Yellow Mold worry

[Hagraven]

Hi there. My baby molted yesterday and I couldn't be happier- until I noticed yellow mold on the enclosure's hide. You can spot a small section of it towards the top of the hide. Now I already wanted to change enclosures, so gutting this one, discarding the hide and replacing all with new substrate is no problem.

My worry is moving my T too soon after their molt. They've spent the day (day 1 after molting) stretching, but otherwise keeping still.

I cant stand the thought of mold hurting them, or worse, but is this something I should worry about enough to move my baby perhaps too soon? Thanks good people.

 

[Konstantin]

Hi
Don't worry about it too much.
I have it i some enclosures.Its harmless and I just scoop it out when I can and reduce the moisture in the area if the species of tarantula husbandry allows it.
Regards Konstantin

 

[Konstantin]

Just let the tarantula harden and you can rehouse after that once she had few meals post moult. This is what I do usually if I need to rehouse after moulting.
Regards Konstantin

 

[MBullock]

the yellow stuff is actually often leucocoprinus birnbaumii mycelium, it likes to grow on dead wood and anything organic and rotted. Leucocoprinus is very common in potted soil and is often called "Potted plant parasols" because it generally hitch-hikes in peat moss. It's generally only seen from spring-summer as it's tropical in nature and doesnt grow fast in cold temps

 

[Hagraven]

Just let the tarantula harden and you can rehouse after that once she had few meals post moult. This is what I do usually if I need to rehouse after moulting.
Regards Konstantin

Thank you so much. I had read somewhere that "yellow mold means bad news" and was ready to go nuclear. I will wait and try not to worry!

 

[Hagraven]

the yellow stuff is actually often leucocoprinus birnbaumii mycelium, it likes to grow on dead wood and anything organic and rotted. Leucocoprinus is very common in potted soil and is often called "Potted plant parasols" because it generally hitch-hikes in peat moss. It's generally only seen from spring-summer as it's tropical in nature and doesnt grow fast in cold temps

Thank you! I'm new to the hobby and keep on saying how much I dig being amazed by more or less all that I learn about it. Seems like when your world gets smaller, it too gets bigger!

 

[MBullock]

Thank you! I'm new to the hobby and keep on saying how much I dig being amazed by more or less all that I learn about it. Seems like when your world gets smaller, it too gets bigger!

mold in general is not very damaging to mygalomorphae, as they lack tracheae to breathe with.
It's far more dangerous to true spiders though, as they utilize 'Bi-modal breathing' and use tracheae to breathe- inhaling and exhaling. More active species like salticidae cannot handle stale air and rapidly decline in health and vigor when not given good airflow in their enclosures.

 

[Hagraven]

mold in general is not very damaging to mygalomorphae, as they lack tracheae to breathe with.
It's far more dangerous to true spiders though, as they utilize 'Bi-modal breathing' and use tracheae to breathe- inhaling and exhaling. More active species like salticidae cannot handle stale air and rapidly decline in health and vigor when not given good airflow in their enclosures.

Thank you for your time, this helps (and how cool!)

 

[SullivanC]

Mold is sometimes the result of over watering or not enough ventilation hole so you can try to add more ventilation holes and see if the problem just disappears

 

[sunset]

I experienced some mold issues this summer, I have a lot of potted plants some for a garden and some for house plants and vivarium plants growing. I started seeing white doted sometimes yellowish more turning yellow mold. I hit the books to find that even with dry potting soil /substrates, moisture in the air from humidity inside room, was the culprit. Non of my plants nor enclosures were getting their substrate changed. According to a lot of garden centers, mold, fungas, and the lovely fungas nats that help carry the mold from one pot or enclosure to the next can also happen from stagnant humid room air. Go figure lmao. They suggested, after cleaning the soils to keep the numbers as low as possible and to dry out the fungas, all you need to do is add a small fan to blow the room air around to keep the air from being so thick.
I close my bedroom door, the room w everything and all small critters and plants safe In due to having cats, was also making it so when I was out at work, even w the ac lightly going , wasn't enough moving air to stop the humid east coast air from feeding and hatching the fungas spors, making for the perfect breeding ground. Cleaned out and moved some of my plants to another room and now having a fan blowing air around , just not swiveling twords my enclosures, changed the whole environment in my room and mold was gone by the end of the week.

Having T's has not only made me learn more about the species but also botany as well. Figured I'd share, hopefully this can help someone else who might have temps in the repressive humid air during the summer months. Cheers!!

 

[Hagraven]

Mold is sometimes the result of over watering or not enough ventilation hole so you can try to add more ventilation holes and see if the problem just disappears

Thanks!- I'll be rehousing soon and there will be more ventilation but I also plan to take it easier on watering

 

[Hagraven]

I experienced some mold issues this summer, I have a lot of potted plants some for a garden and some for house plants and vivarium plants growing. I started seeing white doted sometimes yellowish more turning yellow mold. I hit the books to find that even with dry potting soil /substrates, moisture in the air from humidity inside room, was the culprit. Non of my plants nor enclosures were getting their substrate changed. According to a lot of garden centers, mold, fungas, and the lovely fungas nats that help carry the mold from one pot or enclosure to the next can also happen from stagnant humid room air. Go figure lmao. They suggested, after cleaning the soils to keep the numbers as low as possible and to dry out the fungas, all you need to do is add a small fan to blow the room air around to keep the air from being so thick.
I close my bedroom door, the room w everything and all small critters and plants safe In due to having cats, was also making it so when I was out at work, even w the ac lightly going , wasn't enough moving air to stop the humid east coast air from feeding and hatching the fungas spors, making for the perfect breeding ground. Cleaned out and moved some of my plants to another room and now having a fan blowing air around , just not swiveling twords my enclosures, changed the whole environment in my room and mold was gone by the end of the week.

Having T's has not only made me learn more about the species but also botany as well. Figured I'd share, hopefully this can help someone else who might have temps in the repressive humid air during the summer months. Cheers!!

I appreciate it! Very interesting about the air quality. I am much looking forward to Fall and Winter to knock out some of that humidity

 

[SullivanC]

Thanks!- I'll be rehousing soon and there will be more ventilation but I also plan to take it easier on watering

Thats good plan my amazing friend! If ventilation hole doesnt fix then its over watering but if you dont over water the substrate but mold still happens then I would just reconsider the substrate I am using to a substrate that doesnt mold easily. I know coconut fiber is many people's least favorite substrate choice but I barely have problems using it to be honest so because of my good experiences using it I can absolutely recommend it to people but 1 thing to keep in mind with coconut fiber is it dries out very quick so it doesnt hold the humidity for very long time. Since it doesnt hold the water very well it requires soaking the substrate more often than other substrate choices so coconut fiber substrate might be really bad choice to use for asian tarantulas that love alot of humidity unless you dont mind watering the substrate whenever its needed of course

 

[Hagraven]

Thats good plan my amazing friend! If ventilation hole doesnt fix then its over watering but if you dont over water the substrate but mold still happens then I would just reconsider the substrate I am using to a substrate that doesnt mold easily. I know coconut fiber is many people's least favorite substrate choice but I barely have problems using it to be honest so because of my good experiences using it I can absolutely recommend it to people but 1 thing to keep in mind with coconut fiber is it dries out very quick so it doesnt hold the humidity for very long time. Since it doesnt hold the water very well it requires soaking the substrate more often than other substrate choices so coconut fiber substrate might be really bad choice to use for asian tarantulas that love alot of humidity unless you dont mind watering the substrate whenever its needed of course

I'm using coconut fiber too- I think I overdid it before, hoping for humidity. I don't mind keeping an eye on it so well see how it holds up!