# GBB sling long premolt



## Driller64 (Feb 16, 2014)

I suspect my GBB sling has been in premolt for about two months now. It has stopped eating and the shiny part on its abdomen is dark. It's last molt was on 11/24/13. It had an incredibly long premolt for that last molt as well, also taking about two months to finally molt. I got the T on 9/24/13. The sling is about 1" LS and slings of that size usually molt once per month, so should I be concerned about this? 

Here is a picture of it:


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## Keith B (Feb 16, 2014)

It should molt any day now.  Once a month is preposterous and awfully optimistic.  It took mine 41 days to molt from .5" to .75", with a 16 day fast, and I powerfed the bejesus out of it.  On a lighter feeding routine you can expect the times to be much more spread.  It just feels like forever lol.  By definition of your post and looking at your time frames, your T is in pre-molt whenever it's not physically molting.  It's been a little over two and a half months since your last molt.  I fathom that it ate for at least a month before fasting, and just because it stops eating doesn't make it pre-molt.  At most it's been in pre-molt for a week or two.  But yeah, any day now.  Be ready


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## Hobo (Feb 16, 2014)

Some of them are just slow and/or late bloomers. I wouldn't worry.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kinkyskink (Feb 16, 2014)

My avic was in premolt for 5 weeks and just molted a few days ago. It's been a little cold in my house lately so that may have been why it took so long. Went from 0.75" to 1". I have had others take 2-3 months to molt at that same size. Just depends on the animal and conditions.


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## Driller64 (Mar 2, 2014)

It is now March 2nd, still no molt. Should I be worried now?


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## Tomoran (Mar 2, 2014)

One of my GBBs didn't eat for just over two months for one of its molts, and that was after a very brief premolt for the previous one. Consequently, it was when the temps around here dropped a bit. I have yet to have any of my slings follow the "once a month" molt rule. I wouldn't panic.


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## Wildenthusiast (Mar 2, 2014)

To me, that seems like a relatively short amount of time to start being concerned. Like Hobo said, some take longer than others. Had a small OBT go over three weeks refusing feeders, and a couple weeks later a similar-sized P. irminia molt two days after a big feed. Breathe easy, and keep us posted.


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## Driller64 (Mar 22, 2014)

March 22nd, still no molt. Is it me, or is my GBB sling getting thinner? 


Here is a recent picture: 

	
	
		
		
	


	





Now compare it with the picture on the first post. See the difference? 

P.S. The reason the GBB sling's container looks moist is be because thinking the thinness is from dehydration, I sprayed a little water into its cage. I think it was a bit too much though.


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## Wildenthusiast (Mar 22, 2014)

Is there a hide/retreat of some sort available? I'm only seeing the cap/bowl. While GBB stay in the open, and do a ton of webbing, I have had both T's and true spiders refuse food when secured housing needs were not met. It's just an idea, and I could be totally off base.


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## Formerphobe (Mar 22, 2014)

There is no pre-determined time frame for slings to molt.  It's dependent on husbandry, season/weather and individual spider.  The most recent GBB slings that I raised from second instar, rarely went less than 2 months between molts.  Each molt cycle is longer than the previous.  Misting a GBB enclosure will not endear you to the spider... just provide a bottle cap for a water bowl.

Reactions: Like 1


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## brianp (Mar 22, 2014)

My GBB is identical to yours and has been fasting for about two weeks. I am not the least bit concerned and I don't think you should be either.


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## Driller64 (Mar 23, 2014)

Now this is really weird. Getting concerned about the GBB sling losing weight, I took a cricket that I recently bought, squashed its head, and dropped it right in front of the GBB sling. It took it and is currently eating it. I guess I missed the molt or it doesn't have enough resources to molt or something?


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## tarantulagirl10 (Mar 23, 2014)

If it is eating right now, it's fine. It will molt when it's ready.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Driller64 (Mar 23, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> Now this is really weird. Getting concerned about the GBB sling losing weight, I took a cricket that I recently bought, squashed its head, and dropped it right in front of the GBB sling. It took it and is currently eating it. I guess I missed the molt or it doesn't have enough resources to molt or something?


Photographic evidence of this incredible event:


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## Wildenthusiast (Mar 23, 2014)

tarantulagirl10 said:


> If it is eating right now, it's fine. It will molt when it's ready.


+1... Could have been refusing food for many reasons. Premolt is likely, however. If that is the case, environmental conditions/disturbances may have caused it to delay the molt, and therefore lose weight. Scavenged prey was an easy and safe way for it to replenish lost nutrients. All theories, for what they are worth. The important part being that i is indeed eating, and therefore most likely in fine health. Doesn't seem to be any reason to worry.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Mar 23, 2014)

A spider not eating then eating again isn't incredible.  It happens.  It will molt and eat when it's ready.  Keep access to fresh water, occasionally offer a food item if it isn't  molting and stop worrying.  It knows what it is doing.


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## brianp (Mar 23, 2014)

Well stated.


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## Driller64 (Apr 30, 2014)

I think the GBB sling may molt soon, because it looks like it will explode if it eats another thing, and it is more sluggish than usual.


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## klawfran3 (Apr 30, 2014)

I have a G. Pulchripes sling not even EAT since november. it moulted only a few weeks ago. waiting five months for a .5" baby to eat is nerve racking. Odds are your little GBB will moult soon, but please be patient. The more you keep disturbing it to look at it or try and feed/water it, the longer it will take to moult and the more likely it could get stressed and have an issue moulting.
patience is one of the key things for this hobby. These animals are slow and deliberate, taking time to do even the most menial task.


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## Jones0911 (Apr 30, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> I suspect my GBB sling has been in premolt for about two months now. It has stopped eating and the shiny part on its abdomen is dark. It's last molt was on 11/24/13. It had an incredibly long premolt for that last molt as well, also taking about two months to finally molt. I got the T on 9/24/13. The sling is about 1" LS and slings of that size usually molt once per month, so should I be concerned about this?
> 
> Here is a picture of it:
> 
> View attachment 124337






I have three of these that I ordered/received altogether at 1/2", recently one molted.

I  keep them all exactly the same way  they all eat at their own pace therefore grow and molt at their own pace.

the only time you should really be worried about your GBB is when its in a death curl other than that your T knows what's best for its self.

Some of us treat our Ts like they're human babies who can't take  care of themselves lol as long as  the husbandry is correct there's no need to fret.


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## Driller64 (May 18, 2014)

Good news! The GBB sling somehow shaved all the hairs off a small section of its abdomen, revealing that it is in fact in premolt


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## Driller64 (May 21, 2014)

I believe I may have accidentally disturbed my GBB sling while it was attempting to molt. I found my GBB sling on its hide with its legs stretched out. Since this is an odd position for it (I rarely do this anymore to it, so don't scold me) I opened up the cage and prodded it a little, just a little. It reacted in much the same way as it did when I disturbed it while it was molting last time. However, this time I recognized this and stopped disturbing it immediately and closed the cage up. Now I am worried it will be stuck and die. It lived the last time I accidentally did this, so let's hope it makes it through!


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## Tivia (May 21, 2014)

Ok, this isn't something that I would normally post on, but I can help it since I have a GBB sling in premolt myself. Why?  Why would you disturb it?  Especially since you said you did this exact thing before. I am just having a hard time wrapping my head around this. I'm glad you realized what you were doing and stopped, but you ready caused it more stress during a very stressful time.


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## Driller64 (May 21, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> I believe I may have accidentally disturbed my GBB sling while it was attempting to molt. I found my GBB sling on its hide with its legs stretched out. Since this is an odd position for it (I rarely do this anymore to it, so don't scold me) I opened up the cage and prodded it a little, just a little. It reacted in much the same way as it did when I disturbed it while it was molting last time. However, this time I recognized this and stopped disturbing it immediately and closed the cage up. Now I am worried it will be stuck and die. It lived the last time I accidentally did this, so let's hope it makes it through!


Update. I seems to be pulsating upright now, which is good. At least that's a good sign


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## Tivia (May 21, 2014)

Also, you didn't accidental disturb it if you made the conscious choice to open up the enclosure and prod it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Driller64 (May 21, 2014)

BTW I think I will cry a little if it dies because it has been with me the longest 

---------- Post added 05-21-2014 at 09:38 PM ----------




Driller64 said:


> BTW I think I will cry a little if it dies because it has been with me the longest


Scratch that, because I just went upstairs and found that it has popped out of its old exo and has commenced the molt!


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## awiec (May 21, 2014)

Knowing your history the best advice I can give is BREATH. Being a hover owner is just going to get you another dead T. Sometimes they are not hungry and don't wanna eat, then are hungry again. All you need to do is provide fresh water and leave it the heck alone and take out un-eaten food. My G.pulchripes refused food for a few weeks then ate a few more times then decided to molt. I knew it was going to molt because of the classic darkening of the abdomen and legs so I made sure it had water and I left it alone. Don't make me come out to NJ to teach you how to relax and care for your T's


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## Driller64 (Jun 28, 2014)

I think I know why this is happening but still am a little angry. I checked on my GBB sling and found that a few hairs had been lost from its abdomen, revealing the pitch black skin of premolt. Again, I believe it is in premolt once again so soon because of two reasons: 1. I fed it a little more than I did last time, and fed it larger crickets, and 2. It is warmer outside and in my room, but still I am a little mad that I had to wait five months for it to molt last time, and now here it is in premolt again after just a month!


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## awiec (Jun 28, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> I think I know why this is happening but still am a little angry. I checked on my GBB sling and found that a few hairs had been lost from its abdomen, revealing the pitch black skin of premolt. Again, I believe it is in premolt once again so soon because of two reasons: 1. I fed it a little more than I did last time, and fed it larger crickets, and 2. It is warmer outside and in my room, but still I am a little mad that I had to wait five months for it to molt last time, and now here it is in premolt again after just a month!


why be mad? I am still waiting for my female C.darligi to molt and its been 6 months. Summer is always when spiders molt a lot cause well its warm, there is lots of food (if they were in the wild) and this is when their body tells them this is the time to molt. Nearly everything I have in my collection has molted in the past 2 months besides my A.versicolor (this thing has been at 1.5 inches for months) and my C.darlingi. Your spider is in an environment where the environmental cues are very subtle and not as easy to detect than if it where wild. There is always food for it and the temperature is pretty much the same all the time in your home. I try to assist a little with the cues by allowing natural sun light my room up, they pick up on day lengths very well and in the winter time I cut the rations as winter time generally does not have much food or is an appropriate time to molt. I expect at least half of my collection to molt again before fall hits as I'm more generous with food in the summer as thus is the time Ts are most likely to molt so just enjoy your slings and just remember to BREATH. Tarantulas can for the most part care for themselves, all you need to do is deliver some drink and dinner.


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## Driller64 (Jun 30, 2014)

I believe my GBB sling is trying to molt now, as it is half turned on its back and half clinging to its hide. This time I recognized the signs and did not disturb it. But as a slightly off topic thing, can the vibrations produced by you walking around in your T room disrupt molting Ts?


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## cold blood (Jun 30, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> I believe my GBB sling is trying to molt now, as it is half turned on its back and half clinging to its hide. This time I recognized the signs and did not disturb it. But as a slightly off topic thing, can the vibrations produced by you walking around in your T room disrupt molting Ts?


I wouldn't worry about walking around.


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## Driller64 (Jun 30, 2014)

cold blood said:


> I wouldn't worry about walking around.


But non molting Ts in my T room are sometimes disrupted by me walking in my room. 

BTW the GBB sling is pulsating now 

---------- Post added 06-30-2014 at 02:36 PM ----------

It appears that the GBB sling is coming out of its shell, quite literally 

I can't take a photo now, but I will once it is finished.

---------- Post added 06-30-2014 at 02:49 PM ----------

I don't know if you can see this, but it's blue


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## awiec (Jun 30, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> But non molting Ts in my T room are sometimes disrupted by me walking in my room.
> 
> BTW the GBB sling is pulsating now
> 
> ...


I straight up dance in my room, none of my Ts have been bothered by it and they complete their molting business. And yes GBBs change color on par with A.versicolor. Mine is probably one molt away from losing its gold carapace  as it has no orange on its legs anymore.


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## Driller64 (Jul 3, 2014)

I keep finding my GBB sling with some, never all, of its legs curled underneath its body. After tapping on the container lightly which I do when I find my Ts in this position because sometimes they are just sitting in a funny position that merely looks like a death curl, it bolts and behaves normally for several hours before I see this position again! Is it just doing some post molt stretching, or should I be worried?


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## awiec (Jul 3, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> I keep finding my GBB sling with some, never all, of its legs curled underneath its body. After tapping on the container lightly which I do when I find my Ts in this position because sometimes they are just sitting in a funny position that merely looks like a death curl, it bolts and behaves normally for several hours before I see this position again! Is it just doing some post molt stretching, or should I be worried?


Its probably just exercising, my C.darlingi sits in all sorts of postions but she is very healthy. Remember the last time you tampered with your T? Yeah so leave it alone for now.


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## skippydude (Jul 3, 2014)

Driller64 said:


> I keep finding my GBB sling with some, never all, of its legs curled underneath its body. After tapping on the container lightly which I do when I find my Ts in this position because sometimes they are just sitting in a funny position that merely looks like a death curl, it bolts and behaves normally for several hours before I see this position again! Is it just doing some post molt stretching, or should I be worried?


My smaller GBBs do this too. Since they snap out of the curled position to snatch the roach from the tweezers, I never really gave it a second thought :?
After they grow to about 1 1/2" they quit doing it so much. It may just be an instinctive defense mechanism, when curled up they would be harder for predators to see.


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## LythSalicaria (Jul 3, 2014)

Yeah my tiny LD sling does this too; tomorrow I'll be unpacking a GBB sling of my own. After it's been in its new home for a week or so I'll post an update to let you know if it behaves similarly.

And I'll also parrot awiec: Leave it alone. Tapping on enclosures is in no way a good method for checking on your slings. Here's how I check on my slings: Water disappearing from water dish? Check. Food being eaten? Check. If food isn't being eaten, I leave the sling in question alone for a couple days to a week and then try feeding again - virtually every time, the food is gone. I can understand the fears, for the first little while I was worried about my B. vagans sling because it buried itself in the substrate and has yet to surface. I debated digging it up and putting it into a smaller enclosure with less substrate, but I rethought that because I knew it would stress out the sling. Now it has a few burrows that are visible at the bottom and sides of its enclosure, so I'm able to get a glimpse of it every few days when it's in the right place at the right time. The moral of that little story is, don't stress! Hovering, poking, prodding are not helpful in any way - you might get a brief moment of reassurance that your T is alive, but your T ends up terrified.


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