B. albopilosum has a "wart" on their abdomin.

Sulfyr

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
3
My b. albopilosum (Jonesy) sling/juvi molted while I was away at Fan Expo's Artist Alley and my dad was coming in to care for all of my critters.

Jonesy was premolt for about a week and a half - two weeks before we left. They had made themselves a burrow in the same place as their first molt after I got them and stopped being interested in food (and like me, they quite enjoy food!) so I just made sure the tank was appropriately moist on the part away from them to keep the humidity levels up (I also have reptiles so I know how important it is in shedding) and we're eastern Ontario so are generally 65-75% humidity.

We came back after the convention and Jonesy had molted in the last 24-48+ hours or so (it's my second molt as a T owner, but their fangs were back to black and the exoskeleton was looking quite dry.) I didn't touch the molt until they left their burrow but I didn't notice what I thought to just be a bit of post molt "Oh that is just their exo-skeleton hardening up!".
Now I have been keeping a careful eye on them since coming home and they have been eating- I waited another half week and dropped a super worm (after crushing it's head and feeling terrible) and Jonesy dragged it back to their burrow and spent 2 days eating it (Their molting burrow is right at the front left corner of the tank, so every time I looked in there was just a smaller super wormer in T's mouth)

They have been eating and are now out and about but the thing I thought was "oh hey fresh exoskeleton" is still showing and looking like what I would call a wart in humans.
I've been going off of the fact T's generally manage themselves and if something was wrong they wouldn't be out hunting and eating... (But I do seem to always find the animals that appreciate food as much as I do)

I am sorry if this is a common thing- I tried to google search and the search feature in this forum seemed more user reply focus instead of general "Oh hay wat dis?" 69990743_908780636187717_3989444324952637440_n.jpg 69986613_359157628365194_5661957310738595840_n.png
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
I can't tell as much w/that pic. What I can tell you is that T is in the wrong style of container. Especially a T of that size, it can fall, rupture, and your T will be called Splat. Many others will chime in, especially on the screen top.

From what I see- which isn't too much- and from what I read- I wouldn't be worried.

But the tank needs to be redone. It's too tall for a terrestrial species, ESP, a heavy bodied species like albo.
 

EtienneN

Arachno-enigma
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Messages
1,038
Hi and welcome!
It appears your tarantula has a piece of old exoskeleton stuck to its abdomen. For whatever reason, the entirety of the old exoskeleton over the abdomen didn't shed completely. Now here's the thing: it may be stuck hard and fast there and won't come off until the next moult. If that happens, it's not covering anything truly critical like fangs and anus and book lungs. But...if you get some forceps and while he is eating see if you can moisten the area with a water by like squeezing a rolled-up-into-a-cone piece of paper towel, or a plastic syringe. Then see if you can just gently peel it off. Be very gentle because as I said, it may be fused into the new exoskeleton since its already dried and hardened completely.

Also: Tarantulas don't need "humidity" per se. They don't get any moisture out of the air like a frog does or even a shedding snake. Humidity 'numbers' in tarantulas is pretty meaningless. In fact owners who go 'chasing' a certain value range often end up inadvertently killing their tarantulas because they try so hard to stay within 'good numbers' that they found on a care sheet from a pet store or the Internet. Online caresheets are abysmal. Get your info here as everything is up to date. With tarantulas, it's all about how dry or damp their substrate is. Some species require moist substrate all the time. Spiderlings of pretty much every species require lightly damp substrate before they develop the layer on their exoskeletons that help waterproof them. B. albos do well dry with an overflowed water dish. One neat trick you can use to make sure your enclosure is never too wet is to rotate the corner you put the water dish in so each side has time to dry out between rotations.

If I were you, I'd get a new cage for your guy. This one only allows four or five inches of digging space and it appears to be at least double the diagonal leg span measurement length of your T's legs which can potentially be a serious fall risk which could result in a ruptured abdomen. With a new cage you can lower the 'headroom' so that there is less space between the topmost part of the substrate and the very top of the cage.

If you have any other questions please feel free to PM me! Always happy to help!:D
 

sasker

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 9, 2016
Messages
1,091
I agree with @EtienneN

My B. hamorii had a similar spot on her abdomen, similar size and similar location. It was just a piece of old molt. For a while I was considering my options, but I left it on for a while. After a week or two it came off by itself. The skin on the abdomen is paper thin so personally I don't recommend peeling it off. There is always a chance that you damage the new skin while doing so, or something else might go wrong. It appears to be just a cosmetic problem that will solve itself as far as I can see. If the problem is more serious - the skin underneath has not properly developed - it would not be wise to try and peel off the skin that keeps a hole in the abdomen covered.

Just to be sure, you could go easy on the feeding regime. If the problem is more serious it could be harmful for your tarantula to feed too much. It would be like inflating a balloon with a piece of non-stretching tape attached to it. Your tarantula looks quite healthy so you don't need to worry that it will starve. It was probably quite fat before it molted so it was not too skinny after the molt. The super worm was well-received as well, by the looks of it.

Again, it does not look too serious. Just keep an eye on it for the next few days. Most likely it will just fall off by itself.

Just another tip: buy another enclosure for your tarantula that is more suitable for a terrestrial tarantula like this one. Keep this enclosure for a Caribena versicolor. You can thank me later ;)
 

Sulfyr

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 3, 2019
Messages
3
Hi and welcome!
It appears your tarantula has a piece of old exoskeleton stuck to its abdomen. For whatever reason, the entirety of the old exoskeleton over the abdomen didn't shed completely. Now here's the thing: it may be stuck hard and fast there and won't come off until the next moult. If that happens, it's not covering anything truly critical like fangs and anus and book lungs. But...if you get some forceps and while he is eating see if you can moisten the area with a water by like squeezing a rolled-up-into-a-cone piece of paper towel, or a plastic syringe. Then see if you can just gently peel it off. Be very gentle because as I said, it may be fused into the new exoskeleton since its already dried and hardened completely.

Also: Tarantulas don't need "humidity" per se. They don't get any moisture out of the air like a frog does or even a shedding snake. Humidity 'numbers' in tarantulas is pretty meaningless. In fact owners who go 'chasing' a certain value range often end up inadvertently killing their tarantulas because they try so hard to stay within 'good numbers' that they found on a care sheet from a pet store or the Internet. Online caresheets are abysmal. Get your info here as everything is up to date. With tarantulas, it's all about how dry or damp their substrate is. Some species require moist substrate all the time. Spiderlings of pretty much every species require lightly damp substrate before they develop the layer on their exoskeletons that help waterproof them. B. albos do well dry with an overflowed water dish. One neat trick you can use to make sure your enclosure is never too wet is to rotate the corner you put the water dish in so each side has time to dry out between rotations.

If I were you, I'd get a new cage for your guy. This one only allows four or five inches of digging space and it appears to be at least double the diagonal leg span measurement length of your T's legs which can potentially be a serious fall risk which could result in a ruptured abdomen. With a new cage you can lower the 'headroom' so that there is less space between the topmost part of the substrate and the very top of the cage.

If you have any other questions please feel free to PM me! Always happy to help!:D
This is straight up awesome info and thank you!

I asked the guy I bought both the sling and the enclosure about everything and how it would 'adapt' to a growing Tarantula and now I am kind of pissed. Dude was only feeding his T. slings once a week and said it would be good until the T got bigger (Like, full grown bigger).
I started feeding ever few days when they were smaller and if they didnt eat the live food I removed it and just fed it to my Leopard Gecko (She will eat most food).

Can I ask what is the best tank for a terrestrial T? My fiancee hates everything 'arachnid' so I got this one specifically since it had "the lock" on it"

I agree with @EtienneN

My B. hamorii had a similar spot on her abdomen, similar size and similar location. It was just a piece of old molt. For a while I was considering my options, but I left it on for a while. After a week or two it came off by itself. The skin on the abdomen is paper thin so personally I don't recommend peeling it off. There is always a chance that you damage the new skin while doing so, or something else might go wrong. It appears to be just a cosmetic problem that will solve itself as far as I can see. If the problem is more serious - the skin underneath has not properly developed - it would not be wise to try and peel off the skin that keeps a hole in the abdomen covered.

Just to be sure, you could go easy on the feeding regime. If the problem is more serious it could be harmful for your tarantula to feed too much. It would be like inflating a balloon with a piece of non-stretching tape attached to it. Your tarantula looks quite healthy so you don't need to worry that it will starve. It was probably quite fat before it molted so it was not too skinny after the molt. The super worm was well-received as well, by the looks of it.

Again, it does not look too serious. Just keep an eye on it for the next few days. Most likely it will just fall off by itself.

Just another tip: buy another enclosure for your tarantula that is more suitable for a terrestrial tarantula like this one. Keep this enclosure for a Caribena versicolor. You can thank me later ;)
Lmao!! I am super happy to hear it isnt serious!

I am super glad to hear that Jonesy's ittle wart is actually just an exoskeleton thing. I help my two reptiles if it's dry in the house
(But is there also a way to make molting easier? I increase the humidity in my Ball Python and Leopard Gecko when they start showing molting signs. I leave them alone but if I can make it easier that would be awesome!)
 
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sasker

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 9, 2016
Messages
1,091
I mean I am super appreciate your passive aggressive response titwad!
Please try to look past people's writing styles. It is rarely meant to be as insulting or unfriendly as it comes across. To be honest, @viper69 did not say anything bad. I agree that the picture could be clearer (close-up?), and that it does not look like a worrisome problem. He is also right that this is not the right enclosure for this spider. He also mentioned that the screen top is unsuitable, which is information that could save your spider's life. A climbing tarantula may easily get his tarsal claws stuck in such a lit. Many have lost legs this way.

All in all, this is useful information. But only if you don't feel too insulted :D

But is there also a way to make molting easier? I increase the humidity in my Ball Python and Leopard Gecko when they start showing molting signs.
It doesn't really work this way with tarantulas, I am afraid. There is a big risk that you will kill your spider trying to help it. This species likes it quite dry (not completely bone dry, just one corner with slightly damp substrate is enough). Humidity for terrestrial tarantulas is more about providing enough water (i.e. a water dish) than spraying the enclosure. They do not benefit from high air humidity as they stay (mostly) on the ground anyway.

As for the right enclosure, something as simple as a kritter keeper is enough. There is no way a tarantula could open the enclosure if you 'click' the top shut.

Another suggestion, try to involve your fiancee in this hobby. My wife was not overly fond of spiders either. Now she cries if one of them passes away!
 
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cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
(I also have reptiles so I know how important it is in shedding) and we're eastern Ontario so are generally 65-75% humidity.
As mentioned, there are huge differences between reptiles and ts....raising humidity isn't a needed thing for ts, they get most of what they need internally, usually by taking a drink before molting. For your ts, ignore the term humidity.
Dude was only feeding his T. slings once a week and said it would be good until the T got bigger
Whoa, there is NOTHING wrong with feeding once a week...heck you could feed them once a month and raise a perfectly healthy t.

Do not get hung up on schedules...the feeding needs of a t are not like they are with most other animals. I feed my slings twice a month very often, because I tend to feed larger prey, I am still able to maintain max growth rates with this, seemingly meager feeding schedule. Literally 10 people could give you 10 different feeding schedules, and every one could result in a perfectly healthy t.
 
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