Failed Molt Attempt?

[Ungoliant]

The night before last, my juvenile male Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens flipped over to molt. I was not expecting this, because even though he did refuse food last week, he molted three months ago and is too big (3.75") to be molting twice in three months.

Molting Male Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (3.75")

• Ungoliant
• Nov 13, 2018
• 5
• chromatopelma chromatopelma cyaneopubescens cyaneopubescens gbb greenbottle blue tarantula juvenile juvenile male male molting muffet

Mr. Muffet has flipped onto his back. This surprised me, because even though he refused food...

He remained in the molting position for about 9 hours and then flipped back over. It does not appear that his carapace popped, and I don't see any leaks.

At first I joked that he was trolling me, but he doesn't look so great. He is very sluggish and appears to be in a death curl. (Normally he bolts if I touch him, but now he only barely moves the leg I touch.)

Has anyone had this happen? I don't think there is anything I can do for him but keep his water dish full and make him comfortable.

 

[lostbrane]

I haven’t had this happen but it reminds me of a saga with an A. avic a few months back. It eventually molted iirc but it was flipping on it’s back for days before it finally went through with it.

Doesn’t sound promising but keeping him comfortable is probably the best bet. Hope he pulls through!

 

[boina]

That doesn't sound too good. While there have been Ts that didn't molt on the first attempt but flipped back and forth a few times before they actually molted, that death curl like thing you describe is rather worrying... Still, you already know you can only wait and see.

 

[Ungoliant]

I really hope he'll defy the odds. I've had him since he was a sling, and I've grown rather attached to him. (And he has been such a good-natured GBB, with no hair kicking.)

 

[weibkreux]

Hopefully his just trolling you again and recover like nothing happened.

 

[moshpitpanda]

Oh no!! I hope Mr.Muffet pulls through! He has seen so little of this world..

 

[Ellenantula]

It doesn't sound good but I am one of those 'where there's life, there's hope' sort of people. (fingers crossed)

I did have a T (maybe my OBT) who flipped, flipped back and then successfully moulted a few days later, fwiw. And I know my GBB takes her own sweet darn time -- GBBs can be such jerks.

Sorry this happened, I am not great at the waiting game, but hopefully you are.

 

[darkness975]

@Ungoliant you and I both know that there is a good chance that it will not recover from what you described, however I do hope it does. Has it been feeding properly since the molt (i.e. any indication of a complication stemming from the last molt)?

 

[Nightstalker47]

Damn, hope it pulls through...fingers crossed for a miracle.

 

[Ungoliant]

Has it been feeding properly since the molt (i.e. any indication of a complication stemming from the last molt)?

His previous molt was on August 17. He was feeding and behaving normally until he began refusing food a week before the attempted molt.

He is still alive but lethargic.

 

[darkness975]

His previous molt was on August 17. He was feeding and behaving normally until he began refusing food a week before the attempted molt.

He is still alive but lethargic.

Bummer. Hope it pulls through.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

I have an Idiomatta sp. trapdoor that did this a while ago. Still alive but very sluggish as you said, but that could just be down to the species as I hear they’re generally pretty docile and calm as it has always been sluggish long before it happened

 

[Olan]

Relating to the short period between molt (attempts): I’ve had some males that spend a very short time as penultimate. Or a very long time. When they are almost mature, the normal time between molts can be altered. My G. iheringi male only spent 3-ish months as penultimate before molting again as a mature male.

But relating to the flipping back over, possible failed molt attempt, I don’t have anything to offer besides wishing him luck

 

[WildSpider]

Good luck, Ungoliant. Hope he pulls through for you.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

I have an Idiomatta sp. trapdoor that did this a while ago. Still alive but very sluggish as you said, but that could just be down to the species as I hear they’re generally pretty docile and calm as it has always been sluggish long before it happened

Actually I’m gonna correct myself here because she seems way more active now that’s she’s built a burrow and created a trapdoor, she’s very quick to pull it shut when I open it. I have just sort of been leaving her be so she could construct it once I noticed she’d created half a trapdoor but now that it’s finished she’s actually started taking live prey with some degree of consistency

 

[Nightstalker47]

@Ungoliant Any news?

 

[Ungoliant]

@Ungoliant Any news?

Right now he is resting in the lower part of his web. He is still lethargic but does change position/location slightly from time to time, so I'm not giving up on him yet.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Right now he is resting in the lower part of his web. He is still lethargic but does change position/location slightly from time to time, so I'm not giving up on him yet.

Hopefully its just a delayed molt, I actually just checked up on my GBBs and one just molted. Maybe yours will tonight.

 

[Ungoliant]

Sadly, he didn't make it.

I can't see anything obvious externally, but something clearly went wrong with his molt.

 

[Mychajlo]

I just saw your gallery posts from what it sounds like, I’m guessing it’s an internal problem that he was trying to fix himself by doing an “emergency molt” but was too weak to go through with it, I’m sorry for your loss