So this might be kind of weird topic, but if you’re familiar with tarantula molts and tarantula keeping, then you know that sometimes the anxiety is real! Tarantulas are frustrating like that. They are so amazing, beautiful and fascinating – as is their molting process. But unfortunately, many of us have experienced or are at least aware that molting is a very intense process for tarantulas, especially for the very young or very old ones.

I myself have a little experience with this. I got my Grammostola rosea Spidey when she was well into her adult years (I almost was too scared to buy her because she was so big!). What that means is that she doesn’t molt very often, and when she does it can take a long time. The first time Spidey molted with me a few times after I took her home, she spent hours making a molting mat, rolled over and was done with the molt in just an hour. She almost made sure to do this when I left the house so I couldn’t even see it! But her second molt with me was way different, and it caused me to freak out a little bit

Spidey’s next molt was several years later, solidifying my hypothesis that she is an elderly spider. This molt was different because instead of it taking just under one hour, Spidey was molting on her back for at least 12 hours before anything even started to happen. I think the entire molt took about 16 hours. That molt was extremely stressful for me and I thought I was going to lose her. If it hadn’t been for me calling on my tarantula tumblr community and them assuring me that this is common with older tarantulas, I would have probably tried to intervene and ruined her molt. She has since molted one more time since then (several years later, yet again) and that molt nearly took another 24 hours. Although I knew what to expect, I was still very stressed the entire time – but she made it out of the molt flawlessly yet again. So, now that I have the experience of watching two very stressful tarantula molts, I’d like to share what has helped me many anxiety during these times.

Education and knowledge is always power and your best bet. Definitely research or reach out to others to help you understand and remember that younger tarantulas and older tarantulas are at higher risk of a bad molt. Also be aware of the time frames normally associated with tarantula molts. For example, younger tarantulas will molt more frequently and faster, and it will be the exact opposite with older tarantulas. While tarantulas can be unpredictable, knowing a little bit about what to expect can help. If I had known that older tarantulas can take up to 24 hours to molt earlier, I might not have had to freak out the first time Spidey did a marathon molt!

Ensure you are doing the right things to help your tarantula molt. While your tarantula is doing all the heavy lifting and doesn’t need help during a molt that is going perfectly normal, you have to make sure they have the right conditions to have a good molt. This means making sure that there aren’t any prey items in the enclosure that could attack your tarantula while they’re molting. It also means making sure that they have a full water dish because it is said that the humidity the water creates helps them molt. Also be sure not to disturb them at all during this time unless it’s an emergency.

In my work as a therapist, I tend to enjoy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques for anxiety. The gist of CBT is to help you learn to challenge maladaptive thoughts and replace them with more realistic, truthful, healthy thoughts. One thing I like to think about is possibility vs. probability. Think about the facts as you do this. Statistically, many more tarantula molts go well and normally than not. You may even think about your own tarantulas’ past successful molts and how healthy and strong they are because you take good care of them. In doing this, you can think: Is it possible that your tarantula could have a bad molt? Yes it is possible because occasionally it does happen. But is it PROBABLE? Probably not, especially if your tarantula’s last molt was perfectly fine and they are healthy.

You can also help yourself feel more relaxed by preparing yourself for the worst. I am a firm believer that education is key, and no one wants to be looking up how to perform tarantula molt surgery or how to create an ICU WHILE the emergency is actually happening. Look these topics up (I have spoken about them before), and make sure you have the tools and a plan to help your tarantula IF a rare molting issue happens. This can help you feel a lot less nervous.

Positive vibes only! I don’t mean this in a way like toxic positivity, but recognize that worrying about your tarantula won’t help them. While there may not be any scientific data to back this technique up, I personally will pray or think positive thoughts about my tarantulas, or even cheer them on during a molt because it helps me feel better (and I secretly hope they can feel it lol).

What works for you?!