Cleaning Day

[Keith]

Have a question in regards to the terrarium cleaning. It is going to be a year since the day Princess Fluffybutt graced our home. I have all the materials needed for cleaning, and read up on several websites on how to do this properly. Then I run into a snag on my plans.

...she is in pre-molting stage.

So now I am unsure if I should go ahead and clean it, or hold off awhile until she finishes this molting stage. As of current she is just showing a little bit of pink butt. Its been pink for about three days now.

Any suggestions?

 

[khatchet]

I would do a spot cleaning, but wait for her to molt before you fully clean it. Molting is stressful on them.

 

[Keith]

Appreciate the info on this. Its going to be her third molting in a year.

 

[khatchet]

I bet she has gotten a lot bigger this year then.

 

[Sabeth]

In premolt, the abdomen should turn dark. If she has a bald spot you will be able to determine this.

 

[Christell Erasmus]

If she is in pre-molt wait a week or so after she molted before cleaning. That way you can be sure her whole body isn't soft and squishy anymore.

 

[Keith]

Her bald spot has started to darken. Makes me paranoid in feeding her as well. I've read up on how dangerous it is for a recent molted spider to be potential killed by its prey. She did this once to me already, and scared the crap out of me. She molted and there were still three crickets running around. Had to use a small cup to trap the cricket, and slid a credit card underneath of it to safely pull the crickets out.