# Bad blondi molt



## Rob883226 (Feb 18, 2006)

WC animal from Mark Lucas. Excellent eater, all was good until the day it tried to grow. Would have been a monster if it survived.


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## bpage_10 (Feb 18, 2006)

*tear* seriously so sad for you.  That sux.


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## common spider (Feb 18, 2006)

Man that sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Rob883226 (Feb 18, 2006)

I'm gonna cook it and mount it in a riker. Should look cool as is


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## taorchard1987 (Feb 18, 2006)

looks like it would have been a beast!  It looks like the substrate is bone dry round the edges, could this have been why it never shook the moult of?


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## Rob883226 (Feb 18, 2006)

taorchard1987 said:
			
		

> looks like it would have been a beast!  It looks like the substrate is bone dry round the edges, could this have been why it never shook the moult of?


Naa, I changed the bedding the night before, in all my blondi cages. You are looking at brand new damp coco bedding. I just broke the block up. They always have water/misted and there is always droplets on the side of the cage. Its hit or miss when they get this big I think, in captivity at least. I have, err had 8, and they all molted fine so far. I think it might have something to do with the outer shell being so hard and tough when they get over 9 inches. The abdomen skin alone was very tough. I think they just tire out/suffocate and give up. I guess thats why the 10/11 inch spiders are so rare. That last molt before colossal is the killer.


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## taorchard1987 (Feb 18, 2006)

oh rite, i just brought myself a 1"+ T.Blondi yesterday. So i suppose the bigger they get the more you have to hydrate them to ensure they have a successful molt.


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## becca81 (Feb 18, 2006)

How long did you have this one?  Was it WC at this size?

How long had it been trying to molt at the time of the picture?


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## CedrikG (Feb 18, 2006)

this is always sad to see ...

Sory for that mate


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## Ms. Peaches (Feb 18, 2006)

Aww Sorry to see that.


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## Rob883226 (Feb 18, 2006)

becca81 said:
			
		

> How long did you have this one?  Was it WC at this size?
> 
> How long had it been trying to molt at the time of the picture?


5 months, yes it was this size. It would have been its first molt with me. When I went to bed it was fine, woke up to see this. The abdomen skin was very tough. I think once it popped the top, it could not completely rip out of the ass end and the lungs got screwed up. Like it passed out and died. Thats how it looked to me at least. It was also in that exact position, it didn't start off on its back like most moltings do.


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## arachnidsrck (Feb 18, 2006)

OMG that is horrible! I am sOOO sorry!


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## metallica (Feb 18, 2006)

what wonders me the mose is why is it out in the open, and not in a hide for molting?


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## The Juice (Feb 18, 2006)

That sucks, I have never had this happen to me & I let my enclosures dry out from time to time. Are you planning on replacing it?


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## evilarachnid (Feb 18, 2006)

That really sucks, the same thing happened to me with my first T. Blondi. I feel your pain.


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## Scolopendra55 (Feb 18, 2006)

Thats too bad. Dont let it get you too down though buy another one I think this was just a freak accident.


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## Rob883226 (Feb 18, 2006)

Scolopendra55 said:
			
		

> Thats too bad. Dont let it get you too down though buy another one I think this was just a freak accident.


I don't get emotionally attached to my bugs No worries.


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## Scolopendra55 (Feb 18, 2006)

Rob883226 said:
			
		

> I don't get emotionally attached to my bugs No worries.


I try not to either (which is why I dont name them) because when they die I mount them and it would be kind of hard to mount a bug that you were emotionally attached to (wouldn't it be kind of hard to taxiderm your own dog?).


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## eman (Feb 18, 2006)

metallica said:
			
		

> what wonders me the mose is why is it out in the open, and not in a hide for molting?


My thoughts exactly.  I've seen plenty of 9" blondi molt out just fine... but they all have proper hides/burrows and plenty of humidity/hydration.  

Sad to see...


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## Rob883226 (Feb 18, 2006)

Scolopendra55 said:
			
		

> I try not to either (which is why I dont name them) because when they die I mount them and it would be kind of hard to mount a bug that you were emotionally attached to (wouldn't it be kind of hard to taxiderm your own dog?).


I think it would be more pointless for me to freezedry my dog. Its dead. Its better off where it is now, in my back yard feeding the trees


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## Rob883226 (Feb 18, 2006)

metallica said:
			
		

> what wonders me the mose is why is it out in the open, and not in a hide for molting?





			
				eman said:
			
		

> My thoughts exactly.  I've seen plenty of 9" blondi molt out just fine... but they all have proper hides/burrows and plenty of humidity/hydration.
> 
> Sad to see...


Are you asking me why its not in a hide, or speculating between yourselves?


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## metallica (Feb 19, 2006)

Rob883226 said:
			
		

> Are you asking me why its not in a hide, or speculating between yourselves?


i was wondering.... that was all.

i have a 9" blondi myself. never see it.... why? it's ALLWAYS in the burrow.
if she is hungry she is at the entrance, if she is not humgry, she's at the back. molting? she seals the entrance about a month in advance, molts and yet a month later i see her again. i'm amased by the amount of blondi here that are out in the open all day.


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## becca81 (Feb 19, 2006)

metallica said:
			
		

> i'm amased by the amount of blondi here that are out in the open all day.


Personally, I've got 2 that behave very differently - one that is almost always hidden unless he's hungry (and generally takes his food directly back to his burrow) and another that is almost always out in the open, only using her hide (deep enough so that she may block it if necessary and such) very infrequently (she did, however, molt in there, but she didn't block it).

I keep my large female in a much darker, quieter area than my male, which may account for the behavioral differences, though.


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## smokejuan (Feb 19, 2006)

becca81 said:
			
		

> Personally, I've got 2 that behave very differently - one that is almost always hidden unless he's hungry (and generally takes his food directly back to his burrow) and another that is almost always out in the open, only using her hide (deep enough so that she may block it if necessary and such) very infrequently (she did, however, molt in there, but she didn't block it).
> I keep my large female in a much darker, quieter area than my male, which may account for the behavioral differences, though.


My female blondi stayed in her hide the first three months I had her and then moved out never to return. She stands under a plastic bush I had put in there. The male is the same way. he only goes in when I clean right before he leaves a little cloud of fun that makes me itch for several hours.

I have one of three young blondi that has had nothing but trouble molts, fangs,etc. It is a miracle it is still going.

Kevin


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## CedrikG (Feb 19, 2006)

Metallica: I like your point and it got a lot of sens.

My T blondi is hidden under its big piece of wood and I just ever see it. Before I rehouse it, its burrow collapsed so it had no hide anymore, and it looked ... very not healty.

Im not saying that you did'nt care well of your blondi, but from my personal experience a blondi without hide will get unhealty / stressed ... well like all tarantulas, that MIGHT explain why it did'nt turns well for him. Thats just a theory

BECCA : Nice observation, the lightning must have a role those different behavior


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## Center (Feb 19, 2006)

Nice, nice  I like this


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## Rob883226 (Feb 19, 2006)

Kirdec said:
			
		

> Im not saying that you did'nt care well of your blondi, but from my personal experience a blondi without hide will get unhealty / stressed ... well like all tarantulas, that MIGHT explain why it did'nt turns well for him. Thats just a theory


Who are you typing too?


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## CedrikG (Feb 19, 2006)

to you my friend, as I said, I dont know if you provided a hide or not, this is just a idea like that


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## Rob883226 (Feb 20, 2006)

Kirdec said:
			
		

> to you my friend, as I said, I dont know if you provided a hide or not, this is just a idea like that


Direct questions are better. Saves a lot of typing and speculations being tossed around.

I provide hides, cage was recently cleaned, so maybe the spider didn't like the way I got rid of her mess. I don't think that was the problem anyway. It looked to me, and I have seen a lot of spiders molt, that it could not break its ass/book lungs out of the abdomen skin. I think it got stuck at that point and suffocated. The abdomen skin on that spider was not flimsy, it was hard, like cardboard. Now, was that because it was very large? maybe it didn't secrete enough enzyme or whatever it is to separate the new body from the old one? Who knows. Owned many blondi in the last 20 years and only lost 3 to molts.


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## Midnightrdr456 (Feb 20, 2006)

yea im sure that some that get that size just cant muster the strength to break the heavy skin and simply die.  Sorry about your T and hopefully no other badluck in the future.


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## metallica (Feb 20, 2006)

true, the abdomen skin of large blondi can be tough. this combined with molting upright allmost certain exhausted the spider. think about it, why do tarantulas molt up side down? simple, it is easier to push an empty exoskeleton away then to push itself up. esp for a large and heavy spider.

so the real question is... why did the spider not try to molt on it's back?


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## roberto (Feb 20, 2006)

*Terrible*

That pic just turns my stomach. I am sorry you lost it.


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## David Richards (Feb 20, 2006)

*Sorry for the loss*

I had a 10 inch die the exact same way, and would say that most of the problems come with the wild caught specimens if all other conditions are good.  Sometimes you just can't get away with yanking an animal out of its environment, sometimes you can.  Could have been alot of things,  I really doubt it was neglect, s--t happens and we have all had something die under ideal circumstances.  Sorry again  dave


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## Rob883226 (Feb 20, 2006)

metallica said:
			
		

> true, the abdomen skin of large blondi can be tough. this combined with molting upright allmost certain exhausted the spider. think about it, why do tarantulas molt up side down? simple, it is easier to push an empty exoskeleton away then to push itself up. esp for a large and heavy spider.
> 
> so the real question is... why did the spider not try to molt on it's back?


Who knows. I just cleaned the cage, maybe that screwed it up.


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## Rob883226 (Mar 1, 2006)

Last week it was a bad blondi molt, this week it was a GOOD blondi molt!

Woohoo!

This spider did everything right, started on its back, inside her spider cave for all the "it must be in a cave to molt!" people, and came out right as rain. I had to lift the bark for the top down shot, less than an hr free. She should be well over 9 inches now, maybe 10 Now if my male would just catch up...


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## NeilD (Mar 1, 2006)

*Blondi Moult*

She looks just like mine, who has also just moulted


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## Mike H. (Mar 1, 2006)

Glad to see this one worked out for ya ...

Regards, Mike :clap:


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## Crimsonpanther (Mar 1, 2006)

Congrats on the Sucsessful molt ! By the way she looks GORGOUS even for a plus size model !!!  
So Sorry to hear about the other blondi thought , thats truely tragic what happend ......Sorry for your loss 
Thanks for sharing your pics ! :clap:


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## Midnightrdr456 (Mar 1, 2006)

Congrats on a succesful one after that bad one.  Im jealous, my female blondi is only 4.5" and I cant wait till it grows to that size.


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