behavior question

snoflax

Arachnoknight
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:? Hello, We just got a A. Avicularia about a week ago, the shop said she should be molting within a couple of days. she has built a molting platform and it really was starting to look like she was going to molt, but for the past couple days she seems to mostly stand on her head up against the wall with her butt up in the air. Any ideas on what she is doing?
 

Chronos

Arachnopeon
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Jan 3, 2006
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Familiar

Some of my moms and my rosea have done thr ame thing during shed. Usually for me its either more dampness or just to leave them alone at the time. But im not qite sure.

Wish you good luck.
 

snoflax

Arachnoknight
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I don't think it is a moisture issue, I mist her container every morning. I have been leaving her alone most of the time. I haven't even tried to hold her yet, if she is going to molt I don't want to stress her out. We haven't fed her either, the store said not to as she is approaching molt. She just looks a little weird standing on her head {D
 

Cirith Ungol

Ministry of Fluffy Bunnies
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I think you might be mistaking the "moulting platform" for an ordinary beginning of a tube web. Standing with the butt up in the air doesn't mean anything deep. I think it's just taking it easy. Nothing to worry about. Give it some water and it will be fine.
 

Mattyb

Arachnoking
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Cirith Ungol said:
I think you might be mistaking the "moulting platform" for an ordinary beginning of a tube web. Standing with the butt up in the air doesn't mean anything deep. I think it's just taking it easy. Nothing to worry about. Give it some water and it will be fine.

I agree. No worries.


-Matty
 

snoflax

Arachnoknight
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Thanks, I feel a bit better about her strange behavior. I am still pretty sure it is a molting platform, it is just a small round patch of webbing set just up off the ground, she never really sits on it its just kinda there.
Would it be okay do you think to try and feed her? I dont think the pet shop feeds them much. Ive also heard that that is one way to know if she is going into a molt is if she is refusing food.

Thanks alot
 

Cirith Ungol

Ministry of Fluffy Bunnies
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snoflax said:
Thanks, I feel a bit better about her strange behavior. I am still pretty sure it is a molting platform, it is just a small round patch of webbing set just up off the ground, she never really sits on it its just kinda there.
Would it be okay do you think to try and feed her? I dont think the pet shop feeds them much. Ive also heard that that is one way to know if she is going into a molt is if she is refusing food.

Thanks alot
Yeah, feed away. Just be ready to remove the food after a little while if you're sure she's not gonna take it.

Avics (possibly all areboreals) don't make moulting mats like ground dwelling T's. They more often seem to close themselves up completely in a web tunnel rather than anything else when they want to moult.
 

NYCspiderGuy

Arachnoknight
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Jan 14, 2005
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yes... sounds like normal avic hangout pose.
I find that before a molt they do indeed tend to stay inside web, and more often than not I notice the webbing becomes more opaque pre-molt and often closes off entrances lightly.

I recently goofed with a small A.avic who I was pretty sure would not molt soon, but she did! She had closed up bottom entry to her web and lightly covered top entrance, but I had not seen it. Fed her along with others and noticed her - pearly-bluish - the next day... freshly molted.
I checked and the cricket was still there but was sealed out of her space. I got it out IMMEDIATELY (I should have checked the night before) but her web kept her safe this time.

I like the term "hammock-web" because most of mine do look a bit like hammocks. Unmistakable when you see it, and it screams,"Molt in me!"
But I have had them make a web and still molt on or near the ground.
Go figure.
 

snoflax

Arachnoknight
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Thanks all. Well I gave her cricket when I got home, took her all of about 3 sec. to ponce on it, she carried it around a bit and now seems to be standing on it:) so I guess she was a little hungry.
 

Cirith Ungol

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snoflax said:
Thanks all. Well I gave her cricket when I got home, took her all of about 3 sec. to ponce on it, she carried it around a bit and now seems to be standing on it:) so I guess she was a little hungry.
And I guess she isn't really in pre-moult either. ;) Btw, IME moult mats arn't normallly made prior to 12-18 hours before use.
 

snoflax

Arachnoknight
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nope, doesn't look that way. So I guess the moral is, The pet shops that sell T's, don't always know much about them.
 

Cirith Ungol

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snoflax said:
nope, doesn't look that way. So I guess the moral is, The pet shops that sell T's, don't always know much about them.
Well.....

More like "The pet shops that sell T's mostly don't know anything at all about them."
 

snoflax

Arachnoknight
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Well this T is teaching me alot. I've learned that pet store employees know next to nothing, Avics can jump a long distance and they are hella fast, and that if they sense that the top is not quite secure on thier enclosure they will try to escape. {D
 

DanCameron

Arachnoknight
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You know, I've noticed my P. metallica doing the pushing the butt into the air. Of course she was also moving around in her cage a whole bunch. I'm thinking that this was all to take in her new surroundings because I just got her yesterday and set up last night. Other than that strange butt thing she did, everything seems to be perfectly alright.
 
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