User Jocelynn44's Tarantula Pictures

[Jocelynn44]

Fresh Molt! Selenotypes Wallace

My Wally is about a year and a half old. He molted yesterday! Went smoothly, and now he’s all fresh and fluffy. Unfortunately it was pretty torn up, so no chance of sexing this lil one any time soon

 

[worldsparadox]

You might be surprised what some warm soapy water and a pair of tweezers can do for a crumpled up molt! I soak mine in warm soapy water for about 20 minutes then I carefully spread them out onto a clear piece of plastic for inspection. The molts become soft and supple after soaking, capable of being untwisted and laid out carefully for inspection. Beauty of a spider!

 

[Jocelynn44]

thank you! I never would’ve thought, how cool! I’ll give it a god tonight

 

[DaveM]

thank you! I never would’ve thought, how cool! I’ll give it a god tonight

I'm curious: how did your attempt at sexing the molt go? It's certainly doable at that size with experience, but don't be discouraged if you couldn't. I remember many failures, and it gets much easier with lots of practice.

 

[Jocelynn44]

unfortunately I have no experience in sexing as I am still very new to the hobby - this was a tricky fist attempt it measures about 1/2-3/4 of an inch. I’ve attached some pics here on what it looks like after setting it and spreading it out - I’m sorry they are quiet blurry, I have an old phone. It looks like the abdomen only has one layer to it - I’m also not sure what the string type piece is connecting the two (I was thinking damage during the soaking process, but open to ideas haha) please let me know your opinions, I’m very interested!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

unfortunately I have no experience in sexing as I am still very new to the hobby - this was a tricky fist attempt it measures about 1/2-3/4 of an inch. I’ve attached some pics here on what it looks like after setting it and spreading it out - I’m sorry they are quiet blurry, I have an old phone. It looks like the abdomen only has one layer to it - I’m also not sure what the string type piece is connecting the two (I was thinking damage during the soaking process, but open to ideas haha) please let me know your opinions, I’m very interested! View attachment 432006 View attachment 432007 View attachment 432008

What you need to do is to soak the molt in some water with a drop or two of dish soap. Let it soak for a few minutes, then use a needle or toothpick to gently spread it out. Go slowly, because they're very fragile. You need to look at the area in between the first pair of book lungs to see if there are spermathecae (female reproductive organs). At this size you're going to need a dissecting scope or a magnifying glass. This particular one might be too damaged to tell. Especially when they're small, they love to chew up their molts. There's also a molt sexing forum on this site where you can post photos and get some feedback.