Smithi molting - what do I do with molt? (re sexing)

[LadySharon]

Hi. My 2" B smithi is mid molt. It Occurred to me that it may be a good enough size to try a sexing.

I have seen numerous times on here people talk about wetting the molt.

I don't want to mess up here...

As soon as he/she is done and upright and has walked away from the molting site I want to take the molt out.

Should I...

1. Just try to smooth it out and take a pic

2. Spritz lightly with water - then do 1.

3. Soak it completely (for how long?) then do 1. ???

4. Other.

Thanks.

- Sharon

 

[Talkenlate04]

Ok so since you are watching the molt, just wait till it flips over then steal the molt. Its still going to be soft so you wont need to soak it in anything. Take tooth picks and open up the abdomen area so its as flat as you can get it with out ripping it. Then get the best picture you can and we'll take a look. Ill snap a picture to show you what I am talking about.
Be right back.

 

[LadySharon]

Great ... thanks

I generaly have to manualy focas my cam to get it to take good pics really close - even macro doesn't focas right.

But I'll try.

btw your two days off.

But that's ok... if he/she molted on wed I'd not have been able to watch.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Ok so here is a female,

And here is a male,

 

[LadySharon]

Well... S/he was done about 3 hours ago but wouldn't move from the molt site.

So I went for a walk - when I got back - I coudln't see the molt... it was now under the spider. Thinking S/he was eating it I gently coxed Him/her away.

Got out a crumpled molt and did my best here... I don't have time to resize in photo shop I am leaving on vacation tommorow morning and have stuff I need to do before then.

If it's not sexable that's ok I can wait until next time.... or maybe the next time the T sits on the wall. They seem to like doing that.

- Sharon

 

[Talkenlate04]

Its sexable but you have to open the abodomen like in my pictures so we can see between the upper book lungs on the inside.

 

[DrAce]

Yah. I tried to save and zoom, but photobook, or whatever had down sized the picture. You'll need to get closer and change your angle so we can have a good look in there.

 

[LadySharon]

oh dang. it's still on top of the cages but I dunno.... I had tryed flatting it more and tilting it.

And I just uploaded it directly to the site it's not hosted anywhere.

 

[LadySharon]

I'm sorry.

I spritzed it and TRYED... I got it as flat as I could but... I think it looks worse.

I thought you just needed the vent area.

And there is no way I can get closer. I stick it on manual focas and the cam is like 2 to 3 inchs away.

The second I zoom the focas goes to 10 inchs. And the spider is smaller even if I go into digital zoon - which loses focas

All I have to say is you guys have to have amazing cameras to get pics of itty bitty babies that I've seen on here. This is a basic digital.

- Sharon

sigh well it wouldn't let me resize the pic. Also decided to include a "after" shot - he/she is grooming in this pic so isn't streached out.

 

[Talkenlate04]

You have the molt upside down! Flip it over and try. And now that its hard use rubbing alcohol to soften up the molt again.

 

[LadySharon]

Huh? Ok now I'm really confused. Isn't it the same direction as the first pic? Or did I get it twisted?

I don't have rubbing alchohol.

Sigh. I pretty much give up... I have to go to bed anyway. My parents are picking me up at 8:00 am.

I'm sorry I only tryed taking pics of a molt once before... and the spider was an inch so I didn't bother posting.

My last ditch effort is to post a post molt shot... of the spider upside down and try that way. I think the pic is too dark though... and the spider is not vertical in the pic.

shrug.

Thanks for being patient with me.

- Sharon

PS... Had to delete the last two pics.

 

[Talkenlate04]

With that ventral Ill throw out a maybe male. 70/30. But a new vertral when the T hardens up will help and maybe you will get the next molt.

 

[LadySharon]

Ok thanks. For some reason my T's like to hang out on the front of the cages in the evening.

Oh btw... When I shown the light on him durning the molt all the other T's in the surounding cages migrated to the front... the rose hair's were very active.

I thought T's didn't like light? (they are on a bookcase in a darker hallway - the light is a 40 watt blub in a clip lamp cliped to the shelf above and postioned as such so I'm not shineing the light TOO close - I also pretty much had it on only during the major parts of the molt.)

Ok I'm going to bed now. I may peek in in the morning...
But after that I'm assuming no web access until monday.

Thanks again.

night.
- Sharon