need help with g.rosea

[Mr_Baker4420]

i have many arboreals, but only several terrestrials. they are all very peculiar. especially my g.rosea who hasn't molted in two years. in the past month her opisthisoma has turned very dark. this morning i looked at her and she on her side, but can't quite turn all the way over. should i help her turn over? can she molt sideways or even upright? since she hasn't molted in two years does that mean she's really old? if so do you think she will make it through this molt?

[Mushroom Spore]

Don't touch her don't touch her DON'T TOUCH HER.

Sometimes tarantulas molt in weird positions, they know what they need to do better than any human ever will. Also, this species is an INCREDIBLY slow grower. Two years or more between molts is probably completely normal once they get to any real size.

[Mr_Baker4420]

yes she is very large. at least compared to how large the mature females i've seen being sold are. as i said before like 98% of my collection consists of arboreals and they've never had this problem before.

[cheetah13mo]

That's normal, especially for a slow grower like a rose. Don't touch her or disturb her in any way. Make sure the enclosure is a little on the humid side as to make her molt go easier. It could take her a couple of weeks to recover before she'll eat also. Be patiant, their tough.

[stonemantis]

I hate to sound repetitive but, my advice is:

When a tarantula begins to molt leave it alone because the stress of moving it or "helping" can kill a molting tarantula. Just keep an eye on the tarantula and make sure the waterdish is full and nearby.

I usually leave a molting/freshly molted tarantula alone for the day and check on it before I go to bed and the next morning. Most of the time IME they find thier way to the waterdish and are drinking or soaking in it.

IMO, Tarantulas can be tricky to predict so always expect the unexpected.

Brian

[Mr_Baker4420]

thanks for the advice everyone. it's just that this is the most unusual tarantula that i have ever owned.

[Mr_Baker4420]

oh by the way, i was wondering. when tarantulas die from old age; do they just die, or do they usually die trying to molt?

[tarangela2]

i am no expert but i think Ts die during a BAD molt at any age and also can die for no reason at all at any age.

the behavior you described is not unusual for a g rosea, this is an unusual species, no two alike (i suppose that can be said for Ts in general) but this particular breed is rarely consistent with behavior. i have had several and what was common with one was unheard of with another. i have had one eat voraciously at every feeding and another go months with out even being curious about crix. one would live in its hide constantly and another was always out.

go figure? i gave up trying

there's also a great sticky at the top of the page on g rosea care. i thought i knew about the species but i picked up a lot in that post!