That Premolt time of worry

[Glok69]

Hi folks.

I have a 3 year Carabean versicolor who went into premolt just over two months ago. I have the usual jitters as I see absolutely no sign of life behind the pirce of bark wood he/she likes to call home. The webbing is so thick I really can't see anything and I don't want to destroy it or frighten the spider at such a vunerable time. I guess my worry stems from the idea that males only live 3-5 years so if it IS male...

Then again...it's all the classic signs of premolt. I guess my question is..how long is too long for the pre-molt? I think the last time around, he/she was a solid three months. Then one morning, I opened the top of the enclosure to spray some water in and it almost escaped! I saw it at the bottom but that was actually the shed exoskeleton. The sly thing tricked me with a decoy!

So, should I cut through the webbing to see what's happening or give it another month?

 

[Ratmosphere]

You could be waiting months on end since pre-molt takes longer when they get older.

I’d be patient and leave her alone. Make sure the water dish is full, and check for any activity at night using a flashlight.

 

[menavodi]

Don’t disturb your spider! It will come out when it is time… be patient. Nature knows best.

 

[Glok69]

I'm happy to confirm that jame the Versicolor had a succesful molt guys! I have pictures here but this forum doesn't seem to accept anything from a computer. Pity because I have a picture of the old exoskeleton and I am still trying to work out if it's a boy or a girl.

 

[Glok69]