About your first molt

Arachnopuppy

Arachnodemon
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Ok, lets be honest. How many of you tried to turn your tarantula over when you saw it on its back for the first molt in your care? I'll be honest. I turned my rosie over when I saw her on her back. I thought she fell and couldn't turn back.
 

JacenBeers

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I was lucky enough in that I had an experienced tarantula keeper sell my my very first tarantula and she told me what it would do when it came to molting so I was prepared.
 

Code Monkey

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No, my first moult was much more traumatic :) I was 11 and although I knew they moulted, I didn't really have a very good idea of what it would look like. When I checked on Lance one morning it appeared as though my cat or some other unknown animal (or maybe even the evil little brother!) had got into the cage and ripped him in half. After I stopped with the hysterical crying and wailing my brain started functioning again and I, (a), realised it was very unlikely that anything had attacked my spider since the cage was shut, and, (b), noticed what appeared to be the tops of femurs visible through the horrible "wound" and finally figured out what was going on. The tears dried up and I sat there in rapt attention and witnessed my first moult.

EDIT: Ye gods it's scary to realise that was over 20 years ago!!!
 

Nixy

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I researched Heavly before I purchased our firsts.
So knew what to exppect and didn't disturb.
I paced, worried, paced, worried, paced...

But didn;t touch.
 

Valael

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First one, no.




But one day, I decided to do a little house cleaning so I was digging through the insane amounts of webbing my Usambara sling had spread down. I got to where it was and kinda poked at it trying to get it to come out -- no good. So I slowly started to rip it open, expecting the worst (It didn't move at all) and I saw this alien like thing. I thought for sure it was dead until I got it out on my hand -- It was molting! It was neat having a spider molt (Well, partially molt, I put it back down) right in the palm of your hand -- but I'm amazed I didn't stress it to death.
 

Dafne

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Before I bought my first Tarantula - B. smithi, I have read a lot of about spiders. I found out how T's were molting, I have seen also some molting-videos. That's why I knew what would happen if she would laid on her back :D I couldn't wait to see her first molt in my hand. But my sweetie was a little bit malicious ;) and did it when I was in my work. So when I came back I saw her sitting "happy" near her molt :D
But maybe next time... =D
 

Joanie

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My first tarantula's first molt started in the car, on a 3 hour drive from home to college. When I saw her on her back I thought she was having a very strange reaction to the stress of travel and figured it was best to leave her alone. When I checked on her a couple hours later, she was freshly molted and I was smacking myself in the forehead for a) not having realized what was happening, and b) missing out on watching her molt!
 

MizM

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:D My first molt experience was a g. rosea 12 years ago. I woke up one morning to find what I had thought were TWO Ts!!!! After that, I read, read, read. (Not much to read in those days, though!!)
 

Infinity

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If I had a nickel for every time...

I've got a turn on this thread for ya...

How many times have any of you gone into a local pet shop, witnessed a dead-for-days T drying up in the corner with its legs folded up beneath it, told the employee that it was dead only to be informed by him (insert nose, raised in snooty defiance, here),

"It's not dead... it's molting.":eek:
 

The_Phantom

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My first molt made me nervous, but I knew all about what to expect because I bought a tarantula book before getting one. My pinktoe Hiorshi (deceaced :() she was my first molt I think....or it might have been Rose. I remember when Rose molted the first time. I woke up at 830am, and she was on her back. I had to go to school :mad:, and when I came back @ 12:30, she still hadnt molted, so I got to witness it eventually. I have witnessed all of my tarantulas molts except one. When they molt, I tend to be a molting coach, saying "Come on Rose, you can do it ! Almost there, come on !" :8o
 

Arachnopuppy

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Re: If I had a nickel for every time...

Originally posted by Infinity
"It's not dead... it's molting.":eek:
Hehehe. I can totally imagine the petshop people saying that based on the ignorance I have seen out of those people.
 

Nixy

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Re: If I had a nickel for every time...

Originally posted by Infinity
"It's not dead... it's molting.":eek:
Seen that... alot...
Pathetic.
And seen the opposite where they are removing the " dead " or "diing" T....

And try to explain to the idiots is useless.

If you don't have the money to save the poor creature you come back the next day to sheck and find they did indeed remove the " dead or ding spider."

And telling the manager or owner is as bad as dealing with the idiot staff.

It Pisses me Off.
 

Joanie

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Ha, I've also seen the opposite....at a local pet store I saw a fairly nice-looking T. blondi in a cage with a sign posted on the cage reading "THIS TARANTULA IS IN THE PROCESS OF MOLTING. DO NOT DISTURB." The thing is, it wasn't molting. It was just sitting there, right side up, just hanging out. When I was waiting in line, one of the staff looked in on the spider and said, "yep, she should be done any time now!"

I didn't even know what to say.
 

Godzilla2000

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Although I have owned adult inverts before I have never owned any in the sporadic molting phase. My biggest fear concerning molting is whether my tanks are humid enough when molting time comes. I am so worried I won't have it humid enough and something will go wrong causong my T's to die. I'd feel so guilty if aything happens because of my inexperience. But I know everyone has faced the same situation that I'm ging through right now.
 

Code Monkey

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Godzilla, if it makes you feel any better, humidity has absolutely nothing do with moulting success or failure. Hydration of the T might, but that has nothing to do with humidity. This is a craptacular myth that is even clearly addressed and dispelled in the years old Tarantula Keeper's Guide but won't go away.

I've never had a T die during moulting and the worse moulting incident I've had is a sling with a bit of abdomen stuck to its arse and my humidity never goes above 35%-40% RH in any tank I've got.
 

Godzilla2000

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Originally posted by Code Monkey
Godzilla, if it makes you feel any better, humidity has absolutely nothing do with moulting success or failure. Hydration of the T might, but that has nothing to do with humidity. This is a craptacular myth that is even clearly addressed and dispelled in the years old Tarantula Keeper's Guide but won't go away.

I've never had a T die during moulting and the worse moulting incident I've had is a sling with a bit of abdomen stuck to its arse and my humidity never goes above 35%-40% RH in any tank I've got.
Thanks for the encouragement. I know this analogy is going to sound pretty funny and all but blame it on my watching A Bug's Life alot with my neice. Let's just say me thinking about moulting T's is like Princess Ada worrying about the activities of the worker ants in the colony she's in line to inherit.
 

MrDeranged

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Re: If I had a nickel for every time...

Originally posted by Infinity
I've got a turn on this thread for ya...

How many times have any of you gone into a local pet shop, witnessed a dead-for-days T drying up in the corner with its legs folded up beneath it, told the employee that it was dead only to be informed by him (insert nose, raised in snooty defiance, here),

"It's not dead... it's molting.":eek:
I had the same thing happen when I was first getting into the hobby. Don't get me wrong, this store is generally pretty good, but this one time... They had a P. fasciata that was going into the death curl and I was like "It's either dying or dead" And they're like, "No, it's molting". I answer "I know they can molt upright, but that is not a molting tarantuls". They just blew me off. I came back in the next week for crickets and asked where the P. fasciata is and they're like "Oh, it died". I go "Told you so" and walked out never to return....

Scott
 

Godzilla2000

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Re: Re: If I had a nickel for every time...

Originally posted by mrderanged
I had the same thing happen when I was first getting into the hobby. Don't get me wrong, this store is generally pretty good, but this one time... They had a P. fasciata that was going into the death curl and I was like "It's either dying or dead" And they're like, "No, it's molting". I answer "I know they can molt upright, but that is not a molting tarantuls". They just blew me off. I came back in the next week for crickets and asked where the P. fasciata is and they're like "Oh, it died". I go "Told you so" and walked out never to return....

Scott
I guess that's what petstores get when they don't do their homework.
 

Code Monkey

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Petstores are a crapshoot when it comes to livestock. I've got one local to me that is really good for birds, mammals, fish, and even reptiles, but I wouldn't buy an invert (even a cricket) from this store no matter what their price. I've seen them kill not one but two pinktoes, and leaving it in the tank both times until it was pointed out to them. How the heck do you kill pinktoes, and how do you not notice when the Ts are kept on the front counter?
 

invadermike

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Before i got my frist T i knew about molting and everything i researched alot. It just so happens that i was a by the book tarantula keeper and i was very paranoid about the humidity. im not any more, but then i was... and i was gonig on vacation to Virginia and i knew she was going to molt, just didn't know when, Then while i was gone i got a call from my mom "Mike, how are you? having fun... I think your tarantula died", and i said "WHAT??????" and i started to freak and and get really mad, and i said "why whats wrong with her? where is she?"... and she said "shes on her back in her tank" and i said, "whoooooooo you scared the sh!t out of me!!!!" and my mom was just confused, and i said "leave her alone she molting, dont touch her." hahaha it was crazy... I never got to see it though :( but i have seen molts scince then, but never of that T... yet. but iexpect one coming up from her, and this time i wont be on vacation! haha. =D
 
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