Molting times

[ArachnoJoost]

Hey all,

I've been wondering about this for some time: I know that about all the molts from my spiders happen during the daytime, why is this? The only reason I can come up with is the temperature, cause I could think of no other reason for a spider to molt during the day. I don't know if this is only in captivity or in the wild also. Any thoughts on this?
greetz,
Joost

ps. Yes! my juvenile B. smithi is now frantically laying down a silk web, so guess today is the day for him (time: 2:35 pm) so another one in the daytime
update: it's now on its back (time: 2:47 pm)

 

[MrDeranged]

I've had pleny of slings and adults molt at night, so that kind of throws a wrench into your hypothesis. ;P It could possibly be that in their native countries, it's nighttime while in your area it's daytime. Of course that would mean that they only molt at night which is not true either as I've had plenty molt in the daytime too. I guess you're just lucky enough to have them molt when you're not sleeping.

Scott

PS Good luck with the smithi molt

 

[Rookie]

How noticeable

I was just wondering how noticeable the discarded exoskeleton is. Is it possible that my T might moult while I'm sleeping, or in class, etc., and I may not realize that he's moulted, and his old 'skin' is in his home somewhere? Or are they kinda hard to miss?
Paul

 

[Wade]

You won't miss it unless it does it in a burrow, and even then they usually bring it out eventually. Many a newbie keeper has been startled to find what appears to be a second tarantula in the cage! The molt is pretty crumpled, but if you remove it soon afetr the molt, you can shape it into a reasonably life-like reproduction of the living spider.

Fun for the whole family!

Wade

 

[ArachnoJoost]

Succes! The smithi molted without any problems, removed the shed skin almost immediately because there were a few mites on the chelicerae. Her (or atleast that's what I think it is) knees have gone very red indeed now, she's a very handsome spider! It was her 11'th molt now (5th in my care). I put the molt in my molt-cigarbox, where I keep the molts from my L. parahybana and B. smithi (but now the box is full as you can see in the picture). From the scan you can see the incredible growth rate of the L.parahybana compared to the B. smithi (L. parahybana molts are from 5 months, the smithi from 10 months)
greetz,
Joost

 

[Mister Internet]

Wow, that L. parahybana has molted for you once a month consistently?? That is lightspeed, man... I may have to get one of those...

 

[ArachnoJoost]

MI,
You should do that! Mine is very pretty, about 4" now, very nice salmon hairs on the abdomen. Only one problem: mine is addicted to pinkies now... He won't touch a cricket, but when I put in a thawed pinkie he takes it within the hour and spends a whole night chewing away on it...
greetz,
Joost

ps. The last molt of the parahybana was on 13-9-2002, not 3-9-2002, leg of b.smithi was obstructing the view... (see pic above)

ps.2: Yeah, my 100th post!

 

[ithuriel]

my redrump never discarded her old skin , instead the little bitch buried /incorporated it into her summer burrow. she has a winter one too against the heat pad side of the tank