How do i know when an A.versi sling is in premolt?

George92

Arachnopeon
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I was wondering about "as the title says".
I dropped a cricket in the enclosure a week ago (not pre-killed) and it didn't bother with it. After a Day the cricket went under The bark piece which was a little hard to remove and I didn't wanna disturb it..
Today I picked it out since it Was still alive.

And now to the questions!
1. How to tell on a versi when in pre-molt since it's abdomen is dark as a sling?
2. How often do they molt in their early stages as slings? (mine is about 2cm in legspan)
3. Do they need it a little extra moisty in there while in a pre-molt? (I mist a little area in the enclosure 1-2 days in a week, im letting the monopoly hotel do the job on keeping it a lil humid in there ^^. And substrate is being kept dry most of the time)

I got it 28th Jan, and I think im doing a good job for The moment being ^^
I've read alot about SADS and was afraid I would loose my little fellow in a week's time.. :/ Take notes that I am fresh in to the hobby and it's my first arboreal :)

And I would love to hear your experiences with the Avics!
 

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sdsnybny

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Looks like he/she is doing fine. Little Avic slings will have a fat abdomen and it will get very shiny looking right before a molt. try feeding it again in 5 or so days if it refuses again that's a good sign its heading into premolt. As long as it is plump it isn't going to starve if it doesn't eat for weeks, the gas tank is full and it will just wait till its time to molt.
 

George92

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Looks like he/she is doing fine. Little Avic slings will have a fat abdomen and it will get very shiny looking right before a molt. try feeding it again in 5 or so days if it refuses again that's a good sign its heading into premolt. As long as it is plump it isn't going to starve if it doesn't eat for weeks, the gas tank is full and it will just wait till its time to molt.
I actually put it on top of it's net again this time pre-killed. Went out from the room and after 20 min or so i camera back and it Was munching on it ^^
So no pre-molt :(
But thanks for The info! Will be useful the coming days :)
 

viper69

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And now to the questions!
1. How to tell on a versi when in pre-molt since it's abdomen is dark as a sling?
2. How often do they molt in their early stages as slings? (mine is about 2cm in legspan)
3. Do they need it a little extra moisty in there while in a pre-molt? (I mist a little area in the enclosure 1-2 days in a week, im letting the monopoly hotel do the job on keeping it a lil humid in there ^^. And substrate is being kept dry most of the time)

I got it 28th Jan, and I think im doing a good job for The moment being ^^
I've read alot about SADS and was afraid I would loose my little fellow in a week's time.. :/ Take notes that I am fresh in to the hobby and it's my first arboreal
Take notes ;)

@George92 There is NO SUCH thing as SADS. It is an internet myth!

Handling your Avic is a great way for it to die, they do jump regularly, even from 4-6 ft above a floor. If you care about your Avic, and you seem to, don't handle it.

1. Even with a sling you'll notice change, dorsal region of abdomen gets darker, the vasculature may be observed laterally as well proximal to the to the point of the fused body segments
2. Molting based on temps they are kept and frequency of feeding, AND type of food provided too.
3. There is no proof extra humidity helps with molting.
 

George92

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Yeah seems logic since they dont really die suddenly, it's more like due to bad husbandry. But there is so much mixed opinions how to keep and care for them which makes it difficult to know what's right ^^

And also to clearify the handling, I do care for my Avic and all of my T's ^^ handling is the last think I wanna do, but the little fellow decided to take a trip out so I figured I could let it explore for a moment :p Otherwise im strongly against handling such animals, they need to be treated with respect!
I have my dog for The handling part ^^

I keep mine at 22c, which I guess is an average temp for them, and I feed my avic a cricket once a week. Not really in a hurry for it to molt faster, it's the otherway around ^^

So humidity doesn't even help while in the molting phase right?

Now it doesn't have anything to do with this topic but I got some good News! Im getting an P. Metallica 0.1.0 and E. Cyanognathus 0.0.1 the 25th this month!! :D
Got some studying to do hehe
 

Ungoliant

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So humidity doesn't even help while in the molting phase right?
What counts for molting is hydration, not humidity. (Dehydration is bad for molting, because the tarantula needs to produce a lubricating fluid to wriggle out of its old exoskeleton.) So make sure there is always water available, especially during pre-molt. (Your tarantula may also be thirsty after molting.)
 

George92

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What counts for molting is hydration, not humidity. (Dehydration is bad for molting, because the tarantula needs to produce a lubricating fluid to wriggle out of its old exoskeleton.) So make sure there is always water available, especially during pre-molt. (Your tarantula may also be thirsty after molting.)
Yeah but that's not to worry with me since i check the waterdishes on a daily basis ^^
 

viper69

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but I got some good News! Im getting an P. Metallica 0.1.0
Have you even owned a fast species at all yet, let alone a fast OW species?? Or you hopped into a P met just because it was so pretty you couldn't resist?? If it's the latter, what a disaster.
 

Walker253

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Now it doesn't have anything to do with this topic but I got some good News! Im getting an P. Metallica 0.1.0 and E. Cyanognathus 0.0.1 the 25th this month!! :D
Got some studying to do hehe
Wait....What? You're going from basic level A versicolor questions to I'm getting a P metallica? I'm with viper on this one. Baby steps...
 

George92

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I do have a A. Geniculata, but I have also read about the poecilotheria genus and watched alot of vids. I Know they are of experienced level but I feel like I can handle this.
Im also expecting it to be lightning fast and defensive. But that ain't no problem for me ^^
But by hearing your opinions about it I will be extra cascious.
What is the most hard part of keeping them tho? Speed, defensivness or unpredictability?
 

Andrea82

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I do have a A. Geniculata, but I have also read about the poecilotheria genus and watched alot of vids. I Know they are of experienced level but I feel like I can handle this.
Im also expecting it to be lightning fast and defensive. But that ain't no problem for me ^^
But by hearing your opinions about it I will be extra cascious.
What is the most hard part of keeping them tho? Speed, defensivness or unpredictability?
I'd say all three, plus potent venom in case of the P.metallica.
And as for the E.cyanognathus, this species burrows and need specific humidity and moisture in their enclosures to thrive, which can be difficult if you don't have the basics of T husbandry down.
N
Both are not a species i would recommend as a third and fourth T,especially if you have difficulty getting the Avic husbandry right.
 

cold blood

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I've read alot about SADS and was afraid I would loose my little fellow in a week's time..
There is no such thing. Its a blind explanation for mistakes in husbandry...generally caused by following care sheets.

I do have a A. Geniculata, but I have also read about the poecilotheria genus and watched alot of vids. I Know they are of experienced level but I feel like I can handle this.
Im also expecting it to be lightning fast and defensive. But that ain't no problem for me ^^
But by hearing your opinions about it I will be extra cascious.
What is the most hard part of keeping them tho? Speed, defensivness or unpredictability?
The hardest part about them is jumping to them without proper experience. Get and raise a P. cam first...it will prepare you for a future pokie.
Please don't get the P. met at this stage in the hobby...its too early.

Back to the versi sling...IME smaller ones molt about every 40-55 days....as they grow over 1.5", that extends to 80-90 days IME.
 
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George92

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There is no such thing. Its a blind explanation for mistakes in husbandry...generally caused by following care sheets.
Yeah, care sheets ain't trustworthy. What i'm looking for is to find info about it's habitat and try to get an understanding about their nature in wild.
 

cold blood

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Yeah, care sheets ain't trustworthy. What i'm looking for is to find info about it's habitat and try to get an understanding about their nature in wild.
Cool, but keep in mind, its living in your home, not the wild.

They need a piece of wood to stretch out on and hunt from and plenty of good cover (plants) surrounding the upper parts of that wood. That's creating an avic habitat that the spider will appreciate. Couple that with a pretty dry enclosure, a water dish and good ventilation (they live in trees, afterall, which dry out quickly and have max airflow).
 

George92

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I'd like to back off from it but the arrangement is already made and I don't wanna let him down since we've talked for quite some time now..

Well, not much more I can do but wait for it to molt ^^
 

Andrea82

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I'd like to back off from it but the arrangement is already made and I don't wanna let him down since we've talked for quite some time now..

Well, not much more I can do but wait for it to molt ^^
I don't think the guy you're getting the P.metallica and E.cyanognathus from will have trouble to sell them to someone else since they are really popular. So no reason to het upset about you calling it off. ;)
 

George92

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Feb 2, 2017
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Nah he probably wont be having trouble selling them, i'll see what I can do about it..
 
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