Um...Jackuul?

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Postby Jackuul » November 30th, 2009, 2:38 am

amazincc wrote:Well, I knew that... :wink:

What is she supposed to do... wriggle out of it? Can spiders die when they molt?
Has she moved at all since you last posted?



She has not moved. They are supposed to wiggle and such out of it, but she may still be doing internal things. I don't know.

Molting is the #1 killer of spiders. Its like being born for them, shedding off the old exuvium and then having to spend a large amount of time before the new one hardens.
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Postby amazincc » November 30th, 2009, 7:28 am

Oh... I didn't know that.

Sending good thoughts, just in case.
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » November 30th, 2009, 8:26 am

How's she doing this morning? (who ever thought I'd be concerned about a spider, but I am)
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Postby TheRedQueen » November 30th, 2009, 11:54 am

pitbullmamaliz wrote:How's she doing this morning? (who ever thought I'd be concerned about a spider, but I am)


Ditto for me!

It seems so sad that something that they HAVE to do would cause them so much trouble...
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Postby Jackuul » November 30th, 2009, 2:31 pm

Here she is around Midnight. I decided to go to bed after this picture - and missed the whole show. I am sure she did it on purpose so that I wouldn't be able to take pictures.

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Here I am at 4am, taking pictures after missing the majority of the molt. What you see is the old skin, and her. She purposely made sure I went to bed so I would not take pictures of her I think.

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This is where she is stretching after the molt. I went back to bed and let her be after these two.

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And here she is right now, flipped back over and just drying. Her fangs will be white until they dry as well, and this could take around two weeks (to three weeks). I will not be offering her any food during this time, but she will have plenty of clean water (as always) so that she will stay hydrated. Any kind of feeding attempt right now while her fangs are soft is a bad idea, as it could end up breaking or deforming them.

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When I measured her molt in a relaxed (not stretched) position her leg span from front right to rear left was actually 5 inches - bigger than what I thought, while her body was just around 3 inches head to butt. She may be a bit older than I first thought.

I also confirmed her as being female based on the molted skin. Her head has also gone to a copper color now, which means she may not be a G. porteri after all, or that G. porteri might in fact be the same as G. rosea. I will have to see after she dries since she is still rather brown, while the other roses I have are much redder. Regardless, I still love my Sweetie spider.
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » November 30th, 2009, 3:28 pm

I truly am glad to hear she is okay! Though her fangs are really big... :shock:
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Postby Marinepits » November 30th, 2009, 3:57 pm

Thanks for sharing all that! Very cool.
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Postby TheRedQueen » November 30th, 2009, 6:50 pm

Glad she's okay...and have you measured those fangs? :shock:
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Postby Jackuul » November 30th, 2009, 6:56 pm

They're about a quarter of an inch.

If she did bite me, which she has never done (her name is Sweetie after all) it would likely depend on how she does it. Most times when someone is "fanged" they do not feel it, because the spider is scratching with just the tips (which are sharper than the smallest needle a doctor uses). That usually happens by accident, and the spider may not have even intentionally done it. Their venom is weak, very very weak, and their temperament is usually very placid.

Now, if it struck you in a full on bite, yes you would notice it very quickly, as the venom and the mechanical damage would be enough to bleed quite a bit, and be painful. Even so, its still going to be about a wasp-sting pain. As long as you disinfect the wound - and not kill the spider beforehand - you will be no worse for the wear. They're Grammostolas, and as such, have weak venom, a docile personality, and weak urticating hairs.

The biggest risk is just forgetting to wash your hands after touching or doing any tank cleaning. Even though the hairs have never reacted with my skin, I know that one of them getting into my eye is very bad - since no matter what kind of New World Tarantula hair you are exposed to, the eye is always susceptible.
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Postby Jackuul » December 1st, 2009, 2:59 pm

Here is Sweetie today! Click the image for a jumbo-view.

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Postby amazincc » December 1st, 2009, 3:01 pm

I am SOOOOOO glad she's okay! :confetti: :clap:
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Postby Jackuul » March 13th, 2010, 1:04 am

Minor update! All pics from today :)

Here is Blondie (Aphonopelma sp. "New River")
Blondie!

And, Sweetie!

Sweetie 1
Sweetie 2
Sweetie 3

I did links because the forum hates photos over 700 pixels wide.
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Postby iluvk9 » March 13th, 2010, 8:31 am

She makes very creative webs. :)
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » March 13th, 2010, 10:24 am

Her webs are perfect horror movie spider webs!
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Postby TinaMartin » March 13th, 2010, 4:42 pm

Very pretty!
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Postby TheRedQueen » March 14th, 2010, 11:23 am

Do all tarantulas spin webs? I never thought about them even doing a web...(they're very pretty). Didn't think they had any need for one, unlike a smaller spidery-thing. 8)
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Postby Jackuul » March 14th, 2010, 2:32 pm

TheRedQueen wrote:Do all tarantulas spin webs? I never thought about them even doing a web...(they're very pretty). Didn't think they had any need for one, unlike a smaller spidery-thing. 8)


They don't spin webs like normal spiders (orbweavers and other relatives - or even like cobweb spider types), and instead lay down matting when they catch prey, or make themselves a sort of home by webbing around it. It's more about function than anything, as having webbing in the ground will enhance their ability to feel prey.

However, Sweetie left her old molt mat (that huge area of flat webbing) and did not destroy it like some will do. She may just leave it there, which is fine. They lay down a thick layer for molting most of the time so they have a soft place to flip over on their backs, and then shed their exuvia (old carapace).
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Postby TheRedQueen » March 14th, 2010, 6:19 pm

Jackuul wrote:
TheRedQueen wrote:Do all tarantulas spin webs? I never thought about them even doing a web...(they're very pretty). Didn't think they had any need for one, unlike a smaller spidery-thing. 8)


They don't spin webs like normal spiders (orbweavers and other relatives - or even like cobweb spider types), and instead lay down matting when they catch prey, or make themselves a sort of home by webbing around it. It's more about function than anything, as having webbing in the ground will enhance their ability to feel prey.

However, Sweetie left her old molt mat (that huge area of flat webbing) and did not destroy it like some will do. She may just leave it there, which is fine. They lay down a thick layer for molting most of the time so they have a soft place to flip over on their backs, and then shed their exuvia (old carapace).


Cool...so they make their own beds? :)
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Postby Jackuul » June 2nd, 2010, 3:43 am

Yes, they do lay down matting or bedding.

My G. Pulchra 'Missy' molted today - missed the action but got some after-shots.

I have also confirmed her as a female via microscope - but I will check again the next time she molts (~6 months). As you can see, she is now the true color of the G. Pulchra, rather than being brownish.

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Image

Sweetie still looks the same, as does Blondie and Cherry. Ms. Fuzzy is going into premolt now and is webbing up a heavy layer. If I catch her in the act I will take as many pics as I can.

The other five babies have yet to molt, but are eating like pigs, so seeing how they are all 2 months behind (one is even longer than that) I am expecting a heavy molt cycle as the weather gets warmer and warmer.
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Postby pitbullmamaliz » June 2nd, 2010, 6:21 am

Congrats on another safe molting! I know you hold your breath the entire time they're doing it. :)

When you say you checked via microscope...did you actually look at the spider itself under the microscope, or the molted part???
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