Bad Spiderling Molt?

[mp3 Andrew]

I have a 3/4" G. rosea spiderling that molted three days ago. This is the first time it's molted since I've had it. Since the molt, I've noticed that it has what appears to be a piece of the old exoskeleton still attached. It looks like it's on the pedipalps and appears to be completely enclosing them, but it's difficult to tell due to its small size and being holed up in its burrow.

Is this something I should worry about, and is there anything I can do? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Edit: The tarantula's not in a position where I can get a pic of the problem area, but if he moves I'll try to get a pic and upload it.

 

[Thistles]

On a tarantula that size I would not attempt to help it. If the old skin is just on the pedipalps or legs, the spider can detach those limbs and will regenerate them with the next molt. Often the next molt will come faster for an injured spider for that reason. The fact that it is near the mouth is a bit worrying, though. Could there be more of the old exuvia on its chelicerae and mouth? If it does lose its palps you will probably need to offer prekilled prey until the next molt, too.

 

[mp3 Andrew]

The more I look at it the more it appears to cover the whole mouth area. Is this common, and could it prevent it from eating? I think even if I tried to help I would end up doing more harm than good due to its size.

 

[SpiderDad61]

Wow. That's a first. If anything do not try n help it by removing it. U could cause more damage than it may be in now, by starting a bleed. Keep an eye on it, and after its exo hardens, and it's recouped a while, it may remove it on its own

 

[mp3 Andrew]

That's what I was really hoping; that maybe the tarantula will be able to remove it itself somehow. If it can eat then it should be okay, and I know that if it can make it to the next molt then it'll have a chance to try again. Should I wait about two weeks after the molt before trying to feed it a cricket?

I know that molting is a tough experience for tarantulas, but is it very common for them to have issues like this? Is it more common in spiderlings? It just seems weird that my first tarantula ran into this problem the first time it molted. I've only had it about two months.

Thanks for both of your help. It's been great being able to get advice from people with more experience in this.

 

[Thistles]

Watch it carefully when it tries to eat. If it appears to be struggling to catch prey, please prekill it. If it looks like it is losing weight or its opisthosoma is small, you might have to make cricket soup. They need to be able to masticate their prey and a retained molt can prevent that.

 

[RedCapTrio]

Sucks when this happens man. Hey, try upping the humidity next time it is in premolt or about to molt.

 

[mp3 Andrew]

I know a certain humidity is necessary to help a molt be successful. I thought I had brought the level up enough by keeping the soil damp, but next time I'll try to bring it up further.

Below is a picture of the tarantula. It's not very good but it's the best I could get due to how small it is. On the right you can kind of see the stuck molt around his mouth area. Thanks again for everyone's advice.

 

[Thistles]

Ohhh yeah that doesn't look good. Time for bug soup.

 

[SasyStace]

I know having the substrate too wet can also cause problems with a molt- it's hard to tell from your pictures but maybe it's too wet?