blondii molt observations

Thought I'd post some of my own observations and see how they compare to others


I've had my blondii since August 2005 and it has shed three times for me.

The first molt left a couple bare "crusty" patches on its abdomen. He was kept on dry substrate with regular misting

The second molt left a section of the old exo still attached to his abdomen. He was being kept on very moist substrate. I posted pics when it happened, but here they are again:

http://rabscuttle.com/renee/our spiders/Golliath/blondi-shed3-overhead.JPG

http://rabscuttle.com/renee/our spiders/Golliath/blondi-shed1-close.JPG

the stuck exo finally fell off about a week ago, leaving a scar.

The second molt was just a couple days ago. The molt went fairly well. I was afraid that the molt would get stuck again, so I helped peel the last bit off his abdomen. He has a small scar that I would assume is from the last molt problem, but otherwise he is fine. He is now kept on dry substrate, no misting and access to a water bowl.

How does this compare to others' observations regarding blondii molts and substrate humidity?

I own 2 T. blondi and have always had successful molts with each. I use peat and vermaculite in the tanks (to hold in a bit more moisture), but the substrate isn't wet to the touch. The water dish (large) is kept full at all times and I frequently overfill it, letting some water soak into the substrate. I occasionally (if local humidity is low) pour a little water into the corners of the tank.

I never mist and there is no water ever on the sides of the tank. The layer of webbing present on the top of the substrate seems to keep the top layer dry just about all the time.

I have 2 blondies, and they are kept on dry substrate and a water dish and a hide, I never mist...this is how all 40 something of my spiders are kept....IMO internal hydration is far more important then keeping the tank moist or damp and constantly worrying about humidity, all prey items fed are healthy and very well hydrated before being used as feeders...

Regards, Mike

the blondii was the only T I had tried misting since I was told they needed higher humidity. I'm not doing that anymore

I have a big ole female. Shes molted 3 times in my care. First time I had her on dry substrate...stuck molt. I had to help her out of her skin as it was stuck to the top of her abdomen. SO I put her in an enclosure I use for my Emperor scorps. 1inch of gravel with a tube going into the gravel to pour water into. Then 6-7 inches of peatmoss. I keep the water in the gravel to add humidity. The peat is half moist (on bottom) and half dry (on top). Shes molted twice in this set up and has had wonderful results. No more stuck molts, she doesnt hover near her waterdish, she has made a burrow and seems very happy with her new situation.
I know ppl say they dont need humidity, but, mine does. I have a screen lid that half of it is covered with plastic and the other half is open. She can move to moist or dry what ever suits her mood.

OldHag said:

SO I put her in an enclosure I use for my Emperor scorps. 1inch of gravel with a tube going into the gravel to pour water into. Then 6-7 inches of peatmoss. I keep the water in the gravel to add humidity. The peat is half moist (on bottom) and half dry (on top). .

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I've found that this setup works very well for many of my more-moisture-needed species - it keeps the top layer dry but allows some extra humidity.

OldHag said:

1inch of gravel with a tube going into the gravel to pour water into. Then 6-7 inches of peatmoss. I keep the water in the gravel to add humidity. The peat is half moist (on bottom) and half dry (on top). Shes molted twice in this set up and has had wonderful results.

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Does this keep the peat from getting moldy? I have had some horrible issues with mold (I must have mold in my house? ), and I live in Colorado where it is very dry. My other T's do quite nicely on dry peat, but like others have noted my blondi hangs out by the water dish all the time when it is kept dry. I've tried restricting ventilation a bit with plexiglass, but even when I ventilate the plexi with holes and only cover part of the screen with it I get more mold. I'm going to try some isopods as well, but if this setup as you described it helps controll the mold this might make for an awesome fix.

In this particular cage I havent had problems with mold... But others I have. I think the mold/fungus comes in the peat. The spores are there or theyre not.
I get that strange yellow dots type fungus that grows into odd mushroom type things... I let it dry out a bit before they let loose with the spores and that seems to kill it.. So the cages I had that yellow fungus thing in now has no more problems. As to mold. do you mean the fuzzy stuff that grows on leftover food? Cuz you can just remove the food and fix that prob.
I just re-read that........I really dont make much sense...

OldHag said:

As to mold. do you mean the fuzzy stuff that grows on leftover food? Cuz you can just remove the food and fix that prob.

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I get both the greeninsh white fuzzy mold that grows on leftover food (cricket juice?), and the tiny egg-type mod that grows between the substrate and glass on the side of the tank. I also saw a sheet of different light-green mold inside my blondi's hide when I came back from vacation just recently. I have always just removed it by hand, and have never had any spiders die or get sick from it, but it still worries me a bit since I have read that it can be harmful. My mold always grows on the damp substrate near the water dish when I overfill it, or other places when I have tried restricting ventilation. I have used peat/vermiculite and coconut brick with both getting moldy. Like Becca mentioned, I add water to the corners of the tank when it gets really dry, but I never get the substrate "wet" or even "damp", just slightly moist. I rarely mist.

I probably worry a bit too much about this. I may try your setup anyway since it keeps the top of the substrate dry. I haven't tried this before and it seems like a good idea.

jbrd said:

Old Hag, do you think this would work with bed-a-beast instead of peat? :?

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Yup. It would work.

You can see my problem with molting blondi here: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=58710