P. regalis moult

[JPGallagher]

Hi all. My P. regalis has, recently, moulted. The problem is, she moulted on the underside of her log retreat and the skin is caught in the web. She is very fast so there is no way I'm putting my hand in there to retrieve it. Is it OK to leave it there. Will she remove it herself (my H. gigas appears to bring her moult to the surface a bit at a time). Any advice will be much appreciated.

John...

[Kain Prestwood]

I don't think it's a problem, after all alot of stores leave the tarantulas skin in the tank there kept in.

I think re reason why most people remove it is for there own reasons (keep it, sex it ect)

Kain

[Glen Feasey]

Can you not use a long set of tweesers/tongs to remove it?

[JPGallagher]

I did think of doing that, but the problem is the moult is quite deep under her retreat and in a very akward positon so it would be nothing short of a military operation. The main reason I'm so reluctant to venture into her lair, though, is the fact that out of all my tarantulas, she is the only one who makes me nervous -- I'm wimping out, basically. When I mist her enclosure the speed with which she suddenly appears, still, to this day, can make me jump. Perhaps I should be a man and go and get my tweezers. I'll give it a go and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the input.

John...

[Glen Feasey]

OK John to be honest i do not and have not ever owned a Pokie, so i am unfamiliar with their speed. I have owned a C.darlingi who was like lightening so maybe this is a comparison? Anyway, there are some bent nose tweesers available which i have a set of. These are 12" long so no chance of getting nailed when using these! Would these not assist in removing the shed?

I am sure we could find you a 'safe' way of getting it out if you really wanted to remove it!

[JPGallagher]

They sound like a good investment and they'll certainly come in handy for removing my L. parahybana's water dish (I think she's in her stroppy teenage years at the moment)

Cheers

John...

[Colin D Wilson]

Work out a plan of action, think how you will reach the moult, what you will use...tweezers etc.
if all seems accessible then feed the T and slowly take out the moult when she's occupied with the food item.
It's the only way i will attempt to clean my pokies enclosure, it's only 3cm and a bit but VERY quick.

[JPGallagher]

Good advice. One learning curve for me is: don't expect your tarantula to behave, completely, the way it's supposed to. Individuals can differ. I was told that B. smithi was, whilst quite skittish, a spider that was almost on a par with G. rosea, in terms of temperament. Not mine! She's a grumpy little thing and a constant hair flicker.

[Glen Feasey]

every one is different mate, dont expect anything different!

[Peter Kirk]

Unless you want the moult for a specific purpose, there is no harm at all in leaving it in the tank along with the spider. In most cases, in the wild, an arboreal spider will throw the moult out of the hole in which it lives where it will unlimately get blown away by the wind. Occasioanlly I have found a vacant hole with just the moult in - presumably the final maturing moult of a male prior to him wandering off in search of a buxom female. However, I have found Poecilotheria species in the wild that have the remains of their moult sitting in the bottom of the hole, along with discarded moth wings and beetle elytra. Some spiders are clearly more house-proud than others.
Basically, if it is bothering you, use a long pair of forceps to remove it, as suggested above. It is unlikely to be troubling your spider.

[JPGallagher]

Cheers. That was the main thing I wanted to know; will it affect her.