Be careful what you wish for

[gmrpnk21]

So I rehoused my 2" B. smithi into an exo terra breeder box. I put a section of a vial that I had cut down the middle with it to act as a little canopy hide. I looked in today and realized I should cover it with dirt like the other ones I did for my other T's, so I put some eco earth over the top of it and gently nudged the smithi into it. Feeling satisfied, I sat down and played PS3 for about an hour. I turned it off and went to check on the little one, and IT CLOSED OFF THE ENTRANCE WITH MORE ECO EARTH.I am a little bit worried now because the T is getting close to a molt and I am worried it won't molt properly in such a little hide. *sigh* I expected the vagans I rehoused to start burrowing, but not the smithi! I wish I could have at least watched it start digging.

 

[curiousme]

The tarantula knows what it is doing. If it doesn't have room to molt in there, it won't.

 

[killy]

The tarantula know what it is doing. If it doesn't have room to molt in there, it won't.

Ditto!

I had the same concern you did, only after the fact, with my Chaco's last molt - I had been meaning to house him in a bigger enclosure so that I could give him a bigger hide, the current one being too small - then he molted, in the cramped hide, and I thought OMIGOD what have I done! He's going to harden up in there, be crippled forever, and it''s ALL MY FAULT FOR BEING A NEGLIGENT PARENT!!! ... As Curious said, he knew what he was doing, and today he's got legs worthy of an NBA center.

By the way, if your smithi is molting, don't expect him to come out any time soon - when mine was your size he did the same thing - and I worried, and I worried, and I worried some more, and then one day I found remnants of a shredded exuvium just outside the hide ... Houdini didn't make an appearance for another couple of weeks, (except to take out the trash!!).

 

[captmarga]

I wouldn't panic. I had one little T molt in her water-dish-lid... I was afraid she'd be hurt, but she silked it over nicely. She decided the nice round place made a great hammock and molted right in the open. I don't stress over it too much any more.

Marga

 

[jt39565]

You can learn as I have with mine one of two rules ALWAYS apply - 1)It doesn't like you and is hiding from you or 2) it knows what is best.
With my T's the first rule mostly applies so you may be lucky and get the second rule applying in this situation.