P. metallica motionless

JonnyTorch

Arachnotwit
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May 10, 2020
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329
My P. metallica that I've had for a few months now went into premolt and refused it's last meal so I took out the prey and let it's do it's thing. It has molted for me twice with no problems. This time I went to check on it and I noticed it's literally hanging from it's webbing from it's front two legs vertically. It's not leaning against it's web or the cork bark, it's hanging from it's first two legs. It's in heavy premolt, the abdomen is shiny and it didn't want to eat the last few days.

Over the last two weeks it moved from the ground webbing area to making a TP shaped cone at the top of the bark, sealing off the top, with the bottom area open. It's about a 1-1.5" sling. The substrate is slightly moist, but isn't soaked or drenched. I noticed about 2 hours ago that it's in this position, and it hasn't moved at all. For a sling this size I would have imagined a carapace popping by now at least. It's like it's dangling, motionless. Not sure when to worry. I've had an adult porteri take 8 hours to molt after going on it's back, and a GBB take 3 hours as a small(ish) sling to molt but they moved at least a little bit. I'm getting worried about the thing, I love this spider. It's abdomen is a little big and shiny, I can only figure it could be resting for an extended amount of time before the molt, or it exhausted itself and failed to molt altogether. I guess I will update tomorrow if it has molted yet.

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jrh3

Araneae
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Tarantulas do some crazy things when they want, I would just leave it alone. Don’t move the enclosure or anything.

They know more about what they are doing than we do. I have had them curl upon one side like laying in a hammock.
The main thing is not to worry, as there is not much you can do.
 

l4nsky

Aspiring Mad Genius
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Expect a molt very soon. IME, this is the arboreal version of a terrestrial tarantula flipping over onto it's back for a molt.
 

viper69

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I don’t worry about molting because there’s nothing I can do.
 

JonnyTorch

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May 10, 2020
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Well I woke up this morning and it still hasn't moved, and the carapace hasn't popped. It should have definitely molted already being that small at 1-1.5" It's still motionless, hanging there in the exact same pose, limbs haven't changed position or moved. Man, I'm pretty sure it passed away. This would be my first T passing in 5 years of keeping T's and that pretty much sucks. It's been in that position for like 12 hours. 😢
 
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greeneyedelle

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Jan 26, 2021
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Definitely don’t stress yet. I had a n. coloratovillosus that molted a couple weeks ago, and I knew it was coming, but she didn’t move for 3 days. Three. Days. At least not that I saw, but her position didn’t change once in that time. If it’s a bad molt and the t died, you’ll know in time, but if it’s fine and just prepping for the impending molt, your best option in either scenario is to wait. Fingers crossed it comes out alright! It’s a pretty spood 😊
 

JonnyTorch

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Definitely don’t stress yet. I had a n. coloratovillosus that molted a couple weeks ago, and I knew it was coming, but she didn’t move for 3 days. Three. Days. At least not that I saw, but her position didn’t change once in that time. If it’s a bad molt and the t died, you’ll know in time, but if it’s fine and just prepping for the impending molt, your best option in either scenario is to wait. Fingers crossed it comes out alright! It’s a pretty spood 😊
Ya for sure, 3 days is usually a "can be possibility" for larger specimens. This one is just above 1" and usually over a day it's not as likely to continue to molt. The larger they are the longer they take to molt, this one still being small. So I'm bummed. I'll for sure leave it alone, but it 100% hasn't as much as wiggled a leg.
 

greeneyedelle

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Ya for sure, 3 days is usually a "can be possibility" for larger specimens. This one is just above 1" and usually over a day it's not as likely to continue to molt. The larger they are the longer they take to molt, this one still being small. So I'm bummed. I'll for sure leave it alone, but it 100% hasn't as much as wiggled a leg.
Oh yeah, definitely, my coloratovillosus is actually a little smaller than an inch!
 

JonnyTorch

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May 10, 2020
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Going on almost 19 hours now. I'm pretty sure it passed. Sucks. I will be getting another one, I loved the metallica. It molted for me two times in my care without issues. I understand sometimes T's just have a failed molt. I can see the carapace sort of "trying to pop" but it never got to that point of actually popping open. I'm pretty sure it got stuck, I'll just leave it be for another night and chalk it up as a failed molt if it's like this tomorrow. First time it's happened for me, and first T passing experience after having T's for 5 years. Not enjoyable, especially since I'm the kind of keeper that likes to keep one of each species at a time 😢
 

JonnyTorch

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@VaporRyder @Craig73 yes. It passed. Still have no idea why or what happened. It wasn't overly moist at all (wasn't moist enough to squeeze water out of or even moist enough to have condensation in the walls at all, but it also wasn't bone dry either) but I also never witnessed it drinking from the water dish, nor do I recall seeing it's poo anywhere.

I've picked up another P. met. With the new one, just in case, I have drilled extra air holes around the bottom near the substrate. My irminia is being kept in the same size enclosure as the Metallica was, and the irminia is thriving, so I'm not sure. But I'm giving it another go with this species.
 

greeneyedelle

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@VaporRyder @Craig73 yes. It passed. Still have no idea why or what happened. It wasn't overly moist at all (wasn't moist enough to squeeze water out of or even moist enough to have condensation in the walls at all, but it also wasn't bone dry either) but I also never witnessed it drinking from the water dish, nor do I recall seeing it's poo anywhere.

I've picked up another P. met. With the new one, just in case, I have drilled extra air holes around the bottom near the substrate. My irminia is being kept in the same size enclosure as the Metallica was, and the irminia is thriving, so I'm not sure. But I'm giving it another go with this species.
That’s so unfortunate, I’m sorry. What a weird mystery. Impaction maybe? With the abdomen swollen like it would be with premolt? That’s just scary and sad, you never know what’s gonna happen with these guys even when nothing seems wrong 😳 Best of luck with the new one when you get it though! They’re an amazing genus.
 

JonnyTorch

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May 10, 2020
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I'll keep this one less moist and mostly drier. They are supposed to be a hardy species so idk what happened but I drilled more holes all around as an extra precaution for this one.
 

Craig73

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@VaporRyder @Craig73 yes. It passed. Still have no idea why or what happened. It wasn't overly moist at all (wasn't moist enough to squeeze water out of or even moist enough to have condensation in the walls at all, but it also wasn't bone dry either) but I also never witnessed it drinking from the water dish, nor do I recall seeing it's poo anywhere.

I've picked up another P. met. With the new one, just in case, I have drilled extra air holes around the bottom near the substrate. My irminia is being kept in the same size enclosure as the Metallica was, and the irminia is thriving, so I'm not sure. But I'm giving it another go with this species.
Glad you got another. They are hardy as far as I know and in my limited experience with one, so I can’t believe it was husbandry related based on how you described keeping it. Things pass on at different periods in their life cycle for whatever reason. Life is mysterious that way.

Sending good vibes. They grow fast, you should have a mini beast in no time. When I kept mine it went from 1” to about 3.5” in a year.
 

VaporRyder

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Jun 3, 2021
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Hi @JonnyTorch

So sorry to hear. Agree with Craig. Best of luck with the new one!

I’ve had two sling losses that I can’t explain.

The first was a P.everetti that I got at the same time as a P.sp ‘Sabah Blue’. Both went into the same type of set-up, the everetti was initially very active out of the vial (well packaged, no concerns there) - but I found it hanging from a leaf, dead when I checked on it a couple of hours later. The Sabah Blue is thriving. (Shop immediately refunded the everetti).

The second was my little C.sp ‘Kaeng Kraken’ sling, kept in the exact same conditions as my little C.huahini sling. Huahini thrived but Kaeng sadly passed a couple of months in.
 
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