Lampropelma violaceopes Premolt?

Brand fhp

Arachnopeon
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May 29, 2016
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I put her in a new enclosure about 3 weeks ago and she hasn't been moving around much she has found the premade hide, webbed it up a little and now she just sits in the hide not coming out at all ,and when I checked her abdomen it seems that it is stretching out a bit at the bottom ,could she possibly be preparing for a molt? Any kind of help would be awesome :) IMG_0572.JPG IMG_0565.JPG
 

Thistles

Arachnobroad
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Possibly. She looks pretty fat. Get it wetter in there and make sure she has enough substrate to dig in. This species needs a lot of moisture to thrive, especially when young.
 

Brand fhp

Arachnopeon
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Possibly. She looks pretty fat. Get it wetter in there and make sure she has enough substrate to dig in. This species needs a lot of moisture to thrive, especially when young.
Thanks for the tips!
 

ledzeppelin

Arachnobaron
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Jan 8, 2013
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It will change its preference of setup when it gets bigger tho. When they are young they do prefer to burrow, but they become arboreal with age. Just like P. irminia do. Webbed up hide does in a lot of cases mean premolt, especially if it hasn't eaten in a few weeks :) But I agree, keep it moist and you will speed the process of premolt. Sometimes they wait for good conditions :)
 

Brand fhp

Arachnopeon
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It will change its preference of setup when it gets bigger tho. When they are young they do prefer to burrow, but they become arboreal with age. Just like P. irminia do. Webbed up hide does in a lot of cases mean premolt, especially if it hasn't eaten in a few weeks :) But I agree, keep it moist and you will speed the process of premolt. Sometimes they wait for good conditions :)
Oh wow I didn't know that I just thought if they did prefer to dig that's what they were gonna do, I had her before she even had her purplish color when she was brown she's molted twice while I've had her
 

ledzeppelin

Arachnobaron
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Given the opportunitiy to become arboreal, they eventually will.. a few more molts, and then try to change the setup to arboreal without demolishing her burrows.. Then you'll see if it shifts to being arboreal and ditches the burrow :)
 

Graves6661

Arachnosquire
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Dec 31, 2015
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Most likely premolt as stated before. My A. genic is currently in premolt and will not leave her hide for anything. She normally will come out anytime I open the enclosure expecting a roach to be dropped in. Before I realized she was in premolt she refused to eat which I thought was strange but then noticed her abdomen was bald and darkening. She just started laying down web inside her hide so I am expecting her to molt any day now.
 

Brand fhp

Arachnopeon
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Given the opportunitiy to become arboreal, they eventually will.. a few more molts, and then try to change the setup to arboreal without demolishing her burrows.. Then you'll see if it shifts to being arboreal and ditches the burrow :)
What if the tank she is in is only 5 gallons do you have any tips for setting up some arboreal pieces in it or would I have to make a whole new setup ,sorry for all the questions my T's are practically my children xD
 

ledzeppelin

Arachnobaron
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What if the tank she is in is only 5 gallons do you have any tips for setting up some arboreal pieces in it or would I have to make a whole new setup ,sorry for all the questions my T's are practically my children xD
A tube of cork bark placed vertically would do ;)
 

Red Eunice

Arachnodemon
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Mar 2, 2014
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666
If you use a tube be prepared to rarely see them. A curved or slab of cork with plenty of foilage will allow for more viewing opportunity.
I've raised mine from slings and were burrowing beasts. When they hit the 4" size, became more arboreal and built web curtains similar to Psalmopoeus species. Now at 6"+, spend much of the time at mid level. Only time on the substrate is to hunt food. A gorgeous species when fully matured, a worthy addition for the arboreal lovers.
 

cold blood

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What if the tank she is in is only 5 gallons do you have any tips for setting up some arboreal pieces in it or would I have to make a whole new setup ,sorry for all the questions my T's are practically my children xD
This species is fast, and will get large, so like a lot of species with these characteristics, I always suggest more room. I would use a larger tank than 5 gal. On top of that, because of their moisture requirements, they need optimal ventilation, which a conventional tank isn't good for.

I do what Led Zepplin was saying. I also keep most OW arboreals terrestrially, although its almost semi-arboreal as I do keep a piece of leaned wood to climb on, its just not too tall, but there's always plenty of room. As adults though, they get a roomy, more traditionally arboreal set up every time.

I try not to ever let the LV enclosures dry out completely. They have notorious molting issues if kept too dry.
 

Brand fhp

Arachnopeon
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This species is fast, and will get large, so like a lot of species with these characteristics, I always suggest more room. I would use a larger tank than 5 gal. On top of that, because of their moisture requirements, they need optimal ventilation, which a conventional tank isn't good for.

I do what Led Zepplin was saying. I also keep most OW arboreals terrestrially, although its almost semi-arboreal as I do keep a piece of leaned wood to climb on, its just not too tall, but there's always plenty of room. As adults though, they get a roomy, more traditionally arboreal set up every time.

I try not to ever let the LV enclosures dry out completely. They have notorious molting issues if kept too dry.
I've witnessed her speed while rehousing her lol I'll make sure that the enclosure stays wet :)
 

cold blood

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I've witnessed her speed while rehousing her lol I'll make sure that the enclosure stays wet :)
Not wet, just a little damp and never completely dry. Over doing the moisture can be just as much of an issue, or worse of an issue.
 

Brand fhp

Arachnopeon
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Not wet, just a little damp and never completely dry. Over doing the moisture can be just as much of an issue, or worse of an issue.
i know it being to wet could lead to mites wet was the wrong word to use aha
 

cold blood

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i know it being to wet could lead to mites wet was the wrong word to use aha
I hear ya...but its actually much more than mites. Actually, just the way they need to be housed is pretty conducive to mites, proper ventilation and airflow, along with prompt clean up of any bolus is your defense for mites;)
 
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