Question About Molting

I think my new (and first) rose hair is getting ready to molt, but I have concerns. I have read that they lay on their backs when ready to molt but on their belly with legs under them when ready to die, so being as she is on her back I am fairly certain she is molting.

My concern is she is not laying on any web. Is this a problem? Will she still be able to molt properly?

Also, how long should I expect her to be in this position before the process is completed?

Lastly, is there anything special I should be looking for or doing for her while she is like this?

Thanks in advance!

They use the web if they feel there's not enough 'friction' for the substrate to grab the shed. It may take a day or two. Just make sure there's enough humidity. If not, carefully add water to the substrate away from her, and put a cover on the cage to retain humidity). Also, make sure there are no crickets in there until a few days after shedding is complete. The T's are super vulnerable to bites during shed and subsequent drying.

Noelle

Thanks for the reply. This morning I woke up to find that she had moved to a different spot in the tank. Is that normal?

Yep, that's fine. She's probably looking for just the right substrate and humidity. You might give the cage a light spray while she's up and around.

I sprayed her twice since she has moved to the new position, but she has now had two full days with no movement at all. I sprayed her, nothing, I touched her leg, nothing. At this point I am doubtful that she is still alive, or is it normal for them to be non-reactive? Just in case she IS still alive but IS in trouble, I put her in an ICU tub. A small tupperware container with holes in the side and damp paper towlels on the bottom. I moved her using large spoon and even then, no movement.

I'd leave her in the icu for a couple days. This is a stupid question, but are you sure you're looking at the spider and not the shed. Could the spider be hiding? The shed looks exactly like a second spider.

Noelle

I just double checked the enclosure and I am sure it is her and not just her shed. How long without moving before I should assume she has passed? Also, I know its a long shot but any idea why she would have died? The temp has been kept between 70-85 degrees and the humidity has fluctuated between 60-75%. She had eaten 6 crickets since I brought her home 13 days ago. The last feeding was on the 6th. She has a dish with about a cm of water in it to drink from if needed and the soil was kept dry until she began what I thought was her molting. Before she moved from her original position, I saw her wigling her legs around. She moved in the middle of the night and I woke yesterday to find her in her current position from which she has not moved at all.

Not a clue. Sometimes these things just happen. Give her at least one more day. Sounds like you're doing everything right.


Noelle

Well, I gave her two more days, and she defiantly passed. I'm Kind of bummed but luckily I had not yet gotten too attached. I am however rather upset as now I have a colony of roaches and nothing to feed them to, LOL. I will eventually get another T, but all the pet stores are way overpriced, and buying online comes with huge shipping costs, so I will probably be waiting for the next expo. Anyways, thanks for the advice. Its good to know it probably wasn't anything I did.