The Lava Life -- a G. pulchra diary

[ladyratri]

Interestingly, Lava has also taken up a bit of modern art.

She hasn't (yet) gone back to filling her water dish with dirt since I rehoused her in February. However, she has her quite well-defined "latrine corner" and seems to enjoy creating a bit of modern sculpture atop it with the little bits of bark and twig in her substrate.




Can't wait to see what she does with more sub when she's ready for the bigger enclosure.

 

[ladyratri]

Taking a nice drink?


... Nope, just hugging. Lest you mess with my things, Human.


To be fair, it has been very dry in here the last week or two. Water dishes have been drying up quickly. Might devote the real estate to upgrading her to a proper bottle cap for the summer.

Still super quick to pounce any cricket unfortunate enough to enter her bin, despite the size of this booty...

 

[ladyratri]

... Nope, just hugging. Lest you mess with my things, Human.

Update: apparently also concerned I'm going to mess with her hide.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Or making an attempt at being incognito, lol. I wonder if she realizes she can dig a burrow there to hide more effectively, haha. If that were my genic, I'd be convinced she was trying to knock it over or rip it out of the ground. She's very punk rock.

 

[ladyratri]

In today's feeding adventure, Lava discovered that there exists "outside the bin", but pretty quickly concluded that crickets show up "inside the bin" and therefore that is a better place to be.

... Then she needed to make sure I didn't mess with her stuff.


I even filled her water first so I wouldn't have to do it after she caught her cricket!

 

[ladyratri]

I have a confession to make. I watered Lava's enclosure today and...I accidentally watered it too loud. She had to hide. A lot.


I have to admit, I was a little worried about that second leg for a minute there, but she was back to her usual loafing around the next time I checked.

Followed shortly thereafter by informing me that I also filled her water dish too much.


She would also like me to observe that she is not even one leg fat yet. Don't worry sweetie, I'll give you one more cricket before I go away for a week and leave you alone again with The Human Who Looks But Does Not Feed. It might even be larger than planned because... Someone in the cricket bin molted and I think there's only one left.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Amazon. There are a lot of acrylic boxes with magnetic lids sold as reptile breeding boxes that also make good T enclosures, just a matter of going through all the sizes to find what you want.

What term to search to find these ? That’s an epic container 🫙 ! I’ve gotten get a pulchra some day.

 

[ladyratri]

What term to search to find these ? That’s an epic container 🫙 ! I’ve gotten get a pulchra some day.

Try "acrylic enclosure" -- at least a few of the ones I've bought were NANEEZOO brand

 

[ladyratri]

Lava learns crickets come in "medium", spends three hours hugging her food, and gets a high-five for handling the problem.


Lava tries to figure out what T is doing over there and whether it involves crickets.

(It's called 'molting', hon. You should try it. And no, it does not involve crickets.)

Lava get a scary new water dish, and turns to her hide for comfort.


Common theme: Size. Of. Jupiter.
Last molt cycle was 79 days. 106 days since molt. Enjoy your week with The Human Who Looks But Does Not Feed.

 

[ladyratri]

Lava's favorite day other than cricket day is.....tiny mealworm day.

Lava shoving food into her face as fast as she can:


Lava inadvertently demonstrating that she really (REALLY) doesn't need to worry about starvation:


No real signs of actual pre-molt yet though, unfortunately. Just celestial level chonkness...

 

[LucN]

She is well looked after for sure. No doubt all that extra junk in the trunk will contribute to a slight growth increase next time she molts. Looking forward to when she acquires that silky black look.

Love these updates, it reminds me of when I was raising up my B. boehmei years ago.

 

[ladyratri]

Spiders are so weird.


No, that left leg is not touching anything. Clearly (ha ha) the invisible footstool is back.

Just starting to maybe get a little sheen on that visible-from-orbit booty of hers?


Yet still a perfect heart-butt with not a hair out of place.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

No, that left leg is not touching anything. Clearly (ha ha) the invisible footstool is back.

I think she’s trying to show you she’s ready for her audition with The Rockets, lol.

 

[Pedipalpable]

Spiders are so weird.

No, that left leg is not touching anything. Clearly (ha ha) the invisible footstool is back.

Still hasn’t learned how to make proper use of her hide, has she? Perhaps she figures it’s more fun to climb on given her love of climbing.

Just starting to maybe get a little sheen on that visible-from-orbit booty of hers?

Yet still a perfect heart-butt with not a hair out of place.

Definitely looks like she’s getting some shine to that big booty of hers. Might be a molt approaching soon. My Pamphobeteus sp. Machala started getting a sheen to its entire abdomen very shortly before it molted as well despite having a lot of setae covering it so a molt could be closer than you think if you haven’t had a bald spot to act as window to see the change earlier.
That heart pattern of setae is something else though. I wonder if that is common for G. pulchra slings?

 

[ladyratri]

Still hasn’t learned how to make proper use of her hide, has she?

Define "proper"......


I mean, to be fair, she does occasionally stand under it.

Definitely looks like she’s getting some shine to that big booty of hers. Might be a molt approaching soon.

I suspect so, though "soon" is relative in Grammostola years . She has not gotten a bald spot before past molts, but you can eventually see the shine around the sides kinda.

That heart pattern of setae is something else though. I wonder if that is common for G. pulchra slings?

I too am curious about that. I haven't noticed it on other photos here on AB...but I also wasn't really looking for it, and this isn't exactly a proper statical sample. Alas.

 

[ladyratri]

Trash compactor might actually be full again...

I guess I'll see later if she actually eats it or just tosses it in her water dish.

 

[Pedipalpable]

Trash compactor might actually be full again...

I guess I'll see later if she actually eats it or just tosses it in her water dish.

That was the laziest, most passive takedown I have ever seen! She seemed hesitant to even bite into it. My guess is that she is indeed full. She certainly looks fat enough for it, that’s for sure. Either that or too lethargic from premolt to show a proper feeding response. I’m curious to know what she ended up doing with the prey item.

 

[ladyratri]

I’m curious to know what she ended up doing with the prey item.

I mean, I THINK she ate it? Status a couple hours later --

Palps still vaguely hugging the empty void, not even bothering to be tall:


Had to run and hide when I bumped the desk, but no sign of leftover mini mealworm...

Not even in the water dish!

 

[YellowBrickRoad]

I mean, I THINK she ate it? Status a couple hours later --

Palps still vaguely hugging the empty void, not even bothering to be tall:
View attachment 449309

Had to run and hide when I bumped the desk, but no sign of leftover mini mealworm...
View attachment 449310
Not even in the water dish!

I call this the "late night lazy meal" lol where they don't even bother lifting up, no webs, just grubbin' and lovin'!

GREAT OBSERVATION, on your part.

 

[ladyratri]

I call this the "late night lazy meal" lol where they don't even bother lifting up, no webs, just grubbin' and lovin'!

GREAT OBSERVATION, on your part.

Pretty sure those little mealworms for slings are like making smoothies for my kids sluuuurp nothing left.