Actual signs of a tatanula in pre molt?

Grantttttt

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I'm new to the site and I have been looking through posts about signs of a pre molt. I'm going to try and posts some pics of my g.rosea and hopefully someone who has seen them go through a molt could tell me if mine will soon?

It seems to me that the behaviour of tarantulas isn't enough to make a decision on wether or not it is preparing to molt (especially the Grammostola rosea) until it lies on its back and is actually molting.

Apparently their abdomens get darker and develop a bald spot in pre molt which sounds like my tarantula. But I haven't had it long so until I've seen it go through a molt I cant be sure.

I couldn't find any recent posts about molting, so I hope this thread proves to be useful. And if I've started this thread in the wrong place let me know :) IMG_20170208_003802.jpg IMG_20170304_212729.jpg
 

nicodimus22

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It's not an exact science. Sometimes even very experienced keepers think it's about to happen when it's not, and vice versa. Your T may not have a bald spot if it doesn't kick hairs, making it more difficult to tell.
 
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Grantttttt

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It's not an exact science. Sometimes even very experienced keepers think it's about to happen when it's not, and vice versa. Your T may not have a bald spot if it doesn't kick hairs, making it more difficult to tell.
I thought it might have been more obvious to those with experience, but I guess it will be an interesting surprise for me one day. I'm just impatient to confirm if its a female.
 

louise f

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If your T gets a bald spot on the abdormen, it will turn black and soon after you will have a molting T.

Your T`s dont look like a molt soon.
 

nicodimus22

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I'm just impatient to confirm if its a female.
We all are! :)

That doesn't mean that males are worthless, though...you have the option of selling or trading them upon maturity, which often means getting more Ts. And they're still pretty...there are even some sexually dimorphic species like P. platyomma where the male is gorgeous, and the female is plain.

Male: http://smg.photobucket.com/user/you...omma/Pplatyomma2ndMUltimate3June1207.jpg.html

Female: https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5586/14831925542_dfe01a9c7f_b.jpg
 

Grantttttt

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We all are! :)

That doesn't mean that males are worthless, though...you have the option of selling or trading them upon maturity, which often means getting more Ts. And they're still pretty...there are even some sexually dimorphic species like P. platyomma where the male is gorgeous, and the female is plain.

Male: http://smg.photobucket.com/user/you...omma/Pplatyomma2ndMUltimate3June1207.jpg.html

Female: https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5586/14831925542_dfe01a9c7f_b.jpg
I hope it is a male, I plan to attempt breeding this species and I have seen a lot of female tarantulas for sale but no males :)
 

Grantttttt

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If your T gets a bald spot on the abdormen, it will turn black and soon after you will have a molting T.

Your T`s dont look like a molt soon.
It does look black and bald but only at a small spot and not the whole abdomen, those pics don't show enough detail Ill post more soon. Or would it be more obvious?
 
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Grantttttt

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I hope it is a male, I plan to attempt breeding this species and I have seen a lot of female tarantulas for sale but no males :)
Also, from the pictures do you think it is female? In the right light the colour on my T is great, not plain at all.
 

nicodimus22

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Also, from the pictures do you think it is female?
To even take a guess, we would need to see a close-up view of the underside. To tell for sure, we would need to see a top-down view of a molt in the abdomen area.
 

Grantttttt

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To even take a guess, we would need to see a close-up view of the underside. To tell for sure, we would need to see a top-down view of a molt in the abdomen area.
Yeah I'll wait until I have a molt. Thanks for the input I'll post a pic when it eventually molts.
 

MetallicArachnid

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Making a heavy mat of web or closing off their burrow can be a sign of a T in premolt, also if they have a bald spot the abdomen will begin to visibly darken. Usually you will notice that the abdomen looks somewhat larger than normal and they will go off food for an extended period, I've noticed that some become sluggish in the 1-2 weeks before a molt.
 

Andrea82

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Grammostola species can be hard to tell if they're in pre-molt since they don't seem to develop those big shiny black abdomens like Brachypelma spp.
Are you sure the species you want to mate are the same subspecies? There can be confusion between rosea/porteri/northern type.
The substrate looks wet, being that dark, G.rosea/porteri/northern type hate moist substrate and need it bone dry.
 

Grantttttt

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Making a heavy mat of web or closing off their burrow can be a sign of a T in premolt, also if they have a bald spot the abdomen will begin to visibly darken. Usually you will notice that the abdomen looks somewhat larger than normal and they will go off food for an extended period, I've noticed that some become sluggish in the 1-2 weeks before a molt.
Do you think its abdomen is enlarged? I'm not sure as I haven't had it long and I have no reference for what would be normal size. It has laid a web outside its enclosure but don't they do that anyway to sense vibrations from prey? It is a thick layer though, almost a sheet.
 

Grantttttt

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I
Grammostola species can be hard to tell if they're in pre-molt since they don't seem to develop those big shiny black abdomens like Brachypelma spp.
Are you sure the species you want to mate are the same subspecies? There can be confusion between rosea/porteri/northern type.
The substrate looks wet, being that dark, G.rosea/porteri/northern type hate moist substrate and need it bone dry.
It was sold as a rosea and I'm yet to find a mate until this t molts. But thanks for mentioning the subspecies I'll be sure to check I'm actually breeding the same species. It is very dry now, its a substrate that I got from the pet shop. I moved my T and then dried its enclosure out once I noticed moisture building up. But I didn't know they hated a humid enclosure until I found this site, caresheets are a hazard haha.
 

louise f

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It does look black and bald but only at a small spot and not the whole abdomen, those pics don't show enough detail Ill post more soon. Or would it be more obvious?
It has to be black and shiny to be close to a molt.
 

Andrea82

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I

It was sold as a rosea and I'm yet to find a mate until this t molts. But thanks for mentioning the subspecies I'll be sure to check I'm actually breeding the same species. It is very dry now, its a subsate that I got from the pet shop. I moved my T and then dried its enclosure out once I noticed moisture building up. But I didn't know they hated a humid enclosure until I found this site, caresheets are a hazard haha.
Caresheets are truly a hazard, you don't want to know how many new keepers have posted here with 'help my *insert species name* is dying' because they took advice
from LPS employees or caresheet advice.
The thread linked below contains lots of really useful (and correct) info:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/ch...w-to-really-take-care-of-your-g-rosea.226727/
 
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