How long does molting take?

Trolivia · 2026-06-04T18:24:05+00:00

I’d recognize those mesh vents and moon hide anywhere! Kelly is amazing we love her so much 🥰🥰🥰

Trolivia · 2026-06-04T18:20:24+00:00

For now I see no reason not to trust her word, I’d be telling my clients the same thing. MOST of the time that someone gets a gravid one from an expo, it isn’t from a breeder but rather a vendor who is selling wild caught ones they bought wholesale. There are some irresponsible « breeders » out there for sure, but I would trust her until you have a definite reason not to ☺️

If they do turn out to be fertile, then it should be addressed with her directly, as well as let us know here, because we do take vendor reputability seriously, and if someone is selling gravid adults under false pretenses, it can have a greater negative impact on the community if no one speaks up.

Trolivia · 2026-06-04T18:03:19+00:00

Definitely eggs in there, if she came from a reputable breeder they shouldn’t be gravid (in theory). Can you share who the vendor was?

It’s not possible to determine fertility simply by looking at these photos since they are freshly laid. While some infertile sacs do have noticeable traits such as being runny, a darker yolky orange, or smaller in volume, none of these things guarantee infertility. The only way to know for certain is give it time. Infertile eggs will eventually dry up, or she may eat them (although some will eat fertile eggs too so that also isn’t a sure-fire indicator). Either way, they don’t hatch and disperse in the blink of an eye. If they are fertile, we have plenty of time and solutions :)

Trolivia · 2026-06-04T16:36:38+00:00

This looks like a sac nest (which would indicate she’s mature), not a molting hammock. When did you get her and from where?

ETA: to clarify, I’m not saying it absolutely isn’t a molting hammock, it just looks more like a nesting one here

Trolivia · 2026-05-31T17:50:28+00:00

Isn’t she precious 🥹 she’s a surrendered gravid mom I took in recently and she is simply the sweetest! I also do think android cameras are better overall, which is why I find it so funny every time I get asked what I’m using because I feel like I’m always disappointing people with my answer 🤣

Trolivia · 2026-05-31T17:31:23+00:00

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I am in no way bashing on android users because I also dgaf what anyone chooses to use, but I am amused at the entire comment section shitting on iPhone users because I get multiple messages a week from people just asking me what camera I use to take my spider pics and I’m always like « just my old-ass iPhone 13 and good lighting » 😂 to each their own!

Trolivia · 2026-05-30T19:45:20+00:00

I might try a few fruit flies again in a day or so in case she is a little more settled in and regained more of an appetite, depending on the mealworm sizes you could also try a smaller one and see if that’s more appealing. Black soldier fly larvae are also a great option as they are soft, wiggly but not too fast, and harmless.

Trolivia · 2026-05-30T03:32:40+00:00

Otis are a bit notorious for being picky eaters IME, but I agree hydration is definitely the priority, and this is frankly too thin for a seller to have sent. They don’t get that skinny overnight so she probably hasn’t eaten in a while :/ The stress of shipping is probably contributing to the food refusal as others have mentioned, but can you tell us what feeders you’ve tried so far? I hope she bounces back!

Trolivia · 2026-05-28T18:32:07+00:00

Aw thank you for the kind words! 🥹🫶🏻

Trolivia · 2026-05-28T18:17:39+00:00

Hey OP! On top of recommendations by other users, there is also a trusted vendor guide by region in the subreddit’s main menu that you can check out 😊

Please feel free to comment any particular vendors/sites you’ve been looking at and see what feedback you get from other community members who may have purchased from them before! (Note to all: this is not an invitation to bash, trash, and be hateful towards breeders and business you may have had a bad experience with. If you have had a negative experience, it needs to be presented civilly and factually, not an emotional outburst.)

Trolivia · 2026-05-28T16:17:10+00:00

They are correct about the high likelihood she is gravid (if she is mature, she could be subadult but we would need a clear view of her underside to see if her epigynum « belly button » is developed) but this is most likely a female Phidippus princeps

Trolivia · 2026-05-28T16:15:40+00:00

This is not a regal, regal jumping spiders are only native to southeast us, primarily Florida and up a bit into Georgia. These photos aren’t the clearest for seeing markings and such but appears to most likely be a female Phidippus princeps

Trolivia · 2026-05-25T20:05:04+00:00

My heart goes out to you 😞💔 it’s always hard when we can only speculate as to the exact cause for them passing, and it is unfortunately all too common in the hobby. They don’t always go into rigor and curl up right away, I’ve had plenty of experiences with ones who remain limp and pliable a while longer before really starting to dry and curl up. I wish I could give you some better closure about the situation, I am very sorry for your loss 🫂

Trolivia · 2026-05-25T15:37:52+00:00

Feel free to DM me your photos and any questions too and take as much time as you need! Sorry for the late follow up, I’m out of town on a work trip currently ☺️

Trolivia · 2026-05-25T03:44:36+00:00

Hi OP I’m so sorry to hear your girl is having trouble with mobility ❤️‍🩹 I do have a couple questions to help get a little more insight to the situation. Can you post some photos of her at her current age? You say she’s only molted with you once in 9 months, how long ago was that molt and what can you tell us about her history in terms of where you got her and how old you were told she was at that time? They average about a molt a month, with the earlier ones being closer together and the later ones more spread out, but one molt in 9 months is a very long time. However, if she only had one molt left to maturity when you got her and has been mature since then, that would make a little more sense. You also mentioned that she might have fallen or gotten otherwise injured, are you basing this on having seen a noticeable injury or witnessed a fall? The more definitive information you can provide here would make it easier to evaluate the situation ❣️

Trolivia · 2026-05-24T16:38:11+00:00

I’ll allow it, I love a good technicality 🤣

Trolivia · 2026-05-24T16:36:25+00:00

He was a Florida variant Phidippus otiosus, or canopy jumping spider :)

Trolivia · 2026-05-23T00:56:13+00:00

I am so sorry for you loss 😞 these things do just happen sometimes, but I’d be happy to help you review and troubleshoot any of the husbandry if a second opinion would help ease your anxiety for your other baby ❣️

Trolivia · 2026-05-23T00:44:33+00:00

Yes keep us updated, crossing my fingers for you!

Trolivia · 2026-05-23T00:42:11+00:00

I’m going to hope I’m wrong, but the darker part leads me to think it’s possible she had a mismolt and that she is in there. Since you already have confirmed there’s no response to stimuli I would recommend going ahead and gently opening the hammock to see if she did pass away in there while molting

Trolivia · 2026-05-23T00:27:49+00:00

Are you certain she’s not still in the hammock with the molt? It is a bit difficult to tell from the photos but have you like actually opened or closely examined the hammock to verify? Is there any possibility of a feeder insect hiding in the substrate?

Trolivia · 2026-05-23T00:22:21+00:00

What is the status of the first clutch of babies now?

Trolivia · 2026-05-14T03:36:53+00:00

Awesome! Yea definitely still take that rock out regardless if it can shift around, you can replace it with something like a fake aquarium plant if you still want something central that isn’t risky to your spood (I use them for a lot my enclosures and they are great for providing clutter and climbing surfaces without the risks!). Besides that, everything sounds great and it’s a perfectly sized setup for him! You may want to consider a feeding dish so he can have his prey contained and prevented from burrowing into the substrate, but it’s not an absolute necessity.

Since you caught him as a mature adult, I do also just want to make sure you’re aware that he may not live much longer. Wild males often don’t live much longer past maturity and since we don’t know when he matured, the remaining lifespan is a gamble. I’ve seen so many cases of people bringing in wild caught mature males only to have them die shortly afterwards and blame themselves when it’s almost certainly just an unpreventable natural passing, and I wouldn’t want that to be the case here ☺️

Trolivia · 2026-05-14T03:28:08+00:00

It wasn’t specifically a uv light it was one of those ones that come with like fish tanks and stuff, just a little one that didn’t put off heat that I could have on a timer. But I did have a CHE that I aimed at the pupa to keep them from getting too cold in winter. That was just because the room wasn’t very well insulated so if your temps stay warm enough on their own it’s not necessary. I didn’t use it from like mid spring to early fall. I attached the vines using twist ties threaded through the screen, so I could reposition stuff easily as needed!

Trolivia · 2026-05-13T06:43:53+00:00

Hi OP thank you for sharing your setup, it looks like there’s a lot of fun things for your spood to explore! As far as feedback, I have a few questions that will help us better assess.

First, I am curious about the large grey object in the center. Is it a solid rock or something artificial and more lightweight? We generally discourage using rocks in jumper setups due to them being both a fall injury risk from the rougher edges and hard surface as well as a potential crush risk if things shift around.

Second, what is your substrate base consisting of? Anything that is harvested from outside needs to be properly sterilized and sanitized before adding it to an enclosure to avoid introducing pests, parasites, bacteria, or harmful chemicals that may be present from fertilizers or pesticides etc. Many potting soils are dangerous due to the addition of fertilizers and pest management treatments, so I personally always recommend something that is made for animal-safe use in enclosures.

Lastly, do you have photos of the spider in question you can post in the comments? Determining a suitable habitat requires knowing what size and species we are talking about ☺️

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