Should I be worried?

[VanessaS]

Unfortunately, there is no formula for moulting. Spiderlings will moult the most, by the time they are juveniles they will have slowed down moulting, and adults sometimes go for three years between moults. They moult more as very small spiderlings because that is when they are at their most vulnerable to predators and they need to grow out of that stage. Once they reach a decent juvenile size - they have less predators. As adults, with their nasty urticating hairs, they have far fewer issues with predators.
Sometimes keeping them a bit on the warmer side will help trigger a moult. I have also had people suggest that keeping the enclosure a bit more humid will help. I just keep them at a constant temperature, and always have a full dish of water on hand, and I just keep begging them to moult.
Begging really doesn't work.

 

[MiaWolf42]

My B. smithi is still a sling, wanders tank all the time. Grabs prey quickly and walks around eating with it, sometimes over the water dish (a water bottle cap).

 

[Kymura]

My two really love their plastic plants. When I look in on them, they are very often just stretched out on their plants. Like this...
View attachment 16894
View attachment 16895

My LP does this

 

[NatashaG]

It's so difficult to say how often any T will moult, there are so many variables such as species, age, sex, temperature, humidity etc. Even 2 Ts of the same species and kept in the same conditions can vary. So sorry I can't help on that.

I guess I just want to see him moult, it will be nice to know he is growing and doing well.

 

[NatashaG]

Unfortunately, there is no formula for moulting. Spiderlings will moult the most, by the time they are juveniles they will have slowed down moulting, and adults sometimes go for three years between moults. They moult more as very small spiderlings because that is when they are at their most vulnerable to predators and they need to grow out of that stage. Once they reach a decent juvenile size - they have less predators. As adults, with their nasty urticating hairs, they have far fewer issues with predators.
Sometimes keeping them a bit on the warmer side will help trigger a moult. I have also had people suggest that keeping the enclosure a bit more humid will help. I just keep them at a constant temperature, and always have a full dish of water on hand, and I just keep begging them to moult.
Begging really doesn't work.

This is how I am doing it at the moment Just sitting willing him on! I don't want to force a moult, would rather him just do his own thing for a while and have it happens when it happens ( But good god I am desperate to see one )

 

[NatashaG]

My B. smithi is still a sling, wanders tank all the time. Grabs prey quickly and walks around eating with it, sometimes over the water dish (a water bottle cap).

I never really see Zoltan at his water dish, he normally (until lately that is) sits at the back of his hide and when I wake up, I see that the plants have been knocked over and dirt is all over the place He seems to be calmer lately, and even doesn't mind me sitting and looking him over on a night time.

 

[kormath]

i power feed my slings to "help" speed up the molt. Been letting my rooms stay warmer than usual this spring to help also but it's getting to the point i'm starting to get cranky with the warmer temps so i think it's time to slow down the feeding and let them do what they do and turn on the air cooler.

 

[VanessaS]

My spiderlings all make me worried with the feeding. If they turn down food even once I start to worry. Just because I'm not posting about it doesn't mean that they aren't making me worry every single day!
The two A. versicolor are causing me the most concern because they turn away food the most of any of them. They are also the most delicate and I have the least experience with the arboreals. They are driving me to drink!
My little L. difficilis has turned down the last couple of meals, but they are looking as if they are going to moult soon. That little one causes me the least worry. The two A. versicolor make up for that, though.

 

[kormath]

i've found avics to be picky. Both of mine will not eat if the food is the size of their abdomen or larger, it has to be smaller or they run from it. Also neither of mine will venture out of their web to eat, unless the roach is like on the leaf beside the opening to the web tunnel then they'll snag it and go back in. But if the roach is on the leaves above, or on the substrate below, it stays there unharmed. I've got a roach that has molted in the versicolors enclosre cause i can't get it out without tearing her web tunnels all apart. it hides under the web right under her and sits there. I've been dribbling a bit of roach food on the substrate for it and it's now Raven's pet

 

[VanessaS]

I am feeding them pre-killed for now because they are only 1/2". I place the prey carefully on one of the plastic leaves near the top to bring it closer to them. One of them has eaten like that, but the other is not. Tonight is feeding night for the youngsters, so I am just going to try again. I just keep putting it in and taking it back out again most times.
Other than that - they seem fine. I have a bit of webbing around and they are very active.

 

[Kymura]

I am feeding them pre-killed for now because they are only 1/2". I place the prey carefully on one of the plastic leaves near the top to bring it closer to them. One of them has eaten like that, but the other is not. Tonight is feeding night for the youngsters, so I am just going to try again. I just keep putting it in and taking it back out again most times.
Other than that - they seem fine. I have a bit of webbing around and they are very active.

Try half aa mealworm and just drop it near it? My little (very fat) versi is my best eater.

 

[VanessaS]

Try half aa mealworm and just drop it near it? My little (very fat) versi is my best eater.

I am cutting up mealworms for them - they each get half of one. I will normally place it on the plastic leaf closest to where they are at the time... like room service. I have seen them eat them, it is just that they don't eat them enough for my liking.
I really want these two specifically to get bigger. I really don't want to fail them and let anything go wrong.

 

[timc]

@VanessaS i know exactly where you're coming from with the avics. I have diversipes and a Peru purple and they are so damn stressful! It feels like something new every day. Today they're starving, tomorrow they won't eat. at night they're webbing, in the morning I don't see any web at all! I'll feel better once they molt once or twice but in the meantime they really know how to do a number on my nerves. However, I can't say they're driving me to drink. I was already doing that

 

[Chubbs]

Avics are a tricky genus to deal with sometimes, but here's a few observations I've made in terms of captive care and husbandry that I have found worked well for me:
. If you want to see more webbing or you're hoping for yours to begin webbing a bit faster, try housing them in a somewhat smaller enclosure. While this applies to most tarantulas in general, I have noticed that Avics in particular don't do well in larger enclosures and are very slow to web in them. Just make sure it has plenty of room to molt!
. Provide them with plenty of anchor points to attach their web to. I provide my Avics with plenty of plastic vines, which I hang around the top portion of the enclosure.
. Avics ideally need lots of cross-ventilation (you can have holes on top but most of the ventilation holes should be on the sides of the enclosure in order to get good airflow). Stagnant conditions will kill them rather easily, so try to keep misting to a minimum. Provide them with a water dish if possible or you can lightly mist the silk from time to time for them to drink from. However, you should never sacrifice ventilation for humidity.
. Avic slings tend to be somewhat more finicky eaters when really small, and are easily intimidated by larger prey items. I personally prefer to use pre killed with these guys when they're young. Many other slings are more bold and will sometimes take on prey as big as they are, but Avics are kinda wimpy as slings in my experience [emoji14]

Hope some of this helps!

 

[NatashaG]

i power feed my slings to "help" speed up the molt. Been letting my rooms stay warmer than usual this spring to help also but it's getting to the point i'm starting to get cranky with the warmer temps so i think it's time to slow down the feeding and let them do what they do and turn on the air cooler.

It has been really warm over here in the UK for a little while now, and since I live in a little flat, the windows have been wide open all day and it is still unbearable! But it seems to be okay for little Zoltan, so that a bonus. He gets fed every week, but a little while back I gave him an extra cricket and afterwards I noticed his butt was much bigger than usual, and I got a little scared (I've heard all the horror stories of split abdomens )
I have noticed something new though, and that is that he has webbed a hell of a lot. All around the entrance of his hide and on top of it. He has never done that before, even when he first arrived with us, he just blocked it up with substrate. Is that a sign of him getting ready to molt?

 

[NatashaG]

My spiderlings all make me worried with the feeding. If they turn down food even once I start to worry. Just because I'm not posting about it doesn't mean that they aren't making me worry every single day!
The two A. versicolor are causing me the most concern because they turn away food the most of any of them. They are also the most delicate and I have the least experience with the arboreals. They are driving me to drink!
My little L. difficilis has turned down the last couple of meals, but they are looking as if they are going to moult soon. That little one causes me the least worry. The two A. versicolor make up for that, though.

I had this problem when Zoltan arrived with me. I had mealworms for feeding and he just would not touch them, which made me panic beyond belief, enough to consult an exotic vet. I changed his food (like the vet suggested) to crickets and he practically jumped on the first one, and ever since I have never had an issue. But I completely understand your worry, and I only have the one!!! Good luck

 

[kormath]

I noticed his butt was much bigger than usual, and I got a little scared (I've heard all the horror stories of split abdomens )

They're just stories, ask @Kymura she's got some of the fattest T's i've ever seen

 

[NatashaG]

They're just stories, ask @Kymura she's got some of the fattest T's i've ever seen

Will do! I am steadily growing more confident that Zoltan is about to molt, as he now has a large black patch on his back, and it just seems to get larger. He also webbed around his hide for the first time. He is always fed on a friday, if he takes it this time, i might add a cheeky extra cricket, to see how he handles that.

 

[Kymura]

They're just stories, ask @Kymura she's got some of the fattest T's i've ever seen

Hey Meanness! Only fat-fat when they're slings. And let's face it. Their entire goal in life is to eat and grow so it's OK to be round when your tiny.
I just like them nicely plump as juveniles

 

[kormath]

Hey Meanness! Only fat-fat when they're slings. And let's face it. Their entire goal in life is to eat and grow so it's OK to be round when your tiny.
I just like them nicely plump as juveniles

lol! that made me laugh