Mould in sling enclosure

[PatsytheSpider]

Hi. This is my first post here.

I got my first tarantula just over two weeks ago. It is a roughly 1.5cm G.pulchra sling.

It ate just over half of a waxworm that was almost as big as the spider, then buried itself. That was two weeks ago and I haven’t seen it since.
A few days ago I noticed some mould on the surface of the soil and used tweezers to very carefully remove the mouldy soil from the surface. A day later I picked the container up and noticed that there is mould all through the soil and it is visible from underneath.

The spider has not made any movements for two weeks, I know that disturbing it could be disastrous if it is shedding, but that mould can have catastrophic effects. What is the correct thing to do?

Thanks so much for any guidance. I am very new to tarantulas (though I have kept a wide variety of other animals) and hope to learn as much as I can.

 

[viper69]

No need to worry

 

[regalpaws]

You can get something called springtails if it really becomes an issue, their job is to eat mold in the enclosure.
What kind of substrate did you use?

 

[TheraMygale]

Photos would be nice too.

pretty sure its the yellow egg dot mold often referred as potting soil mold. There is obviously a scientific name for it, but it wouldnt change the way in which you get rid of it.

depending on the size of your enclosure, it being a sling, it indicates the soil isnt drying fast enough. Monitor the water you add. A G pulchra doesnt need super damp sub.

if youre watering a lot and have little ventilation, it can create bigger problems.

 

[PatsytheSpider]

Thanks for all the responses!

The sling is tiny and so is in a little 8.5cm square container. It has vent holes down the sides.
The mould is white and grey powdery fluffy stuff. I will get some pictures.
The substrate was slightly damp when first put in as it was freshly expanded coco fibre. I haven’t added any moisture apart from a single tiny drop in the water bowl from a pippette.

It is definitely not as bad as it was the other day, but there is still some mould present in spots.

(edit: don’t worry, I wasn’t holding the enclosure upside down! It does look like it but I was tilting it and putting my phone underneath it)

 

[TheraMygale]

Wel i cant see the mold. will go dormant. the second it gets all moist again, it will bloom. Until every inch of the enclosure has nothing left to “feed” on.

by that time you will have moved tarantula in new enclosure. And will probably live through this again.

i have this in some of my enclosures, i find reptisoil to be the worse one so far. I even get fruiting bodies.

but when i tweak my watering, bowl sizes and air flow holes, i can work around it.

i hate the way it looks for sure.

 

[NMTs]

Hello, and welcome! Congrats on getting your new sling - that's a great choice for a first T. The sling buried itself because it likely ate it's fill and is now waiting to molt. This can go quickly or take a while (like months), so you'll need to be patient. Do you have a window into the sling's burrow from the side at all? Not being able to see what is going on is hard for a new keeper. Do you happen to have any pics of the sling from just before it went underground?

that mould can have catastrophic effects.

While prolonged exposure to mold (and mostly the conditions that promote persistent mold growth) can be detrimental, in most cases it isn't something to worry about.

 

[PatsytheSpider]

Hello, and welcome! Congrats on getting your new sling - that's a great choice for a first T. The sling buried itself because it likely ate it's fill and is now waiting to molt. This can go quickly or take a while (like months), so you'll need to be patient. Do you have a window into the sling's burrow from the side at all? Not being able to see what is going on is hard for a new keeper. Do you happen to have any pics of the sling from just before it went underground?


While prolonged exposure to mold (and mostly the conditions that promote persistent mold growth) can be detrimental, in most cases it isn't something to worry about.

Thank you!.

It has a little Tiny piece of cork bark that it has piled substrate around so I suspect it has made a little cave under there and so there is no side of the burrow on a transparent surface.

I am looking forward to it re-emerging and potentially looking a bit different! Will there be an obvious size difference if it has shed?

I have a really bad picture from when I fed it (didn’t want to scare it by getting too close) and one from when I first got it a few days earlier but I didn’t get one from after feeding as it had burrowed down within a day.

I’m assuming I shouldn’t be offering food while it isn’t visible. I am keeping a little drop of water in its bowl though in case it comes up.

 

[NMTs]

I am looking forward to it re-emerging and potentially looking a bit different! Will there be an obvious size difference if it has shed?

You should be able to tell that it has molted by looking at the abdomen - it will be skinnier and have fresh hair on it (maybe completely covered in hair if it only had a little patch before, or a slightly larger patch - depends on how big it is).

I was wondering if you had a recent pic so I could give you an idea of how long it might take to molt, and how concerned you should be if you don't see it for a few weeks or months. The main concern is dehydration, so it's good that you're keeping the water dish full. You might add a few drops directly to the substrate next to the burrow once a week so it will soak down and allow the sling to drink since they don't always come out to drink when they're buried. Obviously, don't add sp much that it floods the burrow, just a few drops will be fine. Let us know if you don't see it emerge in the next month!

 

[PatsytheSpider]

You should be able to tell that it has molted by looking at the abdomen - it will be skinnier and have fresh hair on it (maybe completely covered in hair if it only had a little patch before, or a slightly larger patch - depends on how big it is).

I was wondering if you had a recent pic so I could give you an idea of how long it might take to molt, and how concerned you should be if you don't see it for a few weeks or months. The main concern is dehydration, so it's good that you're keeping the water dish full. You might add a few drops directly to the substrate next to the burrow once a week so it will soak down and allow the sling to drink since they don't always come out to drink when they're buried. Obviously, don't add sp much that it floods the burrow, just a few drops will be fine. Let us know if you don't see it emerge in the next month!

Thank you so much, this advice is really helpful.

I have attached an image of it before it ate. It was very very fuzzy.

 

[CentiPete]

A initial mould bloom is normal in a new enclosure that gets fresh substrate in it and will settle itself in a few weeks. Never has been a problem for any of my animals. Black mould is something to worry about. Springtails make short work of mould for sure.

 

[NMTs]

Thank you so much, this advice is really helpful.

I have attached an image of it before it ate. It was very very fuzzy.

Looks plenty plump, and the abdomen looks like it was already starting to darken, so I imagine it'll molt here in the next few weeks. Let us know when it resurfaces!

 

[PatsytheSpider]

Thanks so much!