Reassurance please-our first moult?

[Anita Pile]

I guess I'm just hoping people will say it'll be fine!

Our G aureostriata had basically buried herself away in the first week we got her, which was about 6 weeks ago! She's kept in a shallow tupperware, with usual substrate, bark hide etc, and she'd pushed that much of the substrate forward to block the entrance to her hide that you could actually see her from the back of the tupperware!



Anyway.....we check on her maybe once every 7-10 days, not lifting lid or anything, just a peek through the 'window' she's created. Today she's on her back....eeek!! Obviously we're very excited, happy with everything sucj as humidity and temp etc....but the log hide seems very low.hen she was stood up in it the right way up (!) she wasn't particularly squashed down, and isn't now to be honest, I guess I'm trying to find out if she#'sgot enough clearance if she moults?

I realise that at this moment in time there is very, very little we can do and as it is we are standing waaaaay back and not even touching the tupperware anymore!

Am I right in assuming that she knows what she's doing and wouldn't have got herself in there like she has if there wasn't enough room?

Thank you

[Phil Rea]

They don't need very much space at all so I would imagine she's just fine

[Anita Pile]

Big phew!!!!! Thank you!!!

[Peter Lacey]

Totally understand your concern, I have an 8" AF L. klugi that is due a moult and I'm wondering the same thing. But spiders are used to small spaces, quite often they'll moult in tubes and I think its more of a horizontal issue rather than height. Just keep a look out during the day but keep disturbance to an absolute minimum. By the afternoon it should be back on its feet having a good stretch.

[Anita Pile]

Thank you guys!

I can *just* make out a foot standing the right way up, so assume it's over and done and it all went well! The best Christmas present I could ask for now is to see her out for the first time in ages!!

Your replies are much appreciated

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Anita, is your T up and about yet after it's recent moult? not turned into another male I hope lol

[Anita Pile]

Hi Anita, is your T up and about yet after it's recent moult? not turned into another male I hope lol

Hi Linda, thanks for asking we can see feet from below, and they're the right way up, yay!! However she's still barricaded in, I guess she'll come out when she's ready/hungry??!! It'll be nearly two months since we've seen her soon

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Anita, I am sure she will be ok, she's been in there quite a while, and I can imagine that you will be looking forward to seeing the results of the moult. Let's hope she'll surface soon.

Have a good Christmas & a happy New Year.

[Alexander Abrams]

Hi Anita

About three months ago my G aureostriata went through a molt, it was out in the open, which was different from yours, so how did it go? Hope all is well, they usually sort themselves out if left alone.

Alex.

[Anita Pile]

Hi Alex,

No change as in she hasn't come out. We can see her little feet from below still, and they do move around, so she's obviously alive, but as far as seeing how much she's grown by (saying that, it's so long since we've seen her that we probably can't remember how big she was before!) or admiring her new colours it's impossible to see. I just hope that all the exuvium (spelling?!) came away ok.

I know I can't, but it is soooooo tempting to uncover her

Did you see much of your one's moult? Did she look lovely after?

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Anita one of our T apophysis moulted this afternoon, it was all over in 3 hours and it is on it's feet, looking translucent, white fangs, and at the moment having a bit of a wash lol.

[Alexander Abrams]

Hi Alex,

No change as in she hasn't come out. We can see her little feet from below still, and they do move around, so she's obviously alive, but as far as seeing how much she's grown by (saying that, it's so long since we've seen her that we probably can't remember how big she was before!) or admiring her new colours it's impossible to see. I just hope that all the exuvium (spelling?!) came away ok.

I know I can't, but it is soooooo tempting to uncover her

Did you see much of your one's moult? Did she look lovely after?

Yeah it looked great, longer thiner legs though. I have a feeling mine is a male, I'm not an expert at sexing and the molt was a little damaged. It went off food for weeks before and put down a molting mat, when it happened it was all done over night and was back on it's feet not long after, I managed to take this photo, trying my best not to disturb it, it was mu first molt so was very excited. It went well though.
Any news on yours yet?

[Anita Pile]

Yaaaaaaaaaay!! She's out!!

She looks very skinny and has obviously come out looking for food so have put quite a small but plump cricket in with her, it must be a week since her moult so assume that's ok?

Her exuvium was pressed against the back wall of her burrow so got that out, and a gorgeous little carapace....soooo cute! Looking at that one and the new one she must have grown by about 30%, she looks great and her colours are lovely!

Just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone who put up with newbie questions and put our minds at rest!

Linda and Alex, how are yours? (Nice pics Alex!)

[Craig Mackay]

Nice one. Between 25 and 30% is usually what all my T's have grown by after a moult. It's quite normal for them to be a bit skinny after a moult but she'll soon fatten up.

[Alexander Abrams]

Very glad to hear that it had a happy ending Anita (not that I ever doubted for a second it would!). The only thing that I would be cautious of is offering food before she is ready, the perceived wisdom is that T’s should be allowed time to recover before food is introduced. I don’t want to throw more stuff at you that you need to be worried about, I’m sure that she will eat it if she wants it and you can remove it if not.
Mine is still doing well, I was not expecting it to molt in the open but since then I have heard that other keepers have experienced the same thing. Weird.
Well done, keep us posted on the progress.

Alex.