On her back?

[kirsty smith]

Im 90% positive Lois is on her back! Im feeling like a nervous wreck!.. Im soooo excited,but scared! im just going to leave her to it. Its maybe just the angle i can see her from,but it doent look like she is on a moulting mat?? is that bad? will that mean things can go wrong if she hasnt made a mat???

[Nicola Dolby]

Kirsty, if she's on her back she's moulting. Let her have the minimum disturbance, sit back and look forward to your new moult! Hope all goes well.

[Peter Lacey]

So, she was getting ready to moult (as mentioned in your other thread).
I can't remember the size of her but if she's fairly small you might not notice her moulting mat, plus if you're having trouble seeing her its likely you can't see the mat.
Tarantula don't die on their back, unless there's complications.
Tarantula moult on their back and it may take upto 48hrs.
Tarantula are at their weakest during moulting and need to be left alone by human and insects, during and well after the moult.

Think of this. She's been torn from her pet shop home and put into a new home. She's about to put herself in a very vulnerable position, climb out of her existing skin with a completely new skin which is bigger than the original. This new skin needs to stretch and harden, you may notice her stretching her legs out, and this can take up to a week. She's also shed her fangs, hair, pumping stomach and depending on which sex she actually is, may have new sexual organs.
Quite a termoil, so give her some rest and definitely don't feed her until she's fully recovered (and hardened).

[kirsty smith]

Up to 48 hours! will probably need tranquillisers by then LOL!. im letting her get on with it!,think ill wait 10 days after i see her out & about before i feed her. I would say her body length is about 2" (pre-moult) im not really sure how to measure a T"!,do you go by leg span?,or the combined abdomen & carapace? (not sure if i used the correct terms there-im trying!)

[Louise~Nichols]

Awww, don't fret Kirsty....spideys know what they're doing, the chances are she'll be out of that skin by tomorrow morning, if not sooner.
Two inch body...so roughly 4" legspan? You can measure either the body length, not including spinnerets, or from tip of front leg to diagonal rear.

[Tracy Sherwood-Farnfield]

Any news? Your 48hrs are up!

Hope it all went well.

[kirsty smith]

Hi Tracy!,
Havent seen her properly yet,i had a bit of a glimpse yesterday-her legs looked really dark!. Lois seems to have "chicken legs" (very spindly!!) compared to what i saw of the pics of Ruby! Ive had a quick glimpse of her today & i think her ass looks huge! (she must be getting like her owner!LOL!!). But in all honesty im just glad she is moving about a bit!. Will post pics asap.

[James Box]

she might be shy due to just coming through a moult, you'll see her soon, i'm sure!

[Tracy Sherwood-Farnfield]

tee hee! Ruby is showing no signs of molting, she is just chowing down on what ever she can get her 'legs' on. She is lightening quick when there is food around (although she didn't have much choice last night as the cricket I thought I had hold of wiggled out of the tweezers and landed on her head!). Since she made her retreat the weekend we were away she has been much more confident about sitting out in full view, so hopefully once Lois has recovered from her move/molt you should see more of her (both in frequency and size!). look forward to the pics!

[Peter Lacey]

With all this talk of molting I think my little 4th instar might be considering the same. Hasn't taken food, shut up in her burrow, although it could be that I've not been around much - life is BUSY at the mo.
I intend the weekly inspection at the weekend, see if I can confirm.

[Oli Dodds]

So, she was getting ready to moult (as mentioned in your other thread).
I can't remember the size of her but if she's fairly small you might not notice her moulting mat, plus if you're having trouble seeing her its likely you can't see the mat.
Tarantula don't die on their back, unless there's complications.
Tarantula moult on their back and it may take upto 48hrs.
Tarantula are at their weakest during moulting and need to be left alone by human and insects, during and well after the moult.

Think of this. She's been torn from her pet shop home and put into a new home. She's about to put herself in a very vulnerable position, climb out of her existing skin with a completely new skin which is bigger than the original. This new skin needs to stretch and harden, you may notice her stretching her legs out, and this can take up to a week. She's also shed her fangs, hair, pumping stomach and depending on which sex she actually is, may have new sexual organs.
Quite a termoil, so give her some rest and definitely don't feed her until she's fully recovered (and hardened).

Your klugi and rosea must moult a hell of a lot
Oli

[kirsty smith]

Lois is fine!,how dou folks with lots of T,s cope???,i still think she has "chicken" legs!, but she is so lovely!,now all i need is to get my camera working!. Thankyou to all you kind folks that gave me support at my time of absolute panic!!!!

[Tracy Sherwood-Farnfield]

Glad to hear she is okay, Kirsty! Funny about the legs though! I find with Ruby it depends on how she is sitting, if she is climbing up the side her legs look really thin but if she is sitting hunched up they look all plump and fluffy! Hopefully now she is through her molt she can begin to get properly settled. I think you've coped really well, I know I am going to be a mess through Ruby's first molt!

[James Box]

you do get used to it over time! even still, there are times of stress and panic
lately, i keep finding slings standing proudly next to their exuviums, and i just have the pleasant surprise of it being all over and done and fine! always just as proud though