Molting is an essential part of a tarantula’s life cycle, it’s how they grow! When a tarantula starts to prepare for a molt, it goes into a state called premolt. When a tarantula is in premolt, it becomes sluggish and refuses food, and if the “skin” under the abdomen is visible from hair kicking, you will notice its abdomen will change to a much darker color. Premolt can last a few days for fast growing spiderlings to months for adults of slower growing species such as the Arizona Blonde Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes).

 Before the molt, a tarantula will lay down a molt mat, which is essentially a sheet of non-sticky silk that protects a tarantula during molting. When a tarantula is ready to molt, it flips upside down on the molt mat. Many beginner keepers see their tarantula upside down, and assume that it is stuck, so they flip it right side up. This could actually be fatal for the tarantula, causing it to get stuck in its molt, at which point there is not much you can do for it. After flipping over, the tarantula will slowly begin to push out of its old exoskeleton. This can take hours to accomplish and is very exhausting for the spider. The video shown was filmed over a course of around 6 or 7 hours. 

After molting, a tarantula is very soft and completely defenseless. This is when a tarantula is at its most vulnerable state. It may take anywhere from one day to harden up for very tiny spiderlings to weeks for some of the largest species. The tarantula in the video, a Burgundy Goliath Birdeater Tarantula, took 2 weeks from the molt to when her fangs finally completely hardened. When a tarantula molts, it can also regrow stomach linings, hairs that have been kicked off, and even lost limbs!

Feeding some of my scorpions and tarantulas. Let me know if you guys enjoy this, I would like to do more feeding videos in the future!

 Stores

Fear Not Tarantulas –www.fearnottarantulas.com 

Fear Not Tarantulas is the best place you can go to get a tarantula, scorpion, or other related invertebrate. They have a huge selection of tarantulas for good prices, and their customer service is phenomenal! They are always happy to help. You can visit their website linked above or you can stop in their incredible store in Virginia Beach, VA.

Eresus Spider Shop –www.eresusspidershop.com

Another great place is Eresus Spider Shop. Based out of California, they are one of, if not the best place to get invertebrates in the Western US. They have 20+ years of experience, and 95% of their animals are captive bred.

Forums

Tarantula Forum –www.tarantulaforum.com

This is a great place to learn more about pretty much any exotic invertebrate out there. The people on it are generally nice and helpful, and it is very easy to use. There is a For Sale/Wanted section for those looking to buy and sell. This is the main forum I use when I have a question.

Arachnoboards –www.arachnoboards.com

Arachnoboards is another helpful forum. It is a lot like Tarantula Forum, but is different in a few ways. For example, to put up a Classified Ad (Same as the For Sale/Wanted section in Tarantula Forum) you have to pay $10, while it is free on Tarantula Forum. Most of the people on this forum are helpful, but some are very particular. Arachnoboards isn’t quite as beginner friendly as Tarantula Forum, but it is still a great place to learn.

 Facts

Curiosity ClaraFied –www.claralogsdon.com

This is a very informative site with tons of facts about all kinds of creatures, from spiders to snakes to sharks. There are a dozen blog posts, (hopefully more soon) each about a different unique subject. This is a great place to learn interesting facts about animals.

Identification

BugGuide –www.bugguide.net

BugGuide is a superb place to identify any bug you see in North America. It has thousands of pictures, and many of them have a detailed report of where, when, and how the bug was found. I use BugGuide when I find something and I am not sure of the species.

Insect Identification –www.insectidentification.org

This is a more beginner friendly version of BugGuide. It doesn’t have quite as much as BugGuide, but is easier to understand.

YouTube Channels

The Tarantula Collective –https://www.youtube.com/c/thetarantulacollective/featured

The Tarantula Collective, hosted by Richard Stewart, is one of the best places to learn about species specific care, whether it be tarantulas, scorpions, or other miscellaneous invertebrates. His videos are easy to understand while being enjoyable to watch because of Richard’s amazing Macrophotography skills. Richard also has a podcast called The Exotic Pet Collective.

Clint’s Reptiles –https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH18915fTE6yZzKrqdea8RQ

This is a great channel to check out if you are looking to get a pet reptile or invertebrate, but don’t know exactly what kind you want to purchase. Clint Laidlaw goes through each species, ranking them by 5 factors : Handleability, Care, Hardiness, Availability, and Upfront Costs. I highly reccomend this channel for anyone who is looking to get a new scaly pet.

Jack’s World of Wildlife –https://www.youtube.com/c/Jack%E2%80%99sWorldofWildlife/featured

Jack’s World of Wildlife is, in my opinion, one of the best educational YouTube channels out there. Jack Schonhoff strives to teach people the not-so-scary truth about misunderstood creatures such as snakes and spiders. He travels all around the world, coming face to face with lots of fascinating creatures.

The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula is one of the most colorful arachnids out there. These spiders are native to the dry regions of Venezuela. It is the only species in its genus, Chromatopelma. Females can live around 15 years, while males live only about 3 years. This species can grow quite large, growing up to 6 inches in legspan, and they grow at a medium to fast rate.

They are highly sought after by tarantula keepers because of their stunning blue, green, and red colors, they like to stay out in the open, and because they make large, elaborate webs. This terrestrial/semi arboreal tarantula is usually docile, and their venom is weak. They are a very good beginner species, although they can be skittish. It is best to keep them on drier substrate with a lot of anchor points for their large webs. They don’t burrow much, preferring to create tunnels of webbing instead.

The Greenbottle Blue is one of my favorite species because of the webs they make and their beautiful coloring. I got mine, an immature female, from Fear Not Tarantulas. They are the best place anywhere to get a tarantula or various different invertebrates. If you are looking to get a tarantula, go to www.fearnottarantulas.com or visit their store in Virginia Beach, VA. Like I said, the Greenbottle Blue is a great beginner species for anyone looking to get their first or second 8 legged friend.