Hey

So, my little golden knee molted a short while ago and I just moved her/him into a new bigger enclosure today. There's a few things bothering me now:

1. It looks like a completely different spider. That sounds stupid, but its gone almost pinkish and has a very small abdomen, almost like an aboreal. I got it from a reputable dealer so I know it is a golden knee (its legs still have the stripes), I just find it weird that it looks more like a pink toe now. Is this normal? Has it happened to anyone else?

2. The new enclosure is quite a bit bigger than the last and since I put the spider in its been crawling around the tank, sliding down and falling onto the substrate repeatedly. I put a piece of cork bark and half flower pot in so it has something to stand on besides the substate if it doesnt like it for some reason, but it keeps doing this. Again, is it normal? Is my spider going to injure its abdomen or anything doing this?

(Avatar is of Chaco before molting)

I've noticed that when my T's are freshly molted, they are much lighter in colour and then darken over the next week. Also, chaco golden knees are kak climbers. My brothers behaves in a similar manner.

Is your substrate wet?

Hi Shane, thanks for responding.

The substrate was dry when I asked. Wet it a bit after and it seems to have helped, it doesn't seem to be climbing as much.

I'm also worried because a few days before it molted, I'd left it with my boyfriend when I went away and there was an accident involving the domestic worker knocking over the tank off a table. It appeared to be fine somehow, just sat on the fallen substrate and was able to be ushered back into the tank, but do you this could have affected it because it was so close to molting?

Also, my curly hair was all fine and eating about 5 days after its molt. Its now been almost a week and this one just lets the cricket sit next to it. :S

Pedipalps:

So, my little golden knee molted a short while ago and I just moved her/him into a new bigger enclosure today. There's a few things bothering me now:

have to ask, did you move your spider a couple of hours after it molted out or did you move him a couple of days after he moulted out?

Can you maybe post some pictures of your spider and it new home.

The fact that your spider molted out after it fall means it is fine, it would of not molted if there was some thing wrong with it.
Just give it a bit of time to settle down, maybe try feeding next week or two weeks time.

I do not know how your setup looks or how much substrate you have in the enclosure, but it is not good for your spider to be fallen so soon after a molt, if you can give it more substrate to prevent it from falling so high.

After a molt the spider will look different, it will start looking more and more like a tarantula. But post a picture or two so we can have a look.

Hey cascade.

Unfortunately, thanks to telkom (yet again), I am limited to nothing but a blackberry for internet usage, but I will try nab a data card from someone tomorrow night and post photos.

The good news is that I noticed her reactions were much faster tonight than this afternoon so I tried my luck and put another cricket in. It worked and it chowed that thing like a boss , so it appears to be healthy and well after molt. (I watched it through the whole thing just in case. I thought that fall was the end of it when I heard )

The old enclosure was a standard 10x10x10 tank with a small piece of cork bark and chaco was about 4cm. The new tank is 30x30x30 with two bigger pieces of cork bark and half a flower pot in the substrate.

I did put more in when I noticed it sliding down the tank in hopes of cushioning the fall so its a fair sized layer of substrate over one half of the tank.

I think now that its eaten it'll be okay. The abdomen is still quite small though so I'll update if necessary.

Thanks!

There is nothing wrong with your spider, she is a little stressed from moving home and will do a lot of exploring before getting comfortable. Normally I put some of their old webbing or substrate into their new enclosures to make them feel more comfortable, they will keep coming back to it until they know their new enclosure. Don't worry the color change can be a result of stress and will eventually come right.