And I thought she was going to molt...

[Draiman]

Poecilotheria formosa, AF. Her previous owner told me she was premolt, and she looked it as well (doesn't she?). Apparently not; today she decided to finally eat (you can even see part of the molt mat she made in the pictures). These spiders really are full of surprises.

Sorry about picture quality; they were taken through dirty glass.

 

[seanbond]

she looks good regardless.

 

[Draiman]

she looks good regardless.

Thanks Sean. Now I need to find her a mate.

 

[Talkenlate04]

That is not a molt mat in there, just some normal every day webbing.
Nice T though!

 

[Julia]

How big is she? I can only halfway see from one of the pictures, but her backside just doesn't look dull enough to be approaching a molt. My two pokies get extremely washed-out before a molt. (They are juvie's though...2" and 4"....if that makes a difference.)

She's a pretty girl though!

 

[Draiman]

That is not a molt mat in there, just some normal every day webbing.
Nice T though!

Now I feel mighty stupid... :wall:

But thanks!

How big is she? I can only halfway see from one of the pictures, but her backside just doesn't look dull enough to be approaching a molt. My two pokies get extremely washed-out before a molt. (They are juvie's though...2" and 4"....if that makes a difference.)

She's a pretty girl though!

She's 6", probably slightly more. I based my assumption she was premolt mainly on the fact that the striations on her legs and palps are black, and that she's been very sluggish, and of course the "molt mat" I thought I was seeing. I don't think I noticed any significant dulling of the abdomen, so yeah. I'm just glad she's eating.

Yeah she is; aren't they all? Unfortunately the pics don't show the blue-purple color on her carapace.

 

[Draiman]

I gave her a second cricket and she took it.

EDIT: A couple more.

Here she is doing her "victory dance".

 

[Talkenlate04]

Nice pic you got there! :clap:

 

[Draiman]

Nice pic you got there! :clap:

Thanks Ryan, feels great hearing it from you.

 

[Spyder 1.0]

Why is she on that substrate? probably webbing it up for comfort. I wouldn't imagine rough substrate like that would feel good on the tarantulas contact pads. Just an opinion.

 

[Draiman]

Why is she on that substrate? probably webbing it up for comfort. I wouldn't imagine rough substrate like that would feel good on the tarantulas contact pads. Just an opinion.

It's potting soil. :?

EDIT: Was that rude? I genuinely meant to ask something along the lines of, "Is potting soil unsuitable?" or "Is this type of potting soil unsuitable?". I thought the smiley would suffice. NO sarcasm or negative connotations intended, for pete's sake.

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

Don't feel stupid Gavin, you just didn't know what to look for. IMO, you will know when your pokie is in pre-molt. Their abdomens get jet black on the underside and will appear shiny usually right before the molt. Here is a pic of a 6" ornata in pre-molt. Her abdomen has been like that for about a month. As soon as it get's real shiny that mean's she's just about ready to do it.

Notice that she has enclosed herself behind the cork bark.

Here is a smaller 3" female ornata and she's getting ready to molt any day now. Notice how shiny her abdomen seems in comparison to the larger female?

 

[Draiman]

That really helped; thanks again! Nice enclosures btw.

Oh and one more thing - someone on another forum suggested my formosa could simply be having a small snack or two in preparation for an impending molt. This does make sense, since she was refusing food before today. Has any of your spiders ever done this?

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

I'd be curious to see what she looks like ventrally.

 

[Draiman]

I'd be curious to see what she looks like ventrally.

Like I mentioned earlier, her sluggishness means she doesn't walk around on the glass anymore - not even late at night - so getting a ventral picture may be difficult. I'm certainly not going to pinch-grab her at this stage.

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

I'm certainly not going to pinch-grab her at this stage.

why not? lol

That really helped; thanks again! Nice enclosures btw.

Thanks and no problem.

 

[jbm150]

That really helped; thanks again! Nice enclosures btw.

Oh and one more thing - someone on another forum suggested my formosa could simply be having a small snack or two in preparation for an impending molt. This does make sense, since she was refusing food before today. Has any of your spiders ever done this?

I've heard this as well, especially with pokies. I don't know if its an arboreal or OW thing, but I've heard some will eat right up to the molt and take you by surprise.