Possible Molt?

[pauls]

Over the past two days, my rosie hasn't left her hide. The webbing over the entrance has gotten thicker as well. Do you think she could be getting ready to molt, or is the web a way to trap crickets? I have two pictures of her hide's entrance. The picture doesn't show very well (my camera is too clunky to get a good shot from within the small cage), but the webbing does go over the entire entrance. What do you guys think?

-Paul

 

[Tranz]

Looks like pre-molt webbing to me. If it has stopped eating, I'd give it 7 to 14 days to molt, based on my limited experience. Best to just leave it alone.

 

[TigerWoman]

Is there a criket i see in there? If you think she is about to molt, you better take the criket out! Or else your T might become criket dinner

 

[pauls]

Did and done. As soon as I finished posting I removed the cricket. Unfortunately, the cricket fled into the spider hide when I first tried to get it. I had to come up with an interesting long prod so I could nudge the cricket out without hurting the web. Everything is fine now. My spider is resting happily and undisturbed

 

[Code Monkey]

Yes, if it's sealed itself in it could very well be in premoult although there is also just the possibility that it's reacted to the changing daylight length/temp and is holing up for the winter. Regardless, don't worry about it, it will either come out when it's moulted and ready to forage again, or when it's decided the climate is proper once more (wild caught specimens often behave as though they're experiencing the changing seasons, even going so far as to refuse to eat simply because their instinct says it's cold, there can't be any food around while a cricket dances in front of it).

 

[Joy]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
Yes, if it's sealed itself in it could very well be in premoult although there is also just the possibility that it's reacted to the changing daylight length/temp and is holing up for the winter.

And if your spider is mature, female, and recently WC, there's the additional possibility that she might be going to present you with an eggsac!

Joy

 

[pauls]

Originally posted by Joy
And if your spider is mature, female, and recently WC, there's the additional possibility that she might be going to present you with an eggsac!

Joy

LOL! I've had this little spidey for not even a week. She better not be making babies! I wouldn't know what to do with them. She (I'm only assuming it's a she because...well...I want to) is still small from what I've read on rosies, so I don't think she'll be reproducing soon. It has been getting a teeny bit cooler in my room though. It used to stay at 70F, now it's dropping around 65-68F. I'll give her time though. Patients always seems to help. Thanks for all your help!

-Paul