Barometric moulting

kyrga

Arachnobaron
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This is just a half guess, seeing as I have limited experience with molts, and even less experience with weather, but don't certain pressure systems usually bring rain? And Ts need higher humidity during a molt? So, maybe it's some sort of natural instinct, that help spurs the molting process. Maybe they have some sort of biologic clock that makes them more likely to molt during a wet season? I'm just speculating. If my wild guessing has any truth to it, I think these studies would be best done in a Ts natural habitat, becuase of the different weather patterns throughout the different parts of the world.
 

omni

Arachnobaron
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:clap: I'd like to see more data like this. What we write down now can be collected later, compared, tested, and in the process we learn a little more all the time. I think the info in the T hobby is somewhat behind many other pets. With very long lifespans, long-term studies are difficult to do, but the hobby needs these to grow.
 

DrAce

Arachnodemon
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But if through my study I can say 90% of molts take place at this pressure, is that data a corellation or a causation? I would think its a direct corellation.
Storm fronts are also associated with changes in temperature, and humidity. I'd suggest that it's probably as easy to record those at the same time.

Both of those variables, however, are probably well controlled in the tarantulas. It might be that a small 'blip' in the temperature and humidity affect them.
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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Ya but in my house there is no blip in the humidity or temps. Its all controlled. But I cant control the pressure. I mean I guess I could try. But that would be very hard to do. So I am going to stick to pressure drops and rises. I am going to write down what the Barometric pressure is when a T molts and see if I can find a pattern.
 

DrAce

Arachnodemon
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The ONLY way to verify this is to stick a barometer in the tank next to the tarantula.

Unless you are in a sealed room, the humidity would change to a small degree. Temperature, less so.
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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I see what you are getting at, and its the details. But I am going to track strickly the pressure when a molt occurs. And if there is anything consistant then I will for a hypothesis and conduct a stricter study. This data collection is just to see if there is anything worth being specific about.
 

Talkenlate04

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Actually if you are willing, can you help me come up with a spreadsheet?
I dont mind having things like temp and humidity on there, date, time, barometric pressure,
The thing thats going to be hard is the over night molts. If I wake up and find a molt then all Ill have is what the weather station tells me the pressure was over night.
Got any other ideas for if that happens?
 

DrAce

Arachnodemon
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Actually if you are willing, can you help me come up with a spreadsheet?
I dont mind having things like temp and humidity on there, date, time, barometric pressure,
The thing thats going to be hard is the over night molts. If I wake up and find a molt then all Ill have is what the weather station tells me the pressure was over night.
Got any other ideas for if that happens?
You can probably do better than a guess. Fronts and such are followed by time - normally hourly. You can get a map off the internet the following morning, use a ruler to plot your place on the map (say at midnight), then draw a ruler line covering your house between the two closest isobars. The isobars will be labelled with a pressure, and you can get a 'gradient' between them. Your pressure can be determined at that time, within a kPa or so.
 

Nitibus

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Actually if you are willing, can you help me come up with a spreadsheet?
I dont mind having things like temp and humidity on there, date, time, barometric pressure,
The thing thats going to be hard is the over night molts. If I wake up and find a molt then all Ill have is what the weather station tells me the pressure was over night.
Got any other ideas for if that happens?

I just have a everyday weather station in my office : temp / humidity / barometrics pressure. I just mark the pressure before bed, and check it in the morning. I can't tell exactly what time the T moults, but I know what the change was during the process.

Mine may not be an exact science, but unless you have a moulting monitor ( no such thing ) you'll never know the exact time of moult.
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
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Actually if you are willing, can you help me come up with a spreadsheet?
I dont mind having things like temp and humidity on there, date, time, barometric pressure,
The thing thats going to be hard is the over night molts. If I wake up and find a molt then all Ill have is what the weather station tells me the pressure was over night.
Got any other ideas for if that happens?
heck yeah i will help you make a spreadsheet. i love spread sheets. i have a bunch open right now... not because i am using them but just because i like them.

what version of excel (i hope, as that is all i use at work that isn't a database) do you use?
 

Varden

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It's not just molts, either. What about eggsacs?

This sounds like a really cool experiment. I wish I had time to participate.
 

Talkenlate04

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Varden for data on egg sacs if you have any laid just check to see if there was a front or change in the pressure at or withing hours of a sac being made. For us here in Oregon that just means if the rain comes, or it gets hot.
Sacs will be harder to do because we are so set on leaving pregnant mothers alone as much as possible.
Molting though, if I pay attention to my collection no molt gets by me. Sometimes slings molt when I am not paying attention but heck they are so small I dont really take the time to look I am busy waiting for them to grow up.


what version of excel (i hope, as that is all i use at work that isn't a database) do you use?
Umm version Ill have to get back to you I have no clue. Oh man, see I just bought this laptop and I have microsoft works on here....... I strongly dislike works. I have excel at work...... and my job is anything but demanding, so ill have plenty of time to put data onto a excel doc.
 

dianedfisher

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Molts and weather change

We just had a nice front move through Southern Indiana this weekend and I found 4 molts in the past 24 hrs. My P. irminia, A. bicegoi, B. vagans all molted at home (all slings) and my 3" C. cyaneopubescens molted at work this a.m. I also noticed that my H.incei is out and about, so there may be an exuvium in her clay pot. This is the first time I've seen her in 2 months. My E. pachypus was also out and about and may very well have a molt in her burrow. Di
 

Talkenlate04

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This is way off topic but I miss Indy...... and the boat casinos in Evansville, the cornfields and the great summer thunder storms. Some people hate it, I want to retire there.
 

DrAce

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As a random potential coincidence, is it possible that we're seeing moulting at a time of the year which is ALSO the most unstable in terms of weather?
 

Talkenlate04

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No. I have been seeing this for years, and all year round. I just have never took the time to figure out what actual pressure change took place. I just started to notice over time that almost every time a molt came it started raining or got cooler. Thats how it started, then when Dan mentioned pressure changes I started paying attention to high and low pressure systems passing through.


Its a year round event as far as I can tell. But that is something I can add to the data, regardless of the change in pressure do molts happen more during a certain time of the year. This is somewhat meaningless because of the way we keep out Ts in out houses.
 

DrAce

Arachnodemon
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Its a year round event as far as I can tell. But that is something I can add to the data, regardless of the change in pressure do molts happen more during a certain time of the year. This is somewhat meaningless because of the way we keep out Ts in out houses.
It might be meaningless... although we change our behavior to suit the year as well. Even though the light-cycles might be constant indoors, the ratio of natural to incandescent light might change... as does the fluctuations in temperature (often people keep the door open during the summer and not rely on AC). I realise it's not a good possibility, but one which should be worthy of discounting.
 

Talkenlate04

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For my first go round with this data collection I am going to use the KISS method. "Keep It Simple Stupid."
I am not calling anyone stupid, I am just saying I know there are a billion different variables that could go into this, but for now I am going to see if there is any correlation between barometric pressure and Ts molting, and if so is there a significant pressure drop or a minor one.
 

Nitibus

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For my first go round with this data collection I am going to use the KISS method. "Keep It Simple Stupid."
I am not calling anyone stupid, I am just saying I know there are a billion different variables that could go into this, but for now I am going to see if there is any correlation between barometric pressure and Ts molting, and if so is there a significant pressure drop or a minor one.
I only have 10 T's right now, but I'd be willing to share my data with you. Yet, I just started 3 weeks ago. In a years time we may have conclusive evidence.
 
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