T has barricaded itself in hide, molt is due?

LV-426

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
497
I feed my recently acquired P cancerides on saturday (it looked like it needed a meal, i got it last week wenesday). I woke up this morning to find it has closed up the front and side entrances to its hide. Is this a sign of a molt coming?
 

AprilH

Petridish
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 2, 2005
Messages
85
Or it wants to hide for a while - it might a little stressed because it's in a new container, or it's just not hungry now. It's not always a sign of a molt.
 

bobusboy

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
Messages
287
Could mean a lot of things.

Leave it be and make sure there is a water dish for when it emerges. Where did you get the T from?

If it was a petstore and its a decent sized Tarantula it is probably (W)ild (C)aught, so if it is WC and by chance female it might be gravid (pregnant) and the webbing up/hiding could mean a sac i think....

Wait for the grizzled ancients (fran, robc and others) but from what I read there is no way to really know with out opening the web and looking.
 

LV-426

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
497
i got it delivered from Ken the Bug Guy. it around 3.5 inches
 

Vespula

Arachnodemon
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
706
It might be ready for a molt... Or just want's to be alone for a while.
 

Arachnos482

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Messages
50
Could just be stressed out, or premolt, was the t's abdomen very large when you acquired her? Was it eating before it webbed?
 

LV-426

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
497
one thing i forgot to mention now that i think about it i was poking around the cage the day it holed up (i removed the hide in order to remove a food bolus). it comes out at night still. i guess it was bothered by my intrusion. i know better now, and now i know the T knows better than me
 

Arachnos482

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 12, 2010
Messages
50
Like you said, it still moves around at night, maybe it's just a bit stressed.... Give it time, and t's are very clean, they'll take out the bolus if it bothers them, or when they do house cleaning... And as you've found out, they really don't like intrusions into their burrows.
 

webbedone

Arachnobaron
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
410
When i first got my G.pulchra sling it imidiatly sealed itself in with dirt curtains on day 5 it came out fine, when it was time for it to molt it completely entombed itself for 2 weeks in the vial that it arrived in molted inside then another 2 weeks later broke down the webbing and was back to eating like a t rex. So my answer is going to be: It knows what its doing, leave it alone"
 
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