Is this Chacco Gravid OR Just Healthy???

[Arachnoholic420]

continue from that does anyone have any idea how to fatten him up as its been awhile Ive been feeding twice a week now and results are slow, Im talking weeks

i usually gut load my crickets before i feed them to my T's... i get this gel cubes called Total Bites... it's an all in one suppliment for insect's.... it give's them the vitamins and minerals they need.... do they grow nice and big

 

[Smitty78]

Looks like someone is feeding their T everytime he has the munchies.

 

[Snakeguybuffalo]

I really don't understand why you guys are laughing at this. That is horribly fat T that is in severe danger of rupturing from the slightest fall. I wouldn't call that healthy at all.

I'm glad someone brought this up... I never let my chacos get this big. It's unsafe.

 

[Smitty78]

Looks like someone is feeding their T everytime he has the munchies.

 

[Agent Jones]

Is this Chacco Gravid OR Just Healthy???

Neither... sloooowww down the feeding. I tend to powerfeed, but that's insane. Hopefully she has enough time to slim down before she molts... you might be in trouble.

 

[azgrower12]

TARANTULA GOT BACK!

lmao u got that right

 

[Neophyte]

Healthy is an understatement

 

[Rupert]

i usually gut load my crickets before i feed them to my T's... i get this gel cubes called Total Bites... it's an all in one suppliment for insect's.... it give's them the vitamins and minerals they need.... do they grow nice and big

Superb ! thats a handy tip cheers, Ill fatten them up before sending them in

 

[Rupert]

i usually gut load my crickets before i feed them to my T's... i get this gel cubes called Total Bites... it's an all in one suppliment for insect's.... it give's them the vitamins and minerals they need.... do they grow nice and big

its just a guess but constant feeding super fat prey to the T may be the reason for the size but it is a good idea

 

[LeilaNami]

its just a guess but constant feeding super fat prey to the T may be the reason for the size but it is a good idea

constant feeding of anything is the reason for the size. A good gutloaded cricket once a week or every two weeks is enough and some don't even feed that often.

 

[gvfarns]

Yeah adult Chaco...needs shockingly little food. A bug every other week is overkill I think. It takes a long time for the effects to accumulate because these are big T's, though, so you can feed at that rate for a long time before the T gets really fat.

My Chaco has only eaten a handful of bugs in the last year. But I fed her a lot soon after the molt previous to that and she was very plump. She's been slowly losing weight ever since, but still on the fat side. And she still turns up her nose at food unless it walks right into her mouth *and* she's in the mood.

I don't think it's severely dangerous or anything to have a fat, fat T (sometimes it amazes me how emotional people get about that), but what we want in our collections are beautiful, healthy specimens, not obese bugs.

 

[equuskat]

Wow.

She's waaaay overfed to the point of looking out of proportion and terribly uncomfortable. She's probably more fragile, too.

I definitely agree with the advice that you should stop feeding her completely until she molts. Chacos need very little food. My female is about 3.5" and she has a big, fat butt, but I haven't fed her since late February.

Also, yours does look pre-molt, so she might not eat anyway. When you do start a new feeding routine, though, ease up. She'll look prettier and be less fragile.

 

[Arachnoholic420]

Thanks All.... for all your replies.. she's been on a diet for about a week now.... no changes in appearance she's still *^%@#$@ u know.... im just hoping she doesnt run into problems when she molts.... rather than that she seem's fine specially now that the weatehr is getting warmer... she still a Bulldozer.... plowing things in her way...

 

[Nerri1029]

Theres a chance she will get stuck severely during next molt aswell at that size, it is dangerous to let the T grow to that size, people only learn from mistakes

Curious... stuck in what?

 

[Agent Jones]

Curious... stuck in what?

I would assume the molt.

 

[Nerri1029]

OK let me be more specific.

What body part(s) would become stuck due to the size?

Has anyone run into this?

Bad molt threads are usually about poor hydration ( suspected )

 

[equuskat]

I doubt she'd get stuck...I'd fear that any struggle (unrelated to her weight) occurred during the molt (or otherwise), she could rupture her stretched abdomen.

To the OP: She probably won't lose any girth noticeably until after she molts. You probably won't have to feed her AT ALL until she molts. Spiders of this species especially have EXTREMELY slow metabolisms.

 

[bliss]

wow, look at that @$$

don't feed her until she molts.

and after it molts, dangle a cricket in front of a treadmill.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

Glad the OP is taking the advice to change feeding schedule; that animal is severely overweight. I don't think in general pet owners tend to realize how dangerous overfeeding is to essentially any species. A tarantula might not get diabetes or have a heart attack, but as mentioned such massive overweight does put a strain on the animal's body and increases the risk of injury.
If you look at photos of wild tarantulas, even very bulky species like this do not develop nearly so much abdominal mass. They are not designed to carry it, and even though T's tend to be a little better fed in captivity than they are in the wild, it is definitely a good game plan to avoid heavy overfeeding.
While many invertebrates self-regulate diet to a degree, it is important to remember that in the wild where prey is unpredictable, many animals will eat what they can when they can - they aren't pre-programmed to stop at only what they need then and there because they may need the extra calories later. If offered abundant food, the inclination is often to over-consume; thus, don't assume the animal will self-regulate its body condition.

To the OP: Good luck with your T's diet! Definitely don't expect and fast results, just be patient and stick with it.

 

[SandyMuffinCakes94]

TARANTULA GOT BACK!

lmao one fat t