Aphonopelma spp molting in package help!!

koldaar

Arachnoknight
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I received a 2.5" Flagstaff Orange today in the mail and when I pulled the top tissue out of the inside of the cup she was laying upside down and moving very little. I would recognize this as a possible molt, but what do I do from here? Last time I had this happen with an A. seemani it died. She's still in the cup in a somewhat confined space. I dampened the tissue slightly but not sure what to do from here. Any help would be appreciated!
 

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fartkowski

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I would leave it alone. Put it in a warm dark space and let it do it's thing.
Also you may want to leave it alone after the molt as well. At least for a couple of days.
Moving it too soon could hurt it.
 

koldaar

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I did pull the tissue apart to give her leg room, but I don't know if there's much else I can do. Can she molt with her legs being curled close to the body like they are plus all the stress of shipping?
 

Embers To Ashes

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are you sure she is molting and not in a death curl? The pacage could have been upsidedown for a while making her upright with her legs tucked under.
 

koldaar

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That's a possibility. I think it looks more like a death curl than a molt.
 

koldaar

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It does move it's legs a little. At least it did when I carried it over to its shelf a little bit ago. It's in a dark room at about 73-75 degrees. The tissue is moist. Hoping for the best!
 

Rob1985

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if you're worried, you can make an ICU. Rubbermaid container, with restricted ventilation, layers of warm (not hot) wet paper towels. Monitor humidity and heat levels, keeping it at 80F and over 80% humdity.

I did that for a neighbori after he got a T from a source I will leave nameless.
 
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fartkowski

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If it is moving a bit, I would just leave it alone, see what happens.
 

koldaar

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I'm not sure what to think now. I just went to check on her and found that she had crawled out of the tissue and was starting to climb the wall. She was facing upwards with her back 2 legs touching the substrate. So I took the tongs and slowly pulled the tissue out being careful not to touch her. I got the tissue out, closed the lid, and she fell backwards onto the substrate. Now she's laying on her back with her legs sprawled outwards instead of curled. Her limbs move slightly. What in the world is going on? She attempting to molt? In shock from shipping? I was home all day when the package was delivered, but the fedex guy never knocked or rang the doorbell. He just stuck the box in between my screen door and my inner door. It was only 43 degrees here today and not sure how long she was out there. She was packaged inside a cup with tissue, that was surrounded by paper, and all enclosed in a Styrofoam lined box. Other than leaving her alone for the rest of the night, I have no idea what to do for her. This is strange. :?
 

Rob1985

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my guess is she's lethargic due to an imminent molt. Is the carapace popped?
 

fartkowski

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At this point, I would put her in an ICU setup, and leave her alone for the rest of the night.
 

Big_nito

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Any updates now? Its almost 12 hrs already so I hope the T is already doing much better...
 

paassatt

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Could it be construed as irresponsible for someone to ship a spider that they know will have an imminent molt? From the looks of the picture, if it is indeed molting, that abdomen is pretty fat and should've been a giveaway it was in premolt.
 

NikiP

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Could it be construed as irresponsible for someone to ship a spider that they know will have an imminent molt? From the looks of the picture, if it is indeed molting, that abdomen is pretty fat and should've been a giveaway it was in premolt.
They may not have known. Both my A. anax & A. burica have humongous behinds & neither have given me reason to believe they are in premolt. They both ate last time I offered food to see if they would refuse, but since then i've simply not fed them for fear of something happening with their rumps. Both have flung or rubbed off their urticating hair so I have a clear view if either's rump turns dark.

Much to my dismay :( I really want them to hurry up so I can see them at their best :D
 

koldaar

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Well, here's my update. She was not molting. I flipped her over last night and her butt was not black, not even close. I left her upright all night. When I checked her this morning she was in the same position and no movement at all. I will leave her be another day or so, but it appears she's dead.

The seller is handling everything as far as a replacement, so no complaints there. I'm just not sure what happened. Maybe she got too hot from where she started out being shipped from, maybe too cold when left outside, maybe shock from shipping or being mishandled in shipping, I just have no idea.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
 
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