Re-wetting molts for sexing and more…

MrsHaas

MrsHaas

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
875
Hello my fellow T lovers!

…so if you don’t already know, I am absolutely obsessed with molts!

I love pulling them out while they’re still wet and stretching them out so I can frame them (as long as there is no noticeable harm it could cause the tarantula). But sometimes there are ones that I miss and they have already dried in a weird position like normal.

I was watching a YouTube video about remoistening molts in order to check the sex, and it got me thinking…

In the video they say molts are naturally hydrophobic, which means that they are sort of waterproof, in that the water molecules and whatever molecules in/around the molt will not bond and therefore create a thin layer separating the water and the molt. The guy in the video said that you can put some dove liquid soap or something in there to negate the hydrophobia and allow the water to thoroughly soak the molt so the abdomen can be opened up and the sex can be checked.

When I watched him do this, I saw that the entire molt got floppy and soggy, and seem med to be in the same condition as a molt that had just occurred.

I’m curious if anyone has done this before and was able to stretch out the actual mold and not just the abdomen skin. I’m just curious because I have a lot of molts that are fully intact, but have dried and strange positions I would love to be able to mount.

If necessary, I can post the YouTube link to that video. But if any of you guys have any information or ideas regarding this, please respond!

Thanks people!! <3
 
M

MSobczak

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 14, 2016
Messages
29
That's the method I use when working with molts. Once they are re moisturized with dish soap and water, youll be able to manipulate the limbs and abdomen into whatever position you want.
 
HOITrance

HOITrance

Arachnosquire
Active Member
Joined
May 10, 2022
Messages
90
Yep a single drop of dish soap in a cap or two of water. Not sure how well it works with super old molts, but I have talked to people I know on IG and TT that say it works wonders.
 
F

fcat

Arachnobaron
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Jan 1, 2023
Messages
512
I prefer to use the bougie, biodegradable "all natural" unscented FREE RANGE dish soap, as a matter of practice for pre husbandry hygiene and so I don't ever have to worry about accidental cross contamination. Maybe it doesn't work that well but in my opinion some molts just can't be reconstituted after my Ts have had their way with them.

My preferred tools are a zip tie and a wire tire, so things I would never have to worry about cross contaminating

On everything distal to the trochanter: the effect is almost instant, and there is no benefit to letting it marinate. More time will cause separation at each segment

Placing the molt on the water and then drizzling soap over it works too
 
l4nsky

l4nsky

Aspiring Mad Genius
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
1,078
If your goal is to preserve them for display vs just trying to ascertain their sex, I wouldn't use the dish soap method. With the dunk in mildly soapy water, the molts are quickly rehydrated which is good for making them able to be manipulated, but IME you'll lose a lot of the pigmentation. Instead, what I've done and recommend is to take a slow approach towards rehydrating molts to be posed for display. I'll place the dry molt in a sealable container with a saturated papertowel and then place them somewhere warm, like on top the fridge. This heat and high humidity gradually softens the molt over a few hours to a day, making it malleable again while retaining color.
 
HOITrance

HOITrance

Arachnosquire
Active Member
Joined
May 10, 2022
Messages
90
l4nsky said:
If your goal is to preserve them for display vs just trying to ascertain their sex, I wouldn't use the dish soap method. With the dunk in mildly soapy water, the molts are quickly rehydrated which is good for making them able to be manipulated, but IME you'll lose a lot of the pigmentation. Instead, what I've done and recommend is to take a slow approach towards rehydrating molts to be posed for display. I'll place the dry molt in a sealable container with a saturated papertowel and then place them somewhere warm, like on top the fridge. This heat and high humidity gradually softens the molt over a few hours to a day, making it malleable again while retaining color.
Click to expand...
Learn something new every day here.
 
A

AphonopelmaTX

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
May 7, 2004
Messages
1,827
l4nsky said:
With the dunk in mildly soapy water, the molts are quickly rehydrated which is good for making them able to be manipulated, but IME you'll lose a lot of the pigmentation.
Click to expand...
I have never noticed a loss of color before, but I have noticed if one doesn't rinse the soapy water off then a whitish residue dries on and in the exuvium.
 
l4nsky

l4nsky

Aspiring Mad Genius
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 3, 2019
Messages
1,078
AphonopelmaTX said:
I have never noticed a loss of color before, but I have noticed if one doesn't rinse the soapy water off then a whitish residue dries on and in the exuvium.
Click to expand...
I've noticed it the most with the more vibrant species like P. metallica or P. sp Sabah Blue. I figured that once the soap negates the hydrophobic effect of the hairs by decreasing the surface tension of the water, the underlying physical structures on the hairs that reflect light to produce color in tarantulas (aka structural pigment) get damaged, broken, or washed away.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top