We’re used to our dogs or cats going through personality changes just like our family members – but what happens when it’s coming from a creature you never would have expected it to come from – your tarantula?!

We don’t usually think about tarantulas having a “personality”, and to be honest tarantulas don’t really have personalities at all. However, what they DO have is a temperament, which refers to how tolerant a tarantula is to stress or stimulation. Temperament differences are responsible for why one tarantula might remain completely calm and unbothered by its owner changing the water dish and why another tarantula might freak out and go into a threat pose. Temperament, aka these “personality changes” can vary from spider to spider, even within the same species. It’s very particular to the individual tarantula, and that’s one of the very frustrating nuances in the tarantula keeping hobby to be honest.

And perhaps the thing that’s even more frustrating – and you don’t find this out until it’s too late to turn back – is that your tarantula might even have its own personality changes as time goes on. That’s right – the sweet, calm spider you had when you first purchased it might turn into a frequent problem child that you’re scared of in the future (or the other way around). Shocking, but true – in fact, this has happened with Spidey quite a few times and I’ve heard other tarantula owners share their experience with this phenomenon as well.

It seems like just as life stages such as the puberty phase in humans, tarantulas also go through their own developmental phases – and sometimes it continues throughout adulthood. What I (and many others) have personally observed is that the molting cycle can have an effect on a tarantula’s temperament. The first time I noticed that Spidey had gone through a personality change was probably her second or third molt in my care. I noticed that my normally very sweet and shy spider had become a much more excited eater and was more ruthless with her prey. She was also much more energetic, active, and curious about what happened in her tank. Where I used to be able to move things around the tank and refill her water dish with no problem, she was now attacking her water dish and nearly lunging at my tongs whenever I was brave enough to disturb her surroundings. Now, sometimes this might just be due to being post-molt and very hungry, but I have observed these changes to last several months to years.

There could be many causes for this – one of course, is the molt cycle. Many tarantula owners know that their spiders might be more aggressive eaters or more active after a molt. Sometimes the personality changes can be due to seasonal cycles – it is very common for tarantulas to slow down in the winter (perhaps becoming more docile in the process) and then ramp up activity and feeding processes once it is warmer. But sometimes a tarantula’s “personality”/temperament just randomly changes, and can even stay that way long term.

To be honest, I used to try to hold and pet Spidey once in a while when she was my sweet, docile tarantula. But once she had her first personality switch in my care, I was kinda too scared to and I rarely handle her at all anymore. While she continues to refrain from threat posing, sometimes her reactions are very quick and I just don’t trust her as much as I used to lol. It’s a good case for ALWAYS respecting your spiders’ space, because you never know just what mood they’ll be in.

So what can you do? Well, there’s not much you can do but wait it out and give them space. Aside from making sure your spider has enough food, water, and ensuring that there’s nothing in the tank that could be bothering them or keeping them stressed and moody, we have to accept the way our tarantula develops throughout its life. A tarantula is not a creature such as a cat/dog, or even a child. You can’t teach or discipline it. All you can do is respect it and love it from afar.

And to be honest, that’s how we should be treating and caring for our tarantulas anyway. Our tarantulas are not required to be what or how WE want them to be. They are wild, untamed creatures and we have taken them out of their environments and into our homes. It’s not their job to bend to our will – it in fact is our responsibility to accept them as they are and maintain the things they need to live so we can continue to enjoy their company and presence in our lives.

So in closing, my advice is to just go with your tarantulas’ mood swings and changes in temperament. There is nothing you can do to change your tarantula’s temperament – the best thing you can do is manage their stressors and keep them full and comfortable 🙂