Today I turned the lights on in my T room and I looked in the Goliath Birdeater's den, and she molted over night. I lifted it up to take it out and check on her, she seemed very weak. I gave her a little nudge on her back legs and she moved, but had to more or less drag herself. she hasn't moved since. her temp and humidity was stable for the last 2 weeks. Am i just paranoid?
Post Molt, she acting off.. or is it me?
- Thread starter Snakes13
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Well what do you expect a day after? I've never touched a freshly molted T, but I would assume it's trying not to hurt itself while it's hardening up. It's gonna remain motionless until it hardens. Leave it alone.
Fran is the Theraphosa King, maybe he'll chime in.
Thegloryfades
Arachnosquire
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Its possible she had just finished molting give her a few days to harden up she should spunk up
Today when I woke up she was out holding her own weight up, digging around in the moss looking for crickets (she commonly will hunt there for escaped snacks). I know they say don't feed for a week or two, but I might throw a cricket in there for her and see if she engages later tonight, if she shows no interest after a while, ill take it back out.
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To the OP,
You never ever bother and touch a tarantula after a molt.
Im would recommend you also not to move their burrows or forniture. They
can take a long time to settle in (specially Theraphosa ) , so you dont want to re arrange their "forniture". That will put an unnecessary stress on your T.
Its better if you dont bother her at all for a good week or 2 after the molt.
You never ever bother and touch a tarantula after a molt.
Im would recommend you also not to move their burrows or forniture. They
can take a long time to settle in (specially Theraphosa ) , so you dont want to re arrange their "forniture". That will put an unnecessary stress on your T.
Its better if you dont bother her at all for a good week or 2 after the molt.
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Do NOT toss a cricket in. If your T does decide to engage, it is going to damage a fang and could possibly lose it. They aren't hardened up yet. Just wait, if you want what's best for your T. Please don't deliberately injure it by doing this.
@ fran- yea, I never like poking or prodding at all. I just tilted the log up on one side so I could grab the molt and slide it out with the tongs, and she placed 2 legs where it needed to go back down (there was no moving the den 1/8 an inch because its against the wall). I just used the tongs to lightly disturb the coco fiber by her feet hoping she would just tuck them back in, i wasn't expecting her to move at all. {also I try and not touch my T's ESPECIALLY this one... I cant breath right for hours and I work at a radio station and sound like death on air, the molt was enough to make me hack up a lung}
As for feeding I will hold off, but she did pull out and dig threw all the moss and then went back to her den, something she has never done before. Like I said earlier thats where she grabs her snacks from. Guess I had the same feeling when I see my dog sitting by the food bowl even thou I just gave him his food a half hour ago, those puppy eyes know how to sucker treats.
Thanks for the tips, If I see her out again i will have to snap a few pics.
As for feeding I will hold off, but she did pull out and dig threw all the moss and then went back to her den, something she has never done before. Like I said earlier thats where she grabs her snacks from. Guess I had the same feeling when I see my dog sitting by the food bowl even thou I just gave him his food a half hour ago, those puppy eyes know how to sucker treats.
Thanks for the tips, If I see her out again i will have to snap a few pics.
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