Molt after fiqnal mature molt in A.avic

TheSanguineSaint

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 21, 2017
Messages
54
I have kept T's for around 8 years and last week came across my first T crisis. My A.avic (4-5") had burrowed and molted and then stayed in it and a web for a total of around 20 days then molted again. He came out twitching unable to climb having falling and walking issues. Once I was able to examine his molts and him it turns out that he had his "final molt" in the burrow then 4 days ago had another molt. He spent several days in rough shape but then started climbing and the seizure like movements slowed then stopped. He then began doing hunting behaviour then mowed 3 crickets in 2 sittings. I was so happy for this as earlier he had just killed a cricket and then dropped it and paced between it and his water for hours. Anyway he has now eaten and has visited the water dish several times. He is peacefully resting at the top of his plants for however long he has. What I am wondering is if there are any conditions I should modify for him to ensure he is as stress free as possible. Would you suggest we feed him as usual. What is best treatment for this MM while he goes through his final days. In the wild he'd just be looking for a mate right? I have zero experience with this. Also are some breeds more prone to do this final final molt? What is the proper term for this. Thank you for your help in advance.
 

Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,612
Are you saying that your male avic matured and then molted again four days after? That's crazy, never heard of anything like that before.

Many males will attempt a post ultimate molt(after maturity) but it almost always results in death. I would be very interested in seeing some pictures of your avic, as well as his two recent molts.
 

TheSanguineSaint

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 21, 2017
Messages
54
He molted into a MM while burrowed(we think) and hid for over 20 days. I did even know it was his MM final molt or that he had actually molted at all until he un-burrowed went atop into his hammock and webbed himself in for another 8 days. (still had non idea there was a molt as it was all never before seen behaviour. I had yet to dig into the burrow and substrate and we noticed him twitching and acting odd with his movements while webbed in his hammock. We then took him out to examine him as we could see him almost rolling around and a molt. We thought he was having trouble. He was falling, couldnt climb was going trough random twitching seizure like periods and pacing over and over. Worried about this and thinking it was dks related I came to the boards to ask for opinions...posted the pics and video and went over the husbandry etc to see if I could have caused dks symptoms with my husbandry. Someone then noticed that in the video that he had bulbs and asked when his mature male molt had been. I then dug out the molt from his burrow and it was old. He must have molted soon after burrowing. That makes a total of almost 30 days between the 2 molts. I placed him in a fall safe tub to try to prevent damage from the rolling like falls. I dug the molt out of the web hammock and it was in many pieces. I counted 8. Dont know if i did any of the breaking as it was badly tangled into the web and mangled when i tried to piece it together with toothpicks etc. He, after several days spent pacing to crickets he had killed with difficulty, started approaching water and pacing non stop without being able to climb and didnt eat even though we left his kills in over the day and night. Finally little by little he started climbing the sides again and looked as though he was eating. We after a few more days have an able to climb has eaten and has stopped all the twitching and falling. Happy to show you pics. I am just thankful that he is sitting up on his hammock acting more like the T I know. He is still off ...I dont know how to explain it. He is unsettled and still acting like he is doing his hunting behaviour from time to time. I am just happy that he is not doing the dks type nastiness. Phew. Sad that he doesnt have much longer but Im glad hes not experiencing dks. Will post pics in a few. Looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks
 

TheSanguineSaint

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 21, 2017
Messages
54
After 28-30 days and 2 molts...trying to upload video for you but I am getting an extension error message...going to fiddle around so i can upload for you and a pic of his 2nd and first molt Snapchat-2082648487.jpg FYI. This was inbetween his enclosure and the safety tub. We keep reptiles too which is what the mesh screen is from. We dont use with our T's
 

WoofSpider

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 31, 2016
Messages
81
There are two things that really stand out as bizarre to me.

1) A burrowing A. avicularia. AFAIK, Avics almost never even go down to the ground, much less under it.

2) An adult T molting twice in 20 or 30 days. That is completely insane. Are you sure that one of the molts was not simply an older one that you had not noticed before? Otherwise that is truly an extraordinary specimen. I've heard of Ts going though accelerated molt cycles to recover from injury, but nothing anywhere near that quick for a spider that size.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
That spider was NOT a MM in those first photos.



@WoofSpider I've had avics go to the ground. They rarely do so if provided with a proper hide however.
 

TheSanguineSaint

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 21, 2017
Messages
54
There are two things that really stand out as bizarre to me.

1) A burrowing A. avicularia. AFAIK, Avics almost never even go down to the ground, much less under it.

2) An adult T molting twice in 20 or 30 days. That is completely insane. Are you sure that one of the molts was not simply an older one that you had not noticed before? Otherwise that is truly an extraordinary specimen. I've heard of Ts going though accelerated molt cycles to recover from injury, but nothing anywhere near that quick for a spider that size.
Yes the burrowing was crazy to us too! Ive never had a burrowing Avic. or heard of this. We left him be (he is technically my 17 yr olds T but I check every day on the husbandry as she is newer to the hobby). Neither of us can be sure of how long he was burrowed but are estimating around 20 days...he was 100% in his hammock for 8 days as we were recording him at this point due to odd behaviour. At this point he doesnt have all bulbs ...3 look like they came off in the molt.
 

TheSanguineSaint

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 21, 2017
Messages
54
No like i said those are before pictures...posted under.pic maybe you didnt see..text sometimes gets lost under pics ☺
 
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