The Lava Life -- a G. pulchra diary

[YellowBrickRoad]

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

Absolutely delicious, I say! I'll take a banana strawberry please!

 

[ladyratri]

Absolutely delicious, I say! I'll take a banana strawberry please!

So that's what...gut load the mealworms with banana and strawberries?

(You 100% called it in my younger kiddo's favorite smoothie request tho.)

I tend to switch to the mealworms when she seems to be getting closer to pre-molt as they're sort of "snack size" to begin with, easy to catch (as she demonstrated above), and nice and juicy. Though, I did of course refill her water dish too.

 

[aprilmayjunebugs]

I've been following this thread for some time now, and I can't decide who's funnier, you or Lava. You got some competition there Lady!

 

[ladyratri]

Lending moral support to her super shy versicolor neighbor upon the momentous occasion of it venturing more than one inch away from the opening of its web tunnel.....or just checking whether Blue is a cricket?


She's been a little bolty lately, still very focused on keeping tabs on her water dish any time I touch her enclosure:


Also, very chonk

 

[ladyratri]

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

I mean, I THINK she ate it?

Final status: tarantula crop circle.


Thanks, sweetie.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Aww, she’s found herself. She’s an artist!

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Also, very chonk

This belongs in the butt pics thread for sure

 

[ladyratri]

This belongs in the butt pics thread for sure

I'm sure she'll be featured there at least once between now and the next molt...

 

[Pedipalpable]

Final status: tarantula crop circle.
View attachment 449668

Thanks, sweetie.

She definitely ate it alright. Guess she figured “Eh, what’s one more cricket? Not like I can get much fatter than I already am.”
Funny, she still can’t seem to figure out how to make a bolus to neatly dispose of the uneaten remains of her prey. Crusher, my Pamphobeteus sp. Cascada is the same way. Just leaves the crumbly remains of the superworms and mealworm beetles I feed strewn about the enclosure or occasionally dumps them in the water dish.

I'm sure she'll be featured there at least once between now and the next molt...

I look forward to seeing that!

 

[ladyratri]

Funny, she still can’t seem to figure out how to make a bolus to neatly dispose of the uneaten remains of her prey.

Not sure I'd say she can't figure it out, or if she's just too lazy (i.e. too hungry) to bother most of the time. This particular feeder was a lesser mealworm, which almost don't even have leftovers.

I'm pretty sure what she left in the water dish is....post-digestion mealworm

I have definitely watched her eat without webbing up the prey -- whether cricket or mealworm. She's pretty adept at just straight up cramming food into her face hole.

At any rate, there will probably be very few further examples until after she molts

 

[ladyratri]

She heard me open Spunk's bin and fill the water dish next door...

Lava hon, you're gonna have to let me take it soon, it's gross.

I think she's enjoying the larger water dish, though. More precisely, she's enjoying the fact that it makes a cozy little space between the dish and her hide where she can kinda squeeze in a little.


Will definitely need to set up a real hide for her when I build out the bigger bin. Might head up to the local-ish reptile store where I acquired her to go through their bin of cork and find a better piece than what I already have...... I'm just afraid I might leave with another sling if I'm not careful .

 

[ladyratri]

Lava's food for the week:

(Nice fang ya got there.)

Lava's fresh clean water:

(Startlingly still clean a few days later.)

Lava's latest attempt to hide, because I bumped her bin:

(You're not as small as you think...)

Also, Lava's butt. With the macro lens, just for fun.

That leg floof too though
She'll be stunning when she grows into the real velvet black.

 

[Gator Watson]

Dont mind me, just hanging out waiting for Lava's next bout of shenanigans.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Ok now THAT is the fattest sling I've seen.

 

[ladyratri]

Ok now THAT is the fattest sling I've seen.

Now, or like two molts ago? Cause she was really fat like two molts ago......


She is definitely "highly food motivated"

 

[SpookySpooder]

I'm surfing the forum in search of the fattest sling, yours is currently top contender!

Pre and post molt.

Her shape reminds me of Violet from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

 

[GrammyGuy]

I think I have Lava's spirit rump cousin. Meet Mork, he's a G.Chonkripes.

 

[SpookySpooder]

I think I have Lava's spirit rump cousin. Meet Mork, he's a G.Chonkripes.

Got dang!

Welcome to America!! Where even the T's are obese!

 

[ladyratri]

Lava's just a chubby baby still -- I'll be watching her eating more carefully as she get bigger overall. But yeah, I let my slings get pretty darn chonky. There's another post somewhere about the Fat Avic Keepers Club I'm starting .

Lava has been lounging around waiting for the molting mood to strike. Not so many shenanigans when she's in lazy mode. Hoping I'll be around to catch photos again when she molts though.

 

[ladyratri]

I'm surfing the forum in search of the fattest sling, yours is currently top contender!

Here you go, I got you an official competition entry butt-mugshot:


Just to be clear, it has been 143 days since her last molt