Chaco Golden Knee q's

[scj0nes]

Hello, I just joined this site and have a lot about the only tarantula I have, a grammostola pulchripes named Bundy.

He is an inch 1/2 wide but surprisingly eats an insane amount amount of food per feeding. I've read that golden knees don't generally eat too much in one sitting, but Bundy eats enough crickets to feed 2 other t's his size. I fed him yesterday and he ate 8 small crickets and one medium sized one. Is this a sign of an impending mult? Did I accidentally put way too much in and now it's all going to rot in his cage and I should go clean it out? Is my spider having a growth spurt and devouring everything in sight to grow bigger? (Yes, I'm so new at this I'm considering spider growth spurt is real).

Little questino to that, during feeding he drags food into his coconut shell were his burrow is built. To clean out the uneaten food, I don't want to rip apart his crafted tunnels and webbing. How should I go about this?

Another question I have is why my T is so shy. I know the species are supposed to grow into being gentle giants, but Bundy is very skiddish, runs into his burrow at the sight of a shadow and the only time I've tried to handle him, he kicked hairs and ran under his coconut shell in his arachnitat (coined phrase in my household). Is it just because he is so small and I have scared him, or is Bundy just a loner and needs his space.

I swear, my T acts like a brooding teenager.

Sorry if I sound uneducated, but I'm new to this and I have not found any answers through research.

Thanks,
Sarah

 

[Nada]

you are feeding him too much. 1 prey item a week is plenty. Don't worry though, it's not the end of the world. as far as him going to hide with his food. he'll push out the reminants when he's ready. they're surprisingly clean animals. as a sling, he views everything as a potential predator, don't mess with him, let him do his spider thing and when he's a bit larger he'll be much bolder. The gentle giant thing in regard to Chacos isn't always right. I'm very against handling personally, and some individual spiders are too. If he doesn't want to be bothered, just let him be. Basically read it's body language. If it's hiding, let it hide.

 

[HungryGhost]

I agree with Nada. Ease up on the food. You can power feed a sling to get it to grow faster but don't get carried away, I know how tempting it is to feed them often and they have a strong prey response. If you want to get some faster growth on him offer about 3 small prey items a week. When he matures he will spend more/most of his time in the open. As far as handling, wait and see what kind of temperament he develops. I have a 4" female Chaco that is eager to climb out on my hand whenever she senses the enclosure being opened. I don't really "handle" her, instead I spread a towel on the floor and interact with her. Dropping a T can be fatal so I always keep her low with something soft under her. Good luck with Bundy you have picked a good T to start with. My girl is named Evita.

 

[scj0nes]

you are feeding him too much. 1 prey item a week is plenty. Don't worry though, it's not the end of the world. as far as him going to hide with his food. he'll push out the reminants when he's ready. they're surprisingly clean animals. as a sling, he views everything as a potential predator, don't mess with him, let him do his spider thing and when he's a bit larger he'll be much bolder. The gentle giant thing in regard to Chacos isn't always right. I'm very against handling personally, and some individual spiders are too. If he doesn't want to be bothered, just let him be. Basically read it's body language. If it's hiding, let it hide.

Thanks for the reply! I'll definitely cut back on the feedings. He just went for it, but I don't want to stuff Bundy haha. And I'll be sure to read his body language. I guess we're both new to this 'pet' thing and we'll both learn as he grows.

 

[scj0nes]

I agree with Nada. Ease up on the food. You can power feed a sling to get it to grow faster but don't get carried away, I know how tempting it is to feed them often and they have a strong prey response. If you want to get some faster growth on him offer about 3 small prey items a week. When he matures he will spend more/most of his time in the open. As far as handling, wait and see what kind of temperament he develops. I have a 4" female Chaco that is eager to climb out on my hand whenever she senses the enclosure being opened. I don't really "handle" her, instead I spread a towel on the floor and interact with her. Dropping a T can be fatal so I always keep her low with something soft under her. Good luck with Bundy you have picked a good T to start with. My girl is named Evita.

Thanks for the reply! I love your Chaco's name! I bet she's a cutey I'll keep your handling method in mind, though handling if I ever handle Bundy will be in the future.

 

[entomology]

Hi scJones
i would go on common sense here and say your on the" right track" so to speak. any species will stop eating once they have had their "fill"/food. no spices will eat themselves to "death" Due to the fact you are keeping your tarantula in an artificial environment is is essential to maintain good animal husbandry by keeping it clean. in "nature" detritivores" will break up and consume old uneaten food and it will become part of the food web and food chain. remove old food as is harbors mites and bacteria. I hope this information will help you keep your tarantula happy in its vivarium.