Tanzanian Dwarf Chestnut Baboon

[amberd]

Hello all,
I have not seen my Tanzanian dwarf baboon spiderling for quite a while now and there is mold or webbing inside it’s burrow. He used to sit at the mouth of his burrow at the opening inside. It’s a small spidering that I regretted housing him in a larger container. I don’t know what the heck he is doing in there. This nosy keeper wants to know! I am worried. I won’t dig him up or anything. Still making sure he has water. I feel a sinking feeling that he may have died. Anyone else have a Tanzanian dwarf baboon spiderling seal off their hide with webbing to molt?
Thanks in advance,
Amber

 

[curtisgiganteus]

Hello all,
I have not seen my Tanzanian dwarf baboon spiderling for quite a while now and there is mold or webbing inside it’s burrow. He used to sit at the mouth of his burrow at the opening inside. It’s a small spidering that I regretted housing him in a larger container. I don’t know what the heck he is doing in there. This nosy keeper wants to know! I am worried. I won’t dig him up or anything. Still making sure he has water. I feel a sinking feeling that he may have died. Anyone else have a Tanzanian dwarf baboon spiderling seal off their hide with webbing to molt?
Thanks in advance,
Amber

How long has it been since you saw the spider last?

 

[jbooth]

If it sealed off it's hide, it's probably molting.

 

[amberd]

How long has it been since you saw the spider last?

It’s been maybe a month to a month and a half. I usually don’t worry too much but it’s either webbing or white fuzzy mold in its burrow. It is a tiny spiderling maybe a half inch. Don’t they molt pretty quick and then come back out? I sure hope it’s alive. Do you have one them?

 

[amberd]

If it sealed off it's hide, it's probably molting.

Will they seal off their burrow with a massive amount of webbing? I sure hope it’s just down for a molt. Such a cool spider! Fossorials are my favorite!

 

[coolnweird]

Don't dig until the enclosure smells bad! Better safe than sorry, digging up a molting spider can kill them.
Mold generally isn't harmful, but it can be a sign that the enclosure is too moist/doesn't have enough ventilation. It's alright if the top layers dry out, don't soak the substrate completely. Feel free to attach a pic of the enclosure, folks here can make sure that's not part of the issue.
A month in spider time is barely the blink of an eye, especially for fossorials! There is some anecdotal evidence that some fossorials fail to come back up after molting, if you can get eyes on the spider and confirm a molt, you may choose to gently open the burrow and place a prekilled prey item at the mouth of the burrow. Never ever shove food down into the burrow. Hopefully your little guy is molting and will resurface soon!

 

[jbooth]

Will they seal off their burrow with a massive amount of webbing? I sure hope it’s just down for a molt. Such a cool spider! Fossorials are my favorite!

I've never had this species. Any baboons I have will seal up good to molt, yes. If it's mold in the burrow, then the spider is already dead, no rush to do anything... If not, it is doing just what it needs to do and will surprise you one day soon, no telling when. If it was super well fed/plump it could be down there for months. If you do dig it up, you may interrupt a molt or injure it and cause it's demise. I'd give it awhile... I just had a 1" spider buried for 2.5 months and it barely had shrunk at all. Keep the water filled up, and good luck!

 

[amberd]

I've never had this species. Any baboons I have will seal up good to molt, yes. If it's mold in the burrow, then the spider is already dead, no rush to do anything... If not, it is doing just what it needs to do and will surprise you one day soon, no telling when. If it was super well fed/plump it could be down there for months. If you do dig it up, you may interrupt a molt or injure it and cause it's demise. I'd give it awhile... I just had a 1" spider buried for 2.5 months and it barely had shrunk at all. Keep the water filled up, and good luck!

I’m hopeful, but I have a deep gut feeling it has died. I still haven’t seen it. Nothing has changed. I’ve been keeping it’s water filled and haven’t noticed even a tiny peep. I would be so happy if I see it one day. Would you say after six months it’s safe to say it is dead and I can dig it up? If it was mold then the mold is the exact same so maybe it is webbing. I sure hope so! I will post something if he/she comes up. Thanks for the advice.

 

[amberd]

Don't dig until the enclosure smells bad! Better safe than sorry, digging up a molting spider can kill them.
Mold generally isn't harmful, but it can be a sign that the enclosure is too moist/doesn't have enough ventilation. It's alright if the top layers dry out, don't soak the substrate completely. Feel free to attach a pic of the enclosure, folks here can make sure that's not part of the issue.
A month in spider time is barely the blink of an eye, especially for fossorials! There is some anecdotal evidence that some fossorials fail to come back up after molting, if you can get eyes on the spider and confirm a molt, you may choose to gently open the burrow and place a prekilled prey item at the mouth of the burrow. Never ever shove food down into the burrow. Hopefully your little guy is molting and will resurface soon!

I hope so bad that it is just molting. It is a very shy tarantula. Didn’t see it much before it sealed off its burrow. If I see hide or hair of it I will be so relieved. It is such a pretty T. and I will give it a little bite as soon as I notice a tiny change, if there is one anyway. I’m hopeful, but prepared to have lost it. i took a picture and attached it, but not much going on. I love my spoods so much. Thanks for the advice I appreciate it!

 

[amberd]

I

If it sealed off it's hide, it's probably molting.

I sure hope it’s only giving me a scare. It is a very small spiderling. Maybe half inch. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[jbooth]

I’m hopeful, but I have a deep gut feeling it has died. I still haven’t seen it. Nothing has changed. I’ve been keeping it’s water filled and haven’t noticed even a tiny peep. I would be so happy if I see it one day. Would you say after six months it’s safe to say it is dead and I can dig it up? If it was mold then the mold is the exact same so maybe it is webbing. I sure hope so! I will post something if he/she comes up. Thanks for the advice.

At some point you do have to trust your gut, maybe 6 months lol. Keep in mind this is a dwarf species, so that spiderling is more developed than a similar sized spiderling of a full sized species. Meaning it can wait longer, dehydrates slower, etc... I don't know enough about this species to say whether it might be a winter hibernation or not, but some will do that as well. In the future it might help to black out a corner under the dirt with tape or something, and make a starter burrow that points there, then if it behaves, you can peel the tape to check on it.. doesn't always work, but a good percent of the time they will go where you want them to, and it makes it so much easier to be able to check on it. Hang in there... Don't drive yourself crazy, if no spiders are out to watch, I just add another species to the collection lol, but I'm looking for any excuse.