Some molting advice?

[Allthingsterrarium]

Hi everybody! Just joined the forum after about 3 weeks or so with my new tarantula. He's my first tarantula ever, provided my favorite species, so despite all my research I'm a little inexperienced regarding the care of these fascinating animals.

Anyway my spider's name is October and he's a brachypelma boehmei, a Mexican fireleg, not a red knee. He has a 3 inch leg span and seems to be getting a little bigger since I got him. I requested a male from the site I got him from considering females can live into their 30s and just in case he turned out to be a nightmare I don't want a 30 year nightmare so I'm pretty sure he's male. I know that the more he eats the closer he's getting to molting. I feed him a single cricket every other day and although I haven't personally seen him attack his prey or eat yet, I find vaporized little bits of crickets and every now and then I'll see him just holding a cricket in his fangs so I assume he eats pretty well.

Please forgive my going on and on but I just thought that information might help. On to the question I'm looking forward to his first molt because the more a tarantula molts the bigger it gets but at the same time I'm nervous about it because I heard that not only will a freshly molted tarantula be more fragile but will lie on his back motionless for days on end. I don't want to mistake him for dead and throw him away though I did hear that a dead tarantula curls i's lets up. How do I deal with a molting tarantula? Is there any other way to know when he's about to molt besides going off his food? What if he's having trouble? When will he be sturdy enough to offer him food again after molting? It's impossible to know but at 3 inches when can I generally expect a brachypelma boehmei to molt and how often does the species do so?

Sorry it was long but with each passing day he gets closer to molting and I want to be ready for it. Thank you so much!

 

[tarantulaguy1994]

I do have to say at his size you can feed him once a week, I would think every other day is to much. For your answer he will get a darken bold spot on his abdomen.The bold spot that has no darkening is just a sign of one that kicks a lot of bristle The closer he get he will become sluggish. Most tarantula will make a web bed a day or so before, not all though.About a week after molt he will be ready to eat again. Also spider almost never die on there back..
The reason they get the dark spot is the bristle on the new exoskeleton under the old one and the reason they become sluggish is that the mussel that they have are attached to the new exoskeleton, so it is have for them to move the old one on the out side.The reason they can not eat for about a week is that the new exoskeleton has to be soft to fit in the only one, sling with only take about a day to harden after a molt and older spider will take about a week or so.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

I do have to say at his size you can feed him once a week, I would think every other day is to much. For your answer he will get a darken bold spot on his abdomen.The bold spot that has no darkening is just a sign of one that kicks a lot of bristle The closer he get he will become sluggish. Most tarantula will make a web bed a day or so before, not all though.About a week after molt he will be ready to eat again. Also spider almost never die on there back..
The reason they get the dark spot is the bristle on the new exoskeleton under the old one and the reason they become sluggish is that the mussel that they have are attached to the new exoskeleton, so it is have for them to move the old one on the out side.The reason they can not eat for about a week is that the new exoskeleton has to be soft to fit in the only one, sling with only take about a day to harden after a molt and older spider will take about a week or so.

Thanks so much! That's a relief. I will cut back on his feedings too. I'll look for the bold spot too!

 

[tarantulaguy1994]

Your are welcome.

 

[tarantulaguy1994]

Also if you ever get an old world tarantula, they will not get the bold spot with the darkening. They do not have a bristle to kick, so there are not all the bristle under the old exoskeleton to make it dark.

 

[Allthingsterrarium]

Also if you ever get an old world tarantula, they will not get the bold spot with the darkening. They do not have a bristle to kick, so there are not all the bristle under the old exoskeleton to make it dark.

Good to know! Thanks my friend

 

[tarantulaguy1994]

You are very welcome.