Unexpected Pet Hole

[Deb60]

Thanks for that , that's put my mind at rest abit more , I expect if you've a large number of Ts you wouldn't at times know if they had moulted anyway . So far Ive got six !

 

[ChanTheMan]

Many sources say to "crush" the head, but do I do it with tweezers, or with my hands?? I can't touch those little buggers after all. Every time I grab the roaches with tweezers (I'm using lats) I tend to "squish" them a bit, but they wander about a little. Is this ok?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Many sources say to "crush" the head, but do I do it with tweezers, or with my hands?? I can't touch those little buggers after all. Every time I grab the roaches with tweezers (I'm using lats) I tend to "squish" them a bit, but they wander about a little. Is this ok?

As far as I'm aware, roaches won't bite your Tarantula (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), crushing the head is either for feeders that are known to injure/kill Tarantulas (mealworms/superworms/crickets/locusts) or to stop them from burrowing/playing dead (mealworms/superworms/dubia roaches).

As for the crushing method, I place the feeder in a small container/vial then grab it by the head with my tongs and squish.

 

[ChanTheMan]

I just saw my T this morning, but it had a bald patch, except it was around where the spinnerets are. Is it in premolt? I wonder if I should skip the Wednesday feeding too... If it is in premolt, how long will it usually be in premolt?

 

[Deb60]

I just saw my T this morning, but it had a bald patch, except it was around where the spinnerets are. Is it in premolt? I wonder if I should skip the Wednesday feeding too... If it is in premolt, how long will it usually be in premolt?

 

[Deb60]

You can feed your T if it's in a premolt, it's only when they have actually moulted that you need to stop feeding , for about a week , or when the fangs have gone black . It's all very daunting when your new , and I expect more experienced members will adverse you as well . I've been keeping Ts since November 2017 , so I'm still learning.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

If it is in premolt, how long will it usually be in premolt?

Duration of premoult depends on a lot of different things (temps/feeding frequency prior/the individual/etc.) so there's no way of knowing for sure, mine at that size was in premoult for a couple of weeks, when the bald spot changes to black then it's close to moulting.

I got a 2" female at the start of June 2016 (9 months ago), her moult history is as follows (bear in mind yours won't be the same):

1st July - stopped eating 10-14 days prior (this was before I had an app to track all of this)
19th Aug - stopped eating 14 days prior
6th Nov - stopped eating 29 days prior

She's currently in premoult, I stopped feeding her 10 days ago when she developed bald patches on both sides of her abdomen, when those turn black I know she'll moult within a week or two at her current size.

 

[ChanTheMan]

You can feed your T if it's in a premolt, it's only when they have actually moulted that you need to stop feeding , for about a week , or when the fangs have gone black . It's all very daunting when your new , and I expect more experienced members will adverse you as well . I've been keeping Ts since November 2017 , so I'm still learning.

So, should I feed it today as usual?

 

[Deb60]

So, should I feed it today as usual?

 

[Deb60]

In my opinion I would feed it as it sounds like it hasn't moulted yet , they can be in premolt for a longtime .