Much like the way a hermit crab discards a shell when it becomes too small to live in, and like how a snake will shed it’s skin when it’s time to grow, tarantulas go through a similar process and will shed their skin periodically as they grow.
The tarantula molting period is a very difficult and stressful time for your pet tarantula, so it’s advisable to know what to expect.
For a week or two prior to molting, your spider may refuse to eat. There may be droplets of clear fluid leaking from the spiders leg joints (note this doesn’t always happen to every tarantula so don’t be alarmed if you don’t see any). The spider may loose hairs on her abdomen, which look look like your pet has a ‘bald spot’.
The tarantula will lie on it’s back for the actual molting process, and it will almost look like it’s dead. Since the molting period can last anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours, it’s best to leave your spider alone if you happen to look in the enclosure and find it laying on it’s back motionless, it’s more likely to be molting than to have died, assuming you follow good care practises, of course.
Disturbing a tarantula during the molting process can actually harm the spider, sometimes causing death, so just sit back and enjoy the show.
Once your pet tarantula has emerged from it’s old skin, it’s new skin will be extremely soft and delicate. You will need to give the spider at least a week after the molting experience before handling her, to avoid hurting her.
Also, don’t feed the spider for the first few days either, the fresh new skin is so soft that even the crickets you feed her with can injure her. Provide fresh clean water daily as usual.
After the first few days the new skin will begin to harden and you can offer her fresh food. At between one to two weeks after molting, the skin hardening will be complete, and you can begin handling your pet once again.
Interesting Fact: If the spider was missing a leg when the molting period began, it can regenerate the leg during the molting process. The regenerated leg won’t likely be quite as big as the original, but it will be functional.
How cool is that?
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