My T just molted and it was good!

[nachash]

I got pink toe (it was sold as a metallic for more $ but I am thinking it might be A. Avicularia) about a month ago. It was a good 2'' leg span. After about a week it clearly showed an upcoming molt so I waited...and waited...and waited. It seems snakes, lizards, and amphibians have less of an ordeal when they shed. Yesterday it built a nice web canopy right on the coco fiber substrate. It even strapped webbing around it's left and right 3rd legs. I didn't know why it would do such a thing because I thought spiders were flawless in their use of webbing. Well it did it on purpose because it used the straps to gain leverage coming out of the molt.

I think the reason why invertebrate molting is more of an ordeal is because this spider is now 3'' leg span. It was a dramatic change and the colors are just popping. I figure in about 3-4 days it will be time to feast, but until then it was just cool to see a tarantula "giving birth" to itself. I really wish I A) had a good camera, and B) wasn't completely terrible at taking all kinds of photos.

[4theSNAKElady]

Neat! Did you get to watch the whole thing?? I always miss mine....cuz they usually do it at night when Im sleeping We got in an adorable pink toe at work, about 2" legspan, but my husband would KILL me if I came home with another T. Its very pretty too. Why don't you post before and after pics? Even crappy ones are accepted

[3skulls]

I love catching them in molt. Such a cool thing to witness.

I'm guessing you already know but..
Make sure you give her a week or more to allow the fangs to harden before feeding.

And yes even crappy pics work here!

[nachash]

Sorry, haven't been on in awhile and forgot about this thread, given the life of a T/ owner is just so exuberant. I actually did see it pop out of the top of the prosoma, and it kinda did this pumping action to release itself, but it did the legs first and then finished with the big caboose, which by the time the opisthosoma was really small.

Oh I gave it a while before I did anything but look at it. I actually am up to a new project right now involving dubia roaches, and animals that like eatng dubia roaches, and Shelob is one of those critters. CHeers!