New keeper here! Quick question.

Arachn1dae

Arachnopeon
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Hello!

I'm happy to say that I have started taking care of a Honduran Curly Hair as my first ever Tarantula. I got her about a month ago and she's growing really fast! Her booty is getting really big and I'm worrying that I may be overfeeding her (1 Dubia nymph every 2-3 days). Does my baby look too chunky? IMG_20230808_174430.jpg IMG20230804113736.jpg
 
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Wolfram1

Arachnoprince
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it looks full too bursting, but with small slings that's not that much of a concern, if it was an adult then yes that would be unhealthy.


it seems to me like it is already starting to darken up/ going into premolt

i would stop feeding entirely for now and wait for it to molt, however long that takes.


read through some of the threads, its all been spelled out hundreads of times, but essentially you really don't need to feed it so often!
 

Arachn1dae

Arachnopeon
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it looks full too bursting, but with small slings that's not that much of a concern, if it was an adult then yes that would be unhealthy.


it seems to me like it is already starting to darken up/ going into premolt

i would stop feeding entirely for now and wait for it to molt, however long that takes.


read through some of the threads, its all been spelled out hundreads of times, but essentially you really don't need to feed it so often!
Oh my! "Full to bursting" was the exact thing I didn't want to hear. Thank you for your advice. I'll hold off on feeding them until after the molt. Thank you again!
 

Wolfram1

Arachnoprince
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Oh my! "Full to bursting" was the exact thing I didn't want to hear. Thank you for your advice. I'll hold off on feeding them until after the molt. Thank you again!
heh, it's just a figure of speach, but have you noticed the black line along the opisthosoma? thats it's heart.
as the exoskeleton streches it gets thinner and more translucent, it is normal to see it with slings however.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

ArachnoGod
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Oct 13, 2011
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Oh my! "Full to bursting" was the exact thing I didn't want to hear. Thank you for your advice. I'll hold off on feeding them until after the molt. Thank you again!
what a Chonk ! :jimlad: :lol: :rofl: :artist: Don’t feed it more until it molts.
I got a really fat one too it happens to all of us . I’d slow your feeding down to twice a week or less . I do twice per month on my smaller Ts and more on my bigger ones.
 

Arachn1dae

Arachnopeon
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heh, it's just a figure of speach, but have you noticed the black line along the opisthosoma? thats it's heart.
as the exoskeleton streches it gets thinner and more translucent, it is normal to see it with slings however.
The black line / translucency was actually what prompted me to make this thread! Good to know that it's not abnormal, but like you suggested I'll drastically slow down her food.
 

Wolfram1

Arachnoprince
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what most people dont get is that unlike a mantid or other insects their metabolism is much slower

with a mantid you feed it and 2-4 days later you can already see the abdomen deflating, signaling it has used up most of the energy, just by breathing, moving around etc. It does store some fat but very little in comparison

a spider on the other hand builds up fat reserves in the abdomen fairly quickly, but only uses a tiny bit of it to sustain itself



your spider (if it didnt molt) could probably survive for half a year, maybe more, just on what you have fed it so far.

it would be of greater danger from dehydration than from starving
 
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