Pulchra Finally Turning Black

[Tortoise Tom]

I bought a bunch of "Brazilian Blacks" from @Casey K. a few months ago, and they've been just perfect. They all molt about once a month and within a few days of each other. As tiny little slings they are a dull, grayish brown color and I've been wondering when they were going to color up. Well my question has been answered. This was the first and there are six more I pre-molt right now. What an amazing difference, literally over night.

 

[ilovebrachys]

Wow-what a difference a moult makes! you must really like them as you have a small collection of them!pretty little things

 

[RonC]

About how big is yours? I'm not good at judging size from pics. Wish mine was pretty and black like yours.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

About how big is yours? I'm not good at judging size from pics. Wish mine was pretty and black like yours.

It is four inches from the front wall to the back wall in the pic. I'd guesstimate the DLS to be about 2.25 inches. Maybe 2.5 if stretched out a bit more.

 

[RonC]

Mine is a little over an inch. Might be a while before it turns black,lol. Been burrowed since October. Came out about a month ago and ate once then closed shop again.

 

[ilovebrachys]

At least you can see it to keep an eye on it via its window lol @RonC you may have many moults to go before any sign of going black yet! something to look forward to!

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Mine is a little over an inch. Might be a while before it turns black,lol. Been burrowed since October. Came out about a month ago and ate once then closed shop again.

That looks to be about the size mine were when I got them. I'll share the details of how I keep mine. Not saying my way is right or someone else's way is wrong. Just sharing what I did/do.

I raised three of these guys from slings for the first time about 13-14 years ago. Two matured into males and died after 5-6 years, and the lone female is still with me today:

Back in those days, there was much more emphasis on maintaining the correct humidity for a given species. I was taught that this species needs humidity and my area is very dry. Single digit humidity here for much of the year. This being the case I raised them on damp coco coir in these tubs with very little ventilation:

It worked at the time, but I'd definitely add more ventilation if I didi it again.

Fast forward to May of 2018... I starting looking for some tarantulas for a job (I train and provide animals for film...) and I came across a whole new world of tarantula info. New species, new and better care info, new people to talk about tarantulas with... I found Casey's ad here for G. pulchra slings, and went with the volume discount! I bought ten and initially set them up in 32 oz. deli cups with damp coco coir:

Later I found where to buy AMAC boxes and transferred them all into those so I could see and enjoy them better. Like this one for my Lp:

I keep all my tarantulas in my heated reptile room. It is heated to 80 year round and humidity in there is 35-50% most of the time. On a cold winter night, it might drop down to 75 and on a hot summer day it might reach 92 degrees. Most days, most of the year its 80-84 in there. I feed slings a moderately sized meal every four or five days, and I feed the adults about every 7-10 days depending on their behavior and the size of their abdomen. At these temps and with this routine, all the pulchra slings have been molting about once a month, and all of them molt within a few days of each other. I haven't kept an exact count, but the molt depicted at the start of this thread should be about number 7 with me.

I couldn't be happier. They are simply a fantastic species. Out all the time, easy to house and feed, fantastic appetites, eager eaters, gorgeous appearance... What's not to love???

 

[ilovebrachys]

That looks to be about the size mine were when I got them. I'll share the details of how I keep mine. Not saying my way is right or someone else's way is wrong. Just sharing what I did/do.

I raised three of these guys from slings for the first time about 13-14 years ago. Two matured into males and died after 5-6 years, and the lone female is still with me today:
View attachment 35127



Back in those days, there was much more emphasis on maintaining the correct humidity for a given species. I was taught that this species needs humidity and my area is very dry. Single digit humidity here for much of the year. This being the case I raised them on damp coco coir in these tubs with very little ventilation:
View attachment 35128

It worked at the time, but I'd definitely add more ventilation if I didi it again.

Fast forward to May of 2018... I starting looking for some tarantulas for a job (I train and provide animals for film...) and I came across a whole new world of tarantula info. New species, new and better care info, new people to talk about tarantulas with... I found Casey's ad here for G. pulchra slings, and went with the volume discount! I bought ten and initially set them up in 32 oz. deli cups with damp coco coir:
View attachment 35129

Later I found where to buy AMAC boxes and transferred them all into those so I could see and enjoy them better. Like this one for my Lp:
View attachment 35130


I keep all my tarantulas in my heated reptile room. It is heated to 80 year round and humidity in there is 35-50% most of the time. On a cold winter night, it might drop down to 75 and on a hot summer day it might reach 92 degrees. Most days, most of the year its 80-84 in there. I feed slings a moderately sized meal every four or five days, and I feed the adults about every 7-10 days depending on their behavior and the size of their abdomen. At these temps and with this routine, all the pulchra slings have been molting about once a month, and all of them molt within a few days of each other. I haven't kept an exact count, but the molt depicted at the start of this thread should be about number 7 with me.

I couldn't be happier. They are simply a fantastic species. Out all the time, easy to house and feed, fantastic appetites, eager eaters, gorgeous appearance... What's not to love???

Thanks for sharing @Tortoise Tom nice the way you have your set ups and keep these wonderful little beasties enough to make anyone want one!(or 10 !)

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Found another one this morning:

 

[RonC]

Don't have the luxury of a spare room to heat. I do have an empty 20 gallon aquarium and only six slings at the moment. Thought about creating a micro climate to put their enclosures in at least for the winter.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Don't have the luxury of a spare room to heat. I do have an empty 20 gallon aquarium and only six slings at the moment. Thought about creating a micro climate to put their enclosures in at least for the winter.

I don't think you need to. Everything I've read says they are fine at regular room temperatures. I was just explaining how mine are kept for comparison sake and to give a time frame.

 

[Dave Jay]

I guess it depends on your room temperatures, with 2 heaters on in the loungeroom my enclosures rarely went over 15c all winter, they probably dropped below that some nights, definitely when we had power cuts, it was very cold in the house. While I didn't have tarantula deaths, I didn't have any moult and they took food very rarely if at all. So maybe if you can't achieve a room temperature of 20c it might be worth it. Even without providing heat, putting them together in an aquarium would mean a bigger heat sump and less swings in temperature.

 

[Casey K.]

I have had an issue (as previously mentioned in another thread) with certain customers of mine stating that their G. pulchra are B. albopilosum. I am wondering if they need to just wait a few molts out to see. I think it is the brown coloration that may be throwing them off but I have had many pulchra that have been brown in color (one in one instance had abdomenal chevrons like a P. irminia- still have pics of that one).... anyway, you know how one person will get on a hype after hearing that other customers spiders from the "same" import look like curly hair....then they "all" must be curly hair and people start freaking out about it. Anyway....enough rambling from me right now, lol.....thank you so much for these pics sweety....and once again....please remind them of who you purchased these "brown" pulchra from....lol

 

[ilovebrachys]

I have had an issue (as previously mentioned in another thread) with certain customers of mine stating that their G. pulchra are B. albopilosum. I am wondering if they need to just wait a few molts out to see. I think it is the brown coloration that may be throwing them off but I have had many pulchra that have been brown in color (one in one instance had abdomenal chevrons like a P. irminia- still have pics of that one).... anyway, you know how one person will get on a hype after hearing that other customers spiders from the "same" import look like curly hair....then they "all" must be curly hair and people start freaking out about it. Anyway....enough rambling from me right now, lol.....thank you so much for these pics sweety....and once again....please remind them of who you purchased these "brown" pulchra from....lol

if i were in the states I would certainly purchase a G.pulchra from you @Casey K. but as I'm in the UK I'm getting one from our lovely @Phil -seeing all these lovely Ts I had to get one

 

[Casey K.]

if i were in the states I would certainly purchase a G.pulchra from you @Casey K. but as I'm in the UK I'm getting one from our lovely @Phil -seeing all these lovely Ts I had to get one

THANK YOU! @Phil is definitely an awesome person. I would highly recommend him and I have never purchased from him (I wish he would ship to the US already!) and his prices are killer! Perhaps one day I can fly to him, get all his T's and sneak them on the plane....ha ha ha ha....

 

[Casey K.]

Oh crap. Sorry @Tortoise Tom .....didn't mean to troll your thread, sweety. Shame on me. Putting myself in time out, now.....ha ha....

 

[Tortoise Tom]

....please remind them of who you purchased these "brown" pulchra from....lol

You are welcome on any thread of mine. Sentence #1 of post #1 right here in this thread will remind everyone reading of the source of these awesome little beauties.

 

[Casey K.]

You are welcome on any thread of mine. Sentence #1 of post #1 right here in this thread will remind everyone reading of the source of these awesome little beauties.

Yes, i read that, lol.....some people need reassurance following logical reasoning. ha ha ha ha ha lol

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Yes, i read that, lol.....some people need reassurance following logical reasoning. ha ha ha ha ha lol

I thought from your original post on this matter that there might have been some sort of genuine accidental mix up. I had no idea it could be something like the scenario you posted here in this thread. People can be crazy!

 

[Casey K.]

It could very well be a mixup but it is highly probable the issue at hand is just merely waiting for a molt to clear things up, lol.