Is this a premolt bald spot?

[creepyvixen]

I know it's hard to see in the picture but this little guy has had this spot on his abdomen since I got him a month ago. It's shiny and brighter than the rest of him, from what I've read these pre-molt bald spots should be darker In comparison, correct?

It last ate two weeks ago and I dropped a few crickets in last night only for the T to walk away from them. Some of the crickets were even crawling underneath and annoying the hell out of the poor guy. Is this pre-molt? I've owned two rose hairs and a pink toe who have all molted and I've never seen a bald spot. Sorry if I sound like a noob, I kind of am!

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Yup. If that spot darkens it's pretty much a pre-molting sign

 

[creepyvixen]

Thanks! I was a little confused considering it did eat 3 crickets when I first got it but now it's not having them, lol. I'll have to take them out of there tonight.

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Your T may still eat crickets even if that bald spot darkens out. That's why it's a good idea to feed one last time when the spot does

 

[creepyvixen]

I got home and counted them to find out that it did eat two. but now I have bigger and better things to worry about, my cat knocked over it's enclosure (I haven't had a chance to buy a heavier, sturdy one) and I'm afraid that it's abdomen might be ruptured. I don't see any external leaking or damage but it usually moves when I lift the enclosure or make a vibration and now it's only moving when I touch it. I don't know if it's just stressed out or injured, it IS a terrestrial and the dresser is about 2 ft :/

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Ohh that does sound bad. Maybe it's just a bit dizzy and stressed out from the commotion but you should check out the sides and its underbelly just to be sure. Dunno if it's a popular idea elsewhere but where i'm at, whenever the abdomen gets a little ruptured some keepers would smear a little super glue on the injured area to prevent further fluid loss and pray that they survive til the next molt. I keep my Ts in 4" high glass containers as i have a free-roaming monitor lizard in the house and he does have a bad habit of leaning on my tanks when his bored

 

[creepyvixen]

I sure hope so. I didn't have a lot of time to check for injuries as I was getting ready for work but I couldn't see anything noticeable. I'm going to do a thorough check when I'm home, the fact that it's going to be in pre-molt soon AND just ate is scaring me. The enclosure fell upside down so it did land on it's back. I've heard about the super glue and also sprinkling flour on the wound to help it clot, pray for her!

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Oh and i'm just about to sleep since it's 9:22pm here already haha. Abdominal fluids could be easily seen using a flashlight, any shiny dots or patches are usually indicators as most T abdomens are usually velvety or hairy by texture. Good luck!

 

[creepyvixen]

It's just hitting noon over here! Now that I think about it I may have seen a tiny spot but I thought it was dirt or something from all the substrate flipping over... hmm super glue might be necessary. Thanks for all the input!

 

[Josh]

Has he started molting yet?

 

[creepyvixen]

Doubtful. I'm not home at the moment but if you read the above comments we had an incident this morning still worried, and i'll update on how he's doing a little later

 

[creepyvixen]

Good news i think! He is no longer squeezed up against the side and is moving around like normal. Still no signs of leakage or anything of the sort.

Also someone from another forum has informed me that the pet store mislabeled it and it's actually a P. Scrofa. That would explain the shiny patch.

 

[Tongue Flicker]

It's just hitting noon over here! Now that I think about it I may have seen a tiny spot but I thought it was dirt or something from all the substrate flipping over... hmm super glue might be necessary. Thanks for all the input!

Those dust like stuff are usually indicative of a near molt.. my B.klaasi has those before every molt. At first i though it was like a fungal growth or something. I tried gently brushing it off with a paintbrush and the next day it was back haha. But it's perfectly normal

 

[creepyvixen]

Oh good! I think he's going to survive If the abdomen was injured I can't imagine it'd be wanting to crawl all over the sides of the tank which is exactly what it's doing lol

 

[superpetguy1]

Glad to hear that. I think it's pre-molt mine did that once