Hello everyone. This g. pulchra girl right here is my first tarantula and since I'm new in the hobby I don't know that well about them. She's very calm and never kicked hair before. But I see some changes on her abdomen. It's like she lost her long black hairs and she has lightly colored short hairs left there. Is this normal? Or is there an issue? I'm gonna add new photos of her and an old one so you can see the issue better. Thank you
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Grammostola Pulchra, is this normal?
- Thread starter benihime
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- 10,909
- Location
- Malton, UK
That is quite often the first sign of an approaching moult.
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- 6,382
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- The Oregon rain forest
Beautiful spider
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Looks pretty big, how much did you pay for her?
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Oh okay. Thanks a lot!
Thank you! She is really stunning.
Yeah she's around 5 years old. I live in İstanbul/Turkey so our currency is probably different but I paid around 350 Turkish Liras which makes around 95 US Dollars.
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- 2,565
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- Baltimore MD
That's not a bad price. The sling I'm getting today was $100.
Great spider.
Great spider.
Thanks! Yeah I think I got a really good deal for her.
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- 292
- Location
- Where the Spiders are.
That is the urt patch. Does not always mean an impending molt.
The spider needs better substrate than wood chips, tho.
Beautiful spiders, these are.
The spider needs better substrate than wood chips, tho.
Beautiful spiders, these are.
That is the urt patch. Does not always mean an impending molt.
The spider needs better substrate than wood chips, tho.
Beautiful spiders, these are.
What is the urt patch? Also the substrate I use is coconut husk chips. Not regular woodchips.
- Messages
- 95
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Just don't worry about it. As Enn49 said, she's approaching premolt which is why she is losing her jet black colouration. Happens with all tarantulas. The patch is due to balding which can be a caused as I've heard due to power feeding or maybe stress. I'm not too sure, either way. Don't worry
Oh and yeah, change that substrate. It's hideous and possibly dangerous. As you know, the tarantulas abdomen is fragile. If it drops down on one of those sharp ends of the chips while climbing then R.I.P. Plus it can't borrow and change her home around the way she likes it. Good luck friend.
- Messages
- 10,909
- Location
- Malton, UK
The urt patch is where the urticating hairs are, the hairs that they kick. Most Ts will shed them before they moult and the bald patch tends to darken closer to the moult.
Just don't worry about it. As Enn49 said, she's approaching premolt which is why she is losing her jet black colouration. Happens with all tarantulas. The patch is due to balding which can be a caused as I've heard due to power feeding or maybe stress. I'm not too sure, either way. Don't worry
Oh and yeah, change that substrate. It's hideous and possibly dangerous. As you know, the tarantulas abdomen is fragile. If it drops down on one of those sharp ends of the chips while climbing then R.I.P. Plus it can't borrow and change her home around the way she likes it. Good luck friend.
Thank you everyone for helping me out with my first tarantula. I'm being a little too anxious I guess. What would you recommend for substrate?
I'd also like to hear your recommendations on substrate. Also thank you for warning I didn't know what was a better option while picking.That is the urt patch. Does not always mean an impending molt.
The spider needs better substrate than wood chips, tho.
Beautiful spiders, these are.
Thank you! I will do as you recommend. I'll order today and change the substrate as soon as my order arrives. I don't want anything to happen to her because of this issue.
- Messages
- 95
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Personally I like to mix 50/50 coco fibre and potting soil as it makes it easier for my Ts to move the substrate. The potting soil mixed in helps keep up humidity because of how damp it is naturally. That's basically what I like to do. You can slightly see from my profile picture of what my substrate looks like.
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- 6,382
- Location
- The Oregon rain forest
I'm a coco fiber- vermiculite guy....60/40 mix. That's what I've used for about the last 25 years. There's lots of options out there though...do whatever you like. I used sand and fish gravel in the 80s. The coco husk you have there might be good around the water dish...maybe put topsoil or coco fiber everywhere else, especially where it burrows.
The coco husk you have there might be good around the water dish...maybe put topsoil or coco fiber everywhere else, especially where it burrows.
- Messages
- 292
- Location
- Where the Spiders are.
One of my pulchra 5 weeks post-molt.
