underfed GBB sling

Pixxie

Arachnosquire
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I got a GBB sling today from a pet store and its rump is at LEAST 1/4 the size that is should be. Its soo small. I immediately fed it a medium cricket when I got home. The sling is a little over an inch in LS. I just wanted to make sure that if I feed it like 2 or 3 small to medium crickets a day it won't hurt it. Is there any immediate risk to overfeeding a GBB sling?
 

grayzone

Arachnoking
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i wouldnt reccomend over feeding it from the start... what would happen if you gave all the starving people in Ethiopia (not intending to poke fun, i realize this is a nation wide site)a full blown Thanksgiving dinner? itd probably make them sick.. id offer it 1 medium cricket, then another in like 2-3 days. build up its appetite ;)
 

Hobo

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It's a little small for a dish I think. Stick to weekly/semi-weekly moistenings.
Any pics? I bet it'll be fine.
There's no issue with feeding them that much (I'd bet they're adapted to sudden periods of plenty and periods of famine), though constant feeding does cause them to molt more often and grow faster. Note that this will also most likely shorten their lifespan.

On the other hand, feeding sparingly is fine as well; I feed mine every 2-3 weeks.
 

Pixxie

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gbb1.jpg

It's butt got a little bigger since it ate. Its hard to see how small its butt really is from this pic, but its the best pic I could get with out bugging the sling too much. It'd be easier to see if its bottom right leg wasn't in the way. But you can still get an idea of how small since you can't see anymore rump on the right side of the leg.
 

SC Tarantulas

Arachnoknight
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From the pic it does not look that bad IMO. It should not have an abdomen like a water balloon (exaggeration) Feeding once or twice a week for my slings works for me. As Hobo stated he goes much longer between feedings and it works well for him. I like to keep the abdomen about the size of its carapace or just under that size for my slings. But thats me.
 

Pixxie

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From the pic it does not look that bad IMO. It should not have an abdomen like a water balloon (exaggeration) Feeding once or twice a week for my slings works for me. As Hobo stated he goes much longer between feedings and it works well for him. I like to keep the abdomen about the size of its carapace or just under that size for my slings. But thats me.
I'm glad it looks okay to you. I should have taken a pic before it ate. I really doubt that its rump could have gotten any smaller than it was. It was miniscule.

I like mine nice and plump. A bit bigger than the carapace. They're so much cuter that way. :) At least thats what I think.

And I've read before, when I was concerned with how much my rosie was eating, that overfeeding can shorten their lifespan (and Hobo said it in this thread), but I'm not worried about that since they still live a considerable amount of time. What does 2 or 3 less years matter as long as they were full and happy for the years that they did have. Thats not to say I won't be sad when they die though. Especially when my rosie goes. I won't be suprized if I cry.
 

SC Tarantulas

Arachnoknight
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I like mine nice and plump. A bit bigger than the carapace. They're so much cuter that way. At least thats what I think.
I like my bulky species like Brachys to be bulky. Species that are fast and agile like the GBB I like for them to look the part.
But to each his own. I have read on here (never seen myself) about abdomens rupturing due to over feeding.
I assume that is just an extreme case of "power feeding". Good luck with your little one.
 

Pixxie

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I like my bulky species like Brachys to be bulky. Species that are fast and agile like the GBB I like for them to look the part.
But to each his own. I have read on here (never seen myself) about abdomens rupturing due to over feeding.
I assume that is just an extreme case of "power feeding". Good luck with your little one.
I've read about that happening when T's have lesions on their rumps, but never when they're healthy. Do you happen to remember what the thread title was or where to find it?

And thank you.
 

wesker12

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I've read about that happening when T's have lesions on their rumps, but never when they're healthy. Do you happen to remember what the thread title was or where to find it?

And thank you.
I believe an argument against everyday overfeeding was once a tarantulas abdomen becomes too big it can drag on the ground, possibly colliding with a sharp rock/splinter/exc and rupture.

However in your case I believe that feeding 3 times a day is wholly unnecessary and if you must, at least slow it down to a small cricket once a day until the abdomen reaches your desired size.
 

Pixxie

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I believe an argument against everyday overfeeding was once a tarantulas abdomen becomes too big it can drag on the ground, possibly colliding with a sharp rock/splinter/exc and rupture.

However in your case I believe that feeding 3 times a day is wholly unnecessary and if you must, at least slow it down to a small cricket once a day until the abdomen reaches your desired size.
I only meant until it's rump is the right size. But it seems as though my sling is quite content with the one cricket it had today. It won't take another one. But oh well, I'm just happy it doesn't look so skinny anymore. I'll try to feed it again tomorrow and see if it will eat.

And I will slow it down to one a day. I just didn't realize how quickly its rump would grow from eating. I thought it would take more that just one medium cricket.
 

Hobo

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Are you talking about your slings, Hobo?
Both mum and slings. Actually, mum gets fed slightly more often.
Generally I don't feed my spiders too often. I'm in no hurry to get these guys huge. I aim to keep their abdomen just slightly larger than their carapace. It's worked well for me so far.

That spider looks perfectly fine, and is not even close to being malnourished. It will be fine on a cricket a week, any more than that and you're inviting self imposed fasts.
If your goal is to powerfeed though, the most I would go is one every three days or so, if you want to see it eat the majority of the time.
 

wesker12

Arachnobaron
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I only meant until it's rump is the right size. But it seems as though my sling is quite content with the one cricket it had today. It won't take another one. But oh well, I'm just happy it doesn't look so skinny anymore. I'll try to feed it again tomorrow and see if it will eat.

And I will slow it down to one a day. I just didn't realize how quickly its rump would grow from eating. I thought it would take more that just one medium cricket.
hmm the abdomen does look small (just saw picture)- most of my tarantulas have abdomens at least the size of the carapace. Try feeding a couple days from, inverts being cold blooded don't burn through calories like us.
 

notsobear

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i think his butt is perfect size, just dont over feed him maybe a good 2-3 crickets for a week trust me its tempting to try to not feed my little gbb sling anymore ethier!!
 

jayefbe

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i think his butt is perfect size, just dont over feed him maybe a good 2-3 crickets for a week trust me its tempting to try to not feed my little gbb sling anymore ethier!!
Of course it's dependent on the size of crickets, but 2-3 "small" crickets a week is a very large meal. I feed one appropriately sized cricket a week to slings.

Also, I think that abdomen looks fine. The sling probably recently molted and that's why it's abdomen appeared smaller than you're used to.
 

Phlerr

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I usually feed my slings a couple small crickets a week and they seem pretty content with that. But thats just my opinion of course and everyone knows what opinions are like..........we all have have one :). But at any rate good luck with your sling Im sure its in good hands. GBB's have always been a personal favorite of mine.
 
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Jared781

Arachnobaron
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View attachment 102186

It's butt got a little bigger since it ate. Its hard to see how small its butt really is from this pic, but its the best pic I could get with out bugging the sling too much. It'd be easier to see if its bottom right leg wasn't in the way. But you can still get an idea of how small since you can't see anymore rump on the right side of the leg.
If im not mistaken that specimens seems ready for a Bottle Cap Water Dish! lol

---------- Post added 04-17-2012 at 02:48 PM ----------

Both mum and slings. Actually, mum gets fed slightly more often.
Generally I don't feed my spiders too often. I'm in no hurry to get these guys huge. I aim to keep their abdomen just slightly larger than their carapace. It's worked well for me so far.

That spider looks perfectly fine, and is not even close to being malnourished. It will be fine on a cricket a week, any more than that and you're inviting self imposed fasts.
If your goal is to powerfeed though, the most I would go is one every three days or so, if you want to see it eat the majority of the time.
do YOU consider once a week to be powerfeeding? because thats my rule o' thumb!
 

Hobo

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If im not mistaken that specimens seems ready for a Bottle Cap Water Dish! lol

---------- Post added 04-17-2012 at 02:48 PM ----------


do YOU consider once a week to be powerfeeding? because thats my rule o' thumb!
At a little over an inch, I would think it would be unnecessary especially with a desert sp. like this one. Best to wait until its a bit bigger, when it's enclosure is big enough that a bottlecap dish won't make it constantly humid inside.

No, I don't consider that power feeding. If you read my post, it says once every three days or so. IME, I've found that when these little guys are topped off, they will fast for about 3-5 days before accepting any more food, then eventually will fast for a couple of weeks until a molt. If the OP wants a feeding response every time, I suggested feeding every 3 days or so.

I think the "once a week" thing is just a rule of thumb in place to prevent new owners from over feeding their spiders. After a while, one starts to realize "once a week" is a lot for most tarantulas. I think it's prudent to adjust feeding based on how the spider looks, rather than sticking to a schedule no matter what. That's just my opinion, as I don't like all my spiders to look like they swallowed tennis balls.
 
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