Tarantula in premolt isn't drinking

[Moakmeister]

I recently acquired a 2" G. pulchripes juvie from good ole @cold blood. He and I suspect it might be in premolt, and some aspects of her behavior seem to point that way. For example, she has piled up a massive amount of substrate in from of her burrow, and she is pretty lethargic and doesn't move much. However, to my knowledge, she hasn't left the burrow at all in the last two days. Not even to drink. Her water dish is always completely full. On her first night with me, she found it and drank from it, so it's not like she doesn't know where it is. I would think that a tarantula in premolt would need all the water it can get, but she isn't drinking at all. Additionally, she hasn't spun a web bed on the ground, although she has made it quite roomy in her den, it looks like a big cavern in there now.
If she is in premolt, what could happen when she molts? With her soft legs and fangs, will she be able to dig herself out and get to the water dish? I'll include pics of my setup. The water dish is on top of her hide.
And yes, she does have a bald spot on her abdomen, but I can't tell if it's much darker than when i first got her. And I can't take any pictures of her because I need to use the flash, and it looks terrible.

 

[cold blood]

It wont emerge till it hardens back up (that is if its molting). Its vulnerable before that....even if it molts tomorrow, it could be a week to a month before it emerges to eat. Its just a waiting game for now, theres nothing you can or should do but let some time pass.

It drank before it went in, its got enough moisture for many months from that one drink. Ts dont drink all that often.

 

[Moakmeister]

It wont emerge till it hardens back up (that is if its molting). Its vulnerable before that....even if it molts tomorrow, it could be a week to a month before it emerges to eat. Its just a waiting game for now, theres nothing you can or should do but let some time pass.

It drank before it went in, its got enough moisture for many months from that one drink. Ts dont drink all that often.

sweet. I was always under the impression that a tarantula had to drink a lot but didn't need to eat often. Didn't know it could be both. Would you like me to attempt to take a picture? I really can't tell if her abdomen got darker or not.

 

[cold blood]

Also because its a little big of an enclosure, it will be inclined to hide more and emerge less. 90% of the ones from that sac never burrowed in my care, not even when in pre molt....aside from the ones i experimented with large enclosures with....and every one of those grew at maybe half the rate of the others.

 

[cold blood]

In a burrow youre not going to get a definitive pic. Whether its molting or not is inconsequential as your job is the same....to wait.

 

[Moakmeister]

In a burrow youre not going to get a definitive pic. Whether its molting or not is inconsequential as your job is the same....to wait.

I can see her just fine shining my phone's flashlight through the hole I put there, but the camera just sees a big white circle reflecting off the plastic wall. I wish I could get a pic, because she's in a rly cool pose right now. I think she's gotten over her photophobia now, because she doesn't move around when I turn on the flashlight.

 

[Moakmeister]

What about the lack of a web mat? Is this a species that doesn't make those?

 

[bryverine]

What about the lack of a web mat? Is this a species that doesn't make those?

They do it (IME) right before molt.
I've seen molt mats only with my smithi and LP. When I did, they were flipped over and molting within a couple hours.

 

[Moakmeister]

They do it (IME) right before molt.
I've seen molt mats only with my smithi and LP. When I did, they were flipped over and molting within a couple hours.

Makes sense. Wouldn't want the mat to get a bunch of dirt on it because you made it a few days in advance.

 

[Crone Returns]

Makes sense. Wouldn't want the mat to get a bunch of dirt on it because you made it a few days in advance.

Here's another example of cold blood"s black bootyed G. pulcripes kids lol.

 

[Moakmeister]

finally managed to get some good pictures.

 

[Rittdk01]

one of cold bloods creations, right before a molt.

 

[Moakmeister]

View attachment 228218 one of cold bloods creations, right before a molt.

Mine looks exactly like that. How long did your little juvie stay in premolt?

 

[Rittdk01]

Mine looks exactly like that. How long did your little juvie stay in premolt?

A day lmao. I think she ate one or two days before molt. Took 15 to slip her skin.

 

[Vanessa]

I can see her just fine shining my phone's flashlight through the hole I put there, but the camera just sees a big white circle reflecting off the plastic wall.

Always take photos at an angle if you're using the flash, so it bounces off at an angle and does't show up in the photo. Or use a flashlight off at an angle and turn the flash off on the camera.

 

[Moakmeister]

Always take photos at an angle if you're using the flash, so it bounces off at an angle and does't show up in the photo. Or use a flashlight off at an angle and turn the flash off on the camera.

I figured out how to do it: I take a video instead with the flashlight on, and then take screenshots in the video.

 

[Moakmeister]

A day lmao. I think she ate one or two days before molt. Took 15 to slip her skin. View attachment 228249

A day? Mine's been in premolt at least since last Thursday, the day after I got it. She may have been in the early stages when she was shipped. I'm not sure what effect that'll have... spending a day wrapped up in a pill vial then being rudely awakened and turned over a bunch of times with me unwrapping her during premolt. She came out of her burrow several times that night, though, so maybe she wasn't in premolt at the time. In the morning the burrow was barricaded up with substrate. She came out one more time after that, and I watched her go back into the burrow and seal herself in for the last time since then.

 

[Moakmeister]

A day lmao. I think she ate one or two days before molt. Took 15 to slip her skin. View attachment 228249

update time. Regina's STILLLLLLLLLLL in her burrow, except now, she covered the rear viewport so I can't see her! Isn't that wonderful? NOW she's suddenly smart and figured that out. That was last Wednesday and I have no idea if she's okay or not. I guess time will tell of course, but there's no smell coming from the enclosure, so I know she's not dead.

 

[Ghost56]

update time. Regina's STILLLLLLLLLLL in her burrow, except now, she covered the rear viewport so I can't see her! Isn't that wonderful? NOW she's suddenly smart and figured that out. That was last Wednesday and I have no idea if she's okay or not. I guess time will tell of course, but there's no smell coming from the enclosure, so I know she's not dead.

She'll be fine I'm sure. Some T's stay in premolt a lot longer than others, so I wouldn't worry. I had a 2 inch Pokie stay in premolt for almost 2 months which isn't the norm at all, but it eventually molted just fine.

 

[Moakmeister]

She'll be fine I'm sure. Some T's stay in premolt a lot longer than others, so I wouldn't worry. I had a 2 inch Pokie stay in premolt for almost 2 months which isn't the norm at all, but it eventually molted just fine.

I've set up a heat bath on the same day that she covered the window, and now she's kept at a constant 77 degrees. I think the warmth might speed up the process and make it easier to molt, but it still takes awhile apparently. I wouldn't be so worried, except that my mind can't shake the preconceived notion that small T's (like my 2" juvie) have way shorter molting periods and I'm basically tricking myself into thinking that it's taking too long. I know this is normal, but still...