A lot of newer tarantula owners struggle to identify what the signs are that a tarantula is in trouble. While it would be great if we all came to the hobby having done our own research, we know that doesn’t always happen – so I’m making this video about the death curl to help educate people who are new to the hobby.

I find that a common thing that newer tarantula owners often mistake as a sign of death or something going wrong is actually when a tarantula molting. A new tarantula owner will see a tarantula on its back and assume it’s dying, even though this is usually the position a tararantula molts in and it’s totally fine. What tarantula owners really need to be aware of is if their tarantula starts to move toward a death curl.

What is a death curl?

A death curl is kind of what it sounds like – it’s when a tarantula’s legs literally curl into and under their body, making them look very small and frail. There may be other signs of something being wrong such as a dehydrated abdomen, but the curling of the legs is a sure sign. Their legs curl under their bodies because the pressure in their body has dropped.

Now, tarantulas are tricky. There have been several times in my earlier years of tarantula keeping that I thought Spidey was doing a death curl and she was not. This is because tarantulas lay in and clean themselves in many strange positions! There are many things that look like it could be a death curl, but they are not.

For example, a stressed out tarantula will also curl their legs into their bodies to make themselves smaller – the main difference is that in a death curl, the legs will usually be under the tarantula What a tarantula is scared, the legs will usually be above their body to protect them.

When a tarantula has just molted or is grooming, they will also put their legs in weird positions. The key thing to remember is that when a tarantula is in a death curl, ALL the legs will be involved. When Spidey does her weird grooming positions, she usually only puts a few legs underneath her – the other legs are sticking out normally.

Now, a death curl does not mean doom. There may still be a chance to save your tarantula – many tarantula owners have been able to recogize the signs of a death curl and intervene before it was too late. Many times, a death curl is simply a sign of dehydration, and a tarantula can be nursed back to life by being put in an ICU or given access to water. So be mindful of your tarantula and don’t make any assumptions.