T Molting Support Group for Noobs*

[Meludox]

So sorry man, looks like male indeed. That sucks big time. But hey, still a wonderful specimen that you can still breed off from, right?

Damn. I don't think I'm gonna be breeding anytime soon, but luckily he didn't hook out yet with this molt so I can still have him around for a bit longer.

 

[RedCapTrio]

This is my first experience of premolt on a "big" T, my almost four incher B. smithi, and it is stressful to see him as if he is pining away and will be gone any minute.

He hardly moves, been refusing food for almost a month now, colors are fading and just looks gray.

Well, patience is a virtue and here's hoping that he will molt soon and be successful at it.

Got myself a male too...

 

[Adraps11]

Today it's been 8 days since my "oklahoma Brown" female molted, I'd say she's at or near 4 inches in legspan, yet still doesn't have the stocky body type that's typically described with the species. By examing the exuvia I can easily tell it's a female, but right now it's body still resembles an immature A. Anax/hentzi I've noticed the final colors spreading from the front of the body to the back. The last two back legs are still black, while the rest are a mix of black and charcoal grey with brown hairs. This is just what I can see from the entrance to the cave. It does look like quite the color change. The carapace is more of a charcoal grey with bits of bronze thrown in, while the abdomen is still black with red hairs. I wonder if I should offer up a beetle? I'm wanting to wait until the T is out in the open, but with this species that could be weeks. Again the color change has been quite drastic, you'd mistake it for a cross between g pulchra and a. anax. lol I've read they get similar color morphs from A. Hentzi in Arkansas, they can vary wildly depending on the location they are found in, which is why there is so much confusion in the Aphonopelma genus! A. Hentzi can be a chameleon from what I've read about it.

 

[Fuzzball79]

Freshly(ish) molted GBB. Flicked like mad when I removed the exo even so it had pushed it out of its molting cave itself. Must be a female, little b~~~~tch lol!

Still waiting for my B. Boehmei to molt. His body his blackish blue and shiny, but as usual he's taking his time. Amazonica seems to be in premolt, too, as it's not eating and has its premolt Zoomies again (going round and round the tub, webbing).

 

[Fuzzball79]

I found an old exoskeleton in my son's room. It's of my B. Boehmei juvie. I had always assumed that it was a boy (couldn't see any spermatecae (sp?)), but with this one I'm not so sure anymore. Using my macro attachment and a bit of cropping and enhancing I got this:

As I said before, it really doesn't bother me when they turn out male, but it would be interesting to know if I have been wrong all this time.

 

[kormath]

The 6 week fasting is over! My little rosea molted last night. Should be able to feed her now this week on feeding day.

 

[RedCapTrio]

I found an old exoskeleton in my son's room. It's of my B. Boehmei juvie. I had always assumed that it was a boy (couldn't see any spermatecae (sp?)), but with this one I'm not so sure anymore. Using my macro attachment and a bit of cropping and enhancing I got this:

As I said before, it really doesn't bother me when they turn out male, but it would be interesting to know if I have been wrong all this time.

This is what I also observed with my magnifying glass upon examining Dos Chac. I don't have your macro attachment though so could not take photos. Will just wait for bigger exudium to prove it a gurl.

 

[Fuzzball79]

My B. Boehmei molted over night. Looking good:
It never made a molting mat, sheer laziness, lol:

I'm a little bit worried about my GBB though. It molted about 2 weeks ago. Obviously I waited 1 week before trying to feed it, but it just won't take anything. I tried a cricket and it just ignored it, I also tried wax worms, which are usually gobbled up with gusto, but it just slaps them away and then lets them crawl right under it while it stands on its tip toes. It doesn't look dehydrated at the moment (yet) and has access to a full water dish, but it doesn't even seem to venture near that, and it looks like its fangs are intact, too.
I'm only concerned because usually the GBB is a waste disposal unit and wouldn't shy away from any meal. It's about > 1 1/2" DLS now.

 

[Fuzzball79]

My B Boehmei's exo. I'm kinda thinking female, am I correct?

 

[Enn49]

Kutari, my little Tapinauchenius violaceus moulted yesterday. It lost 2 legs during it last moult 6 weeks ago but this moult was successful and it now has all 8 legs again.

 

[Meludox]

My B Boehmei's exo. I'm kinda thinking female, am I correct?

Definitely female, congrats!

 

[kormath]

I'm a little bit worried about my GBB though. It molted about 2 weeks ago. Obviously I waited 1 week before trying to feed it, but it just won't take anything. I tried a cricket and it just ignored it, I also tried wax worms, which are usually gobbled up with gusto, but it just slaps them away and then lets them crawl right under it while it stands on its tip toes. It doesn't look dehydrated at the moment (yet) and has access to a full water dish, but it doesn't even seem to venture near that, and it looks like its fangs are intact, too.
I'm only concerned because usually the GBB is a waste disposal unit and wouldn't shy away from any meal. It's about > 1 1/2" DLS now.

Sounds like our GBB. It went from crickets to running scared of crickets after a molt. Try roaches if you can get them, our GBB loves dubia roaches, but they have to be dropped onto the webbing near her or she will ignore them. We tried a super worm wednesday and it struggled in the web and she turned her back on it. If it would have been a roach struggling like that she'd have gone nuts over it.

 

[kormath]

My son sent me a text this morning when he was getting ready for school. One of my pet dirt boxes produced a shed exo. The larger B. albo molted and finally pushed the molt out. He's out in the open now also so maybe i'll have one less box of pet dirt

 

[Fuzzball79]

Sounds like our GBB. It went from crickets to running scared of crickets after a molt. Try roaches if you can get them, our GBB loves dubia roaches, but they have to be dropped onto the webbing near her or she will ignore them. We tried a super worm wednesday and it struggled in the web and she turned her back on it. If it would have been a roach struggling like that she'd have gone nuts over it.

I can't seem to get a hold of smaller roaches at the moment. I've got some adults, so maybe with any luck they'll breed eventually. I'm waiting for new acrylic tubs for my GBB and my Actaeon, so once it's settled in there for a while I'll try some pre-killed wax or super worms. Its legs are looking really dark, too, almost black. I hope there's not something wrong internally , would hate to lose it.

 

[Adraps11]

I'm waiting for my A. Hentzi to come out in the open before feeding it. I can't tell if it's colors are completely back yet, but it's been two weeks since it shed it's skin. With my flashlight all I can tell is that it looks solid, the carapace looks tan or a light in color. I don't like just throwing insects into the enclosure, because the hide is so large, if she didn't want the food, and it kept annoying her, I'd have to rip up everything, just to get to it. Doing that runs the risk getting hit with urticating hairs. Hopefully my pet cave will do some decorating soon! I hardly ever see her, unless she's wandering around in premolt, I want to power feed her for a few weeks, so she can get her strength back. After she eats again I'll relax. I'll try feeding tomorrow and see what happens. I wish my local beardie/feeder guy had some regular fast moving cockroaches. I've only visited him once, next time we'll get a complete look at all the feeders he has. Dubia roaches are good at playing dead and digging into the substrate! I did have to clean the cage recently, and the T didn't lay down any more webbing, so the web network is down. lol I have a jar with 5 darkling beetles and was intending to feed those to her, but read somewhere that Ts don't like them, but I remember my rose hair digging one up and eating it. My other option is to start out with a few crickets, even though I hate them, they are lively and most likely to get a response out of the T. I'd actually prefer June Beetles, medium sized kaydids, or cicadas as feeders. Imagine having a room full of mature male cicadas with a few females thrown in.

 

[Scoolman]

Drop in two crickets. She will hunt them. My hentzi hides away most of the time.

 

[Adraps11]

Drop in two crickets. She will hunt them. My hentzi hides away most of the time.

I dropped in a dubia, and she acted like she would take it at first,with front legs pointed towards the roach, in a hungry fashion, but it was on it's back flailing everywhere, and she shied away from it. Her fangs are black and colors normal, so she'll eat it sometime within the next week. This try had a more aggressive feeding response from the T, so I'm not going to bother with tearing up the hide. If I catch the roach outside the hide I'll put it back with the other. If I never see it again and only have to remove a food bolus from beside the water dish, I'll be happy. I think she'll kill it within the next few days.

 

[Adraps11]

Drop in two crickets. She will hunt them. My hentzi hides away most of the time.

Is it very difficult with a burrowing species, to keep the cage mite and fungus free? I had a rosehair about 8 years before I bought the Hentzi, and it didn't burrow, so recovering the leftovers was easy. My Hentzi does have certain spots where she will drop off leftovers most of the time. They are pretty clean creatures, and I can imagine they wouldn't like dead bugs clogging up their homes. When she does start to feed, I'll power feed for a week, then drop to one roach per week. I did have a bad experience with crickets last year, 18 of them got loose in my room! They were divided up between the Hentzi, our gigantic Maine Coon Cat, and my Bearded dragon. lol I didn't find out they were loose in my room, until I turned off the lights and went to bed. damn things! They were all over my bed and curtains. I hate them because they are so hard to catch, and easily killed by hands or tongs.

 

[Scoolman]

I have never had problems with mites,and fungus is only a concern in wet habitats. You can use isopods to help keep things clean.

 

[timc]

Haplopelma sp. Colombia large molted early this morning. She's just about a monster now measuring about an inch DLS!