The Lava Life -- a G. pulchra diary

[LucN]

It's amazing that she spent so much time in its burrow, looking no worse for wear. Of course, it's what they do in the wild. Love these snapshots. Eventually, she'll come out in all her glory... along with a brand new suit to boot !

 

[ladyratri]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say...I don't think that looks like a svelte post-molt tarantula. Just based on proportions.


She's definitely flirting with the idea of sticking some toes out her doorway again though.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say...I don't think that looks like a svelte post-molt tarantula. Just based on proportions.
View attachment 488962

She's definitely flirting with the idea of sticking some toes out her doorway again though.

There’s a molt in the dirt in your opened blockade pic, no?

 

[ladyratri]

There’s a molt in the dirt in your opened blockade pic, no?

There were a couple legs mixed in that have been there since she closed up shop. I don't think any were new. It's hard to tell if she's bigger -- I'll have to go digging for similar photos from at least a month ago to see if I can get a decent comparison vs now.

Edit: See here https://arachnoboards.com/threads/the-lava-life-a-g-pulchra-diary.361001/post-3413541

 

[ladyratri]

Lava would like to announce to her adoring Internet fans that she has visited her water dish.



Classic.

 

[ladyratri]

Stop. Trying. To. Give. Me. Water. Stupid. Human.

 

[ladyratri]

Yeah, you got plans for that chunk of dirt, Lava?


She has clearly done more excavating -- that big poop sploot on her front window used to be the edge of the burrow. It's still tough for me to tell if that's because she's already bigger and adapting to the new current size, or planning ahead for the next molt... I'm sure I will eventually see her topside again. Eventually.

 

[LucN]

Woah, she's blocked herself again, huh ? I'm sure she'll grow out of it as she gets older. Looking forward to seeing her topside again

 

[ladyratri]

Woah, she's blocked herself again, huh ? I'm sure she'll grow out of it as she gets older. Looking forward to seeing her topside again

Yeah she opened up for a couple crickets and then promptly slammed the door again and started pushing more dirt out the top.

I have to say, the "window" into her burrow is truly priceless. I can't get decent photos, but I can at least see her move around and change position over the months of lurking, giving me confidence that she's fine in there and just minding her own tarantula business.

 

[sparticus]

Yeah, consider yourself lucky. My B. emilia juvie went underground with no window, and I see no sign of his return in the near future. I've been debating rehousing him into something with less dirt so he's forced to be more visible...

 

[ladyratri]

Yeah, consider yourself lucky. My B. emilia juvie went underground with no window, and I see no sign of his return in the near future. I've been debating rehousing him into something with less dirt so he's forced to be more visible...

I did read up on here about how to angle the cork bark to best encourage burrowing toward the walls -- but yes, I still count myself very lucky that she took the hint.

I'm sure your emilia will reappear eventually.

 

[ladyratri]

Here's hoping Milady is a notch bigger in the morning!

Impending molt?

• ladyratri
• Mar 4, 2025
• 1
• grammostola grammostola pulchra molting pulchra

Pretty sure that's the rear one quarter of Miss Lava on her back...and a bit of molting mat...

Funny after so many months of sequestering underground, she actually opened up the top/front door just recently...


You can see some strands of web spanning the gap, but it's hardly what I'd call "sealed".

Glad I took the cricket out yesterday, though. Luckily she's got this fab neighbor now to help out with the cricket problem. Grammostolas unite

 

[LucN]

Here's hoping Milady is a notch bigger in the morning!

Impending molt?

• ladyratri
• Mar 4, 2025
• 1
• grammostola grammostola pulchra molting pulchra

Pretty sure that's the rear one quarter of Miss Lava on her back...and a bit of molting mat...

Funny after so many months of sequestering underground, she actually opened up the top/front door just recently...
View attachment 492388

You can see some strands of web spanning the gap, but it's hardly what I'd call "sealed".

Glad I took the cricket out yesterday, though. Luckily she's got this fab neighbor now to help out with the cricket problem. Grammostolas unite

Now that's exciting news ! Let us know how she turned out

 

[ladyratri]

Now that's exciting news ! Let us know how she turned out

Believe me, you will all know when I finally see her topside

She looks so noodley but fine in her burrow.

 

[ladyratri]

Not spending any appreciable time up top yet, but clearly Miss Lava has been working on her front door...I think she's decorating for maximum cricket interest in her curb appeal.

 

[ladyratri]

It's official: Lava has now definitely set foot outside her burrow.


... Just the one, though. Jury's still out on the other seven.

 

[LucN]

She'll overcome her shyness in due time At least, it's a very good sign that she has been somewhat active since her molt.

 

[ladyratri]

She'll overcome her shyness in due time At least, it's a very good sign that she has been somewhat active since her molt.

Yup -- she also has been very quick to pounce on any cricket that actually wanders across her threshold. Additionally a good sign. Really, she's just doing totally normal spider things. On the Grammostola time scale.

It's kind of like the geological time scale

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Yup -- she also has been very quick to pounce on any cricket that actually wanders across her threshold. Additionally a good sign. Really, she's just doing totally normal spider things. On the Grammostola time scale.

It's kind of like the geological time scale

What’s a sling take 12 years to mature ? I’ve had a few lp take 10. They grew really slow for the genus Lasiodora.

 

[ladyratri]

What’s a sling take 12 years to mature ? I’ve had a few lp take 10. They grew really slow for the genus Lasiodora.

I mean, she's still barely even a tween in spider terms -- she *might* be pushing 3" DLS with a really good stretch at this point? And yet, if you check the date stamp...

Any New Additions?

Got these two gifts. :) Acanthoscurria simoensi Megaphobema velvetosoma

arachnoboards.com

That psalmo sling I got the same day is the dude who died of old age a couple weeks ago. She is definitely on a totally different time scale. But yeah, for her species, that's pretty normal...she's actually been growing really well. Specifically, she's done a great job putting on significant size with every molt.