Escaped B.Smithi, help??

[horanjp]

Horan, you assumed too much in the above

I do it often, gets me in pickles constantly. :-X

 

[viper69]

I do it often, gets me in pickles constantly. :-X

No problem man, there wasn't anything accurate you said about me. I showed a friend and they died laughing!!

 

[raggamuffin415]

My Smithi also escaped last year... Lid left a crack open mistakenly all night. In the morning realized she was gone and searched the adjacent rooms figuring I'd never see her again or the cats got her. Walked into the kitchen and saw a dubia laying by garbage can. Thought it was strange so looked behind garbage can and sure enough there she was! Little ninja must have been hungry and stalked the roach all the way to the kitchen. If anything she saved me from having a potential roach infestation if that thing had gotten into the food lol. Oh and she was about 4" at the time of the escape. Permanent latch for her now!

 

[TarantulaObsession]

So, back to this thread. When I first got her, she was SUPER fat and she was also my first T that molted. I started a thread about it and many said that her weight was a big risk. I believe she was eating incredibly well during those few days she was out. Her abdomen doubled in size and it worries me, any advise about that?

 

[TarantulaObsession]

Here's a photo that's comparable to the one I previously posted. Should I be worried or is she okay? Do I just need to cut back on feeding her a bit?

 

[tbrandt]

Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but how long ago did this tarantula molt? How often are you feeding her? This picture is current?

View attachment 134359
Here's a photo that's comparable to the one I previously posted. Should I be worried or is she okay? Do I just need to cut back on feeding her a bit?

 

[TarantulaObsession]

Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but how long ago did this tarantula molt? How often are you feeding her? This picture is current?

You didn't miss it anywhere, she molted in September of last year (2014 to be clear).
She is fed once a week with one or two 1/2in-3/4in crickets. (How many depends on size of the cricket, of course.)
This picture was taken yesterday so, yes.

---------- Post added 02-15-2015 at 11:03 AM ----------

Well, this didn't happen while she was out... Someone just confessed to feeding her more than they should have.

 

[cold blood]

When mine starts to get fat I do 2 things...first I space the feedings out longer, like every 10-12 days...the other thing I do is decrease the size of the prey that I offer.

 

[TarantulaObsession]

When mine starts to get fat I do 2 things...first I space the feedings out longer, like every 10-12 days...the other thing I do is decrease the size of the prey that I offer.

Thank you! I'll start there c:

 

[Spaceblues]

I thought that if they were growing then you didn't really need to be concerned with weight because they put it all into growth. Did I misunderstand?


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[cold blood]

I thought that if they were growing then you didn't really need to be concerned with weight because they put it all into growth. Did I misunderstand?


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With slings...this t isn't a sling. There comes a point where there is little to be gained by continued feedings, that's when its time to start to back off a bit. Slings are in far less danger of being really fat and like you said, they are growing considerably quicker.

 

[Spaceblues]

With slings...this t isn't a sling. There comes a point where there is little to be gained by continued feedings, that's when its time to start to back off a bit. Slings are in far less danger of being really fat and like you said, they are growing considerably quicker.

Thanks CB. I have some pulchripes that are about 1" and they are super fat. They look like swollen grapes with legs, but I haven't been concerned because they're little. Plus they tackle any prey that I offer.

Is this an issue at that size?


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[cold blood]

Thanks CB. I have some pulchripes that are about 1" and they are super fat. They look like swollen grapes with legs, but I haven't been concerned because they're little. Plus they tackle any prey that I offer.

Is this an issue at that size?


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Nope...I have some slings that look like bloated ticks...they just molt quicker...as long as they are kept warm, of course.

 

[BobGrill]

That group photo sure made me cringe.

 

[Neoza]

There was a post last week, I believe, where a tarantula went missing and wound up in someone's laundry, the T didn't make it, sad to say, so be sure to check your laundry very thoroughly. Also, if you have a day off I'd stay up really late, it's more likely to go roaming around at night so have a flashlight ready. I would check under the bed, inside your closet, in your clothes, in your shoes, check behind, in, or under your furniture. I would also start a room to room search. Good luck, what a bad situation.

Indeed, I've lost once a pulchripes and i found him one week later in the laundry (before i washed it ;p)!