Preparing to molt?

Bry

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 22, 2003
Messages
773
Last night, my 2" G. pulchra has barricaded herself from the rest of the world. She piled dirt near to the top of her flower pot, and completely webbed over the remaining opening. I know the snake room didn't get cold overnight. She last fed three days ago, and I was going to feed her tonight according to schedule. Is she preparing to molt, or is she just being a little hermit? How often does a young G. pulchra molt? I've had her close to 3 weeks if that determines she's ready for another molt.

Bry
 

Joy

Priestess of Pulchra-tude
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 12, 2002
Messages
902
Originally posted by Bry
Last night, my 2" G. pulchra has barricaded herself from the rest of the world. She piled dirt near to the top of her flower pot, and completely webbed over the remaining opening. I know the snake room didn't get cold overnight. She last fed three days ago, and I was going to feed her tonight according to schedule. Is she preparing to molt, or is she just being a little hermit? How often does a young G. pulchra molt? I've had her close to 3 weeks if that determines she's ready for another molt.

Bry
My experience has been that pulchras are slow-growing as slings, especially females. The typical pattern I've seen is for them to eat voraciously for a few weeks, withdraw into seclusion, fast for a few weeks, then re-emerge and start eating again. This pattern may repeat itself a number of times before a molt actually takes place, meaning that even at 2" legspan, molts are often 3 or more months apart.

Joy
 

Paladin

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 20, 2002
Messages
535
so does this cover rosies as well? i know rosies are nonconformists and whatever but my rosie has done the same thing. its been atleast 2 weeks since ive last seen it. Kinda sad when all i see in the tank is a hid with bulging substrate...what a pet rock. one day it'll come out i hope...just wondering what the deal was with it
 

Tranz

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 18, 2002
Messages
320
I'd say she'll stop eating within the next week and molt within the next two.
 
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