Hello everyone. Zak here.
The other day I woke up to find Harry, the Curly Hair Tarantula laying on his back in his terrerium.
The first time that this had happened in our new home I had received a tearful call from home, explaining to me that Harry was dead! However, I asked why they would say this and it was described to me that Harry was laying on his back with his legs in the air. Something that we see in INSECTS due to rigor mortis. They curl up and then fall on their backs because usually, it is flatter.
However… Harry was not dead, he had been moulting so I told everyone to leave him alone!
Sure enough, this time it was evident that Harry was getting ready to moult. He has padded the ground where he was going to lay and then flipped over. They do this to make it easier for him to get out of his old carapace.
Tarantulas also do not eat before they make this move and once they have shed their skin it takes a good couple of days before they are ready to eat as their carapace still needs to harden up.
Look! Too many legs!
It really looks like I am holding a spider but this is just his exoskeliton.
Thank you for reading this post!
Cheers!
