T. blondi molt

[jwb121377]

I think my poor T. blondi may have met its end! It seems that sometime today or yesterday it molted but never recovered. Its not stiff yet so there is still hope.(but I think this may be it for the little bugger) If this is the case it will be the first t' I have ever lost.
On a side note I have trantulas molting left and right! In the past week I've had 2 Usambara slings(3/4") molt, a B. albopilosum(6"), the T. blondi(2.5"), and my B. smithi's (3") little hind end is black so it wont be long for him. Must be the weather

 

[jwb121377]

and the bell tolls

Well it is now official my T. blondi is dead. It looks upon closer inspection that its little abdomen collapsed. It was a sad loss.
Jeremy

 

[Botar]

T blondi

I had two about that same size. One died in after a molt and the other lost 3 legs. I don't know, but I think it was a humidity problem. The T that lost the legs has since molted again and is back to the standard issue of eight. In fact she is getting ready to molt again soon... I'm a bit anxious, but I've got the heat and humidity up and she seems to be doing well.

 

[Wade]

Sorry for your loss. If it's any consolation, rearing T. blondi has proven difficult for many keepers, they often die in molts, or soon after. Several years ago I purchased four T. blondi slings, but only managed to raise one to maturity. A male, of course

Many think sub-optimal humidity or temp is the culprit, but I'm not so sure. There's still a lot of husbandry practices that need to be worked out for this species.

Wade

 

[jwb121377]

Well I think your right about there's a lot more to learn about T. blondi husbandry. I know the humidity was good, the temps were about 73-75 degrees. I keep all my other inverts at these temps with no apparent problems. Who knows? I will be giving this another try soon. Next time I think I'll do like you did Wade and buy three or four so my chances will be better. Thanks everyone for the help.
Jeremy

 

[Paul Day]

All the other spiders you describe are rather hardy, the Blondi is the exception. Try keeping all your spiders at 80 degrees, the Blondi especially. What you can do is buy a $15 heating fan from Wal-Mart. The spiders will be more active, and grow faster as a result, and heating fans do not pose the risk of a fire that many space heaters do, nor are they heavy on the electric bill. But in all, I doubt that inproper temp. was a problem in this case, but it's a good idea non-the-less.

Pauly

 

[Botar]

Heating fan?

I'm not familiar with a "heating fan". Is that what it is actually called? How does it operate? Temp adjustable or controlled by a thermostat? I'm thinking of setting up a "spider" room and that sounds like just the ticket.

 

[Paul Day]

Heating fans are devices you can buy at Wal-mart that are designed to heat small areas. They are temperature adjustable, but I have one in particular that is sensitive and will turn off once it reaches a certain temp. They are inexpensive, and good for small collections on one shelf. If you have a larger collection though, invest in a oil space heater. Those can be around $40 though, but are capable of heating entire rooms. Make sure you buy the safe ones that look like radiators, not the ones with "grill elements", those can cause a fire. Heating fans work by heating a coil and basically fanning the heat generated in a specific direction . Very simple, but effective devices. I usually place the high-heat species (such as T. blondi) closest to where the fan blows (often in the center of the shelf), and the ones that tolerate cooler temps (such as Brachypelma, or Aphonopelma) on the shelves furthest from where the fan is blowing. One thing though, when using any heating device, watch humidity carefully. Heating fans in particular are very drying, and for spiders which are very humidity sensitive like T. blondi, it is crucial that it doesn't dry out. But I have never had a problem

Hope that helps,
Pauly

 

[Paul Day]

I should be more clear...

When I say small collections, I mean ones that fit on one shelf in a corner (not actually one level on a shelf, hehe). I think they produce large fans that can heat larger areas, but you might as well buy a space heater if you need to heat multiple shelving systems around a room, because they will dry out the enclosures less then the fan will. But anyway... they shouldn't be more then $20. I believe they are actually called heating fans but I'm not sure.

Pauly

 

[galeogirl]

One of my T. blondis died during a molt while I was at Burning Man. The person taking care of my Ts swears that she followed my instructions to the letter, but the few clues that I have (shrunken abdomen, empty water bowl, dry cage) lead me to believe that it was a combination of dehydration and a subsequent bad molt. I'm now hovering over my other T. blondi like a worried mother.

 

[Botar]

As have I with my remaining T. blondi. I've got a molt coming up soon as well. She's quit feeding and the bald spot has turned black. Heat is 80+ and humidity is high so I'm as ready as I can be, now it's up to her.

 

[jwb121377]

Good luck Botar! I hope the tarantula Gods are with you and your T. blondi!