Goopyguy56
Arachnoangel
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2017
- Messages
- 830
Anywho, it would be interesting to see if the hair comes back after a molt
It does heres the photo(sorry im still new to this )Also, curious, question to the OP: if you spray mist water on your hairless spider (yes, I know it won't like it, but this is for science), does water bead up on the exoskeleton as it does with normal Ts?
Yup definitely strange. At first we thought that it is taxidermied, some thought its a trapdoor spiderI could definitely be wrong....but it almost looks like one of those taxidermied specimens. If this is real, it's really strange.
Ill try to ask for a close up photo of it.Yes, thanks, water repellent intact. This might direct suspicion to the Knickkopf protection being defective.
Losing the ability to climb smooth surfaces is interesting as well. Tarantulas have tarsal scopulae -- foot pads made of dense, very fine [microscopic] hairs. The hairs spread out over smooth surfaces [like glass] and help the feet stick by van der Waal's forces, molecule-molecule attraction. I suspect that the loss of climbing ability is caused by losing the hairs in the scopulae also. I wonder: are the tarsal claws normal? I don't suppose your friend could get us a magnified photo of the very ends of the spider's feet?
Please bear in mind that the photo with water droplets on the spider was done because I asked them to test spray with water to check if the exoskeleton was still water repellent. No doubt it is humid in the Philippines and in Venezuela.I would bet money on this being some kind fungal/bacterial infection. The things in common, I believe, Is that they are from same region. Also in every pic seems to be very humid/wet, this may not have always been the case prior but going off what I see.
Both of these points support an opportunistic infection. That could inhibit setae growth in any number of ways.
I had saw you asked for that one instance but the enclosure/s I saw pics of had drops on the wall. While these animals do come from humid environments they do not live in humid plastic containers. As we know with a Avicularia they come from humid locations but will suffer in a overly humid/damp enclosure. I could very well be wrong but infection just makes too much sense in this situation. If a fungi/yeast/or bacteria was able to invade the space between developing and old exoskeleton I could absolutely see something like this being a result. OP asked for possible causes and I feel infection definitely is a possibility elevated humidity or not. Bc Ts don’t go to vets I can only imagine there is a whole host of pathology and sicknesses almost nothing is known aboutPlease bear in mind that the photo with water droplets on the spider was done because I asked them to test spray with water to check if the exoskeleton was still water repellent. No doubt it is humid in the Philippines and in Venezuela.