RussoTuristo
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2014
- Messages
- 11
I can't for the life of me figure out why my GBB juvie sticks to this strange webbing cycle:
- After every molt, as soon as it hardens up, it takes off all the webbing it made over the course of the previous instar and apparently eats it. That makes sense. The T prepares to web anew for its newer, larger self and also recovers whatever leftover nutrients the web may still have.
- Then comes the strange part. For 2 to 4 weeks after molting, it doesn't web at all. It's still an enthusiastic feeder, but it spends most of the time hanging around on the platform I put in for the T to hang the web off of. So hunger is apparently not the instinct that triggers webbing.
- After 2 to 4 weeks, the GBB suddenly webs all over the enclosure, usually overnight in one go. It's not nearly in premolt yet, so it's unlikely that premolt self-defence against intruders is the instinct that triggers it.
Long story short: my GBB webs right smack in the middle of instar, which makes no sense to me. Tarantulas are weird! :biggrin:
- After every molt, as soon as it hardens up, it takes off all the webbing it made over the course of the previous instar and apparently eats it. That makes sense. The T prepares to web anew for its newer, larger self and also recovers whatever leftover nutrients the web may still have.
- Then comes the strange part. For 2 to 4 weeks after molting, it doesn't web at all. It's still an enthusiastic feeder, but it spends most of the time hanging around on the platform I put in for the T to hang the web off of. So hunger is apparently not the instinct that triggers webbing.
- After 2 to 4 weeks, the GBB suddenly webs all over the enclosure, usually overnight in one go. It's not nearly in premolt yet, so it's unlikely that premolt self-defence against intruders is the instinct that triggers it.
Long story short: my GBB webs right smack in the middle of instar, which makes no sense to me. Tarantulas are weird! :biggrin: