Think I lost my first juvenile-adult tarantula

[Trenor]

I have started noting the dates for molts on mine with hope that I can figure out a rough estimate of the timing. But I have a long ways to go on that idea.

I keep up with this too. As slings they molted on a nice schedule. The older they get the longer the molts stretch out so keep that in mind for juvis and adults.

 

[Andrea82]

Yay! Relieved to read she is recovering!
Re:substrate
My T.violaceus has the same amount of substrate as my Psalmopoeus species. She doesn't dig so much, instead lifts up the substrate into dirt curtains, effectively raising the substrate herself

 

[Walker253]

My A genticulata just went through a tough molt. I thought she wasn't going to make it. At the same time, I have a large P cancerides that molted and it looked normal. Turned out the genticulata came through like a champ, though she was seriously slow for a couple weeks after. I thought I lost the cancerides. She had strange fluids on her mouth and undersides. Turned out she broke a fang in the molt but the rest worked itself out.

 

[Jeff23]

Yay! Relieved to read she is recovering!
Re:substrate
My T.violaceus has the same amount of substrate as my Psalmopoeus species. She doesn't dig so much, instead lifts up the substrate into dirt curtains, effectively raising the substrate herself

I have a couple T. violaceus slings. Mine are doing the same thing.

I used one of Jamie's large enclosure kits for my T. cupreus. She chose a position different than I expected next to the cork bark slab where she couldn't go vertical very far due to the shape of the cork bark. I wish I had trimmed the slab to make it slightly smaller. If she extends horizontally a couple inches then she can go vertical quite a distance. I am not sure if I will rehouse, modify or just let her be. I will first let her get back to full strength and analyze any size change.

My Psalmopoeus act in more varied ways than I expected. I obtained four Psalmopoeus ecclesiasticus slings and set all of them up in cereal plastic-ware. All of them got the same type of components which included a cork bark and lots of plastic plants. Three of them set up as fully arboreal. One of them setup more like a P. cambridgei down on the substrate up against a plastic plant with dirt starting to extend up into the plant. I am not sure what is uncommon for this species since I don't see them displayed much in pictures.

 

[Jeff23]

My A genticulata just went through a tough molt. I thought she wasn't going to make it. At the same time, I have a large P cancerides that molted and it looked normal. Turned out the genticulata came through like a champ, though she was seriously slow for a couple weeks after. I thought I lost the cancerides. She had strange fluids on her mouth and undersides. Turned out she broke a fang in the molt but the rest worked itself out.

I still need to learn a lot on the molts. I am starting to document better for record keeping. Even though I have quite a few slings, I seem to miss most of their molts. I usually just find the end results in the container.

I would like to find some more clear lids for my deli cups. Some of the original ones I bought aren't very clear. The second batch of deli cups I bought are more clear, but the lids won't fit the first batch very well. I always open the containers very carefully, but opened one of my G. Pulchripes containers right in the middle of molt once. I was unhappy about that.

 

[Andrea82]

I have a couple T. violaceus slings. Mine are doing the same thing.

I used one of Jamie's large enclosure kits for my T. cupreus. She chose a position different than I expected next to the cork bark slab where she couldn't go vertical very far due to the shape of the cork bark. I wish I had trimmed the slab to make it slightly smaller. If she extends horizontally a couple inches then she can go vertical quite a distance. I am not sure if I will rehouse, modify or just let her be. I will first let her get back to full strength and analyze any size change.

My Psalmopoeus act in more varied ways than I expected. I obtained four Psalmopoeus ecclesiasticus slings and set all of them up in cereal plastic-ware. All of them got the same type of components which included a cork bark and lots of plastic plants. Three of them set up as fully arboreal. One of them setup more like a P. cambridgei down on the substrate up against a plastic plant with dirt starting to extend up into the plant. I am not sure what is uncommon for this species since I don't see them displayed much in pictures.

It is hard sometimes to let them do their thing, in hopes they know best. Especially when there are cases in which they proved they do not know best. My A.metallica molts in the weirdest positions and places, even hanging upside down from the lid!

Both my P.pulcher have made a burrow with curtains going higher and higher, and branching out to the sides.

Arboreals love tight spots as much as terrestrials and burrowers do i guess
Chances are if you remove the piece which makes it a tight spot, she'll just find or builds another one herself.

 

[Lokee85]

Great! I wish the best of luck in a fast recovery for your Avic as well.

I have started noting the dates for molts on mine with hope that I can figure out a rough estimate of the timing. But I have a long ways to go on that idea.

I've started keeping records on mine as well. My thought behind it is that my vet has records of my dogs and cats medically significant events, but there's no one to keep record of my T's significant happenings but me. Plus, knowing when the last time they molted can help you determine if seemingly strange behaviour could just indicate premolt.

 

[Turiell]

I'm so glad to hear she's doing well! It's always hard when someone here loses one of their beautiful babies. I'm so glad you didn't have to go through it. When someone loses a T here it makes me sniffle to the point I can't even post. I am a big baby when it comes to animals being sick and dying, even when they're not mine. I've gotten to where I hate going to the vet because the last several times I was there someone brought in a severely ill animal or one that been hit by a car or shot. Not fun at all.

Anyway, I derailed there, sorry about that one. On the subject of people keeping records on when their Ts molt. It's definitely a good idea. I keep records of mine as well. So far I've had four slings molt. The first time I saw a molt from one of my D.diamantinensis slings, I pulled a very ridiculous newbie move and blurted out, "What? How did I get two tarantulas in here?" I studied it closely and finally realized my mistake. I felt so dumb lol

But yeah, I am just so happy your little girl is okay. I read this post late last night and worried all day until I could get on here. It's a relief to know that she's doing fine!

@Lokee85 I'll be thinking about you and your little Avic and hoping he/she has a good recovery. I just adore Avics. But I've been resisting getting any because I already have a lot of Ts and also because I was worried about the slings being so fragile, and I was also concerned about the speed and the fact that they like to jump. But despite all of my worries I've given in and will be getting some when I get paid. Which isn't until the 25th, which is too long of a wait for me. I'm too excited and I don't want to wait lol

Okay, l'll stop talking now. Forgive me if I hijacked the board or got too far off topic. It's just that I love this site and my posts get long because I can talk to ya'll without worrying about talking about Ts too much. My mom and best friend likes my Ts and likes to listen when I find out something new, but sometimes I think I talk about Ts just a little too much for them. But oh well, that's what this place is for!

 

[Leila]

Glad your T is doing well!

 

[Lokee85]

@Lokee85 I'll be thinking about you and your little Avic and hoping he/she has a good recovery. I just adore Avics. But I've been resisting getting any because I already have a lot of Ts and also because I was worried about the slings being so fragile, and I was also concerned about the speed and the fact that they like to jump. But despite all of my worries I've given in and will be getting some when I get paid. Which isn't until the 25th, which is too long of a wait for me. I'm too excited and I don't want to wait lol

I fell in love with avic and wanted one, but was put off a bit by the delicate nature of the slings because I'm still really new to Ts, so I got a couple of 2"-3" juvies instead of slings. I fell instantly in love with my little Gomez and Morticia and am glad I got them as juveniles. Plus, I didn't have to wait for them to reach that size lol. I'm already impatient enough with my brachypelmas!
My experience so far with my avics is that they aren't super skittish. Both, but especially Gomez, the smaller of the two, barely move when disturbed, even when touched with a paintbrush. Don't get me wrong, I've seen how fast they can move when motivated, but it seems to take either a cricket or a BIG startle to get any speed out of mine.

Edit: By the way, Gomez is doing fine. He's still resting, but moves to a new position or gets a drink every now and again, and his big boy colors are coming in lol. He's a lot darker than before the molt.

 

[Jeff23]

I'm so glad to hear she's doing well! It's always hard when someone here loses one of their beautiful babies. I'm so glad you didn't have to go through it. When someone loses a T here it makes me sniffle to the point I can't even post. I am a big baby when it comes to animals being sick and dying, even when they're not mine. I've gotten to where I hate going to the vet because the last several times I was there someone brought in a severely ill animal or one that been hit by a car or shot. Not fun at all.

Anyway, I derailed there, sorry about that one. On the subject of people keeping records on when their Ts molt. It's definitely a good idea. I keep records of mine as well. So far I've had four slings molt. The first time I saw a molt from one of my D.diamantinensis slings, I pulled a very ridiculous newbie move and blurted out, "What? How did I get two tarantulas in here?" I studied it closely and finally realized my mistake. I felt so dumb lol

But yeah, I am just so happy your little girl is okay. I read this post late last night and worried all day until I could get on here. It's a relief to know that she's doing fine!

@Lokee85 I'll be thinking about you and your little Avic and hoping he/she has a good recovery. I just adore Avics. But I've been resisting getting any because I already have a lot of Ts and also because I was worried about the slings being so fragile, and I was also concerned about the speed and the fact that they like to jump. But despite all of my worries I've given in and will be getting some when I get paid. Which isn't until the 25th, which is too long of a wait for me. I'm too excited and I don't want to wait lol

Okay, l'll stop talking now. Forgive me if I hijacked the board or got too far off topic. It's just that I love this site and my posts get long because I can talk to ya'll without worrying about talking about Ts too much. My mom and best friend likes my Ts and likes to listen when I find out something new, but sometimes I think I talk about Ts just a little too much for them. But oh well, that's what this place is for!

Thanks for the well wishes. And feel free to post anytime you want on my threads. I tend to get paranoid easily on my species that are not discussed much on this board. I am still not experienced on a most areas though I have probably read enough posts, articles, and a book to make me feel like I know enough to be a "super expert". So that is where this board is a savior.

I think most everyone who enjoys tarantulas gives in and wants an Avic at some point. An excellent starting point is to use @viper69 advice on this link HERE. I would advise you to build your enclosure before you get your tarantula if possible. Then present a picture if possible in a new thread for users to critique. The main area where you will want opinions will be ventilation.

With regard to Avic's having a willingness to jump this has no impact with regard to care inside the enclosure in my opinion. They tend to jump when they are "fearing for their life". And there is no way to help them overcome this instinct. Once mine have gotten settled in and started to produce web, none of them have tried to exit the container. If you use a top opening container make sure you don't put objects right up near the lid (cork bark, plants, etc.) because that may cause you to damage their web each time you open it. That might possibly make them panic. Otherwise, if you are in the crowd that handles tarantulas, I can't help you on that area. Avic's do have urticating hairs that can rub off on you so be careful when handling anything they touch inside their enclosure. I do forget and sometimes feel the itch.

 

[gobey]

Good to hear a success story. I lost an A. seemani to a bad molt about a week or so ago. She was a new addition too.

I'm happy the same didn't happen to yours.

Long live the tarantulas.

 

[Jeff23]

Good to hear a success story. I lost an A. seemani to a bad molt about a week or so ago. She was a new addition too.

I'm happy the same didn't happen to yours.

Long live the tarantulas.

Sorry for your loss on the A. seemani. I think it is one of the dice rolls that we can't control very well in this hobby.

I am now waiting for her to open her above ground burrow as a sign that she is hungry and ready to eat. This one sits on the glass a lot so I can monitor the fangs a little easier.

 

[Turiell]

I fell in love with avic and wanted one, but was put off a bit by the delicate nature of the slings because I'm still really new to Ts, so I got a couple of 2"-3" juvies instead of slings. I fell instantly in love with my little Gomez and Morticia and am glad I got them as juveniles. Plus, I didn't have to wait for them to reach that size lol. I'm already impatient enough with my brachypelmas!
My experience so far with my avics is that they aren't super skittish. Both, but especially Gomez, the smaller of the two, barely move when disturbed, even when touched with a paintbrush. Don't get me wrong, I've seen how fast they can move when motivated, but it seems to take either a cricket or a BIG startle to get any speed out of mine.

Edit: By the way, Gomez is doing fine. He's still resting, but moves to a new position or gets a drink every now and again, and his big boy colors are coming in lol. He's a lot darker than before the molt.

Cool, I'm so glad he's doing well! That makes my heart happy Sorry it took so long for me to reply. Haven't been feeling well here of late.

Anyway that's awesome that you were able to get juveniles. That's what I want too as I'm not very patient waiting on slings to grow either. I've been looking around but I'm having a hard time finding any. The biggest one I've found so far in an inch, but that's it. At what size are they considered juveniles? Just curious. If I can't get that one I'll see if anyone here has some they would be willing to sell. If not I guess I'll just buy the smaller ones because I gotta have one!!!

 

[Lokee85]

Cool, I'm so glad he's doing well! That makes my heart happy Sorry it took so long for me to reply. Haven't been feeling well here of late.

Anyway that's awesome that you were able to get juveniles. That's what I want too as I'm not very patient waiting on slings to grow either. I've been looking around but I'm having a hard time finding any. The biggest one I've found so far in an inch, but that's it. At what size are they considered juveniles? Just curious. If I can't get that one I'll see if anyone here has some they would be willing to sell. If not I guess I'll just buy the smaller ones because I gotta have one!!!

I think juvenile is around 2-3" for avics, but really depends on the species. I got my juvies from a member here advertising in the classifieds section. If you go back several pages in classifieds, you might still find the ad for 2"-3" A. avics and she may still have some, I'm not sure. It'd definitely be worth a look, though, because they were a GREAT price.

 

[Turiell]

Thanks for the well wishes. And feel free to post anytime you want on my threads. I tend to get paranoid easily on my species that are not discussed much on this board. I am still not experienced on a most areas though I have probably read enough posts, articles, and a book to make me feel like I know enough to be a "super expert". So that is where this board is a savior.

I think most everyone who enjoys tarantulas gives in and wants an Avic at some point. An excellent starting point is to use @viper69 advice on this link HERE. I would advise you to build your enclosure before you get your tarantula if possible. Then present a picture if possible in a new thread for users to critique. The main area where you will want opinions will be ventilation.

With regard to Avic's having a willingness to jump this has no impact with regard to care inside the enclosure in my opinion. They tend to jump when they are "fearing for their life". And there is no way to help them overcome this instinct. Once mine have gotten settled in and started to produce web, none of them have tried to exit the container. If you use a top opening container make sure you don't put objects right up near the lid (cork bark, plants, etc.) because that may cause you to damage their web each time you open it. That might possibly make them panic. Otherwise, if you are in the crowd that handles tarantulas, I can't help you on that area. Avic's do have urticating hairs that can rub off on you so be careful when handling anything they touch inside their enclosure. I do forget and sometimes feel the itch.

HI again! Thank you for your nice and helpful reply, I truly appreciate it. And thank you for the link about Avic husbandry! I've read it a few times but I bookmarked it this time so I can get to it easily. A thread like that is worth more than a few looks!

I do plan on setting up my enclosure before my little jewel comes. Taking a picture of it and letting ya'll look it over is an awesome idea. I thought about it a while back but I'm somewhat of a shy person when it comes to posting something for people to critique, but I will definitely do so in this case. I want everything to be right so that my Avic will thrive!

I do plan on using a top opening container and will definitely make sure all of the things needed for the baby will be at the bottom. I would hate to destroy her little home every single time I had to open the top. That would be sad for the poor little darling. So thank you for reminding me about that! I have a list of things I need to remember and will add that to it.

No, I'm not in the crowd that handles tarantulas actually. I am so scared I'd drop one and kill it. I just cannot stand the thought and wouldn't be able to live with myself. I've only actually held one of my babies just once, and that was my AF E. Sp Red. The only reason I did that was because I opened her lid to do maintenance and she came crawling out, hanging onto the edge of her enclosure just watching me. Then she decided she wanted to get down and explore a bit more, and when she moved she kind of wobbled and I freaked and cupped my hands and stuck them out so she could walk on them. She crawled right on them and enjoyed a little walk around my hands and arms. Then she sat in my hands for a few minutes while I talked to her, which eventually made her turn around and look at me. I don't know if she likes me to talk to her or not lol. But anyway she finally turned around and calmly walked back into her enclosure and that was it!

So yeah, that's my story of the only time I've handled my tarantula. I'm glad it was my laid back E.sp Red instead of my feisty G.Pulchra. I think she would have bolted on me!

Okay so this post has gotten way too long so I'm going to go look at other posts before someone tells me to get lost lol Again thank you for your kindness and your help. Those are two of the best gifts one person can offer another!

 

[Jeff23]

HI again! Thank you for your nice and helpful reply, I truly appreciate it. And thank you for the link about Avic husbandry! I've read it a few times but I bookmarked it this time so I can get to it easily. A thread like that is worth more than a few looks!

I do plan on setting up my enclosure before my little jewel comes. Taking a picture of it and letting ya'll look it over is an awesome idea. I thought about it a while back but I'm somewhat of a shy person when it comes to posting something for people to critique, but I will definitely do so in this case. I want everything to be right so that my Avic will thrive!

I do plan on using a top opening container and will definitely make sure all of the things needed for the baby will be at the bottom. I would hate to destroy her little home every single time I had to open the top. That would be sad for the poor little darling. So thank you for reminding me about that! I have a list of things I need to remember and will add that to it.

No, I'm not in the crowd that handles tarantulas actually. I am so scared I'd drop one and kill it. I just cannot stand the thought and wouldn't be able to live with myself. I've only actually held one of my babies just once, and that was my AF E. Sp Red. The only reason I did that was because I opened her lid to do maintenance and she came crawling out, hanging onto the edge of her enclosure just watching me. Then she decided she wanted to get down and explore a bit more, and when she moved she kind of wobbled and I freaked and cupped my hands and stuck them out so she could walk on them. She crawled right on them and enjoyed a little walk around my hands and arms. Then she sat in my hands for a few minutes while I talked to her, which eventually made her turn around and look at me. I don't know if she likes me to talk to her or not lol. But anyway she finally turned around and calmly walked back into her enclosure and that was it!

So yeah, that's my story of the only time I've handled my tarantula. I'm glad it was my laid back E.sp Red instead of my feisty G.Pulchra. I think she would have bolted on me!

Okay so this post has gotten way too long so I'm going to go look at other posts before someone tells me to get lost lol Again thank you for your kindness and your help. Those are two of the best gifts one person can offer another!

I wouldn't worry too much about posting items for critique here. I have went through the same process and am still learning. People will inform you if a change is recommended, but the giant majority do it in a friendly manner. In fact the majority of us are still learning on some area of the hobby where we have less experience.

It is almost impossible to not handle the E. sp. red T's. Mine is burrowed for premolt right now, but when it is active I can't keep it from climbing out of the container. I usually just let it climb on my hand and then move my hand inside the enclosure so that it will be near a safe zone. Since they are more docile and slower than most tarantula's they are much less of a risk than the faster skittish ones.

Avic's are willing to jump if scared and are more skittish than an E. sp. red. Most of my avic's will go back into their nest area if I open the enclosure. A. metallica is the exception. Mine is very docile and usually just sits right where it is at when I do maintenance. I have even down maintenance with it sitting on the open side door. I think you will enjoy owning an Avic.

 

[Jeff23]

I had one more interesting event regarding my female Tapinauchenius cupreus. A week after molt I could tell that it was safe to feed her. She also acted like she might be getting active but both sides of her burrow were still plugged. I ended up putting a couple live crickets in the container and could tell that she detected them at some point but got no results. I then put a prekill cricket (still kicking) on top of the front entrance of her burrow. It was kind of funny because she got snug up against the plugged entrance but acted like she didn't know how to open the door. I finally ended up pulling some of the substrate away from the door and pushed the cricket through. She immediately grabbed it.

So this activity has taught me that Avic's are not the only T that sometimes hesitates in returning to open container after being in a sealed hide for a while. But I suppose it is controversial on whether we should help them.

 

[Andrea82]

I had one more interesting event regarding my female Tapinauchenius cupreus. A week after molt I could tell that it was safe to feed her. She also acted like she might be getting active but both sides of her burrow were still plugged. I ended up putting a couple live crickets in the container and could tell that she detected them at some point but got no results. I then put a prekill cricket (still kicking) on top of the front entrance of her burrow. It was kind of funny because she got snug up against the plugged entrance but acted like she didn't know how to open the door. I finally ended up pulling some of the substrate away from the door and pushed the cricket through. She immediately grabbed it.

So this activity has taught me that Avic's are not the only T that sometimes hesitates in returning to open container after being in a sealed hide for a while. But I suppose it is controversial on whether we should help them.

Nothing controversial about it imo. You could see that she was ready for some food, from her black fangs i presume, and decided to open her burrow.
Nothing wrong with an intervention if you feel it is necessary. Knowing when to intervene and when to let the spider, spider is what makes a good keeper, i think.

 

[smitje]

The older they get the longer the molts stretch out so keep that in mind for juvis and adults.

Do you mean the times between molts or the actual recovery after the molt? I think I notice this with my chromatopelma, she is still pretty quick back on her feet but when smaller she was roaming the terrarium in a day or so, now that she is an adult things take much longer (several days before she is really climbing arround again).