A. Chalcodes Help!!!

[Nefarriious]

Hello community I wanted to know if any of you can know if my T is in premolt, old, and/or fully grown, I got it (supposedly she) in November or December. She was extremely dehydrated but now she looks much better, in case you guys think she looks bad rn. And after the big difference she still looks a little off not her movement but just looking at her, in the pictures you can see her abdomen is a bit dark, kinda small, and her hairs look old/dirty. Is she fine or is there something I can do to make her better, I put my fingers so you can see a size comparison, my hand looks way bigger but she would cover my fingers if I had her on so is that a full grown or does she still have some growing to do and is she really an A. Chalcodes because It seems she can pull off another species

 

[cold blood]

Looks fine...not in pre molt, at least not the latter stages. Wait for the skin (exposed by the bald spot) to turn black.

 

[Nefarriious]

Looks fine...not in pre molt, at least not the latter stages. Wait for the skin (exposed by the bald spot) to turn black.

Okay thanks for the reply, is there a way you can tell if She’s older in her life cycle or still good amount of years? since I’ve heard they live 30-40 years if kept well

 

[Swagg]

Okay thanks for the reply, is there a way you can tell if She’s older in her life cycle or still good amount of years? since I’ve heard they live 30-40 years if kept well

Tarantula timelines don’t really work on a “years” scale like ours do. You can get a DLS measurement and know the size. When a male gets hooks, it’s at the end of the cycle. That’s about the most defined it gets outside of instar.

 

[Nefarriious]

Tarantula timelines don’t really work on a “years” scale like ours do. You can get a DLS measurement and know the size. When a male gets hooks, it’s at the end of the cycle. That’s about the most defined it gets outside of instar.

Alright thanks for the help, and yea I know it doesn’t work like that. That’s why I was just going based on how the hairs look because compared to any other T I’ve seen her hairs look old or dry I guess you can say

 

[cold blood]

Okay thanks for the reply, is there a way you can tell if She’s older in her life cycle or still good amount of years? since I’ve heard they live 30-40 years if kept well

yes, you can get a decent estimation once you know the molt cycle. At 4 years and counting yours has a long molt cycle so it is probably over 20 years old... beyond that you'll never know anything more precise than that. It could be over 40 for all we know.

 

[Swagg]

Alright thanks for the help, and yea I know it doesn’t work like that. That’s why I was just going based on how the hairs look because compared to any other T I’ve seen her hairs look old or dry I guess you can say

yes, you can get a decent estimation once you know the molt cycle. At 4 years and counting yours has a long molt cycle so it is probably over 20 years old... beyond that you'll never know anything more precise than that. It could be over 40 for all we know.

how reliable is that? I see post all the time where people are confused because they have an atypical species when it comes to molting (longer or shorter cycles for size)

 

[cold blood]

how reliable is that?

Its an educated guess...nothing more. I gave a 20 year potential, that is far from precision or accurate...lol.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Your spider looks fine. She looks "dirty" as spiders will when setae begins to rub off of their carapace or as they kick hairs from their abdomen. And the only way to be 100% sure of a spider's age is to purchase a sling or juvenile from a breeder who has the exact hatching date recorded. Otherwise it's anyone's guess. But since this species is so hardy and long-lived, you definitely have several years at the very least to spend with your friend.

 

[Feral]

Crazy check- Is it just me or does the abdomen look lopsided/lumpy in the third and fifth pics? Like a rounded protrusion from the left side of the abdomen... ? Or maybe it's that the left is fine but the right side is sunken...? Hmmm. I've been squinting at that third pic now for a few minutes, just can't tell. Hmmm.

I think there might be something going on there maybe.

Could we get a pic from dead-straight above that's clear enough and with a good enough positioning so we could see any asymmetry of the abdomen?

 

[Nefarriious]

Crazy check- Is it just me or does the abdomen look lopsided/lumpy in the third and fifth pics? Like a rounded protrusion from the left side of the abdomen... ? Or maybe it's that the left is fine but the right side is sunken...? Hmmm. I've been squinting at that third pic now for a few minutes, just can't tell. Hmmm.

I think there might be something going on there maybe.

Could we get a pic from dead-straight above that's clear enough and with a good enough positioning so we could see any asymmetry of the abdomen?

Yea I thought that too when I first got her but figured I was tripping

Crazy check- Is it just me or does the abdomen look lopsided/lumpy in the third and fifth pics? Like a rounded protrusion from the left side of the abdomen... ? Or maybe it's that the left is fine but the right side is sunken...? Hmmm. I've been squinting at that third pic now for a few minutes, just can't tell. Hmmm.

I think there might be something going on there maybe.

Could we get a pic from dead-straight above that's clear enough and with a good enough positioning so we could see any asymmetry of the abdomen?

Crazy check- Is it just me or does the abdomen look lopsided/lumpy in the third and fifth pics? Like a rounded protrusion from the left side of the abdomen... ? Or maybe it's that the left is fine but the right side is sunken...? Hmmm. I've been squinting at that third pic now for a few minutes, just can't tell. Hmmm.

I think there might be something going on there maybe.

Could we get a pic from dead-straight above that's clear enough and with a good enough positioning so we could see any asymmetry of the abdomen?

Crazy check- Is it just me or does the abdomen look lopsided/lumpy in the third and fifth pics? Like a rounded protrusion from the left side of the abdomen... ? Or maybe it's that the left is fine but the right side is sunken...? Hmmm. I've been squinting at that third pic now for a few minutes, just can't tell. Hmmm.

I think there might be something going on there maybe.

Could we get a pic from dead-straight above that's clear enough and with a good enough positioning so we could see any asymmetry of the abdomen?

In the second because it seems like it’s a bit slanted than round

 

[PidderPeets]

I also noticed the odd abdomen shape. Another thing that's really messing with me: does she not have eyes??

 

[Nefarriious]

I also noticed the odd abdomen shape. Another thing that's really messing with me: does she not have eyes??

She does but the hairs over her eyes are kinda long, it looks like she has a Mohawk lol

 

[Feral]

Yea I thought that too when I first got her but figured I was tripping

In the second because it seems like it’s a bit slanted than round

Yeah, I'm seeing it.

Is she wild caught?
How long have you had her?
How is she eating?
Has her abdominal asymmetry gotten better or worse since she's become better hydrated?

 

[PidderPeets]

She does but the hairs over her eyes are kinda long, it looks like she has a Mohawk lol

I realized that when you posted the second set of photos. I was a bit behind in my response. Lol

 

[Nefarriious]

Yeah, I'm seeing it.

Is she wild caught?
How long have you had her?
How is she eating?
Has her abdominal asymmetry gotten better or worse since she's become better hydrated?

Her abdomen used to be slanted from both sides when I got her and I thought she wasn’t going to make it until I rehoused her and gave her two water bowls then plumped up a good amount, I can’t say if she’s wild caught, I got her off someone on OfferUp and she hasn’t ate anything dead or alive even if left in the dark for 24 hours I’m guessing it’s a hunger strike because of winter and I’ve had her from October or November, for some reason I feel like her abdomen might be okay but needs actual food to get naturally plumped again because since in my care she’s being drinking water and at first she would finish her water dish in a day I remember I had to refil it 2-3 days back to back becaus este would finish it but now it lasts her a while to finish I’ll see if I can find a picture of when I first got her

Yeah, I'm seeing it.

Is she wild caught?
How long have you had her?
How is she eating?
Has her abdominal asymmetry gotten better or worse since she's become better hydrated?

 

[Feral]

I'm glad she's put on some weight for you.

Is she wildcaught?

I'm mulling possibilities of a hernia, a cyst/mass, parasites... I'm not sure, thinking.
I do worry for future molts, though. And I look forward to hearing what others have to say.

 

[Nefarriious]

I'm glad she's put on some weight for you.

Is she wildcaught?

I'm mulling possibilities of a hernia, a cyst/mass, parasites... I'm not sure, thinking.
I do worry for future molts, though. And I look forward to hearing what others have to say.

I wish I knew, I got her off offer up and the dude said he had her for two years before someone else so she may have been around for some time

 

[Feral]

I wish I knew, I got her off offer up and the dude said he had her for two years before someone else so she may have been around for some time

Gotcha. Unfortunately I don't know what else to say at this point, other than I hope that whatever is causing the deformity isn't something that's going to rupture when she molts, and that I'm rooting for her. Short of diagnostics by an experienced veterinarian (possibly at a university) to look for infectious/parasitic/etc causes and treatment as needed, maybe other people who have experienced a similar type of abdominal mass can chime in with some helpful information. In any case, continue keeping that fresh water available and I'm pulling for the little lady!