Fun with a Microscope!

CyclingSam

Arachnoknight
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May 22, 2016
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Per the recommendation of @EulersK, I got my hands on a currency microscope. I was having way too much fun with it this weekend. I was able to successfully sex my 1" B. vagans and more.

B. vagans female!

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Tarantula Teeth! I always wondered how their chewing worked.
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Tiny sling tarsal claw.
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OBT sling carapace.
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EulersK

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Wow! Absolutely great shots. Good job on that sexing as well, what was the size of that spider? Was that the 0.75" one?
 

CyclingSam

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May 22, 2016
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214
Wow! Absolutely great shots. Good job on that sexing as well, what was the size of that spider? Was that the 0.75" one?
This one was about an inch. I may or may not have accidentally shredded the .75" one with a needle :embarrassed:.
 

nicodimus22

Arachnomancer
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Sep 26, 2013
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I got one this weekend as well. It's not a camera, just a 60X-120X hand scope.

I tried to sex a 1/2 inch P. sazimai molt, but it was a few days old, and kind of rolled up in a tube instead of nicely laid flat no matter how much I fought with it, and I was unable to make out any gender-specific features. I couldn't even see a single book lung in that mess. Hoping that molts that are a bit larger will go better in the future. I would like to get good at sexing my Ts at under 2 inches.
 
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CyclingSam

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May 22, 2016
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214
I got one this weekend as well. It's not a camera, just a 60X-120X hand scope.

I tried to sex a 1/2 inch P. sazimai molt, but it was a few days old, and kind of rolled up in a tube instead of nicely laid flat no matter how much I fought with it, and I was unable to make out any gender-specific features. I couldn't even see a single book lung in that mess. Hoping that molts that are a bit larger will go better in the future. I would like to get good at sexing my Ts at under 2 inches.
Mine is not a cammera. I took the pictures through the lense with a cell phone.
 

Sana

Arachnoprince
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Oct 26, 2014
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1,139
Oh no :rofl: The needle trick works, I promise. Try dulling it next time.
Can you refer me to this needle trick? I've used a bunch of methods to spread out molts but I'm not sure if I've tried that one.
 

EulersK

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Can you refer me to this needle trick? I've used a bunch of methods to spread out molts but I'm not sure if I've tried that one.
Just something I've come up with that helps. Grip a flap of exuvia on the abdomen with tweezers and gently peel back the crumbled exuvia with a needle. Two pairs of tweezers are too cumbersome in my opinion. You can get the needle in between a fold and get it apart fairly easily.
 

EulersK

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Do you soak the molt in something to soften it up first?
Warm soapy water, yes. Doesn't take more than 30 seconds of soaking to loosen it up. If you soak for more than a few minutes, it becomes much too fragile to work with.
 

CWilson1351

Arachnobaron
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Jan 23, 2017
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454
Just something I've come up with that helps. Grip a flap of exuvia on the abdomen with tweezers and gently peel back the crumbled exuvia with a needle. Two pairs of tweezers are too cumbersome in my opinion. You can get the needle in between a fold and get it apart fairly easily.
Instead of using the sharp end of the needle, would using the other end work as well? Speaking about smaller needles of course.
Also, is there any time limit on when a molt can be re-moistened to check?
 

EulersK

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Instead of using the sharp end of the needle, would using the other end work as well? Speaking about smaller needles of course.
Also, is there any time limit on when a molt can be re-moistened to check?
Sure, or you can just dull a needle. Whatever works. And no, there's no time limit. I've done this to exuvia that were months old with no issue. It's multitudes easier if you get a fresh exuvia, though.
 

CWilson1351

Arachnobaron
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Jan 23, 2017
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454
Sure, or you can just dull a needle. Whatever works. And no, there's no time limit. I've done this to exuvia that were months old with no issue. It's multitudes easier if you get a fresh exuvia, though.
Nice! I'm still waiting on a few molts but have a recent (within a week) one of my GBB I think I can check. Thanks for the quick answer!
 
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