Instructions
Check the tarantula daily for normal signs of the approaching molt. Your pet may begin refusing to eat up to two weeks before beginning to molt. Many tarantulas spin what appears to be copious excesses of webbing during this time. A bald spot may form on the spider's abdomen due to some hairs falling out. Some spiders seep drops of clear fluid from their leg joints.
Clean and replenish the tarantula's water dish as soon as you notice that it has stopped eating. Immediately remove any uneaten live foods from your spider's cage. Live prey items will annoy your pet, and may even chew on it and cause serious injury while its on its back during the most helpless phase of the molt.
Close the door to the room where your tarantula is housed when your pet flips over onto its back. This position indicates that the spider is beginning to actively molt and it is not a sign of distress. The tarantula will remain on its back for the duration of the molt, which will take up to several hours. Do not feed, touch or disturb your pet in any way while it's molting, or the tarantula could die.
Touch your tarantula's new exoskeleton very gently 24 hours after it has completely shed the old skin, which indicates completion of the molting process. By that time, the shell should begin to harden so that it can protect your pet's soft body.
Clean and freshen the tarantula's water container, and offer it a single cricket 36 to 48 hours after it has emerged from the old exoskeleton. Your pet should be very hungry and show keen interest in the prey item. Watch the spider closely. If it doesn't show interest in feeding within an hour, remove the cricket and try again the following day.
Resume your normal feeding regimen once the tarantula has accepted the first prey item after molting.
Handle your tarantula gently for a few minutes seven days after it has completed the molt. Return it to its enclosure. Repeat the following day. Resume your regular handling routine a day later.
How to Feed a Tarantula After Molt
You can expect your pet tarantula to molt, or shed its hard exoskeleton, several times every year. This renewal process is known as ecdysis and allows the spider to rid itself of the now too-small shell and replace it with a larger new one as the animal grows. It will take your pet from about 15 minutes up to three or four hours to complete the molt. It's critical to the spider's overall well-being and even its survival that you provide the correct environment during the activity and feed it properly following the molting process.