online dealer.
Her abdomen is very small, and her legs look longer compared to my G. rosea sling. Is she too skinny? Is there anything I can do to help her gain weight?

 

[NMTs]

Hi, welcome!

Your sling looks pretty normal to me. They will look thin shortly after a molt, will gradually gain weight until they've got enough to make it to the next molt, then they'll molt and this cycle will start all over again. There's no need to do anything other than your regular feeding and watering - it will grow. I will give a word of caution - if you try to "power feed" it to help it pack on weight quickly, it will likely go on a long fast and hide away until it molts again. Small prey items fed less frequently will avoid this and keep your spider active and visible most of the time. Don't rush it, just enjoy watching your T grow and be a tarantula!

This thread has a lot of great tips for new T owners, so take a look when you can:

Admin Announcement - Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

 

[Yx326]

Hi, welcome!

Your sling looks pretty normal to me. They will look thin shortly after a molt, will gradually gain weight until they've got enough to make it to the next molt, then they'll molt and this cycle will start all over again. There's no need to do anything other than your regular feeding and watering - it will grow. I will give a word of caution - if you try to "power feed" it to help it pack on weight quickly, it will likely go on a long fast and hide away until it molts again. Small prey items fed less frequently will avoid this and keep your spider active and visible most of the time. Don't rush it, just enjoy watching your T grow and be a tarantula!

This thread has a lot of great tips for new T owners, so take a look when you can:

Admin Announcement - Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

Thank you for your answer! I fed her twice a week, giving her 2 small crickets for each feed. I am not planning to power feed her. I just want to make sure she wasn’t starving at the breeder’s shop.

 

[NMTs]

Thank you for your answer! I fed her twice a week, giving her 2 small crickets for each feed. I am not planning to power feed her. I just want to make sure she wasn’t starving at the breeder’s shop.

You'd be surprised how long it would take to starve a spider to death, especially if they have regular access to water. Two small crickets sounds right for that size sling, but I would spread it out to once every week to 10 days.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Thank you for your answer! I fed her twice a week, giving her 2 small crickets for each feed. I am not planning to power feed her. I just want to make sure she wasn’t starving at the breeder’s shop.

You’re doing fine then . This is how skinny one of my Ts was after purchased at a pet shop.

Skinny Aphonopelma chalcodes?

Why is it so skinny even after three roaches? New pic Shop refused to give a receipt . So I can’t return it or have to argue to do so. Maybe it can survive to nest molt ? Most likely last non sling I buy from here .

arachnoboards.com

 

[Requiem4aSpleen]

My G pulchra has been in premolt for i want to say 6 months. I think i got too heavy handed with feeding time. Don't powerfeed these guys. When she finally molts im going to give like 2 or 3 large crickets once every 2 weeks.

 

[TheraMygale]

It does not look unhealthy. I think skinny unhealthy would look different. Less lustruous.

i share @NMTs view on feeding. All my tarantulas are too fat now. i was not even feeding that much.

once they molt, i will be feeding less often and smaller.

i had to end my mealworm farm too. It was costing me too much in time and effort, as well as food for them. i had too many.

some dealers even feed slings once every 15 days. There is a reason for that. Once i learned that, i cut my feedings a lot.

 

[viper69]

For me yes