Is she molting or what? This is weird

[Luka98]

I've had my b albo for about 10 days now and she was really active after i fed her (she ate twice already), today she seemed super active just excavating all day and exploring. Suddenly she just went into her pit and started kinda laying on the bottom part of her carapace, abdomen-up, and she's kinda leaning on the wall of the enclosure. The back 3 of her side legs facing the enclosure are now kinda up against the abdomen and the wall of the box and are parallel to eachother facing up 45 degree-ish, definitely not her usual position. I kinda taped the wall of the box with my fingernail very very lightly hoping i'd get a reaction but nothing. Then i figured i might as well fill up her dish and snag a few quick photos just to share with you guys and make sure nothing is wrong. Now i've left her alone in the dark just in case it's a molt but she's not upside down that's what weirds me out.
Anyways here are the pics, when i shined the light on her for a quick sec to take these i noticed 2 things and i think they (kinda) show up in the pics as well:
1. her front legs are SUPER gray (you kinda see it in the pic )
2. the top of her abdomen is very dark and although it still has hair on it it doesn't have the long "curly" hairs like the bottom (and has those 2 light brown spots you can see in the pic) but the bottom is VERY pale (Compare the 2 pics) and all around the abdomen is much more plump than when i got her

Did anybody's spider ever molt like this or should i be getting worried? Pics bellow

TLDR: She should definitely be active rn because it's 4 am and she was up until an hour ago. She's just kinda laying against the wall of her cage in a strange position. Want to know if i should be worried.

 

[Arachnophoric]

Not molting, just a spider being a spider. Brachypelma sp. are not known for being the most active, so prolonged periods of just sitting in one spot is not unusual. She actually looks like she's trying to hide, does she have anything available for her to hide in?

Edit: I think I see a wooden hide to the left in the first pic, but I can't see very well on my monitor.

 

[Gaherp]

Give it time the new T smell hasn't even worn off yet It did just feed and is obviously utilizing the home you have made it. I would not worry after such a short time and also having a good feed. I am going to say it will probably molt but it could just be adjusting still. Keep us posted on it and post more pics of it molts.

 

[Luka98]

Not molting, just a spider being a spider. Brachypelma sp. are not known for being the most active, so prolonged periods of just sitting in one spot is not unusual. She actually looks like she's trying to hide, does she have anything available for her to hide in?

Mine is very active and has closed off the hide, she has a huge piece of corkbark poking out of the sub and i spent a good amount of time making the hide but she never used it and instead made the pit you see in the pic. I wanted to write this down too but didn't want to make the post too long, she does look like she's trying to hide her face/be defensive but that's not the case she always just sits there and chills in a relaxed pose. She was literally walking around and exploring and then just went into the pit face first into the wall and kinda layed down on her carapace as you see on the pic it's weird. When i open her lid she usually freaks out a little, she's kinda skittish when the enclosure gets touched and bolts just a little every time i open the lid, when i opened it rn to dig up the water dish and fill it up she didn't move an inch, that's what makes me think something is off. I don't want to bother her but she does seem very still, she still hasn't moved a single limb which may not be weird for a b albo but it's weird for her, she's always very relaxed and out and about.

Anyways this is what her enclosure looked like prior to her pit landscaping also check how much browner her legs are here than in my more recent pics above i may be prematurely celebrating here but im really hoping for a molt soon

 

[Luka98]

Give it time the new T smell hasn't even worn off yet It did just feed and is obviously utilizing the home you have made it. I would not worry after such a short time and also having a good feed. I am going to say it will probably molt but it could just be adjusting still. Keep us posted on it and post more pics of it molts.

Thank you for the input and i will
She still hasn't moved a limb and i'm kinda hoping for a molt here but it may be just her wanting to chill. As you said she's been with me for a short period of time so i can't really tell but i've only seen her like this when she got here tired from being shipped, for the most part she was a very active and inquisitive spider

 

[Arachnophoric]

Mine is very active and has closed off the hide, she has a huge piece of corkbark poking out of the sub and i spent a good amount of time making the hide but she never used it and instead made the pit you see in the pic. I wanted to write this down too but didn't want to make the post too long, she does look like she's trying to hide her face/be defensive but that's not the case she always just sits there and chills in a relaxed pose. She was literally walking around and exploring and then just went into the pit face first into the wall and kinda layed down on her carapace as you see on the pic it's weird. When i open her lid she usually freaks out a little, she's kinda skittish when the enclosure gets touched and bolts just a little every time i open the lid, when i opened it rn to dig up the water dish and fill it up she didn't move an inch, that's what makes me think something is off. I don't want to bother her but she does seem very still, she still hasn't moved a single limb which may not be weird for a b albo but it's weird for her, she's always very relaxed and out and about.

Anyways this is what her enclosure looked like prior to her pit landscaping also check how much browner her legs are here than in my more recent pics above i may be prematurely celebrating here but im really hoping for a molt soon
View attachment 289474

That's a tarantula for you - make them a nice enclosure with a hide and everything, just for them to go bury the hide and bulldoze the entire thing.

Promise you it isn't weird behavior in the slightest. Especially since she's new and settling in, it's no surprise that she's been active. It is possible that she's slowing down and starting to go into premolt; she's quite robust and as you said has already eaten twice since you got her, but I wouldn't hold your breath on her molting within the next few days. The dark spot may be indicating her going into premolt, but her entire abdomen will turn dark and shiny before she decides to flip and molt. She likely didn't react to you moving the enclosure and opening it because of her scrunched position in the corner. It feels secure to her, so why bolt out into the open where she'd make an easier target for a potential predator?

We ask a lot of questions as to why our Ts seem to suddenly exhibit "weird behavior" that often only has this explanation; spooders gonna spood.

 

[Luka98]

That's a tarantula for you - make them a nice enclosure with a hide and everything, just for them to go bury the hide and bulldoze the entire thing.

Yep she's trolling me hard with the remodeling lol, she takes all the sub from the left side and makes a hill that covers the water dish and since i'm new to the hobby i panic and i start overthinking like is she too humid, is the water dish too big and the more time i spent with her the more i figured out that they just do it cuz they can
I guess i'm overthinking the molting thing too, anyways thank you for the input and ill just watch her behavior tomorrow but i bet it's all good. I'll definitely put some more sub in for her if she continues to rest in such a strange position so she can pit sleep to her hearts content

 

[Arachnophoric]

Yep she's trolling me hard with the remodeling lol, she takes all the sub from the left side and makes a hill that covers the water dish and since i'm new to the hobby i panic and i start overthinking like is she too humid, is the water dish too big and the more time i spent with her the more i figured out that they just do it cuz they can
I guess i'm overthinking the molting thing too, anyways thank you for the input and ill just watch her behavior tomorrow but i bet it's all good. I'll definitely put some more sub in for her if she continues to rest in such a strange position so she can pit sleep to her hearts content

IME, this species loves to excavate, and when they're young they sometimes even burrow. And you don't need to worry about it if she dumps dirt in her water dish - B. albopilosum is one of the few Brachypelma species that actually appreciates a little moisture besides vagans. That being said, issues usually arise not because of humidity itself, but inadequate ventilation causing stuffy conditions that will kill even the most wet-loving species.

 

[PidderPeets]

1. her front legs are SUPER gray (you kinda see it in the pic )

Tarantula colors tend to fade as they get closer to premolt. What you're noticing is likely the early stages of premolt

2. the top of her abdomen is very dark and although it still has hair on it it doesn't have the long "curly" hairs like the bottom (and has those 2 light brown spots you can see in the pic) but the bottom is VERY pale (Compare the 2 pics)

That main dark spot is just the patch of urticating hairs on the abdomen. Most NW terrestrial slings have that really obvious little patch, and it becomes much less obvious with each molt as the tarantula gets fuzzier. Additionally, the entirety of the abdomen will turn dark and eventually black as it gets closer and closer to molting. You'll notice that the entire sling will start to turn black. This is the very late stages of premolt.

and all around the abdomen is much more plump than when i got her

That's because you've fed it twice in 10 days. Slings put on size fast, so it's not a surprise that it's getting fat.

To me, that pose just looks like a stress pose. It's not really an issue because it's still adjusting to it's new home. It should be fine.