A tarantula can only grow by molting. Everything external will be replaced. This is a crucial stage for the tarantula.
For the molting process most spiders search for shelter. However, it also happens that the tarantula molts in the middle of the terrarium in an unprotected place. Usually the tarantula lies on its back, whereafter the old skin will be shed. This can easily take 12 to 24 hours for larger specimen. Smaller specimen can molt in about half an hour. There are also tarantulas that prefer to molt on their bellies.
Very important for the (incoming) molt is the humidity. If the humidity is not high enough, the tarantula will have trouble with shedding the old skin and dies if being stuck for too long.
How can you tell if a tarantula has to molt?
1. It's best to keep a note on which tarantula molted when. Then you can estimate the avarage month when the next molting
will be, judging from experience.
2. The tarantula will refuse to eat for a while.
3. The tarantula will lose it's color. Sometimes you can already see the new skin through the old one. The new skin will look dark
blue to black through the new skin, when you see this, it's a sign your tarantula will molt in a few weeks.
After molting the tarantula grew a lot (unless it's full grown already) and the colors have become much brighter and more beautiful. Also all damaging on its body is renewed.
Molting
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Molting Process (Photo's)
Molting Process (Video's)
Scarlett, my sub-adult Brachypelma smithi female
5th July, 2013.
Scarlett, my sub-adult Brachypelma smithi female
5th July, 2013.
Jade, my sub-adult Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens female
22nd July, 2013.
A tarantula on its back is not dead,
it's molting!
NOTE:
Do not leave food animals with a tarantula that needs to molt!
NOTE:
The time between two molts is very different, it has to do with the size of the tarantula, the age and the species. Spiderlings can molt every four weeks, juveniles (3 to 4 centimeter leg span) molt about every 3 months. Female adult specimens molt once a year or even less. Males molt not when they reached their maturity.
It does not eat the food anyways and animals can damage the tarantula during or just after molting. The tarantula is extremely fragile during and after the molt, basically it can't move. If the tarantula just finished the molt, the external skeleton is still soft. If you disturb the tarantula, you can cause damage. Also, don't feed the tarantula for at least one full week after the molt, because their fangs need to harden. After the molt, the fangs are white. After a couple of hours to days they turn red, followed by the regular pitch black color. Only feed tarantulas when their fangs are black, if you feed them before that time, there is a risk the fangs break.
