Is my tarantula too skinny?

[MagpiedPiper]

I just got this GBB two days ago, and the vendor at the expo said she had been fed the day before. She's my first tarantula, so while I know from doing research what you're technically supposed to do, how often to feed, etc, I'm still feeling it all out. Even though she only ate 3 days ago, doesn't she look kinda skinny? Should I feed her again?

 

[Edan bandoot]

Why wouldn't you be able to feed it again?

You should probably read the beginner thread, you'll learn alot.

 

[viper69]

You might have a mature male.

 

[MagpiedPiper]

You might have a mature male.

The pedipalps didn't look like a mature male to me, but I've also never sexed a tarantula either. I'll check the next molt as well just to make sure. I was also starting to wonder if perhaps this GBB is a male because of the small abdomen.

 

[viper69]

The pedipalps didn't look like a mature male to me, but I've also never sexed a tarantula either. I'll check the next molt as well just to make sure. I was also starting to wonder if perhaps this GBB is a male because of the small abdomen.

small abs don’t guarantee sex. Also your pic isn’t good for sexing in my case, hence “might”

no matter the sex, feed it more, fatten it up a bit

 

[MagpiedPiper]

small abs don’t guarantee sex. Also your pic isn’t good for sexing in my case, hence “might”

no matter the sex, feed it more, fatten it up a bit

Okay, that's what I was thinking. Thanks for the second opinion!

Why wouldn't you be able to feed it again?

You should probably read the beginner thread, you'll learn alot.

I suppose maybe rather than "should I feed" I should've worded it as "is this what skinny looks like" I just couldn't find any images of what a thin Tarantula/GBB looks like so I wondered if this is what it looked like. Regardless, I will feed it some more

 

[cold blood]

Too thin?

A thin t simply means one of two things;

1. Its a mature male, or

2. Its recently molted.

All ts are at their thinnest after molting, some look shockingly thin like Psalmopeous slings, but its a perfectly normal thing.

Ts molt, become thin, feed and gradually plump up, then they molt and the process starts all over.

Ts will also be at their hungriest after molting, so they can be fed more, or larger prey, but there really isnt a real hurry to fatten it and its not starving to death or anything.

 

[MagpiedPiper]

Too thin?

A thin t simply means one of two things;

1. Its a mature male, or

2. Its recently molted.

All ts are art their thinnest after molting, some look shockingly thin like Psalmopeous slings, but its a perfectly normal thing.

Ts molt, become thin, feed and gradually plump up, then they molt and the process starts all over.

Ts will also be at their hungriest after molting, so they can be fed more, or larger prey, but there really isnt a real hurry to fatten it and its not starving to death or anything.

I just wasn't certain exactly what to look for yet, and I've seen some sources say to just feed them once a week or so and some other sources say to feed them according to their abdomen size which I guess made it unclear whether or not they get thinner after not eating for a period of time. I know they can go for awhile without food, since they are opportunistic predators in the wild, so I wasn't too worried. I guess it just seemed like its abdomen looked larger yesterday than today but again I'm just not 100% certain what to look for yet.

They told me they recently sexed it as a female, but I planned to do my own checking to be sure.

Thanks for the info.

 

[cold blood]

I've seen some sources say to just feed them once a week or so and some other sources say to feed them according to their abdomen size which I guess made it unclear whether or not they get thinner after not eating for a period of time.

Here is the thing...you get a lot of opinions on feeding schedules....but that's just it, they are all opinions...none are wrong, none are right.

Feeding schedules are for keepers and are not something required or even benefitted by a t.

20 people could give you 20 different schedules, and every darn one of them could raise the same healthy tarantula. Feed super fast, the t just stops eating and fasts till its ready to molt....feed super slow and the t simply grows at a slower pace.