Tarantula balding?

samsonblue

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 23, 2016
Messages
12
so i got my first tarantula, an euathlus sp. about half a year ago. a couple months in she developed a bald spot although i've never seen her flick hairs. i assumed it was alright though. about a month ago i got a second tarantula, a juvi chaco golden knee and i saw today that they're developing a bald spot too! again, i've never witnessed them flicking hairs. which leads me to believe it's something wrong i'm doing in my care for them? does anyone have any ideas about what i could be doing wrong?
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
1,735
Flicking hairs Is not only done as an immediate responce to a perceived threat.. Ts will lay down hairs throughout there enclosure as a deterent for potential predators..

You aren't doing anything wrong they are flicking them off behind your back! Lol..
 

Flexzone

Arachnodemon
Joined
Mar 1, 2015
Messages
721
The urticating hair on the abdomen are designed to come off when flicked. They also spread them around to establish there territorial boundaries and as a defense to ward off predators when molting etc... Its totally natural, They'll develop a new coat of them each molt.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
i've never witnessed them flicking hairs
Have you filmed them 24/7 and watched the video ;), because clearly they are releasing setae. This is all normal for the reasons above.

One of the most asked questions from T owners.

I strongly suggest you read up on basic tarantula behavior, as this is one of them. Doing so could one day save your Ts life.:D
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
Just a couple of tarantulas doing tarantula stuff.

Most of the time a bald spot will be from using urticating hairs in webbing at enteances to their burrows or for when they lay a moult mat. This is why some people jump to the conclusion that a bald spot means a tarantula is in premoult.

If you leave a feeder in the enclosure and the T does not eat it, the bald spots could also be from flicking hairs at the feeder as it may be annoying them.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
Yeah, just normal stuff. They can lose almost all of their hair and be fine :D My question is with colorful sp., how can you tell premolt if there is not bald spot? They really don't get very dak abdomens...
 

truecreature

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 24, 2014
Messages
206
Yeah, just normal stuff. They can lose almost all of their hair and be fine :D My question is with colorful sp., how can you tell premolt if there is not bald spot? They really don't get very dak abdomens...
Many will go off food if they're getting ready to molt too, which is the main way I know when mine go into premolt because most of the time they don't get bald spots
 

Vanessa

Grammostola Groupie
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
2,423
They release their hair for a number of reasons - including being stressed. I know that the are individuals, but bald spots indicate to me something more than just laying them on a moulting mat or spreading them around their enclosure a bit. My two B. smithi are hair kicking demons and neither one have anything close to a bald spot. That is an awful lot of hair being released.
And yes, I do know that some are prone to balding more easily, but a Euathlus? I have never seen one with bald patches. And a G. pulchripes? Another pretty laid back species? And all this has happened recently?
Are they in an area where they can be being stressed by other factors besides you looking in on them? Are there other animals, cats and dogs specifically, who can approach the cage when you are not there? Are they in a high traffic, or high vibration, area? Do they have ample hiding spots?
Personally, I would try to add more hiding spots to the cage, make sure that no uneaten prey items are ever left in the enclosure, ensure that the enclosures are well elevated off the ground and maybe even consider covering them with a towel when you are not around. I would also double check that they are not getting direct sunlight or are in the direct line of an air vent.
While these suggestions might not help in the end, it is worth just doing a quick check to see if something has started stressing them out recently when this was not an issue before.
 
Top