Why-A molting question.

Malhavoc's

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 12, 2003
Messages
2,837
Why is it when a tarantula molts they loose all their weight and seem to go to a uniform skinny butt style? I mean for those overly obese fat butted t's most of the time they molt. AND BAM the fat is goen and their skinny again..whered it all go? nothing unusual in the molt.. it just seems to dissapear.. and how come I can't get on this diet?
 

JohnxII

Avicoholic
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Messages
899
If you regularly fast and shed your entire skin to grow, you probably can too...
 

Greg Wolfe

Arachnoprince
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Sep 13, 2003
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1,101
The ultimate diet...

T's lose a lot of fluid during the molt process. Hence, the skinny and dehydrated appearance. After they have hydrated again and filled out they will resume the plumper look.
 

MyNameHere

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
434
I also think a lot of the fat stored in a big ol' abdomen converts to tissue for the new exuvium and energy for making it. Some info on moulting in the Tarantula Keeper's Guide makes me think that alot of the new body mass is stored in the abdomen pre-moult. When the moult is done and the T is stretching out she's also pumping this body mass forward to fill out the new exuvium and gain as much size as possible.

What? Some of the mass is still there after a moult, it's just distributed differently. The actual difference in pre/post mass can be attributed to energy for growing.
 
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