B. vagans health issues

Bean · Oct 7, 2004

I posted about this gal a while back, albeit not on this board, so some of you may have seen her before. Following the first molt she went through in my care, a protrusion developed on the opisthosoma. It is now bald, and seems to have gotton a bit bigger. No red hairs developed in the area at the molt. She has not kicked hairs at me at all, nor have I observed her kicking hairs. Eating habits are normal. I have taken no medical actions so far. Not sure if she's cb or wc. (pet store rescue) What do you guys think? Any suggestions for ensuring an extended stay with me? I believe this molt to be her ultimate, as she gained adult colors in it.

knottyduke · Oct 7, 2004

At this point I am not sure what you can do but be patient. It sounds like you have been paying attention to her and what more then that you could do I don't know.

Where you planning on having that with Ketchup or Ranch? :}

luther · Oct 7, 2004

I kinda looks like a small hernia of the opisthosoma after a bad molt. If she's showing no ill symptoms otherwise I'd hang in there and hope that she sorts it out with the next molt. I'd try not to overfeed her, so that the stress on the area is low. Of course it COULD be a parasite if she's WC, or even a tumour. I can't see much that you can do but watch and wait. Good luck with her.

G_Wright · Oct 7, 2004

DOnt get in a panic if your T has lost some hair she is a new world species any flickes them readly. You can not be there to watch her all the time and they are very active at night.

The missing hairs could be because she has been flicking them into her silk. Tarantuals line they silk with these irritating hairs as a secondary defense messure

You spider is not doing it's unltmate moult just becaus it's has gotten it's adult colours only males do that and thats only after they mature. Females can live a long time and moult regulary untill they die even if they dont get any bigger.

If your fem has just gotten her adult colours she will most definitly not be mature but still a juvinile/ sub adult and still has a long way to go before she is fully grown.

Bean · Oct 7, 2004

G_Wright said:
Tarantuals line they slink with these irritating hairs as a secondary devense messure

I was aware of this practice, but thought it only occured in the premolt stages. I should have been more specific in mentioning the bald spot in relation to the bulge. Not only did it appear very quickly after her molt.. (3 weeks after) it is smaller and off center, closer to the prosoma than her premolt bald spot was started, and almost right on top of the protrusion. I've not seen a bald spot begin with these characteristics, and thought it to be connected with her bulge.

G_Wright said:
You spider is not doing it's unltmate moult just becaus it's has gotten it's adult colours only males do that and thats only after they mature. Females can live a long time and moult regulary untill they die even if they dont get any bigger.

If your fem has just gotten her adult colours she will most definitly not be mature but still a juvinile/ sub adult and still has a long way to go before she is fully grown.

I was under the impression that when a female spider reaches adult size.. that would be her ultimate molt, even though she will have more molts to come. Am I mistakened in this terminology?

Also.. this gal is nearing 6" mark... and my best measurement is off the exuvium.. Can I expect more growth? If so, nice surprise!

0.1.0 B. vagans

0.1.0 B. vagans

I hear you had a T. blondi with a similar bulge G., did it end up being fatal? I assume since you didn't mention it, you don't have any words of wisdom for possible actions in my situation. I will probably do the best overall thing to do with T's.. keep my hands off and wait.

.. but I do reserve the right to worry until I am sure she'll be ok.

G_Wright · Oct 18, 2004

Bean said:
I was aware of this practice, but thought it only occured in the premolt stages. I should have been more specific in mentioning the bald spot in relation to the bulge. Not only did it appear very quickly after her molt.. (3 weeks after) it is smaller and off center, closer to the prosoma than her premolt bald spot was started, and almost right on top of the protrusion. I've not seen a bald spot begin with these characteristics, and thought it to be connected with her bulge.

I was under the impression that when a female spider reaches adult size.. that would be her ultimate molt, even though she will have more molts to come. Am I mistakened in this terminology?

Also.. this gal is nearing 6" mark... and my best measurement is off the exuvium.. Can I expect more growth? If so, nice surprise!

0.1.0 B. vagans

0.1.0 B. vagans

I hear you had a T. blondi with a similar bulge G., did it end up being fatal? I assume since you didn't mention it, you don't have any words of wisdom for possible actions in my situation. I will probably do the best overall thing to do with T's.. keep my hands off and wait. .. but I do reserve the right to worry until I am sure she'll be ok.

Actually the T blondi I had with this bulge on it's abdoman moulted last week the buldge is still there but has shrunk and hopefully if she has another few sucsessfull moult it will go. The bulge/blister hasn't caused ehr any problems and she has been eating fine. Guy tansley also has similar problems with one of his T's which over a series of moults got rid of it.

pitbulllady · Oct 18, 2004

It just looks like a bald spot to me, and a rather small one at that. I have a big B. smithi who's entire rear end is bald, yet I've NEVER seen her kick hairs, either. She probably does do so at crickets, shadows, etc., when I'm not looking. Same way with my B. boehmei; she WILL kick hairs if I mess with her, but since I'm not home that much, this wouldn't be enough to account for the fact that just three weeks after her moult, her but was bald again, too! This must mean that they will kick at things other than people messing with them. Both of these spiders are very healthy. I don't know if they intentionally line their homes with uriticating hairs, but I know those hairs DO end up all over the floor of the enclosure, especially where they have webbed, so it's possible that they deliberately rub them off to line their living spaces.

pitbulllady

B. vagans health issues

Bean

Arachnoknight

knottyduke

Arachnosquire

luther

Arachnodemon

G_Wright

Arachnoprince

Bean

Arachnoknight

G_Wright

Arachnoprince

pitbulllady

Arachnoking