genic: pre-molt?

[BigBadConrad]

I got a 4" female geniculata exactly two weeks ago. Setup is basically a 10 gal, water dish, cork hide, 50/50 peat/potting soil, glass cover over 80% of screen, watering tubes into gravel layer (which I shouldn't have to use too often with species I think). She roamed for the first three days and hung from the screen a lot, but then settled into the cork bark hide...and hasn't come out since. She completely sealed the front entrance of the hide with a pile of dirt and the back entrance with dirt and a web. There's no way she can get out without breaking the web. I can barely see her thru the web if I shine a flashlight in there, but she is upright and not in the molt process, nor have I seen any indication of a molt in progress. If she molts under the hide, she'll push the molt out when finished, right? She's been in there for 11 days now and I've offered a couple of crickets and lobster roaches but removed them the next day untouched. I keep reading about how genics are big eaters, so I'm hoping she is just in pre-molt rather than ailing. Does this sound right? I'm fairly new to T's.

Thanks,
John

 

[Sheri]

I suppose she had no bald patch so that you could see the underlying color of her skin? Mine only went off food about 3 weeks before a molt, and is now back to its HUNGRY self! It ate a fish on Sunday and two large crix today! You will love this T! Mine also webeed itself in its hide to molt. I felt bad because I picked up the hide to maek sure it was still alive and it had just molted, and was still transparent. It ran to the other side of the cage carrying its old skin but recovered just fine.
How large is she now? The size mine put on was incredible!

 

[BigBadConrad]

Sheri,

She's 4". I offered her a cricket on day two while she was still roaming, but not interested. She holed up on day 3, and hasn't come out since or eaten since I got her. Here's a lousy pic of her arrival, 14 days ago. I don't know whether you can tell if she's ready to molt from the pic.

-John

 

[Sheri]

Its pretty hard to tell from that one small spot. Basically, if ready to molt soon, the skin will appear brown, and dark. Normally, the skin is almost white. Keep an eye on that patch to see if it darkens. But based on what you are saying, it does sound like you have a molt coming very soon if yours is anything like mine b/c they are huge eaters.

 

[Sheri]

also, her adbomen looks pretty big! It looks as though she could use the extra room!