Would this GBB be considered overfed?

amberd

Arachnopeon
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Jan 4, 2023
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8
Hello all, I have this GBB and it seems to have a huge abdomen to me. But it seems really hungry still! It hunts the crickets in her neighbors enclosures. I’m about ready to rehouse this spider and am wondering if I should stop feeding her for a bit before I do that so it isn’t injured? Also, does this spider look overfed?

funny thing… I was giving it prekilled mealworms for so long. But Started putting crickets in and it never stops hunting now. It’s almost like it missed the thrill of the hunt and is now excited to do so!

I pulled some of its web that had some mold on it and had my first lesson on urticating hairs in an enclosure. My GBB doesn’t kick hairs at me anymore so that’s nice. I’m sure after I rehouse it will not be happy for a bit again. I almost hate to move it because of this. Anyway, I’m glad I found out about the hairs being in enclosure before rehousing! Could have been really bad!
 

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nervousspider

Arachnopeon
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Apr 28, 2022
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This chunky monkey shouldn't need to eat for a long while! Tarantulas will generally either keep eating until way after their full, or get full and just refuse food, looks like you've got one of the ones that keeps eating. It would probably be best to not feed until she molts or at least until she looses some weight. For future reference, an abdomen roughly the size of the thorax or a little bigger is a good size to aim for when feeding. :)
Tarantulas are different than other pets in that they don't need food all the time, they can go months without eating in the wild if necessary, and in captivity some Ts will just refuse to eat for that long. One thing I recommend though is to always be sure she's got a water source! Ts will get their water through the food they eat, but its always good for them to have access, and it's especially important they're hydrated during the molting process.
 

ladyratri

Arachnobaron
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For future reference, an abdomen roughly the size of the thorax or a little bigger is a good size to aim for when feeding.
This can vary a lot by instar/legspan and species. Terrestrial species tend to be chunkier and heavier-bodied that arboreals. And slings can afford to get a lot fatter in terms of relative size of abdomen to the rest of the T than adults. Slings will put all that into growth in their next molt, and are overall so small and light that even a super fast sling won't drag their abdomen to the point if damage before the next molt. Sub-adult and adult T's are not growing nearly as fast, and have more risk of a drag injury if their abdomen gets so huge and heavy that it drags when they move. Especially also as they go much longer between molts.

So yes, that sling is pretty crazy fat but you may be surprised at how much it appears to slim down when it molts. And definitely moderate the feeding more and more as it grows bigger -- you don't want its abdomen anywhere near that big in comparison to its carapace once the legspan is more like 2-3".
 

NMTs

Spider Wrangler
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It is fat, but it's a sling. Feed it until it stops eating. When it stops eating, it'll likely molt within a few days time, and it won't be fat afterwards.
 

amberd

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 4, 2023
Messages
8
This chunky monkey shouldn't need to eat for a long while! Tarantulas will generally either keep eating until way after their full, or get full and just refuse food, looks like you've got one of the ones that keeps eating. It would probably be best to not feed until she molts or at least until she looses some weight. For future reference, an abdomen roughly the size of the thorax or a little bigger is a good size to aim for when feeding. :)
Tarantulas are different than other pets in that they don't need food all the time, they can go months without eating in the wild if necessary, and in captivity some Ts will just refuse to eat for that long. One thing I recommend though is to always be sure she's got a water source! Ts will get their water through the food they eat, but its always good for them to have access, and it's especially important they're hydrated during the molting process.
Thanks for the info! Even after just eating so much I think it would keep eating for a very long time. Before its last molt it did quit eating for almost a month. I was worried so much! And after its molt I was amazed at how beautiful it had become. I love this hobby.
 

amberd

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 4, 2023
Messages
8
This can vary a lot by instar/legspan and species. Terrestrial species tend to be chunkier and heavier-bodied that arboreals. And slings can afford to get a lot fatter in terms of relative size of abdomen to the rest of the T than adults. Slings will put all that into growth in their next molt, and are overall so small and light that even a super fast sling won't drag their abdomen to the point if damage before the next molt. Sub-adult and adult T's are not growing nearly as fast, and have more risk of a drag injury if their abdomen gets so huge and heavy that it drags when they move. Especially also as they go much longer between molts.

So yes, that sling is pretty crazy fat but you may be surprised at how much it appears to slim down when it molts. And definitely moderate the feeding more and more as it grows bigger -- you don't want its abdomen anywhere near that big in comparison to its carapace once the legspan is more like 2-3".
I didn’t know that there is a worry for their abdomen when they get large. This is great to know. Before the last molt it refused food for a month. I thought it was making up for lost time. It was new to its enclosure then. Thank you for the info I appreciate it!
 

amberd

Arachnopeon
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Jan 4, 2023
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I didn’t know that there is a worry for their abdomen when they get large. This is great to know. Before the last molt it refused food for a month. I thought it was making up for lost time. It was new to its enclosure then. Thank you for the info I appreciate it!
I meant I didn’t know it is a worry for dragging their abdomen. I knew a fat T was bad but didn’t really know why.
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
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Jan 17, 2020
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5,275
Yes it’s definitely has eaten more than it actually needs to prepare for a molt so it is not going to need to eat again until after it hardens up after a molt
 
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