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Why skinny C. versicolor shed?

bp78900

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london
My C. Versicolor has refused food for about 6 months, she's got really skinny, and now she has shed. She looks exhauted and smaller than the shed. Is there anything I can do to help her recover?
 

DustyD

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Make sure it has water available to drink and hold off feeding it. More experienced keepers than I have said that after a molt, wait until the fangs harden and turn black before feeding. Age of the tarantula can affect hardening time. I usually wait about 10 days for my slings/ juveniles.

Tarantulas have been known to go a long time without food so what your T is going through is not unusual, although I have not personally kept your species.
 

bp78900

New Member
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5
Location
london
Make sure it has water available to drink and hold off feeding it. More experienced keepers than I have said that after a molt, wait until the fangs harden and turn black before feeding. Age of the tarantula can affect hardening time. I usually wait about 10 days for my slings/ juveniles.

Tarantulas have been known to go a long time without food so what your T is going through is not unusual, although I have not personally kept your species.
Thanks, I never feed after molt for at least a week. But have never had a skinny T. molt before she just didn't look ready and is taking a long time to recover, she has garden moved all day
 

octanejunkie

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Thanks, I never feed after molt for at least a week. But have never had a skinny T. molt before she just didn't look ready and is taking a long time to recover, she has garden moved all day
Sometimes they molt as a preemptive measure, like if something is wrong. Check the molt looking for her "sucking stomach" - the absence of may be why she molted unexpectedly and was skinny
 

bp78900

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london
Might be, its been so long since she ate snd although she has water I've never seen her drink. The first pic is today's shed, then her now and the other was taken in May 2020
 

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bp78900

New Member
Messages
5
Location
london
Sometimes they molt as a preemptive measure, like if something is wrong. Check the molt looking for her "sucking stomach" - the absence of may be why she molted unexpectedly and was skinny
I haved checked this molt and it is there, I will try and find her last and check that. Any suggesting for helping her recover from molting quickly, i'm reluctant to try food too early as don't want food to damage her.
 

octanejunkie

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I haved checked this molt and it is there, I will try and find her last and check that. Any suggesting for helping her recover from molting quickly, i'm reluctant to try food too early as don't want food to damage her.
There's absolutely nothing you can do to help her recover except to make sure she has water. I would try to feed her in 7 days. If she excepts food feed her again right away. Then go back to a regular two week feeding.
This ∆∆∆
 

bp78900

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london
I haven't pushed her ro unfurl so that is the best I could do, she was at least a third of the size she was in the healthy pic before shedding.
 

octanejunkie

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I haven't pushed her ro unfurl so that is the best I could do, she was at least a third of the size she was in the healthy pic before shedding.
You can't push a tarantula to be less stressed, that's like forcing someone to relax. Just leave it be.

Pics of the entire enclosure maybe?
 
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