Balding Abdomen. Not Molting.

[abriz]

Okay, so, everytime I search about this, "molting" always comes up. I have a chilean rose (although not sure, they look similar) and I had it with me for a month but I don't see any other signs of molting. I saw it flicking its hairs but it already had a bald spot back then. How often do tarantulas molt? And if you guys can, please identify this species.

 

[basin79]

Okay, so, everytime I search about this, "molting" always comes up. I have a chilean rose (although not sure, they look similar) and I had it with me for a month but I don't see any other signs of molting. I saw it flicking its hairs but it already had a bald spot back then. How often do tarantulas molt? And if you guys can, please identify this species. View attachment 259714 View attachment 259715

Wrong section. You've posted in insects and other inverts. You want Tarantula Chat. I'll see if I can message a mod to move it for you.

Wouldn't recommend handling any tarantula.

Grammostola rosea are slow growers. So they moult infrequently. You'll be able to tell whether a moult is imminent as the skin visible at the bald patches will turn black.

You'll also want to slow down with the feeds. The abdomen looks large in those pics unless it's just the angle.

 

[pannaking22]

Agreed with basin79 on all counts. Someone else in Tarantula Chat may be able to ID it for you because I'm relatively certain that's not G. porteri. Looks more like Brachypelma albopilosum, but I could be wrong. If it's genus Brachypelma it's still going to be a long wait between molts.

 

[KezyGLA]

You seem to have hobby form Brachypelma albopilosum and not Grammostola rosea/poeteri

 

[Walker253]

Yeah, that's looks like a really hobby form B albopilosum. Hopefully after the molt there are lots more curly hairs. That abdomen is getting dark. I would think the molt is getting close, at that size it could drag out a bit. Usually, they'll stop eating before they molt. Sometimes it's a week, many times longer.

 

[darkness975]

Okay, so, everytime I search about this, "molting" always comes up. I have a chilean rose (although not sure, they look similar) and I had it with me for a month but I don't see any other signs of molting. I saw it flicking its hairs but it already had a bald spot back then. How often do tarantulas molt? And if you guys can, please identify this species. View attachment 259714 View attachment 259715

The setae will be replenished after it molts. The abdomen is massive, so it will likely not eat much (or at all).

It also appears to be a B. albopilosum to me as well.

Not a good idea to handle a Tarantula.

 

[Lil Paws]

Yeah, that's looks like a really hobby form B albopilosum. Hopefully after the molt there are lots more curly hairs. That abdomen is getting dark. I would think the molt is getting close, at that size it could drag out a bit. Usually, they'll stop eating before they molt. Sometimes it's a week, many times longer.

Not to go off-topic, but what exactly does "hobby form" mean?

 

[cold blood]

Bald spots are not an indicator of pre molt....just of kicking hairs, which youve witnessed.

Bald spots are brought up because a bald spot allows you to see the skin....darkening, stretched out, shiny skin is an indicator or pre molt.


Yeah, 100% B. albopilosum. Unlike a rose hair, albos do like a little moisture in the sub from time to time. Theyre also more active, faster growers and much more consistent eaters.

@Lil Paws

Hobby form would be a Honduran curly...theyve been a staple for so long that the purity of the species within the hobby is questionable. Recently there were imports from Nicaragua, these ts look markedly differrent and need to be kept seperate from the hobby form to maintain the purity of the Nicaraguans.

 

[korg]

Bald spots are not an indicator of pre molt....just of kicking hairs, which youve witnessed.

Bald spots are brought up because a bald spot allows you to see the skin....darkening, stretched out, shiny skin is an indicator or pre molt.

^This. Check out this link for some helpful visual clarification:

http://www.angelfire.com/or2/thetarantulastop/molts.html

The two pictures at the top of that page demonstrate what premolt generally looks like in terms of exoskeleton darkening. Right now yours looks like the one on the left, which just has a regular non-darkened "bald patch" of exoskeleton from kicking hairs. Once the exposed exoskeleton itself starts to darken like the picture on the right then your spider is in premolt. Also, as others have said, your spider is a "Brachypelma albopilosum."

 

[cold blood]

Not pre molt

tripeppii [side view]

• cold blood
• Nov 18, 2017

Resized952017040795213804

• cold blood
• Apr 8, 2017

A. avic

Resized952017030795222820

• cold blood
• Mar 8, 2017
• 3

Resized952017022895233014

• cold blood
• Mar 1, 2017
• 3

nigricolor.

Gotta love Pamphs!!

Pre-molt

A. ezendami

• cold blood
• Dec 1, 2017
• 6

A. metallica

• cold blood
• Nov 5, 2017
• 1

fat and bald....does this mean male? lol

Nhandu tripeppii

• cold blood
• Nov 4, 2017

3.5" and heavy pre molt

Resized952016112095154314

• cold blood
• Nov 20, 2016
• 4

very fat nigricolor. She's about 6.5"

 

[KezyGLA]

@Lil Paws

A Hobby Form specimen is the result of crossbreeding different species or breeding the same species but different variant/locality to create a mix of the two.

In the US & CAN I see the Honduran form of B. albopilosum being refered to as HF, though that is just a different locality with its own form. It is usually just a mix of Honduran with Nicaraguan that would make HF. Here in Europe our HF B. albo are messed up even more and are mixed heavily with Brachypelma vagans. I have even seen some of these in the states

 

[Arachnophoric]

I got really confused when I saw the picture and then saw the B. albo being referred to as a "Chilean rose"

Cute little curly hair ya got there, op. Looks just like my girl Heather, minus the bald spots;

0.1 B. albopilosum

• Arachnophoric
• Nov 12, 2017

Heather enjoying a snack while wondering why the heck I'm blinding her with a flashlight.

Love her fuzzy "stockings", she's such a sweet lil thing! Yours indeed does look like it might be molting soon, with how dark that booty is getting. Heather seemed to kick some hairs before she molted for me.

 

[Lil Paws]

@Lil Paws

A Hobby Form specimen is the result of crossbreeding different species or breeding the same species but different variant/locality to create a mix of the two.

In the US & CAN I see the Honduran form of B. albopilosum being refered to as HF, though that is just a different locality with its own form. It is usually just a mix of Honduran with Nicaraguan that would make HF. Here in Europe our HF B. albo are messed up even more and are mixed heavily with Brachypelma vagans. I have even seen some of these in the states

Interesting! I've actually heard of people using hobby form with dog breeds before so this makes sense. How would one tell a hobby form from a non-hobby form B. Albo? Is it the amount of fuzz or something else?

 

[KezyGLA]

Interesting! I've actually heard of people using hobby form with dog breeds before so this makes sense. How would one tell a hobby form from a non-hobby form B. Albo? Is it the amount of fuzz or something else?

It would be down to the tiny details in setae structure and colour, carapace colour and spermathecae in the instances of mixed species.

 

[abriz]

[UPDATE]

okay my "chilean rose" assumption is 101% wrong I just thought they looked a tad similar so yea. It's definitely a curly tho and the pattern on its back DID turn black and that's why he won't eat the worms I gave him. I didn't handle him since I made this thread so he should be fine, right? I removed all mealworms from its enclosure and handling is a no-no. Anything else I should worry about?

 

[abriz]

[UPDATE]

okay my "chilean rose" assumption is 101% wrong I just thought they looked a tad similar so yea. It's definitely a curly tho and the pattern on its back DID turn black and that's why he won't eat the worms I gave him. I didn't handle him since I made this thread so he should be fine, right? I removed all mealworms from its enclosure and handling is a no-no. Anything else I should worry about?

 

[abriz]

I got really confused when I saw the picture and then saw the B. albo being referred to as a "Chilean rose"

Cute little curly hair ya got there, op. Looks just like my girl Heather, minus the bald spots;

0.1 B. albopilosum

• Arachnophoric
• Nov 12, 2017

Heather enjoying a snack while wondering why the heck I'm blinding her with a flashlight.

Love her fuzzy "stockings", she's such a sweet lil thing! Yours indeed does look like it might be molting soon, with how dark that booty is getting. Heather seemed to kick some hairs before she molted for me.

compared to your curly's abdomen, mine's pretty big. he'll be fine right?

 

[Arachnophoric]

compared to your curly's abdomen, mine's pretty big. he'll be fine right?

Yours will be fine, mine had molted not too long before I took that picture. They slim down some when they do, most of that chub put into gaining size on the next molt.