# Emergency 911 Help!!!



## joshuapsgirl (Dec 21, 2004)

*Emergency 911 Help!!!*

I have an extremely urgent problem.  I have a g. auriostriata (sp?).  She was acting very strangle lately, webbing up her cage and huddling in the corner.  We blew it off as irritation from the light since she seemed to do it when we were in the room with the lights on.

Last night, after close observation and what would be the equivalent of a 9.0 on the richter scale from a flashlight on the table her cage was on, we were sure that she was dead.  We left her overnight so that we could take care of the burial in the morning.

This morning, much to our dismay, she had begun to molt.  We were both happy and relieved by this.  However, now it is 10 hours later and she has made little to no progress from where she was 10 hours ago.  I'm not sure if it is the compramising position that she is in, or if it is just not meant for her to live.  At 1:30 this afternoon she was making visible attempts to lift herself up out of her old skin, since she molted right side up.  Her attempts ended up being in vein because it is 11 now, a full 9.5 hours later and she is only about 1/4 inch farther out of her skin than she was at 1:30.  What should I do?  I've attached pictures of her.  Please respond asap!  This is the prize of our collection and we are very close to this spider.  She's been the best of all five and the easiest to care for!  Thanks for you time.


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## Jakob (Dec 21, 2004)

When you were shaking the cage...was she turned over or not moving? Could she have started molting already when you were moving the cage around? If so, that could have led to the problem. Only thing you can do at this stage is to increase the humidity and hope for the best!

From your post it sounds like you disturbed her a bunch, which you shouldn't do at any point, not to mention when a tarantula is about to molt or "acting strange"

Later, 

Jake


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 21, 2004)

*only one thud with the mag light.*

No...it was just one jolt on the table with a flashlight.  She normally moves a bit.  Her legs were tucked under and she looked like our last T that died.  We were sure that she was dead and that was a last resort test to see if she would move.  After that one thud, we just went to bed and thought she was dead.  She was upright as she is now, but back about 4 inches.  It looked like she was standing up and then fell over onto her front right three and front left 1 leg.  We didn't want to disturb her too much in case she was ok and just being strange or getting ready to molt.


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## Sheri (Dec 21, 2004)

Don't feel too badly, its not often you see a T molting right side up.

How much of the spider is out? From the pic it looks as though it has only popped the carapace, and not made much progress beyond that.

If that is the case... all you can do is give it some more time. I think I've heard somewhere of a glycerine mix... perhaps give a quick search of the boards using that as a keyword.

When you say it's been molting for that long, do you mean it's been that long since you saw the carapace pop, or since it was laying flacid on the gorund?

Edit:
Has the abdomen split open? 
I have a feeling this might not have a happy ending.


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## Div1nE (Dec 21, 2004)

maybe you could turn her on her back?


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 21, 2004)

**

her carpace popped out 10 hours ago.  Her legs started, but only made 1/4-1/2" progress before she stopped coming out all together.  If you think flipping her over could do the trick, I'll try it.  I don't see any movement from her at this point and am worried that she is already dead.  

Her abdomen is coming out of it's skin, but it has not split yet.  It is about half way down her back.  It's the white line that you see in the picture I posted.


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## Sheri (Dec 21, 2004)

I don't think a bang that hard is going to do much.
I have kids - monsters even - that bang the shelves, stumble into them... 
and the dog barking... it's a madhouse... but not the cause of a bad molt.

Yes, doesn't sound good. Did you do that search?


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

the 9.0 was an analogy.  It was a dead weight drop from 6-8 inches off of the surface.  All of our tarantulas respond to this, it's just not usually on purpose, it's usually because I'm clumsy.   We only intentionally drop the light when we think that they are dead.  We weren't aware that any kind of disturbance could cause major problems in a molt.  Even more, we weren't aware that tarantulas did the "death curl" and collapsed on it's legs when it was getting ready to molt.  I knew that they acted weird, but not dead.  This really sucks.

"You might want to try putting a few drops of water on the chela(pincers) or anywhere the old molt is still stuck. The water may loosen the old molt from the new exoskeleton. If plain water does not work you can try a dilute solution of dish soap or glycerine and water as a last resort...I have not tried this last method myself but I have heard of people having some success with it...do not get the glycerine or soap anywhere else (mouth/spiracles)."

this is a post in the scorpion section of this site... Does anyone think that this might be a good last resort...that is if she's even still alive...


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

no opinions on this??  She's still moving!!!!!   What should I do!?!?!?!  I'm mixing the soap/water solution now...2 drops soap, 1 cup room temp. water.  Please give me your opinion on this measure.


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## Mattyb (Dec 22, 2004)

sheri said:
			
		

> Don't feel too badly, its not often you see a T molting right side up.
> 
> How much of the spider is out? From the pic it looks as though it has only popped the carapace, and not made much progress beyond that.
> 
> ...



Its not often you see a T molt right side up? have you had your head shoved up your butt for the past few months? I have seen many threads were people said, or posted pics of their Ts molting right side up. Infact my female Blondi molted right side up about a month ago. Sorry if i sound rude, but you must not have been paying attention to many of the posts. I know Ts usually don't molt right side up, but you talk as if its a solar eclipse...only happening once in a great while.



-Mattyb


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

let's not start a fight about the frequency of right-side-up molting.  I'm only concerned with the health and well being of my T.  I'd like to keep the posts limited to help, if I could.  I appreciate all of the feedback, but since she's still alive, time is of the essence.  My wife(this is her account, I'm not a big "hello kitty" fan is fully prepared to perform her first T surgery if the soap/water mix doesn't help.  I've also considered flipping her over and moving her away from the side of her cage, but haven't gotten any responses to those suggestions...help, anyone?  Thanks.


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## Sheri (Dec 22, 2004)

Mattyb said:
			
		

> Its not often you see a T molt right side up? have you had your head shoved up your butt for the past few months? I have seen many threads were people said, or posted pics of their Ts molting right side up. Infact my female Blondi molted right side up about a month ago. Sorry if i sound rude, but you must not have been paying attention to many of the posts. I know Ts usually don't molt right side up, but you talk as if its a solar eclipse...only happening once in a great while.
> 
> 
> 
> -Mattyb



I've had well over 100 T's. 
I've never had *one* molt up.

They have *5*.
What do you think the chances are they'd seen it or knew it was coming?

Percent ratio - very low.
I said _"not often"_... I don't equate that with the rarity of a solar eclipse.


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## Mattyb (Dec 22, 2004)

sheri said:
			
		

> I've had well over 100 T's.
> I've never had *one* molt up.
> 
> They have *5*.
> ...




I apologise for my last post. I am just having a bad day. I didn't mean anything by it, i'm just alittle fustrated right now, having some family problems. Sorry  :8o 



-Mattyb


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## Spider-man 2 (Dec 22, 2004)

I have had several of my Ts molt right side up, it's what I consider to be uncommon.  How is your T doing now?


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

She's still moving.  We've attempted the soap solution and are waiting for the results...in the meantime...off to Wal-Mart to get the equipment for surgery.  We should be back in about half an hour and if she hasn't shown any improvement at all, we're going to the last resort...  I appreciate all of your help.  I'll check this again when we get home in case anyone has any last minute ideas like flipping her over..which still hasn't been commented on.  Thanks again.


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## shogun804 (Dec 22, 2004)

well ive pulled the flip over one time and it was successfull however my T was a lot smaller and was not completely right side up like yours it was on its side...

the only problem you might run into is that it looks like a rather large T and all the legs from the old skin might not flip over with it...wich could cause problems....maybe since it is so big you could try using a rubber spatula thing from the kitchen like what you use to scramble eggs with or something and then pick it up with that and then flip over like an omlett.....i would only try this as a very last resort im only trying to throw out some options that might help you in this crapy situation and i thought since nobody else commented on the flip thing i would...just remeber when doing something this delicate it has to be done softly and with confidence and i think you could flip it successfully IMO...if nothing else works it really cant hurt to try. best of luck and keep us posted.


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

We are currently working on freeing Pheobe from her shell.  We have the left rear leg half free and we also have untangled the mess that her front legs and pedipalps were in.  We're taking this slow and being patient.  When I untangled one of her front legs she started pushing, trying to get out and she made a little bit of progress.  Hopefully we'll get her free before dawn!  hehehe  I'll let you know how things are coming along with her.

Reactions: Optimistic 1


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## NYbirdEater (Dec 22, 2004)

Dropping things near your T's tank sounds like a sure way to stress them out. I'd never do it again. I try not to bump into the tanks at all. When my L parahybana had a molt where she seemed slightly stuck, I steamed up my bathroom, took her in for a few minutes and she was able to climb out, although if this happened hours and hours ago, she may have started to harden and wont be able to free her legs.

BTW I only have 12 T's and have seen several of them molt right side up, it's not strange to me, although Matty you seem a bit feisty tonight 

Sorry to say but it sounds like your T is doomed. I'd try the steam treatment, and maybe light;ly mist the T itself from a distance with luke warm water but if the legs are stuck you can only sit back and wait for it to die. You may want to consider shading your tanks so your T's don't get overly stressed from birght lights, and the banging is probably not helping. If it is close to mature, it may lack the neergy needed to climb out of it's skin, plus the constant stress may not have helped as it could have used up energy hidinng from the light and noise. Usually when a T webs up it's tank it's time for it to molt, and you should keep it out of the light and away from disturbance. Sounds like you did none of this.

Where I have my T's I removed the lightbulb all together and prevent sunlight from hitting the tanks by propping up cardoard where the light would hit and i use a red light flashlight when looking at them, since red light doesn't really bother them. On occasion I will use a white light but I try to avoid it. And I avoid as much banging as I can. Sorry Sheri but having several million vibration sensitive hairs can't help with all the banging in your house although it may not be enough to cause a bad molt. I usually mist the tank or pour some warm water in the corners of the tank just prior to the molt to help them along and it seems to work, though not necessary in some people's opinion. From what I've done though, my T's seem happier, healthier and molt fine.


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

we've got her first leg free and she is still moving from time to time.  It's not looking too awfully bad.  This is going to take all night, but I think it'll be worth the effort.  She's still got a lot of fluid in between her old skin and her new so the old skin is coming right off!


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## NYbirdEater (Dec 22, 2004)

joshuapsgirl said:
			
		

> we've got her first leg free and she is still moving from time to time.  It's not looking too awfully bad.  This is going to take all night, but I think it'll be worth the effort.  She's still got a lot of fluid in between her old skin and her new so the old skin is coming right off!


That's good. Just be careful so as not to repture any of her soft parts. Did you try moistening the soil around the T or the T itself?


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

She's entirely free of her molt.  We had one problem spot on her front left leg where she bled a little dab.  It didn't do more than that so we think it's scabbing its self over nicely.  She's still moving and stretching, so that's good.  We found the problem spot, too.  Her fangs were stuck.  We had about as much trouble as she did trying to get her fangs out.  We are currently washing the soap/water solution off of her.  Once we are done we will put her in her new makeshift cage (we had to destroy the substrate in the old one to be able to get her out without risking limbs).  Then all we can do is wait and hope to God it worked.  Any advice on the care of a distressed T in this sort of situation would be great.  Thanks again, everyone.

Reactions: Optimistic 1


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## Cigarman (Dec 22, 2004)

Wow what an adventure! You seemed to pull off a great situation out of a nearly hopeless one. Make sure to show us pix of the fresh molted spider. Makes me worry about my own but it did the upside down thing and came out ok. Hope the spider makes it. :clap:


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## nowhereman (Dec 22, 2004)

Glad your Chaco is OK.  :clap:  :clap: 
 One of our favorite T's.    We have 3.   
We have several T's that have molted in the upright position our largest chaco being one of them.. Amazing thing to watch.


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## Vanan (Dec 22, 2004)

Wow! Congrats! Hopefully she bounces back and lives on for more successful moults. Good job!


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## Sheri (Dec 22, 2004)

Wow! Excellent news!

Were the new fangs damaged at all - are they dull or stubby?

As always, just make sure she has plenty of access to fresh clean water. Beyond that, peace and quiet to recover.

If I have the same problem now, I'll know who to call to walk me through the process!


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## Sandra (Dec 22, 2004)

Wonderful! Excellent job j'girl! 

I've sure learned a lot from reading through this.


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## becca81 (Dec 22, 2004)

I'm so glad she's made it!  I just read the entire post and glad everyone could help.  

By the way, when a situation comes up like this, there's no use in slamming the owner for anything.  It's too late to reverse anything that's already happened.  I think we should all try to help and give as much support as possible instead of being negative.  Discuss problems/reason later as you/they are making future care plans or reflecting on the incident.

I can't wait to see some pictures!  



			
				Sandra said:
			
		

> Wonderful! Excellent job j'girl!
> 
> I've sure learned a lot from reading through this.


I agree with you Sandra!  I've learned a LOT from reading through all this!


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## NYbirdEater (Dec 22, 2004)

You guys are lucky, and determined. Good job. Definitely don't disturb your T. After an incident like that I know I'd want at least 1 week vacation in total privacy.


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## knightjar (Dec 22, 2004)

Amazing work. Well done! Please keep us posted as to her progress.


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## Windchaser (Dec 22, 2004)

Congratulations and an excellent job caring for your T.

One thing I would mention though is that looking at the original picture you posted, it looks like the tank is very dry. The peat moss looks quite dry and the water dish is bone dry. You may want to keep the humidity up in the tanks. I don't get too worried about the exact humidty level in my tanks, but try to keep water in the bowl at all times and the peat slight moist.

Keeping the humidity up in your tanks may help with future molts.

Good luck with the recovery.


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## DanD5303 (Dec 22, 2004)

Nice Job!   Dan


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## jw73 (Dec 22, 2004)

Good job. Keep us informed how she is.


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## shogun804 (Dec 22, 2004)

hey congratulations on a well deserved save that is incredible im so happy for you two....very good save  :worship:  :worship:  :worship:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:


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## becca81 (Dec 22, 2004)

Windchaser said:
			
		

> Congratulations and an excellent job caring for your T.
> 
> One thing I would mention though is that looking at the original picture you posted, it looks like the tank is very dry. The peat moss looks quite dry and the water dish is bone dry. You may want to keep the humidity up in the tanks. I don't get too worried about the exact humidty level in my tanks, but try to keep water in the bowl at all times and the peat slight moist.
> 
> ...


This does raise some interesting questions regarding the moisture in the tank.  I hear a lot of people say that they keep all of their Ts on bone-dry substrate (with access to water) with no problems, and they keep many species.  

Then I hear others say that the moistness of the substrate is crucial.

Hmmm.. how can some people keep all their Ts on dry substrate with no problems (they've molted successfully, etc.) and others seem to have problems that are "associated" with moisture?

My _G. rosea_ lost a leg during her last molt, and I attributed it to not enough humidity and/or moisture in the tank.  I was also using bark chips, which, upon reflection, I thought to not hold enough moisture.


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## Windchaser (Dec 22, 2004)

beccamillott said:
			
		

> This does raise some interesting questions regarding the moisture in the tank.  I hear a lot of people say that they keep all of their Ts on bone-dry substrate (with access to water) with no problems, and they keep many species.
> 
> Then I hear others say that the moistness of the substrate is crucial.
> 
> ...


This definitely does raise some interesting questions. From the original picture posted though, what concerned me the most was that the water dish was bone dry. So, coupled with a dry substrate, that looks like a recipe for potential problems.

What I do is let the water dish overflow a little when I fill it. That allows some moisture to build up in the substrate and of course provides water via the water dish. With my Brachy's and my G. Rosea, I don't worry too much about keeping all of the substrate moist, but do try to have a portion of it moist to help raise the humidity of the tank. I also reduce the amount of ventilation in the tanks by closing off about 2/3 to 3/4 of the screen lid. I am in the process of making new lids for my enclosurers. I am replacing all the screen lids with plexiglass. Again, I will provide air holes in only about a quarter of the lid.

From various sourses that I have read, it seems that several experienced keepers don't worry about exact humidty ranages, but just make sure that water and some moisture is available. This seems reasonable to me and I try to follow the same approach. So far, I have not had any problems.


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## Scott C. (Dec 22, 2004)

I'm curious as to what tools were picked up from wal-mart for such a task? Congrats on the save. Hopefully your T will survive to another molt.


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## Joe1968 (Dec 22, 2004)

Oh Man, WOW, I guess I miss all the excitement.    well congrtas anyways, hope she gets even better. great job.


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## joshuapsgirl (Dec 22, 2004)

*The Review*

there is so much to reply to!!  Thanks to everyone.  The water dish was not empty...the empty look was the fault of the flash on my camera.  It was about half full.  My wife is sure to fill the dishes at least once a week with fresh water and she checks them in between to be sure that no one is doing without.

The tools that we picked up from Wal-Mart were a pair of tweezers with NO sharp points.  They are the rounded edge ones.  A craft knife, some new skin bandage stuff in case of misfortune.  We also got a magnafying glass and a small paint brush.  The paint brush was to moisten the areas stuck in the molt in the future.  We only used it sparingly during the whole operation.  I've attached a picture of everything in our kit for an attempt at saving our T.  

The substrate was very dry, but in the book "The Tarantula Keepers Guide" the authors stress the fact that as long as the humidity of the cage is reasonable and the spider is provided plenty of water, both of which were true, the T should be able to create enough moisture between the layers of molt and new skin to have a successful molt.  They point the finger at illness and old age.  Since this T is 7", I'd say that she is fairly old but I'm not experienced enough to be able to pinpoint a definite age range.  They did also suggest stress from movement, but made it sound as though we would need to drop the cage on the floor to cause that much stress.

Right now we have her sitting in a dark, 70 degree area where there should be as little disturbance as possible.  We plan on leaving her in ther for at least three days before we even consider moving the cage to check on her.  We probably won't bring her back out onto the T shelf for at least a week.  So our Choco will spend Christmas alone.   

All we can do now is hope for the best an keep our fingers crossed for a quick recovery.  I'll do my best to keep everyone posted on her progress...or lack thereof.  It'll be tough through the holidays, but I'll get something posted by the 27th at the latest.  Thanks agian to everyone for their help.  I'm so glad that I have a source of help such as this one at my disposal.  Take care, keep in touch and have a Very Merry Christmas!

-Josh and Amy


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## Spider-man 2 (Dec 22, 2004)

Now you get to enjoy a lovely tarantula that looks something like this!


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## BlkCat (Dec 22, 2004)

beccamillott said:
			
		

> This does raise some interesting questions regarding the moisture in the tank.  I hear a lot of people say that they keep all of their Ts on bone-dry substrate (with access to water) with no problems, and they keep many species.
> 
> Then I hear others say that the moistness of the substrate is crucial.
> 
> ...


I think it has something to do with where u live. Here in MS it is humid all the time. Therefore its hard to lower the humidity in the tanks easily. As long as the water dish is full the humidity is 80%. In the lil jars where there isnt a dish, its still high...65-70%. Kinda frustrating when u keep desert species. (of course my favs are desert) :wall:  But a wrestling match with humidity is an everyday thing.


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## brokenpole (Dec 22, 2004)

*Congradulations*

Josh and Amy...

Congradulations on the successful surgery.  Sharon and I just can't imagine having to go through something like this.  I think we all learned a great deal reading about your situation.

Now back to looking for a T to out do tha P. Metallica I got Sharon for Christmas.  It will be 32 years tomorrow.

Jon


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## Lyle Beach (Jan 11, 2005)

Update?  

	
	
		
		
	


	





Hope your T is doing well!


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## maxwellxxv (Jan 11, 2005)

increase the humidity. dont use soap and water just a few drops of warm water. she is very tired.. let her be..


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## maxwellxxv (Jan 11, 2005)

sorry for my last post. i was not able to see the entire post. I am awfully glad to see all went well. Me. i lost my t blondi sling.. 1st t of mine to pass to the great burrow in the sky


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## esmoot (Jan 11, 2005)

sheri said:
			
		

> I've had well over 100 T's.
> I've never had *one* molt up.
> 
> They have *5*.
> ...



That's not how percentages work. The same percentages apply to every t in the same way. Just because you have a few more t's that does not change the odds for her t's.

BTW I have not seen it either but when you have near 1000 you can't always watch every one molt.


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## danread (Jan 11, 2005)

esmoot said:
			
		

> That's not how percentages work. The same percentages apply to every t in the same way. Just because you have a few more t's that does not change the odds for her t's.
> 
> BTW I have not seen it either but when you have near 1000 you can't always watch every one molt.


Uh what? Of course it changes the chance of it happening if you have more tarantulas. Say, for arguments sake that the chance of a tarantula molting the wrong side up is 1/100. That means it is likely to happen once for every round of molts that Sheri has. If you have five tarantulas, it would happen once every twenty round of molts. Since most spiders dont have twenty molts in their life span, there is a good possibility a person with 5 spiders would never experience it.


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## esmoot (Jan 11, 2005)

danread said:
			
		

> Uh what? Of course it changes the chance of it happening if you have more tarantulas. Say, for arguments sake that the chance of a tarantula molting the wrong side up is 1/100. That means it is likely to happen once for every round of molts that Sheri has. If you have five tarantulas, it would happen once every twenty round of molts. Since most spiders dont have twenty molts in their life span, there is a good possibility a person with 5 spiders would never experience it.


You don't get it. Yes if you have more t's you have more of a chance to see it. But just because you have only 5 t's does not mean those 5 t's don't have an equal chance of molting that way. You can't say because you have only 5 t's it can not happen to your t's and that is what was being said.


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## Deschain (Jan 11, 2005)

I'm very glad to see such a delicate operation was not only feasible, but met with (what I hope is), much success. 

I'm very curious to know the Ts condition. An update please, when you're able.

I'm sorry you had to go through such an experience, but I'm glad it seems to have come out for the better.


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## nowhereman (Jan 11, 2005)

esmoot said:
			
		

> That's not how percentages work. The same percentages apply to every t in the same way. Just because you have a few more t's that does not change the odds for her t's.
> 
> BTW I have not seen it either but when you have near 1000 you can't always watch every one molt.


Hi Eric,
All of our T's are in visable containers in plain view all the time. Maybe this is why we have seen this more than once. Or maybe it's just dumb luck. 
If you happened to catch the last Rick West clip on Animal Planet it had a B. smithi molting in the upright position.


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## ally b (Feb 22, 2006)

hi,
 wow congrates . is she well enough for a pic?
  very well done

 ally


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## moricollins (Feb 22, 2006)

happen to look at the dates there? thread is over a year old.


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## Scorpiove (Feb 22, 2006)

I would love to see an update still.


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## bananaman (Feb 23, 2006)

we want to know what happened! updaaaaaaaate!


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## P. Novak (Feb 23, 2006)

he hasnt been on for 2 years what makes you think hes gonna be on now. 

im also very curious as to waht happened, but all we can do is hope he signs on.


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## bananaman (Feb 23, 2006)

youre right, i hadnt seen... its been a little over a year though, dont exaggerate... but youre right, we'll probably never know what happened...


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## P. Novak (Feb 23, 2006)

oh sorry, i saw 2004 so automatically assumed 2 years, i shoulda looked at the months :wall:  oh well

ya we prbly wont ever find out


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## bananaman (Feb 23, 2006)

someone should email him/her...


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## atromos (Apr 26, 2010)

who bumps a table to see if a spider is alive? and knocks it until it dies?  jesus man, you could have just poked it or misted water.  I thought my spider was dead because he was lying upside down from a molt for a while so i misted water and he flipped right over.


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## Stopdroproll (Apr 26, 2010)

Old thread is very old.


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## Kirsten (Apr 27, 2010)

Oldie but goodie


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## Hobo (Apr 27, 2010)

atromos said:


> who bumps a table to see if a spider is alive? and knocks it until it dies?


Same kind of person who would do something like


atromos said:


> I thought my spider was dead because he was lying upside down from a molt for a while so i misted water and he flipped right over.


In other words, someone who still has a few more things to learn about tarantula husbandry.
The OP has had a *6 year * headstart though.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## bball_frk23 (Apr 27, 2010)

I just love how the guy seemed legitimately upset about it and was looking for help, and all people were doing is fighting about whether T's molt right side up or not. lol :clap:


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## michael nelson (Jan 27, 2018)

This is the closest thing I could find, but I was wondering if my antilles pink toe is possibly in pre molt, just got it and its darker than most slings I've seen online, its about 3/4 an inch and it supposedly ate a couple days ago, but now it wont eat these little crickets I got and additionally I can't tell for sure but I think the abdomen may be larger than normal, I'm hoping its premolt, and im not super worried I just don't know if I should just wait and leave it alone or if there's something more I can do for my little baby esi


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## miss moxie (Jan 27, 2018)

michael nelson said:


> This is the closest thing I could find, but I was wondering if my antilles pink toe is possibly in pre molt, just got it and its darker than most slings I've seen online, its about 3/4 an inch and it supposedly ate a couple days ago, but now it wont eat these little crickets I got and additionally I can't tell for sure but I think the abdomen may be larger than normal, I'm hoping its premolt, and im not super worried I just don't know if I should just wait and leave it alone or if there's something more I can do for my little baby esi









This is a pre-molt C. versicolor sling. I know it looks like it's eating, but that was the shell of a mealworm they incorporated into their webbing.


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## michael nelson (Jan 27, 2018)

miss moxie said:


> This is a pre-molt C. versicolor sling. I know it looks like it's eating, but that was the shell of a mealworm they incorporated into their webbing.


Thx so much for your super fast response, if this is what premolt looks like I feel kinda bad, cause I didn't know and I kinda messed up my spiders web, also she is a tad less furry and a bit more shiny, do you think it's premolt for sure?


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## Mirandarachnid (Jan 27, 2018)

michael nelson said:


> Thx so much for your super fast response, if this is what premolt looks like I feel kinda bad, cause I didn't know and I kinda messed up my spiders web, also she is a tad less furry and a bit more shiny, do you think it's premolt for sure?


Your little one does look like it's in premot, granted the picture isn't the clearest, and it can be hard to know anything "for sure" even if the tarantula is in your possession. These creatures love to keep you guessing. The best course of action to take (much of the time) is to just watch and wait. Or, post a question here (in a new thread, you'll get more help that way ), because everyone here absolutely loves these animals, and will jump at the chance to help a new keeper give their T the best care they can. @miss moxie is a perfect example with her quick reply. She didn't even give you a hard time for resurrecting an ancient thread 

Also, if you really do want the best life for your spider, I would recommend against handling it. I wasn't going to say anything the first time I saw your post, but I just get so nervous when I see such a tiny T in a big human hand. I understand the urge to hold your pet, especially after all the pictures and videos we all see of people handling their T's. It just really does nothing more than for the spider than stress it out and put it at risk.

Reactions: Like 1


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## miss moxie (Jan 27, 2018)

michael nelson said:


> Thx so much for your super fast response, if this is what premolt looks like I feel kinda bad, cause I didn't know and I kinda messed up my spiders web, also she is a tad less furry and a bit more shiny, do you think it's premolt for sure?


I'd say definitely yes from your picture, so leave them alone because they're very fragile when they're approaching a molt and directly after a molt.

And agreed, handling tarantulas at best stresses the spider out and at worst results in a dead tarantula.


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## Andrea82 (Jan 28, 2018)

Looks very premolt, mine looked like that and molted within a week.
Tot know everything you need to know about raising this species succesfully Read this link:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/avicularia-husbandry.282549/#post-2461396


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## Feel Camile (Dec 19, 2018)

Well, I came to my pink toe T dry and not moving at all. I touched her a few times to make sure she had passed. She didn't move. So we left her there hanging in her web waiting for the right time to go bury her for her little funeral. We've left her there for at least a little over a week, and she hadnt moved at all. So we left the top off and haven't watered her in over a week...so I went to go remove some of her furniture and plants so that we could get her out, then she moved! I couldn't believe she was still alive and that I haven't even been misting her to help her molt because I thought she was dead, because she wouldn't move at all. It's been like a little over a week and today is the first time I started misting her, so she's trying really hard to get out and it seems to be looking good... if I didn't know already that she had been dried up and trapped in that skin for over a week! So stay tuned to see if she makes it through the night. We're very excited and happy, but we feel really bad that we didn't try to mist her, or even water her at all because we thought she passed. She just wasn't moving at all before, and now showing energy to molt? That's a first for me. I'll let y'all know what happens! Pray for us. Her name is Rainah.

Reactions: Dislike 1


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## Keke713 (Dec 19, 2018)

Feel Camile said:


> Well, I came to my pink toe T dry and not moving at all. I touched her a few times to make sure she had passed. She didn't move. So we left her there hanging in her web waiting for the right time to go bury her for her little funeral. We've left her there for at least a little over a week, and she hadnt moved at all. So we left the top off and haven't watered her in over a week...so I went to go remove some of her furniture and plants so that we could get her out, then she moved! I couldn't believe she was still alive and that I haven't even been misting her to help her molt because I thought she was dead, because she wouldn't move at all. It's been like a little over a week and today is the first time I started misting her, so she's trying really hard to get out and it seems to be looking good... if I didn't know already that she had been dried up and trapped in that skin for over a week! So stay tuned to see if she makes it through the night. We're very excited and happy, but we feel really bad that we didn't try to mist her, or even water her at all because we thought she passed. She just wasn't moving at all before, and now showing energy to molt? That's a first for me. I'll let y'all know what happens! Pray for us. Her name is Rainah.


You shouldn’t be misting her at all.

Reactions: Agree 3 | Award 1


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## boina (Dec 20, 2018)

Feel Camile said:


> Well, I came to my pink toe T dry and not moving at all. I touched her a few times to make sure she had passed. She didn't move. So we left her there hanging in her web waiting for the right time to go bury her for her little funeral. We've left her there for at least a little over a week, and she hadnt moved at all. So we left the top off and haven't watered her in over a week...so I went to go remove some of her furniture and plants so that we could get her out, then she moved! I couldn't believe she was still alive and that I haven't even been misting her to help her molt because I thought she was dead, because she wouldn't move at all. It's been like a little over a week and today is the first time I started misting her, so she's trying really hard to get out and it seems to be looking good... if I didn't know already that she had been dried up and trapped in that skin for over a week! So stay tuned to see if she makes it through the night. We're very excited and happy, but we feel really bad that we didn't try to mist her, or even water her at all because we thought she passed. She just wasn't moving at all before, and now showing energy to molt? That's a first for me. I'll let y'all know what happens! Pray for us. Her name is Rainah.


The reason she survived is _because _you did NOT mist her - stop misting immediately and never do it again. It's the misting that's slowly killing her.

Misting and this 'humidity' nonsense is the number one reason for Avic deaths. Avics should be kept dry with a water dish, always. Misting does not help with molting, in fact it may kill the molting spider, so will you please stop that!

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 3 | Award 1


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## Andrea82 (Dec 20, 2018)

If by misting you mean misting your spider directly, you need to immediately STOP doing that. 
If you give a light spritz on the sides...meh. But never put water on your spider. They don't need that. 
Top off the waterdish and leave her be.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ungoliant (Dec 20, 2018)

boina said:


> The reason she survived is _because _you did NOT mist her - stop misting immediately and never do it again. It's the misting that's slowly killing her.


If you think she is not going to her water dish, you make a little pool in the webbing so that she can drink from that.  (Don't spray the spider or "mist" the enclosure or webbing.)

Reactions: Like 1


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## The Seraph (Dec 20, 2018)

This will help. Written by the resplendent @Venom1080, this is easily the best Avic care sheet on the internet.

Reactions: Love 1


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