Weird behaviour from my sling/juvey GBB, is it maybe getting ready to molt soon?

[m4lewis]

Hey all I'm new to the forums and the hobby. Got my gbb 3 weeks ago as my first T and he's been pretty awesome (not sure of gender yet). Got him as a 1" sling and he's about 1.25"/1.5" at this point definitely growing pretty quick and his abdomen is getting pretty large.

He's been slowly getting faster and faster in his movement but I noticed today he was super bolty. Also, he started kind of frantically walking around his enclosure with very weird not very fluid movements (kind of restless I guess). He at one point kind of attacked a random piece of his substrate on the ground (which was kind of hilarious) but yeah he's been acting super weird today. His water dish was pretty much empty and I saw him go there a couple times so maybe he was just thirsty (I keep the substrate fairly dry for him) or hungry. I fed him a mealworm and he took it pretty aggressively (but that's usually the case). Now he's just kind of in his little corner munching on the worm which is I guess back to normal.

Not sure if maybe this is signs of preps for a molt or what, not too familiar with early signs other than I guess large abdomens. Still fairly new but enjoying the hobby and learning lots!

Anyways, here's a video I got of some of those movements I was talking about. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EY8SIMdVbHTIKnQSnM6s5sI-evvqOIVk/view?usp=sharing

Thanks in advance!

 

[Poonjab]

Everything else seems pretty normal to me. But it almost appears as if it’s looking for a hide. With the info provided, this is not typical premolt behavior. Make sure it’s water dish is full. Setup could be a bit better IMO. Other than that, no need for concern.

 

[m4lewis]

Okay yeah I did refill the water dish. I had a feeling they were looking for a hide, I wasn't happy with how I positioned the cork bark because it's basically flat on the ground.

What recommendations would you give to improve the setup? Would I need to rehouse them in order to get a better setup going? I guess just getting them into a separate cup or container while I change things up is reasonable?

 

[Chroma Trigger]

Do you know when the T molted last? My 1 year-old GBB does so every 2-3 months (starting to slow down now). Abdomen is nice and fat, but they CAN sometimes eat up to the day of the molt... Unless you try feeding it daily (even a good eater will be full after a good meal), refusal of food is usually a good indicator for an upcoming GBB molt. Mine usually retreats deep into the webbing and kick out approaching feeders, without attacking them.

 

[m4lewis]

Everything else seems pretty normal to me. But it almost appears as if it’s looking for a hide. With the info provided, this is not typical premolt behavior. Make sure it’s water dish is full. Setup could be a bit better IMO. Other than that, no need for concern.

Sorry still getting used to the forums, didn't use the reply option earlier. Also thanks for the advice!

Weird behaviour from my sling/juvey GBB, is it maybe getting ready to molt soon?

Hey all I'm new to the forums and the hobby. Got my gbb 3 weeks ago as my first T and he's been pretty awesome (not sure of gender yet). Got him as a 1" sling and he's about 1.25"/1.5" at this point definitely growing pretty quick and his abdomen is getting pretty large. He's been slowly...

arachnoboards.com

 

[m4lewis]

Do you know when the T molted last? My 1 year-old GBB does so every 2-3 months (starting to slow down now). Abdomen is nice and fat, but they CAN sometimes eat up to the day of the molt... Unless you try feeding it daily (even a good eater will be full after a good meal), refusal of food is usually a good indicator for an upcoming GBB molt. Mine usually retreats deep into the webbing and kick out approaching feeders, without attacking them.

Not sure when it last molted exactly no as they haven't motled since I got them. Maybe 6 weeks to two months ago? I feed him about every other day or 2/3 times a week at this point. I had baby crickets earlier which were fine for the first week but he started to go through them quick.

Okay thanks for the tip on refusal of food I had also seen that mentioned in a video or two. I'll keep the 2-3 months thing in mind, thanks for the help!

 

[Colorado Ts]

Hey all I'm new to the forums and the hobby. Got my gbb 3 weeks ago as my first T and he's been pretty awesome (not sure of gender yet). Got him as a 1" sling and he's about 1.25"/1.5" at this point definitely growing pretty quick and his abdomen is getting pretty large.

He's been slowly getting faster and faster in his movement but I noticed today he was super bolty. Also, he started kind of frantically walking around his enclosure with very weird not very fluid movements (kind of restless I guess). He at one point kind of attacked a random piece of his substrate on the ground (which was kind of hilarious) but yeah he's been acting super weird today. His water dish was pretty much empty and I saw him go there a couple times so maybe he was just thirsty (I keep the substrate fairly dry for him) or hungry. I fed him a mealworm and he took it pretty aggressively (but that's usually the case). Now he's just kind of in his little corner munching on the worm which is I guess back to normal.

Not sure if maybe this is signs of preps for a molt or what, not too familiar with early signs other than I guess large abdomens. Still fairly new but enjoying the hobby and learning lots!

Anyways, here's a video I got of some of those movements I was talking about. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EY8SIMdVbHTIKnQSnM6s5sI-evvqOIVk/view?usp=sharing

Thanks in advance!

Slick video...thank you for that.

It looks to me like it’s just laying out boundaries and getting ready to start webbing up the enclosure. Did you see the way that it was fitting itself along the side of the debris, it would approach from one side and then reverse...but it always stopped at the same location and pressed its body against the substrate?

I watched mine do that, over and over...that location became the main area of their webbing, with entrances to the front and rear, right in line to the repetitive path that the spider was making.

Very cool to see another sling doing the same behaviors.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[m4lewis]

Slick video...thank you for that.

It looks to me like it’s just laying out boundaries and getting ready to start webbing up the enclosure. Did you see the way that it was fitting itself along the side of the debris, it would approach from one side and then reverse...but it always stopped at the same location and pressed its body against the substrate?

I watched mine do that, over and over...that location became the main area of their webbing, with entrances to the front and rear, right in line to the repetitive path that the spider was making.

Very cool to see another sling doing the same behaviors.

Thank you for sharing.

Oh okay that makes sense. I have seen it make some webs one night and now that I think about it the movements were kind of similar.

Also it's my pleasure to share! I am enjoying myself so much with this T that I'm also considering another beginner species very soon.

I have more videos and pics, you can follow Fluffy on IG

Matthew Lewis (@fluffythet) • Instagram photos and videos

103 Followers, 208 Following, 60 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Matthew Lewis (@fluffythet)

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[Chroma Trigger]

Not sure when it last molted exactly no as they haven't motled since I got them. Maybe 6 weeks to two months ago? I feed him about every other day or 2/3 times a week at this point. I had baby crickets earlier which were fine for the first week but he started to go through them quick.

Okay thanks for the tip on refusal of food I had also seen that mentioned in a video or two. I'll keep the 2-3 months thing in mind, thanks for the help!

GBBs are fantastic eaters and as long as a sling eats, you can definitely keep feeding it. Something I didn't try myself is to raise the ambient temperature a bit, which is supposed to accelerate the growth rate. But as long as your T eats, I don't see a reason for that. Tarantulas are so low maintenance that we tend to overthink a lot when caring for them, haha. Something that can always be balanced by getting more Ts

 

[m4lewis]

GBBs are fantastic eaters and as long as a sling eats, you can definitely keep feeding it. Something I didn't try myself is to raise the ambient temperature a bit, which is supposed to accelerate the growth rate. But as long as your T eats, I don't see a reason for that. Tarantulas are so low maintenance that we tend to overthink a lot when caring for them, haha. Something that can always be balanced by getting more Ts

Haha so true, and I'm thinking of getting one or two more. The brazilian black looks like such an awesome species definitely going for one.

For the temperature, I got a couple reptile heating pads, one for my desk for when I have Fluffy out to get a bit of light (my den is nice because the sun never shines directly in) and the other for his overnight spot in one of my closets that I leave cracked a little. The one in the closet definitely keeps it nice and warm, the one on my desk lol I think is just for show, I keep it away from the enclosure so it doesn't get too hot. I feel like it helps because he's growing really quick.

 

[Chroma Trigger]

Haha so true, and I'm thinking of getting one or two more. The brazilian black looks like such an awesome species definitely going for one.

For the temperature, I got a couple reptile heating pads, one for my desk for when I have Fluffy out to get a bit of light (my den is nice because the sun never shines directly in) and the other for his overnight spot in one of my closets that I leave cracked a little. The one in the closet definitely keeps it nice and warm, the one on my desk lol I think is just for show, I keep it away from the enclosure so it doesn't get too hot. I feel like it helps because he's growing really quick.

G Pulchra is definitely a winner! Brachypelmas or maybe an Avicularia can be great starter experiences too (once you get hooked on arboreals, your wallet will truly hate you...).

If I understand right, you use the heading pads to raise the ambient temperature, but not the terrarium itself? Just making sure, because a heat mat directly under the terra will definitely cook your T. They feel their enclosure getting warmer and to escape the warmth (normally the sun) they start digging downwards. If there is a heating pad, they get hotter the deeper they dig, until they are exhausted. Heating lamps also work very well, but the bulbs can be quite expensive.

 

[m4lewis]

G Pulchra is definitely a winner! Brachypelmas or maybe an Avicularia can be great starter experiences too (once you get hooked on arboreals, your wallet will truly hate you...).

If I understand right, you use the heading pads to raise the ambient temperature, but not the terrarium itself? Just making sure, because a heat mat directly under the terra will definitely cook your T. They feel their enclosure getting warmer and to escape the warmth (normally the sun) they start digging downwards. If there is a heating pad, they get hotter the deeper they dig, until they are exhausted. Heating lamps also work very well, but the bulbs can be quite expensive.

I was also looking at the Avicularia sp Kwitara as my seller has those available now. With those three species to start off with I think I would be set and hopefully in for some really cool activity!

Yes that's correct, I was reading up on the forums before I got an account and made sure never to put it under or touching the enclosure, it is just there to warm the air in the space.

 

[Thekla]

Hey all I'm new to the forums and the hobby. Got my gbb 3 weeks ago as my first T and he's been pretty awesome (not sure of gender yet). Got him as a 1" sling and he's about 1.25"/1.5" at this point definitely growing pretty quick and his abdomen is getting pretty large.

Ts don't grow without moulting. Yes, the abdomen gets bigger, but the DLS remains the same until they moult.

Your GBB looks plump and healthy. I would slow down with the feeding, once a week would be enough until it moults which should be fairly soon(-ish). After that and after it has hardened up I would rehouse the little guy and give it a proper set-up. IMO there's no need to do it now.

Other than that I can't see anything out of the ordinary. My A. purpurea (about 2") sometimes behave the same... it's as if he forgot where he wanted to web and then tries to web at all places at the same time.

 

[m4lewis]

Ts don't grow without moulting. Yes, the abdomen gets bigger, but the DLS remains the same until they moult.

Your GBB looks plump and healthy. I would slow down with the feeding, once a week would be enough until it moults which should be fairly soon(-ish). After that and after it has hardened up I would rehouse the little guy and give it a proper set-up. IMO there's no need to do it now.

Other than that I can't see anything out of the ordinary. My A. purpurea (about 2") sometimes behave the same... it's as if he forgot where he wanted to web and then tries to web at all places at the same time.

Ahh okay, had a feeling as I did notice the leg span wasn't changing much (does it grow a lil before moulting?). Also does the carapace grow? I feel like his has gotten beefy

I've been just so amazed with his booty growth I keep saying to myself he's already twice as big

I will give that a shot and slow down his feeding, although I'm sure he'd still love a worm every other day...he loves those things

Before I shot the video he was going nuts and circling his enclosure. I was like "Uhh are you lost lil buddy?" it was pretty funny (but also concerning hence the post). Glad I have nothing to be worried about and I look forward to seeing him molt.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Thekla]

Ahh okay, had a feeling as I did notice the leg span wasn't changing much (does it grow a lil before moulting?). Also does the carapace grow? I feel like his has gotten beefy

Everything - apart from its booty - will only grow when it moults. Before a moult, only the abdomen grows, and that will most probably be smaller right after the moult.

 

[jaw6053]

Hey all I'm new to the forums and the hobby. Got my gbb 3 weeks ago as my first T and he's been pretty awesome (not sure of gender yet). Got him as a 1" sling and he's about 1.25"/1.5" at this point definitely growing pretty quick and his abdomen is getting pretty large.

He's been slowly getting faster and faster in his movement but I noticed today he was super bolty. Also, he started kind of frantically walking around his enclosure with very weird not very fluid movements (kind of restless I guess). He at one point kind of attacked a random piece of his substrate on the ground (which was kind of hilarious) but yeah he's been acting super weird today. His water dish was pretty much empty and I saw him go there a couple times so maybe he was just thirsty (I keep the substrate fairly dry for him) or hungry. I fed him a mealworm and he took it pretty aggressively (but that's usually the case). Now he's just kind of in his little corner munching on the worm which is I guess back to normal.

Not sure if maybe this is signs of preps for a molt or what, not too familiar with early signs other than I guess large abdomens. Still fairly new but enjoying the hobby and learning lots!

Anyways, here's a video I got of some of those movements I was talking about. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EY8SIMdVbHTIKnQSnM6s5sI-evvqOIVk/view?usp=sharing

Thanks in advance!

I have 4 the same size as you have and I had overfed 2 of them which in turn they did not eat for 4+ weeks and then molted. So, if you overfeed it will definitely refuse food until it molts. Just warning you because when that happens as a beginner you start to panic and think something is terribly wrong while the only thing happening is your T is preparing to molt.