P. irminia molt - portion of leg exuvium in H20 dish

[kimski]

I haven't seen my 3" P. irminia for about 2 1/2 months; (s)he's been in her hollow bamboo hide. Yesterday a.m I found a piece of her 'leg' not sure which leg) in the H20 dish. Fished it out and it's 'hollow'. I presume it's a remanent of a full molt? She's back up in the tube - so I can't tell.

I guess my question is, has this happened to anyone - just a little piece of the molt laying about? I'm anxious to know how the molt went and to sex the critter; if it was, indeed, a molt. Also, I guess I will have plan upon retrieving her exuvium from the bamboo tube? Just wondering. Thanks, Kim Ski

 

[JMoran1097]

see if you can find the exuvium first and then get back to us.

 

[WARPIG]

I had my A versicolor molt in its silk hammock, and over the next 3 weeks it did some house cleaning, it first pushed out its legs, then its abdomen and finally its carcapace. I think with some arboreals its par for the course.

 

[Alice]

i am near a heart attack every time my cyriopagopus spec. blue molts - she will tear up her exuvium and litter the ground with pieces of leg....

so as long as it's hollow, it's safe to assume she just molted

 

[Sharpy808]

My irminia does the same thing. She is 6 years old now and in a 4" dia. vert corkbark tube. There was a opening at the lower end of the tube but since she first moved in there she webbed up the whole bottom opening into a purse. Im guessing the molt gets stuck down in the bottom and she just tears it up trying to remove it (puling it up thru the tube).

Dont worry about not seeing it much. Mine was like that around that size but once she matured and got cumfy in her home shes out almost every night hanging on the cork tube.

Enjoy.. one of my favorites

 

[kimski]

Thanks, everybody. I am still a 'newbie' and although I've read and researched a lot, there's nothing like practical experience. And, Sharpy808, yeah, Sunny has covered up the end of her tube w/ a 'curtain' of web and peat.
My little A. versi just molted, too, and (s)he pushed the remains out of her web to the sustrate. She was my 'first' molt! I love them both so mucy!
Yay!