Is a molt harmfull

[Alexander Ramsey]

My latest haplopelma has been in hiding for a couple of days and has come out today with a lovely shiny skin. I am suspicious it has molted in its complex cave network and am pondering whether or not to recover the molt. However I am reluctant to upset the balance as it is still in its "settling in period" and is a naturaly defencive T.
Can anyone advise if leaving the molt in is likely to cause harm in any way and if so what is a reasonable time scale for recovery if not immediate?

[Chris Golen]

Leaving a molt with a T is not harmfull at all.
I have several T's that still have a molt in their tanks.

[michaelmckinney]

Leaving a molt is ok most of the time, in fact, arboreal tarantulas weave it into their nest sometimes, or just throw it out the nest entrance. The only bad thing is if you have mites that you don't know about, they can live on the molt and lay eggs in it so just be wary of that.

Michael.

[Phil Rea]

Lots of my Africans have embedded their moults into the walls of their burrows, as have many of my Asian burrowers. No ill effects

[Alexander Ramsey]

mites

Thanks for the replies, the only doubt I could think of was mites. I've never had a T with them before, can anyone advise of how to spot them or a pic? Just so I know what to keep an eye out for?

[Peter Lacey]

Mites, ooh I hate them!
They are very small white things, smaller than a grain of sugar and they weave their way around the enclosure in search of food. They congregate around moist areas and they need that moisture to survive so dry enclosures do not suffer as much as moist ones. There are 1,000s of different kinds and some are predator mites but you'll usually find you get a few despite your vigilence as they arrive in food and appear from nowhere. Keep your substrate clear of any uneaten food items, try to reduce how moist your enclosure in according to the requirements of your T and don't worry about having a few, just watch out for the explosion!
There's plenty of threads in this forum with far better descriptions than I've provided so its worthwhile doing a search and, although a little alarmist you may wish to read Stanley Schultz thoughts on mites: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/mites07.html