What do darkening Rosies look like?

[Snipes]

The rosie ive had for two years has only molted once in my care and i wasnt there for it. I believe she is getting ready for a molt. I havnt been feeding her for a while because i got her out of a fast recently and i fed her a little too much since she was in her hide, so i cant tell if she wants to reject food. It seems to me like she is darkening, and i noticed it on tuesday. I have trouble telling, but my bud seconds my observation. Does any1 have before/after pics of a rosie darkening?
Forgot to mention that she is 5" and she last molted in August 2003.

 

[becca81]

You mean the abdomen?

Here's mine just beginning pre-molt...

Here she is again a few days before the actual molt...

They also seem to "brown out" as a molt approaches. As you can see in my pictures, mine is just a plain brown spider.

Here you can see the post-molt coloration as compared to the pre-molt coloration (the molted skin is still underneath her)...

 

[Snipes]

Thank you so much. Is JUST what i needed. Yup, she going to molt :} its been soooo long. Im so excited, but doesnt it just make sense that my camera is at our cabin rit now :wall:

 

[Washout]

I woulden't get too excited, they can go a very long time without eating before molting.

 

[Snipes]

i havnt noticed if she has stopped eating cuz i am trying to get her ab size down. I saw that one spot on her ab that she threw off was not peach, but colored a lot like becca's. Im guessing within a month.

 

[becca81]

The top picture was about a month before her molt. The bottom about 3 days or so. Even my sling of this species takes forever while in pre-molt. They dark purple color seems to take a long time to turn completely black.

 

[Joe1968]

hmmm I thought adult T molts once a year. :?

 

[becca81]

hmmm I thought adult T molts once a year. :?

They usually molt about once per year as adults. Just an approximation. Adult females of some species, however, have been known to go 2 or 3 years between molts.

 

[Deschain]

hmmm I thought adult T molts once a year. :?

Only if they grow...

 

[chique]

hmmm I thought adult T molts once a year. :?

two and a half years (approx) since mine molted, and she's not showing signs of doing it any time soon.