New G.Pluchra Sling Owner questions

[Mall Might]

Yes, they usually molt on their backs, but not always. Sometimes they flip over and then flip back and then actually molt like a week later. Once they're definitely actually molting, a T that small will be done in under an hour.

Awesome that makes me feel better

The larger the tarantula, the longer it takes, so yours shouldn't take too long at all (I agree with everything @ladyratri says above).

What I will add is that it can still take them a while to get going. When I first got mine, he was a bit bigger than yours looks to be, but he burrowed away for months before he actually molted. That freaks a lot of new keepers out, so if yours stays burrowed for longer than you think it should, it's probably staying burrowed for exactly as long as it should, and you should not worry or intervene, especially since you can see yours through the side and confirm that it's doing alright. That said, if you see that yours has molted and still won't resurface after a week or two, come back and check in with us. This species can be known to do that when they are young and have a lot of burrowing space.

Okay thank you, and yes @ladyratri has been awesome

 

[ladyratri]

Okay thank you, and yes @ladyratri has been awesome

I...have a lil bit of a soft spot for baby pulchras

 

[Mall Might]

I...have a lil bit of a soft spot for baby pulchras

I was able to get a picture as it came out for a bit

 

[ladyratri]

You'll know it's actually getting nearer to a molt when that giant butt gets shiny and starts turning darker.

The Lava Life -- a G. pulchra diary

Ugh. Wet.

arachnoboards.com

 

[darkness975]

The enclosure is okay, a bit bigger than the ones my pulchras are in. Just make sure you feed prekilled until it gets larger, which for this species can take a while.

Keep a full bottle cap water dish and at least half the substrate should be moist. The picture makes the substrate look dryer than it is.

 

[Mall Might]

I found my pulchra like this this afternoon, first time seeing a molt

 

[TheraMygale]

It definitely molted. Thats a good sign. Pulchras are very tough tarantulas. Its hard to miss with them. Stressing a tarantula is overrated in my opinion. Its awesome that you can see through enclosure wall.

problems arise when you cant watch them.

its only very bad when you poke around while they are molting. Putting in prey at the wrong moment: molting, teeth not hardened with live prey, etc.

you picked the perfect tarantula to be confident around.

if you find enclosure is too large, just put it in a temporary deli cup. Slings molt more often under 1-2 inches, with many grammastolas. After that the patience game starts. Unless you have excellent growth conditions.

you dont want it in a super large container that makes it hard to feed. Especialy if its going to be in there for a while.

i tried it and hated it. i prefer small enough.