# Molting Signs - A Public Service Announcement



## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

It's seems that, recently, there have been a number of horribly misinformed people when it comes to signs indicating premolt. I'd just really like to set the record straight here. Also, I'd like to point out this wouldn't annoy me nearly as much if these signs weren't portrayed as 'set in stone rules'. I hate the word 'sign' here as this suggests fact, ie "a sign of premolt" would suggest that if the 'sign' is present, it IS in premolt whereas 'indicates' merely suggests that it 'could be'. All of the methods we have (besides the bald patch, which is a sign) are indications only.

Remember, the guy in front of you in traffic may be indicating left, but this doesn't mean he actually will. He may just not have realised his indicator is still on.


*"The tarantula is fat, this means it will molt soon."*

I'm confused where this one came from. Perhaps someone is suggesting that the extra layer of skin underneath makes the spider fatter? Or maybe it's because if you overfeed your tarantula it usually speeds up growth and lowers the time between molts. Either way, a fat tarantula is more unhealthy than a thin one (as long as there's water), and this is not a sign of premolt at all. 
As a case in point, my _Brachypelma auratum_ molted last month, yet she's already quite fat. She won't molt for about another year.

*
"Look for a bald patch, if you see one, it's in premolt."*

This statement is obviously stemming from someone who didn't listen/read properly first time. A tarantula with a bald spot means it has kicked urticating hairs, meaning something has stressed it out, or it's been webbing it's burrow (they often shed hairs into burrow webbing) or it's just lost some by brushing against things.
I've seen people try to argue this point ("Mine has a bald patch and she's never kicked hairs!") and it really doesn't work. Firstly, you'd have to watch your T 24/7 to know that she's never kicked hairs, she may have done it when you're not watching, secondly, the fact is, that bald patch is from losing urticating hairs, not from premolt.
Now, the reason that I stated that this must stem from someone not paying attention is as follows:

_A bald patch can be used to indicate premolt, but the presence of the bald patch itself is not an indication!_

Tarantula innards are a tan brown colour and their skin is colourless. Brush away the urticating setae of a newly molted tarantula, and you will see a patch of skin that is sandy tan in colour. This is because you can see the haemolymph through the colourless skin.
As the spider enters premolt, the new skin is growing beneath the old one, hairs included. This means that the bald patch darkens, instead of looking into the innards and haemolymph, when looking through the colourless outer skin, you are now seeing the new skin beneath and the darker hairs.

To summarise, _if the bald patch is tan, no molt soon! If the bald patch is a greyish colour, expect an imminent molt_. The presence of a bald patch alone is *NOT* an indication of molt in itself!


*"The tarantula is webbing, this means a molt is due."*

Not strictly true, but closer to the mark than the two above "methods". A good indication of the onset of premolt it the tarantula entering its burrow and webbing it closed (though some do this nightly - see if they come out again the next night) or a tarantula laying down a silk 'mat' outside or inside of the burrow.
This silk mat is used like a cushion when the spider rolls over and molts. However, I have witnessed spiders web themselves in or create a so-called molt mat, then not actually molt for a few months after. It's a good indication, but nothing definite.


*"It stopped eating? It's in premolt!"*

Again, this statement is taking a possible clue and turning it into a positive identification. This is akin to saying that "that car's stopped at the side of the road because it's out of petrol". There are so many other possible reasons! It could be a mechanical failure, maybe someone in the car is having a problem, it could even be that they've pulled over for a picnic.
My point is, tarantulas stop eating if they're full. They also refuse food sometimes for no reason (I used to feed all of mine locusts, then some stopped feeding. Without molting, three of them fed again as soon as I switched to crickets) and sometimes they're in a self-enacted winter (especially _Grammostola rosea_). Yes, this can be an indication of a molt, but it's an indicator of many other things too; just as a wet patch on the floor may indicate a leak, it may also indicate someone spilled their drink or that the dog needs house training.


I hope this can clear up some problems!


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## atum (Jun 1, 2009)

Nice little bit of help :2thumb:


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## My plague (Aug 15, 2009)

That's ace!
looks like a sticky to me
be a shame to lose that
it's good


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## jartok (May 13, 2009)

This is very true - p.s its americans who spell it molt - we spell it moult


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

jartok said:


> its americans who spell it molt - we spell it moult


Thank goodness I'm not the only old-fashioned one here :notworthy:


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## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

Blach, I just get caught in the habits of the texts... MOULT!!!

Sticky please!


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## davieboi (Jul 17, 2008)

my simple one is its stopped eating its webbing alot and the SKIN has turned black


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## 34531 (May 27, 2009)

Just out of interest... My first large spider is in pre moult (I hope, don't dash me!:blush, it's abdomen has turned completely black. This happened 5 days ago - just wondering how long - average - before it sheds?


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## Danhalen (Jun 6, 2008)

forever_20one said:


> Just out of interest... My first large spider is in pre moult (I hope, don't dash me!:blush, it's abdomen has turned completely black. This happened 5 days ago - just wondering how long - average - before it sheds?


It's entirely dependent on the species. Which one are we talking about?


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

forever_20one said:


> Just out of interest... My first large spider is in pre moult (I hope, don't dash me!:blush, it's abdomen has turned completely black. This happened 5 days ago - just wondering how long - average - before it sheds?


sometime within the next few weeks :lol2: can't really be any more precise than that. My genic is sub adult and on the 2 occasions she has moulted with me, she has turned completely black about 2 weeks before the actual moult. If you should see yours scratching off hairs and laying down a web mat, that means it's actually getting ready and will start moulting very soon. But they don't always even lay a mat, so it really is a case of just wait and see.


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## Feyd2Black (Oct 18, 2009)

*Help please!*

Hi all

I bought a 4 year old mexican blond on Tues, along with a small sun tiger, first time keeping spiders.

And the blond has decided to moult my first week! Nervous!

She didnt eat when I gave her a locust on Tues, and was very sluggish, not moving around much.
Now lying on her back and not moved at all for about 4 hours. Having read all the advice here and other places I have just left her to it in the dark, with peace and quiet. 

How bad can an obstruction be to the process though? There is a strip of vegetation, (not quite sure what it is, a bit like duckweed but dry) like trapped between her legs and side. Sort of held underneath her incurled legs on one side. Will this be a problem for her when she starts shucking the old skin? Should I remove it with tweezers now or just leave it?


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## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

To the above post, don't worry, they know the environment when they moult. She'll be doing it in a place with ample room.



davieboi said:


> my simple one is its stopped eating its webbing alot and the SKIN has turned black


Same theory as the bald patch. With slings, the entire skin changes colour as it's not covered in bristles. Basically, the majority of the sling is a bald spot 

Sticky please! Report the first post with the comment "Sticky this please!"


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## pepper29 (Sep 11, 2009)

I've been waiting months for my smithi to moult, she's a hair kicker so i know the bald spot was because of that but now its gone black


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## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

pepper29 said:


> I've been waiting months for my smithi to moult, she's a hair kicker so i know the bald spot was because of that but now its gone black


That suggests the moult is imminent, any day now :2thumb:


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

ph0bia said:


> To the above post, don't worry, they know the environment when they moult. She'll be doing it in a place with ample room.


That's not always the case.

My first tarantula (a juvenile male, species unknown) chose to moult on once particular occasion under a piece of wood in the corner of his tank despite having ample room elsewhere in the enclosure to do so (he had always moulted out in the open beforehand). 

Unfortunately, this resulted in him getting a leg trapped against the wood during the moulting process. The leg concerned was subsequently deformed. He moulted again relatively soon afterwards (out in the open again that time) and the leg was fine afterwards.

That experience taught me that spiders don't always choose the best locations for their moults. I think the spider himself learned from the experience too!


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## krytes (Oct 17, 2009)

OK. 
Thanks for this thread. Admittedly, I am a novice with tarantulas. 
I've just noticed something peculiar. I have a sling that was sold to me as a red knee it's just showing hairs today. Only, it's pale blue all over. Is there a problem, is it about to molt or is it that it's not a red knee at all?
Please advise.


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## Kizzu (Nov 10, 2009)

krytes said:


> OK.
> Thanks for this thread. Admittedly, I am a novice with tarantulas.
> I've just noticed something peculiar. I have a sling that was sold to me as a red knee it's just showing hairs today. Only, it's pale blue all over. Is there a problem, is it about to molt or is it that it's not a red knee at all?
> Please advise.


When was the last time it ate? Refusing food may indicate that a molt is coming, also you'll notice that the T (in particular the Abdomen) is darkening off.

I'm not too sure about B.Smithi slings, but the majority of Ts look very different as slings than they do as adults. Someone will no doubt come along and clear this up better than I have, though :blush:


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## krytes (Oct 17, 2009)

Kizzu said:


> When was the last time it ate? Refusing food may indicate that a molt is coming, also you'll notice that the T (in particular the Abdomen) is darkening off.
> 
> I'm not too sure about B.Smithi slings, but the majority of Ts look very different as slings than they do as adults. Someone will no doubt come along and clear this up better than I have, though :blush:


It does seem to be going through a transitional phase. Maybe, it is about to molt.


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## Mad Carew (Dec 30, 2009)

I got my first ever tarantula about 5 weeks ago - a Chilean Rose (who I've affectionately named Shakira). I'm not sure how old she is and the bloke in the store couldn't tell me, but given what I have found out researching online, I'm guessing at somewhere between 6 months and 1 year. Over the last few days she's started acting a little odd and don't know if it's normal behaviour and she's soon to moult.
Up until now, she's never burrowed but now she's dug herself a small burrow, piling all of the bedding she's scooped out in front of the burrow - making a softer area, as it's all mixed in with web that she's been laying as she went along. Now, she's sitting right on the water bowl (which is filled with water gel, not just plain water).
I can't see any particularly bald patches and she doesn't seem to have got any darker. I haven't tried feeding her yet so I couldn't say if she's off her food or not. 
I'm hoping she's about to moult and that sitting on the water gel might be some sort of way of moistening/softening her skin or perhaps she's a bit warm and trying to cool down. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with a Chile Rose? Any guidance would be welcome!!

Thanks


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## toro9186 (Aug 18, 2009)

Mad Carew said:


> I got my first ever tarantula about 5 weeks ago - a Chilean Rose (who I've affectionately named Shakira). I'm not sure how old she is and the bloke in the store couldn't tell me, but given what I have found out researching online, I'm guessing at somewhere between 6 months and 1 year. Over the last few days she's started acting a little odd and don't know if it's normal behaviour and she's soon to moult.
> Up until now, she's never burrowed but now she's dug herself a small burrow, piling all of the bedding she's scooped out in front of the burrow - making a softer area, as it's all mixed in with web that she's been laying as she went along. Now, she's sitting right on the water bowl (which is filled with water gel, not just plain water).
> I can't see any particularly bald patches and she doesn't seem to have got any darker. I haven't tried feeding her yet so I couldn't say if she's off her food or not.
> I'm hoping she's about to moult and that sitting on the water gel might be some sort of way of moistening/softening her skin or perhaps she's a bit warm and trying to cool down. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with a Chile Rose? Any guidance would be welcome!!
> ...


Hi, and welcome to the spider world! 

Im not the best person to give out advice on moulting but im sure you will receive some comments about the gel. I believe that Tarantulas cannot drink from the gel and the best option is to have an open water bowl. Maybe you could put a couple of pebbles in the dish to prevent any drowning. 

Some one should be along soon with a bit more knowledge than me to comment on behaviour of your chile rose.

But i hope everything goes well if she is in premoult. And no doubtedly she wont be your last T. Its like an addiction lol


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## Mad Carew (Dec 30, 2009)

toro9186 said:


> Hi, and welcome to the spider world!
> 
> Im not the best person to give out advice on moulting but im sure you will receive some comments about the gel. I believe that Tarantulas cannot drink from the gel and the best option is to have an open water bowl. Maybe you could put a couple of pebbles in the dish to prevent any drowning.
> 
> ...


Thanks. The gel was what was recommended by the guy in the exotic pet shop. I didn't realise that it was a problem for Ts. this might be a daft question, but is tap water fine for them to drink or does everybody's tarantulas live on Evian??

I'm fascinated by this T, like you say, I can see it becoming something of an addiction!!


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