Last night, when I got home from work at 6, I noticed that my female 3" B. smithi juvie had FINALLY made a molt mat. She's been premolt for nearly 6 weeks. lol Her opisthosoma has been black for a full moth.
She didn't flip over until 11:10 or so, as I was getting ready for bed. I set her up beside my bed and set an alarm for 1am, thinking that she would have "cracked her back" by then.
1am came and went, and she was still lying still on her back. I went back to sleep. At 6:30am I woke up again and my girl was still lying on her back with no changes.
Taking her time! She's always testing my patience!
At 7:15, she FINALLY started to emerge. Fangs, then carapace, legs...all that, of course, went rather quickly.
This girl is on a perfect 6 month molt schedule (she was my second-ever tarantula, too!). I bought her in December 2006. She had molted in November. Her next molt was May 8th, 2007. Then November 29, 2007. Then May 12th 2008, and today, November 5th 2008.
She's a good 3.5" now, and so bright. She's a very special member of my collection.
She didn't flip over until 11:10 or so, as I was getting ready for bed. I set her up beside my bed and set an alarm for 1am, thinking that she would have "cracked her back" by then.
1am came and went, and she was still lying still on her back. I went back to sleep. At 6:30am I woke up again and my girl was still lying on her back with no changes.
Taking her time! She's always testing my patience! At 7:15, she FINALLY started to emerge. Fangs, then carapace, legs...all that, of course, went rather quickly.
This girl is on a perfect 6 month molt schedule (she was my second-ever tarantula, too!). I bought her in December 2006. She had molted in November. Her next molt was May 8th, 2007. Then November 29, 2007. Then May 12th 2008, and today, November 5th 2008.
She's a good 3.5" now, and so bright.
She's a very special member of my collection.
