The Lava Life -- a G. pulchra diary

[ladyratri]

Such a good pulchra making refuse piles instead of burying the water dish , must really like that one , dish friend

She is very dainty, but clearly has been visiting her friend often to chat about how the excavation is progressing...


Survey says, pretty well!



I tried to set it up so she'll eventually end up against the wall but who knows, spider gonna spider...

 

[TLSizzle]

Maybe give her a fake plant to bury and she'll leave the water dish alone?

What a nice upgrade Lava!!

 

[ladyratri]

Maybe give her a fake plant to bury and she'll leave the water dish alone?

What a nice upgrade Lava!!

I did have a stray sprig of a couple leaves on hand, but at the last minute I looked at them and decided, "nah, she'll just bury them."

She did come out to say hi this afternoon.

She's been very busy with this new task she was given. And she's already very happy to head for the hide when I open the lid.

 

[ladyratri]

She's been very busy with this new task she was given.

Even busier than I realized!

48 hours of excavation

• ladyratri
• Feb 27, 2024
• 4
• grammostola grammostola pulchra lava pulchra

That's some serious dirt-moving for how small she still is.

And apparently, I did ok with leaving enough space under and at the back of the cork bark, 'cause...

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Even busier than I realized!

48 hours of excavation

• ladyratri
• Feb 27, 2024
• 4
• grammostola grammostola pulchra lava pulchra

That's some serious dirt-moving for how small she still is.

And apparently, I did ok with leaving enough space under and at the back of the cork bark, 'cause...
View attachment 467717

Have dirt, will dig!

 

[ladyratri]

And we're digging back up towards the water dish. Life always comes full circle, doesn't it?

78 hours of excavation

• ladyratri
• Feb 28, 2024
• 3
• burrow burrowing grammostola grammostola pulchra lava pulchra

My you're looking quite snug in there, Lava.
"Actually, human, when I'm underground I'm called...

That is one scrupulously neat pile of dirt though.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

And yet none of it has been dumped in the water dish.. lucky!

 

[ladyratri]

And yet none of it has been dumped in the water dish.. lucky!

Yeah, we'll see -- the little upturn at the end of that tunnel that points straight at the dish gives me pause

 

[ladyratri]

New pastime: being tall in her swanky corner office.



Still trying to find the best orientation for her bin to reduce glare.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I did have a stray sprig of a couple leaves on hand, but at the last minute I looked at them and decided, "nah, she'll just bury them."

She did come out to say hi this afternoon.
View attachment 467688
She's been very busy with this new task she was given. And she's already very happy to head for the hide when I open the lid.
View attachment 467692

How often do you refill the water dish?
I’ve had a few fiascos with dehydration because they dried up quickly not that I’m certain some slings just don’t make it. Very nice thread Maybe someday I’ll try a pulchra or few.

 

[ladyratri]

How often do you refill the water dish?
I’ve had a few fiascos with dehydration because they dried up quickly not that I’m certain some slings just don’t make it. Very nice thread Maybe someday I’ll try a pulchra or few.

Basically, when it gets gross or is empty. I've also pretty deliberately used tiny feeders with her when she starts getting big, so that I can continue to give her a little something every few weeks. I joke about "the tiny mealworm diet" but it does let me keep her hydration that little bit more even. It helps that she's almost never turned down food...

I also try to have a little gap between the wall and the substrate where I can drip water and it will run to the bottom of the enclosure. That way I can dampen the sub from the bottom, so it doesn't dry out as quickly, and kind of "buffers" better. Her new bin has some pretty excessive ventilation in the lid so I expect that will be important. I also still threw a handful of vermiculite in when mixing up her substrate, even though she mostly likes her sub to be dry, just because I wanted that bit of buffer when I wet the deeper layers with the lid basically being perforated. (I've found that same approach seems to keep my psalmos more comfortable too, while my avic-types really just want the couple drops on the walls or webbing somewhere every week or two.)

 

[ladyratri]

Just, y'know, derping about in the corner office. As one does.

 

[ladyratri]

I'm sorry, sweetie...I only have practice watering arboreals. I'm not used to this whole "terrestrial T with an actual burrow" thing

There's plenty of dry space at the other end of your burrow, if you just...no it's the other way... Don't look at me like that.


Well, the good news is, there so much excessive ventilation in your lid, it dried back up in like half a day.

 

[Gevo]

There's plenty of dry space at the other end of your burrow, if you just...no it's the other way... Don't look at me like that.

I did this to my G. pulchra a few weeks ago too. He stuck a few legs into it to see what it was, then turned around, grabbed a mouthful of dirt, spat it out into the water, and repeated until it soaked it all up (and threatened to close up my little window into his burrow!).

 

[ladyratri]

I did this to my G. pulchra a few weeks ago too. He stuck a few legs into it to see what it was, then turned around, grabbed a mouthful of dirt, spat it out into the water, and repeated until it soaked it all up (and threatened to close up my little window into his burrow!).

I don't think she'll ever close up the window...she needs me to be able to see her displeasure every time I make a mistake...

As far as I can tell, she just huddled miserably on top of the puddle, with that one foot poking like halfway into it, until it dried. Her lid is basically completely perforated, so it dried quite quickly.

 

[ladyratri]

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose....

 

[ladyratri]

Looks like somebody might be bigger by tomorrow morning ....or possibly even by the time I go to bed tonight



She even moved her little wood chip way up the tunnel so there won't be anything sharp kicking around.

 

[ladyratri]

Update: looks like we are all out and already chewing on the molt

Even managed to sneak some water in there down the corner without flooding her burrow.

 

[0viWan]

Nice. This molt cycle seemed to be quite fast.

 

[ladyratri]

Nice. This molt cycle seemed to be quite fast.

Indeed -- interestingly quite a bit faster than her previous one. Her last cycle was 258 days. This one was 151. I haven't purposely changed anything, but it is possible average temperatures in her corner of the spider room have been a couple degrees warmer. Or, possibly, her burrow could be staying a bit warmer than the ambient temperature...