Molting too soon?

[Nicolas Charrière]

I've got one question for the specialists between you. Is it possible that a tarantula have a molt before being ready?

For instance, she has an injury on the opisthosoma or on a leg, and the body kind of "understand" that it has to molt to be healed: the process starts with the hemolymph pressure, but the new skin under the old one is not completely ready, ending in the death of the creature. Or is it impossible because the body within has to be big enough for the pressure to operate, or for other reasons?

Maybe it's a silly question. And it never happened to me, nor my Ts! But it seems to me (could it be in a dream!) that I've read something somewhere about that (cannot remember where). Thanks in advance for your lights!

[Stanley A. Schultz]

I've got one question for the specialists between you. Is it possible that a tarantula have a molt before being ready?

For instance, she has an injury on the opisthosoma or on a leg, and the body kind of "understand" that it has to molt to be healed: the process starts with the hemolymph pressure, but the new skin under the old one is not completely ready, ending in the death of the creature. Or is it impossible because the body within has to be big enough for the pressure to operate, or for other reasons?

Maybe it's a silly question. And it never happened to me, nor my Ts! But it seems to me (could it be in a dream!) that I've read something somewhere about that (cannot remember where). Thanks in advance for your lights!

Possibly. Maybe even likely.

There is an enigmatic condition, for instance, called "wet molt" that no one seems to know anything about, although there are are all sorts of opinions. And, one of the classic molting problems involves a tarantula taking too long to molt and becoming stuck half way out of its old exoskeleton.


"The magnitude of our ignorance [about tarantulas] is staggering."
- S. A. Schultz, TKG3

[Ray Hale]

I have seen a tarantula moult twice in three weeks and survive. An old Haplopelma lividum, I had, once shed its skin resulting in the chelicerae being deformed. I assumed she would die but to my surprise she shed again three weeks later and lived for a long time afterwards.......its what makes Nature great

Ray

[Marko Sajovic]

I've had a few of spiders that moulted out of 'schedule'. Both were due to an injury. One was adult P.ornata that lost one leg and moulted five month after last moult, another one was L.parahybana that broke his fang. He was on his 6 month-moult-cycle, but moulted just a couple of months after last moult - and became adult.
I also had a couple of spiders without injuries that didn't follow their cycle. One was juvie G.pulchra that I bought in October last year and hasn't moulted for 9 months - when I transfered her to larger enclosure, she moulted twice in two months. Another one was P.metallica. Again, bought in October last year - hasn't moulted for 8 months and then twice in 3 months (this one was not transfered to different tank).

[Nicolas Charrière]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Ray and Marko: in what you are telling, the molt came sooner as expected, but there was no problems with the tarantula after; she was "ready" i.e. her new skin was ok. But I was wondering if it could happen when the new skin is not ready enough, ending with death. Maybe it's what Stan is speaking about with "wet molt" (I've tried to check about that on the net, but wasn't able to understand exactly what it was, maybe because of my poor english).

[Stanley A. Schultz]

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Ray and Marko: in what you are telling, the molt came sooner as expected, but there was no problems with the tarantula after; she was "ready" i.e. her new skin was ok. But I was wondering if it could happen when the new skin is not ready enough, ending with death. Maybe it's what Stan is speaking about with "wet molt" (I've tried to check about that on the net, but wasn't able to understand exactly what it was, maybe because of my poor english).

As a tarantula prepares to molt it grows a new exoskeleton immediately underneath the old one. As the process progresses the bristles develop their color as expected. At some point a fluid (exuvial fluid) is produced that digests the connecting tissue between the old and new exoskeleton. Then almost all that fluid is absorbed. Within a very short period of time the tarantula will roll over onto its back and complete the molt.

Rarely, a tarantula will complete the molting process and exit the old exoskeleton soaking wet. It is not clear whether that fluid is exuvial fluid that was produced in massive excess, or in normal amounts but that has not been absorbed properly (failure of the absorption process), or if the tarantula molted too soon (failure of the timing or choreography), or if the tarantula developed a rupture in the new exoskeleton and the fluid is actually hemolymph (hemorrhaging to death).

As I said earlier, our ignorance is truly massive!

[Nicolas Charrière]

Thanks a lot for your answer, Stan. It helps me to understand what could be happening.