Help! Is my T dead? Or molting?

Rainbow42014

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I got a rose hair t about 4 months ago and I have one of those like log tunes for one of her shelters and about 4 days ago I noticed she wasn't out like normal and I saw a bunch of Web at the entrance and the small peep hole on the side of the log. I figured she was molting but now that it's been like 3 or 4 days without any movement and 2 days since I saw an arm of hers thru the peep hole so I havnt seen her at all for the past 2-3 days so I'm not sure if she's dead from complications of her molting or if this is normal? all the other posts I've read (which I just now got the guts to look it up) have said that it can take anywhere from a few hours to 3 days....but then other posts saying if it gets passed 24 hours to start worrying. I don't want to pick up or move the log and hurt her if she is melted or just melted and is just regenerating....what do I do???? 1478250488201-68253290.jpg 1478250488201-68253290.jpg
 

KezyGLA

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Leave it be. It will come out when its ready. If it dies then you will notice a smell. It is important that you dont disturb it.

Moulting can take a few hours to a week or more depending on its size. It is important that you dont attempt to feed it until the fangs have turned black again.

As for that substrate, it is more for rats than tarantulas. Once your T has moulted and comes out, change the substrate to coco fibre. The substrate you are using at the moment can cause injury to your T.

Make sure you have a full fresh water dish available too. Your T will need a drink when molted

Do you have a pic of the full setup?
 

cheetah13mo

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I wouldn't worry much yet. Ts often take more time to molt the older they get. Plus, as far as you know, she could be finished with the molt and just recovering in the safety of her hide. If I were you, I'd make sure the moisture is up in the container and wait another week or two and see.
 

Rainbow42014

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Leave it be. It will come out when its ready. If it dies then you will notice a smell. It is important that you dont disturb it.

Moulting can take a few hours to a week or more depending on its size. It is important that you dont attempt to feed it until the fangs have turned black again.

As for that substrate, it is more for rats than tarantulas. Once your T has moulted and comes out, change the substrate to coco fibre. The substrate you are using at the moment can cause injury to your T.

Make sure you have a full fresh water dish available too. Your T will need a drink when molted

Do you have a pic of the full setup?
Yeah I know the petco guy told me that's what he used for his but come to find out it was a different species of Ts so when I went and got my snake food and noticed they had a t like mine but different set up so he helped me find the right kind I was about to change it till she went into molting:( and yeah here it is! 1478252926170-1690147527.jpg and here is the new sub the pet store guy told me was correct to use does it seem right? 1478252926170-1690147527.jpg 1478253014770671224357.jpg it's like a really soft dirt
 

KezyGLA

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Please dont add more moisture to a rosies enclosure. I can already see spag moss there. A water dish will suffice.
 

Rainbow42014

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I wouldn't worry much yet. Ts often take more time to molt the older they get. Plus, as far as you know, she could be finished with the molt and just recovering in the safety of her hide. If I were you, I'd make sure the moisture is up in the container and wait another week or two and see.
Thanks so much! yeah I've been misting it down alot and making sure her water dish is nice n full so she can have some when she does come out cuz I'm sure she'll be pretty parched lol thanks guys I'll keep yall posted:)
 

Rainbow42014

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Please dont add more moisture to a rosies enclosure. I can already see spag moss there. A water dish will suffice.
There's no Moss? there is dead Moss I just put for looks under her other enclosed but it's not super wet and making Moss grow or anything but her sub will be changed soon just praying she comes out and is just regenerating
 

KezyGLA

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Yeah I know the petco guy told me that's what he used for his but come to find out it was a different species of Ts so when I went and got my snake food and noticed they had a t like mine but different set up so he helped me find the right kind I was about to change it till she went into molting:( and yeah here it is! View attachment 224083 and here is the new sub the pet store guy told me was correct to use does it seem right? View attachment 224083 View attachment 224084 it's like a really soft dirt
Yeah jungle mix is ok. Just make sure you fill the tank up much more. The dirt should be ear the top to reduce injury from fall. I would open up the bag of jungle mix just now and let it dey out to avoid your Rosie being stuck to the walls for months.
 

Rainbow42014

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Yeah jungle mix is ok. Just make sure you fill the tank up much more. The dirt should be ear the top to reduce injury from fall. I would open up the bag of jungle mix just now and let it dey out to avoid your Rosie being stuck to the walls for months.
Okay sweet! thanks so much your a life saver what's our preference on a sub for rosies?
 

KezyGLA

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Yeah jungle mix is ok. Just make sure you fill the tank up much more. The dirt should be ear the top to reduce injury from fall. I would open up the bag of jungle mix just now and let it dey out to avoid your Rosie being stuck to the walls for months.
Dead moss can still retain moisture and misting an arid species is no good. As for misting during molting it is useless. The T uses internal fluids that it has stored to molt. Any external wetness is just a nusense for a T that likes it dry.
 

KezyGLA

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Okay sweet! thanks so much your a life saver what's our preference on a sub for rosies?
Zoo med eco earth

Great for arid species, though can be pricey. Dried out top soil would do just as good but is more prone to mould growth. Mould shouldnt be a problem though if using it dry for arid sp. like your Rosie :)


PS you want to have the space from the lid to the start of your sub to be no more than 1.5x the length of your specimen.
 

cheetah13mo

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As for misting during molting it is useless. The T uses internal fluids that it has stored to molt. Any external wetness is just a nusense for a T that likes it dry.
I wouldn't say it's useless at all. Yes, it's the internal moisture that separates the old skin from the new is most important but the added moisture during a molt will help keep the old skin more pliable for a longer period of time. That could make the difference between a good or failed molt.
 

CEOAirsoft

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It's probably done molting and just hasn't come out yet. But I have seen tarantulas block off their burrow or hide after they had a large meal so it could be doing that as well.
 

KezyGLA

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I wouldn't say it's useless at all. Yes, it's the internal moisture that separates the old skin from the new is most important but the added moisture during a molt will help keep the old skin more pliable for a longer period of time. That could make the difference between a good or failed molt.
I am not denying that it may help, but as Ts are at their most vurnerable during a molt if they are stressed out during the process then it may result in the worst. Spraying into an moisture into an enclosure, well there is 2 things that arid Ts hate. Breezes and wetness.

For a species from one of the driest places on earth I can imagine having higher than average humidity would not be good. Like trying to squeeze out of scuba suit thats too small for you while in a steam room.

The extra moisture may help slow hardening of the exuviae. But if keeping a specimen properly hydrated then it shouldnt be a problem as it would have enough fluids stored to complete the process?
 

KezyGLA

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It's probably done molting and just hasn't come out yet. But I have seen tarantulas block off their burrow or hide after they had a large meal so it could be doing that as well.
^ agreed.

Also if desert species are regulary fed then they tend to have fasting periods where they can disappear for up to months at a time.
 

cheetah13mo

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I am not denying that it may help, but as Ts are at their most vurnerable during a molt if they are stressed out during the process then it may result in the worst. Spraying into an moisture into an enclosure, well there is 2 things that arid Ts hate. Breezes and wetness.
Very true. I'll add that it's important to be prepared and have all the moisture requirements dealt with before hand so the T is not disturbed during the process, if at all possible.

The extra moisture may help slow hardening of the exuviae. But if keeping a specimen properly hydrated then it shouldnt be a problem as it would have enough fluids stored to complete the process?
Also very true. It "shouldn't" but, things happen and adding moisture into the enclosure is always an option if needed. Cooler months here in the States with the heater going to dry things out is a prime example.
 

KezyGLA

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I agree. I keep a fan running in my T room so my tropicals require atterntion regularly but when it comes to the desert Ts its easier to add water when required than to remove it.
 

Andrea82

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She should be fine. As they no longer require food when in pre-molt, they simply barricade themselves in their burrows. Yours could be just sitting there, waiting for a molt, for a week or more. They are limited in their movements because of the old exoskeleton being really tight, so they don't move much.
It could take a week, or four weeks...there's no telling. I have an E.campestratus who sealed herself in for six months...
 

cold blood

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Yeah I know the petco guy told me that's what he used for his but come to find out it was a different species of Ts so when I went and got my snake food and noticed they had a t like mine but different set up so he helped me find the right kind I was about to change it till she went into molting:( and yeah here it is! View attachment 224083 and here is the new sub the pet store guy told me was correct to use does it seem right? View attachment 224083 View attachment 224084 it's like a really soft dirt

Ok, first things first....never, and I mean NEVER get info or advice from a pet store....like never ever ever. Same goes for listening to online care sheets!Clearly you were convinced to spend A LOT more than you needed to.

Its a rose hair, when they go barricade themselves in to molt, like yours did, it doesn't mean its going to molt right away, in fact that would be HIGHLY unusual. Its more likely it will stay hidden away in there for a month or more....sometimes a year or more before they actually molt.
Don't worry about food, or moisture or anything, just be patient and await its emergence.

Thanks so much! yeah I've been misting it down alot and making sure her water dish is nice n full so she can have some when she does come out cuz I'm sure she'll be pretty parched lol thanks guys I'll keep yall posted:)
Like said, stop misting, do not ever mist or moisten a rosie enclosure, they despise that. Keeping water in the dish is literally all you need to do, its that simple. While they need available water, they're not like mammals that need to drink on a regular or even semi-regular basis.

Okay sweet! thanks so much your a life saver what's our preference on a sub for rosies?
Different species do NOT have different substrate preferences, what works for one, literally works for all of them. Eco earth, coco fiber, plain topsoil, peat moss or the jungle mix you got are all fine substrates...wood chips are NOT.

To properly fill that enclosure though, you're going to need a lot of substrate, and expensive subs like jungle mix will vastly increase your expenses (one of the many reasons aquariums are less than ideal and a reason many of us use the ultra cheap topsoil instead of expensive subs like coco fibr or jungle mix). Back when I had only a couple, I used jungle mix, with a huge collection though, I would probably be dropping 5k per year on substrate if I used that stuff.....topsoil is not only the most natural, its by far the cheapest with a 40lb bag running $1.37, or about 6 or 7 times cheaper than the couple quarts of jungle mix you got.

In the future, hides should be buried, or at least slightly buried...but this species rarely uses a hide, so having 2 isn't really needed (neither is burying it, but it will be important for any other species you get in the future). For many other species, secondary hides can be a great addition...just not so much with a rosie.

I don't see any cords for a heat mat, so props for that, often pet stores, in trying to increase profits, insist on heating elements, which, especially for this species, are totally unnecessary.
 
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