G. Pulchripes 3.5 inch female in premolt already?

[Adraps11]

My Grammostola Pulchripes, appears to be in premolt again. She last molted on May 24th of this year. Before that it was May 25th 2016. I wonder if the change in diet, enclosure and temps have anything to do with this possible premolt. She's in a nice 10 gallon enclosure, and has webbed the entire place, it looks beautiful. She appears very comfortable underneath her retreat, which she has just now in the last few days, sealed off. Usually, she's pretty active, but doesn't climb the sides, she's very mellow in this enclosure. She also stopped feeding, and showed me the threat posture, when presented with both half inch and one inch dubia roaches. I've been feeding her every week, Mon, wed, and friday, since May 30th. Her diet consists of only dubia roaches, all have been gut loaded.

I can see that on the inside of the retreat, she's spun a web mat, and just like last premolt, she's losing fuzzy hairballs on her abdomen and brushing them around the mat. The skin underneath is dark. It's been a humid, hot summer, and upstairs in my tiny room it gets probably in the mid seventies, when the computer has been running a long time. It's cooler out in the hallway. I'm just surprised that she could be in premolt again so fast. If she does molt I hope it isn't a fatal premature molt, like I've seen on youtube.

 

[Adraps11]

I didn't think Grammostola grew this fast, but I just looked in on her and she's halfway out of her old skin! It's a good thing I transferred her to the ten gallon!

 

[Adraps11]

She's out flexing them legs! Man! It never gets old, observing them molting. It is a confirmed female, but this molt and growth rate has really surprised me. IDK, but I'd say she's 4.5 or maybe closer to five inches in leg span now. Now I have three exoskeletons to compare, the oldest dating back to May 25th 2016, right after I bought her.

 

[Enn49]

Congrats on the moult

 

[Adraps11]

Thanks! She's barricaded herself in her habba hut hide. I can see inside on the end that's up against the glass, with protective webbing all up and down it. As she slid out of the old skin, it shifted sideways, obscuring my view of the other side, so that I can just barely see that she's righted herself. Looking in from the well sealed, NO DUBIA ARE GETTING IN HERE!, entrance, I can see two of her new front legs, and just a tiny view of the already expanded carapace. The complete child in me wants to tear down the seal, and take out the molt with some tongs, but I'll just wait until she comes out herself, as I've always done. These are marvelous creatures that never fail to fascinate me. lol Now I'll be busy keeping four sub-adult roaches alive, until her appetite returns. Easy peasy! Switching from crickets to roaches has made a night and day difference in terms of, nutrition, upkeep, smell, and the mortality rate.

 

[Enn49]

They are extremely fascinating and more individual than you' think.

 

[Tgotty90]

I didn't think Grammostola grew this fast, but I just looked in on her and she's halfway out of her old skin! It's a good thing I transferred her to the ten gallon!

Congrats on the molt!!!
G.pulchripes do seem to grow faster than others in the genius, mine went from .5" to 3" in under a year, probably a male but still way faster then my other grammostolas. I've read other post with the same results as well.

 

[Adraps11]

I believe my Pulchripes is around 4.5 inches now. She handles (completely overpowers) 1" Dubias with the greatest of ease! I've been watching how she attacks the roaches, and when I first started her on the armored fiends, she'd maybe "accidently" pierce them at the rear, leaving the roach's front end, free to put up an annoying game of Tug of war. That method took half an hour to finally kill the prey. She's bigger now, and WILL readily take out a fully winged/armored male dubia, but what's interesting is now, she'll flip em around, adjusting them with her pedipalps, and then, she'll make sure to give them a quick incapacitating bite, right to the head. She even seems to be making sure her fangs go up underneath the shielded hood, that covers the roaches head. LOL It sounds kind of sick, that I enjoy watching her learn better and quicker ways to kill various prey items. I love it.

 

[Adraps11]

It wouldn't surprise me, if she molted around February or March. My room's central location in the house, always seems to keep the temperature up. I think, that when I do finally get another T, it'll be one of the Dwarf species!

 

[Miss Moxie]

I believe my Pulchripes is around 4.5 inches now. She handles (completely overpowers) 1" Dubias with the greatest of ease! I've been watching how she attacks the roaches, and when I first started her on the armored fiends, she'd maybe "accidently" pierce them at the rear, leaving the roach's front end, free to put up an annoying game of Tug of war. That method took half an hour to finally kill the prey. She's bigger now, and WILL readily take out a fully winged/armored male dubia, but what's interesting is now, she'll flip em around, adjusting them with her pedipalps, and then, she'll make sure to give them a quick incapacitating bite, right to the head. She even seems to be making sure her fangs go up underneath the shielded hood, that covers the roaches head. LOL It sounds kind of sick, that I enjoy watching her learn better and quicker ways to kill various prey items. I love it.

Have any scorpions? They put tarantulas to shame when it comes to eating. I watched a male C. gracilis of mine eat a live, scrabbling cricket face first while holding another in it's claw for later. They're savages.

I even have a picture.

As for her molting, increases in temperature definitely help trigger molts. It's also possible that there was something wrong with her last molt that you could not see and she molted again to correct it. Injured Ts have been known to molt faster, in some sort of evolutionary genius. Wish we could get a new body when something of ours gets damaged.

 

[Whitelightning777]

I posted my scorp destroying a hissing roach in the scorpion section of this forum. She's a perfect guest for any 5 star restaurant!!

She was ignoring the roach just chilling in her hiding place. I basically flipped the roach upside down and tossed it in pretty fast right between the pinschers thereby beginning the process. I started filming as soon as I put the lid back on.

Making her homicidal never fails to get her to eat as long as she holds onto the feeder in question.

Step 1. I kill you!!

Step 2. Hmmmmm, tastes like chicken!! Dinner time!!