Should I dig her up and clean the enclosure or not? DILEMMA please help!

[suzanne]

Hi!

I need some advice / tips for my new Grammostola pulchra (female, 2 years old).
I am new to this hobby and spent a few months getting as much information as possible. Sunday I got my first 2 T’s and I’m super happy!

The day before yesterday I moved the G pulchra to her new terrarium that I bought from the breeder. The breeder said that the terrarium is a bit on the bigger side, but still okay. I have filled the terrarium with a lot of coco fiber from low to high at the back, so that the G pulchra is less likely to fall. After rehousing her, she seemed a bit tense, and occasionally dug herself in.
Yesterday she was half in her burrow and I could still see her pretty well, so I tried to offer her some food for the first time. I gave her a superworm (about the size and thin of her leg). She grabbed it and she moved her legs and palps in a subtle way for about 30 seconds / 1 minute and after that I couldn't see the superworm anymore. I'm not sure if she actually ate the superworm. It is now clear to me that I have to look for the superworm (if it has not been eaten) because it could be dangerous for her.

So today I wanted to clean out the enclosure to look for the lost superworm, because yesterday she seemed a bit stressed, but now she buried herself in and closed it off with substrate and I can't see her anymore. Could she be in premolt? I got her last Sunday and she looked quite thic already (see picture). Since I only tried to offer her food yesterday, I'm not very sure of her recent eating habits, and I'm also not sure if she ate this superworm, but probably she didn't. What is the best thing to do? Cleaning out the enclosure, look for the superworm and risk disturbing her while she might be in premolt? Or just wait? Maybe she is still a bit stressed from rehousing so she buried herself in? I really don't know. How should I approach this? Is it a good idea to start with carefully digging out the substrate with a spoon/cup and a brush?
Also I haven't found any bolus/boli from the superworm on the surface.
If anyone has advice for me and my baby please let me know! <3

Some more questions about nutrition:
I often read that in general crickets, cockroaches and superworms are suitable food for juveniles / slings no bigger than the T itself. Which of these three is the least dangerous to the T? I was advised in a forum to crush or cut the heads of superworms from now on, otherwise they can bite. But if the mealworm is dead, will the T still eat the mealworm? And what if the mealworm is buried, can mold or grow fungus? I also read somewhere that cockroaches are the least dangerous if the T does not eat the cockroach directly. Is that right? Could the cockroach bite the T or go bad / mold if it burrows itself? How about crickets? The idea of bringing small cockroaches and crickets into my home makes me a bit uncomfortable, because I don't know how to store them, as they can crawl out almost anywhere and I don't want an infestation. How do you keep cockroaches and crickets without them escaping and ending up an infestation at home? I would love to hear how you do this!


Here a picture of my G pulchra ❤ (what do you think, premolt abdomen?)

 

[Casey K.]

She is definitely a fatty, lol. I wouldn't disturb her to look for the mealworm. It shouldn't be an issue. Also, Grammastola pulchra tend to burrow. She can feel every movement the mealworm makes, even when the mealworm is buried in the substrate. Mine have actually burrowed down to their food to consume it. Roaches are safe but I wouldn't leave any B. lateralis in with a tarantula. They are like crickets and they will bite/eat the spider because they love protein. I have had a few B. lateralis bite me. Dubia are safe (but tend to burrow)....again, not an issue for pulchra once they start moving around. Crickets are okay but you would need to remove them after 24 hours if your spider hasn't consumed them. Your pulchra burrowing is a good sign that she is happy and healthy! I wouldn't bother her. Just make sure she has a reservoir in her enclosure and you should be good!

 

[Phil]

Hi!

I need some advice / tips for my new Grammostola pulchra (female, 2 years old).
I am new to this hobby and spent a few months getting as much information as possible. Sunday I got my first 2 T’s and I’m super happy!

The day before yesterday I moved the G pulchra to her new terrarium that I bought from the breeder. The breeder said that the terrarium is a bit on the bigger side, but still okay. I have filled the terrarium with a lot of coco fiber from low to high at the back, so that the G pulchra is less likely to fall. After rehousing her, she seemed a bit tense, and occasionally dug herself in.
Yesterday she was half in her burrow and I could still see her pretty well, so I tried to offer her some food for the first time. I gave her a superworm (about the size and thin of her leg). She grabbed it and she moved her legs and palps in a subtle way for about 30 seconds / 1 minute and after that I couldn't see the superworm anymore. I'm not sure if she actually ate the superworm. It is now clear to me that I have to look for the superworm (if it has not been eaten) because it could be dangerous for her.

So today I wanted to clean out the enclosure to look for the lost superworm, because yesterday she seemed a bit stressed, but now she buried herself in and closed it off with substrate and I can't see her anymore. Could she be in premolt? I got her last Sunday and she looked quite thic already (see picture). Since I only tried to offer her food yesterday, I'm not very sure of her recent eating habits, and I'm also not sure if she ate this superworm, but probably she didn't. What is the best thing to do? Cleaning out the enclosure, look for the superworm and risk disturbing her while she might be in premolt? Or just wait? Maybe she is still a bit stressed from rehousing so she buried herself in? I really don't know. How should I approach this? Is it a good idea to start with carefully digging out the substrate with a spoon/cup and a brush?
Also I haven't found any bolus/boli from the superworm on the surface.
If anyone has advice for me and my baby please let me know! <3

Some more questions about nutrition:
I often read that in general crickets, ****roaches and superworms are suitable food for juveniles / slings no bigger than the T itself. Which of these three is the least dangerous to the T? I was advised in a forum to crush or cut the heads of superworms from now on, otherwise they can bite. But if the mealworm is dead, will the T still eat the mealworm? And what if the mealworm is buried, can mold or grow fungus? I also read somewhere that ****roaches are the least dangerous if the T does not eat the ****roach directly. Is that right? Could the ****roach bite the T or go bad / mold if it burrows itself? How about crickets? The idea of bringing small ****roaches and crickets into my home makes me a bit uncomfortable, because I don't know how to store them, as they can crawl out almost anywhere and I don't want an infestation. How do you keep ****roaches and crickets without them escaping and ending up an infestation at home? I would love to hear how you do this!


Here a picture of my G pulchra ❤ (what do you think, premolt abdomen?)

A chunky butt there. I wouldn't offer any more food and just makes sure water available for then it decides to go into moult. Pulchra as with most Grammastola, do have a habit of making you wait a sling time though...ha ha

 

[T-Baby]

Hi!

I need some advice / tips for my new Grammostola pulchra (female, 2 years old).
I am new to this hobby and spent a few months getting as much information as possible. Sunday I got my first 2 T’s and I’m super happy!

The day before yesterday I moved the G pulchra to her new terrarium that I bought from the breeder. The breeder said that the terrarium is a bit on the bigger side, but still okay. I have filled the terrarium with a lot of coco fiber from low to high at the back, so that the G pulchra is less likely to fall. After rehousing her, she seemed a bit tense, and occasionally dug herself in.
Yesterday she was half in her burrow and I could still see her pretty well, so I tried to offer her some food for the first time. I gave her a superworm (about the size and thin of her leg). She grabbed it and she moved her legs and palps in a subtle way for about 30 seconds / 1 minute and after that I couldn't see the superworm anymore. I'm not sure if she actually ate the superworm. It is now clear to me that I have to look for the superworm (if it has not been eaten) because it could be dangerous for her.

So today I wanted to clean out the enclosure to look for the lost superworm, because yesterday she seemed a bit stressed, but now she buried herself in and closed it off with substrate and I can't see her anymore. Could she be in premolt? I got her last Sunday and she looked quite thic already (see picture). Since I only tried to offer her food yesterday, I'm not very sure of her recent eating habits, and I'm also not sure if she ate this superworm, but probably she didn't. What is the best thing to do? Cleaning out the enclosure, look for the superworm and risk disturbing her while she might be in premolt? Or just wait? Maybe she is still a bit stressed from rehousing so she buried herself in? I really don't know. How should I approach this? Is it a good idea to start with carefully digging out the substrate with a spoon/cup and a brush?
Also I haven't found any bolus/boli from the superworm on the surface.
If anyone has advice for me and my baby please let me know! <3

Some more questions about nutrition:
I often read that in general crickets, ****roaches and superworms are suitable food for juveniles / slings no bigger than the T itself. Which of these three is the least dangerous to the T? I was advised in a forum to crush or cut the heads of superworms from now on, otherwise they can bite. But if the mealworm is dead, will the T still eat the mealworm? And what if the mealworm is buried, can mold or grow fungus? I also read somewhere that ****roaches are the least dangerous if the T does not eat the ****roach directly. Is that right? Could the ****roach bite the T or go bad / mold if it burrows itself? How about crickets? The idea of bringing small ****roaches and crickets into my home makes me a bit uncomfortable, because I don't know how to store them, as they can crawl out almost anywhere and I don't want an infestation. How do you keep ****roaches and crickets without them escaping and ending up an infestation at home? I would love to hear how you do this!


Here a picture of my G pulchra ❤ (what do you think, premolt abdomen?)

If every time she doesn’t eat you go digging around her tank, she’ll never be settled.
Crushing a crickets head is perfectly fine if you’re worried about uneaten food being left in her tank, she’ll still hunt the cricket and it’ll be perfectly visible to remove if after a few days she hasn’t ate it.
Getting them out the tub without them escaping is pretty easy. Placing the tub inside a larger one where the crickets can’t jump out of will mean any escapees will simply ‘jump’ in to the larger container but something I do is actually spray them down with water beforehand, they’re usually very thirsty and will be more interested in drinking then escaping.
I personally wouldn’t feed her for a while, she actually looks overweight and/or in premoult.

 

[Phil]

If every time she doesn’t eat you go digging around her tank, she’ll never be settled.
Crushing a crickets head is perfectly fine if you’re worried about uneaten food being left in her tank, she’ll still hunt the cricket and it’ll be perfectly visible to remove if after a few days she hasn’t ate it.
Getting them out the tub without them escaping is pretty easy. Placing the tub inside a larger one where the crickets can’t jump out of will mean any escapees will simply ‘jump’ in to the larger container but something I do is actually spray them down with water beforehand, they’re usually very thirsty and will be more interested in drinking then escaping.
I personally wouldn’t feed her for a while, she actually looks overweight and/or in premoult.

that's a good tip about spraying

 

[suzanne]

Thanks for the tips! Appreciate it! I got mixed advises also from other tarantula forums, so I decided to VERY carefully look for her with my paintbrush. Luckily she was just hiding under a piece of cork bark which she closed off with substrate. I rehoused her to a smaller enclosure, because I really started to think her previous one was a little too big. She seems to be doing just fine. Also I couldn't find the superworm or bolus in the substrate. I assume she ate it. But I'll leave the old enclosure as it was (without any living creature in it), so maybe the superworm will molt into a beetle if it's still in there. Maybe I can keep it as pet too. Aaah my first tarantula mistake. Oh well, luckily everything seems to be fine now!

 

[WolfSpider]

Congratulations on your new T. You chose well. Even if your pulchra is a male, it will live many years. Stress for newbies is common. Just like a new Mom, you get more comfortable with your baby as time goes on.

Your T is overweight. Its not much of an issue for the T, but it will be for you. Heavy Ts can have an extended "premolt". Some believe that overfeeding pushes the T into premolt sooner, resulting in a longer fast and taking seemingly eons before a molt.

Roaches are gross, but they are probably the most versatile food source. Dubai roaches are not interested in tarantulas and can stay safely in the enclosure even during a tarantula molt. Sadly, in my stupid state, dubias are not permitted.

Welcome. Careful....this hobby can cause physiologic tolerance: you need more tarantulas to keep the high!

Wolf Spider

 

[Rs50matt]

It’s the angle of the picture that makes it look huge.

 

[menavodi]

It’s the angle of the picture that makes it look huge.

LOL...that’s what she always said...

 

[Gizalba]

Some more questions about nutrition:
I often read that in general crickets, ****roaches and superworms are suitable food for juveniles / slings no bigger than the T itself. Which of these three is the least dangerous to the T? I was advised in a forum to crush or cut the heads of superworms from now on, otherwise they can bite. But if the mealworm is dead, will the T still eat the mealworm? And what if the mealworm is buried, can mold or grow fungus? I also read somewhere that ****roaches are the least dangerous if the T does not eat the ****roach directly. Is that right? Could the ****roach bite the T or go bad / mold if it burrows itself? How about crickets? The idea of bringing small ****roaches and crickets into my home makes me a bit uncomfortable, because I don't know how to store them, as they can crawl out almost anywhere and I don't want an infestation. How do you keep ****roaches and crickets without them escaping and ending up an infestation at home? I would love to hear how you do this!


Here a picture of my G pulchra ❤ (what do you think, premolt abdomen?)

I am new to the hobby and only have experience of crickets as feeders so far, but I mostly followed this video and it seems to have worked well so far (8 weeks after getting the crickets they are only just dying - no escapees so far touch wood!):

However I didn't bother with the special feeder, I just gave them porridge oats, lettuce, orange slices, fish food, potatoes etc

To get them out I shake one of the toilet rolls into a catch cup, then if too many are in the cup I then shake that back into the enclosure until I have the desired amount left in the cup. I put a piece of cardboard on top of the cup to take it to the tarantula then shake the cup in. Catching the cricket again if it doesn't get eaten can be a bit of a challenge but I use the cup and cardboard and it doesn't take too long. I always make sure there is an empty cup on hand as the odd time a cricket has jumped onto the floor, but it was quickly captured again by putting the upside down cup on top and sliding card underneath.

When I first unpacked the crickets I did it in an empty bath which I would recommend! That way if any do escape they're not going to get further than the bath.

 

[WolfSpider]

Crickets are vile creatures. Fortunately, the do not multiply when escaped. They usually die in the house within 2-3 days. I promise, you won't start a cricket apocalypse in your house.

 

[Turtlynne]

I agree ...crickets are vile and they bite...red runners are easy to raise and my understanding is they have more protein ...also can give extra runners to chickens! they love 'em!
And just my opinion...if YOU closed the door to your room doesn't that mean "Stay Out"? I believe same for spider...my G.pulchra burrows and resurfaces 'whenever' and is just fine...spiders know what to do...try to leave her alone...spiders are made for watching ...not always hovering and poking...

 

[Aracnoenthusiast]

Just crush feeders heads from now on when you feed. They'll still wiggle for a while to elicit a feeding response and if they dont get eaten they pose no threat. Plus then they cant burrow. If the tarantula has walled itself in, leave it alone.

 

[ChevyIsBetter]

She is definitely a fatty, lol. I wouldn't disturb her to look for the mealworm. It shouldn't be an issue. Also, Grammastola pulchra tend to burrow. She can feel every movement the mealworm makes, even when the mealworm is buried in the substrate. Mine have actually burrowed down to their food to consume it. Roaches are safe but I wouldn't leave any B. lateralis in with a tarantula. They are like crickets and they will bite/eat the spider because they love protein. I have had a few B. lateralis bite me. Dubia are safe (but tend to burrow)....again, not an issue for pulchra once they start moving around. Crickets are okay but you would need to remove them after 24 hours if your spider hasn't consumed them. Your pulchra burrowing is a good sign that she is happy and healthy! I wouldn't bother her. Just make sure she has a reservoir in her enclosure and you should be good!

I absolutely agree. Also roaches and crickets can harm them while they're molting or in premolt so watch out