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GBB breeding- precoital food amount

Metalman2004

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3 Year Member
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My female molted about 7 weeks ago. I have been feeding the hell out of her and she is just a bottomless pit. Everytime I think she is ready to refuse food she eats another cricket and does the happy dance.

Last year When I did this I fed until she refused fold and then mated them. I didn’t lose either of my two MMs even after cohabing multiple nights. I’d like to do the same this time but I’m also afraid I’ll miss the ideal window to mate her. Pictures of her abdomen below and her eatinng her third cricket tof the day yesterday. What do y’all think? Does she look plump enough to just go for it?

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Metalman2004

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810
Well female #1 was still taking fold but very reluctantly so I decided to go for it Thursday night. This little MM was a champ. Went right over and was tapping on her legs within 30 mins. They went at it for about 1.5 hrs before she chased him away. I saw at least a couple of good inserts.


I caught him maling a sperm web Friday. Female #2 refused food today so paired them tonight. They are still going at it currently but here’s a highlight.


He seems to be having a harder time with #2 as she stays behind her rock hide and the angle is a bit off for him. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen good inserts here too though. I guess I’ll know in a few months!
 

Metalman2004

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He made it out alive from pairing two! Frmale #3 is starting to slow doen on food. I’m watching for another sperm web and then perhaps l’ll get him together with female #3 later this week or weekend.

Then I need female #4 to molt already! She laid a dud sac that I pulled back in december so I’d think she’d be ready to molt soon.
 

Metalman2004

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Well my MM managed to survive pairing with all 4 of my females. I’m interested to see what happens from here.

Females 1-3 were bred end of May- first week of June. Female 4 was just bred last week because she molted end of Mayish.

Female 1 is by far the most plump and is refusing food. Female 3 is also pretty big and just stopped refusing food. Female 2 is still eating and her abdomen is smaller. Female 4 is of course smaller as well and I was surprised that she refused food yesterday.

Here is female 1. Not sure why the phone wouldn’t focus well.

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Tortoise Tom

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Southern CA
I'm really enjoying this thread. I hope you keep it going and keep posting updates. I've never bred tarantulas before, and I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the process, so thank you for sharing all of this. And thanks for the pics too. My juvie female was out begging for food again tonight, and your pics really give me something to look forward to.
 

Metalman2004

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Female number one laid her sac today!!!

Female two isn’t looking quite as promising. Female number three looks pretty plump:

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Female four is 50/50. Its going to be a long thirty days of waiting to pull that sac!
 

Metalman2004

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Well female 2 molted today. Thats 5 adult Ts in my collection to molt in about 36 hrs, with one more looking like she’s ready to turn over anytime now. Hoping for females 3 and 4!
 

Metalman2004

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Sac #2! Female 3 has been wbbing herself in for over a week now. The last couple of days she’s gotten the webbing so thick that its been hard to see through it, even with a flashlight. Tonight I spent a minute with the flashlight getting the right angle to see some shadows under the web and I was able to just barely see the sac. And the timer starts again!
 

Quelícero

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Madrid
Congratulations for those sacs, what a great species.
I have a MF and MM which paired at the end of April and again on first week of May.
The F looks huge but didn't put the sac so far so I realized something went wrong and tried to pair them again last thursday.
Female seemed afraid and tried to protect herself all the time by steping back and rolling her legs over her. Never responded to male's dance.
Do you think she could be pregnant all this time? Is almost 4 months since the first paring.
 

Metalman2004

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810
Congratulations for those sacs, what a great species.
I have a MF and MM which paired at the end of April and again on first week of May.
The F looks huge but didn't put the sac so far so I realized something went wrong and tried to pair them again last thursday.
Female seemed afraid and tried to protect herself all the time by steping back and rolling her legs over her. Never responded to male's dance.
Do you think she could be pregnant all this time? Is almost 4 months since the first paring.

Last go round it took 4 months to lay the sac, but it was a dud.
 

Arachnoclown

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Some of my sacs have dropped around 4 months. The best way to tell if shes gravid is to candle her with a flashlight. Next time she is up against the glass stick the flashlight up to her. If its yellow or golden shes full of eggs.
 

Quelícero

New Member
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Madrid
Good to know.
Next time I catch her on the glass I'll flash her and look through to see what It looks like.
I'll come back with the update.
Thanks alot
 

Metalman2004

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21 days. What do y’all think? I’m guessing unfertilized but there are a few milky ones so we’ll see.

Out of 4 females, 2 laid sacs. First sac was all dried out when I pulled it. This is the 2nd sac. It had 5 or 6 black ones and another 5 or so that were turning black.
 

Metalman2004

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First EWL popped out this afternoon while I was staring at them wondering if they were going to develop! Hopefully more to come!
 

Metalman2004

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Most have molted to 1st I star in the last 24 hrs! There ended up being several that never made the EWL stage and a small handful that didn’t make it to 1st instar... not sure why, but I still have a good amount. Haven’t bothered to count.

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