Prior to moulting the spider will stop eating and usually become quiet, at this point I would make sure to place a water dish in the tank and keep it supplied with fresh water until it starts to eat again, post moult. You will notice a bald spot will appear on the abdomen, this is a skin coloured patch and perfectly normal, when the ‘new’ skin is properly formed underneath the old one, this spot will turn black.

This usually means that the spider will moult very soon. At this point you will see the spider spinning a webbing mat, ( though not always), this is where it will moult. The moulting process can take anything from 15 minutes for a spiderling to 11 hours for an adult.

The spider featured here is ruhnaui, this moult took 7 hours, though the action all happened in the last 90 minutes, the first 5 ½ hours were just still on her back. Before her moult she was 2 ½ inches leg span, after moult she measured 3 ½ inches leg span.

First it will flip onto its back, see pic. This is perfectly normal, your spider is not dead, just leave it alone, don’t be tempted to prod it!

Then the carapace will break away, starting from the chelicerae and going back over, until it pops off, then the skin on the abdomen will split along the sides all the way back to the spinnerets. The next part is the tricky bit, the fangs are pulled free, then the legs are pulled out in a group, this takes some time but is fascinating to watch. Once the spider is free from the old skin it will lay on its back for a while flexing its legs and resting.

It is very vulnerable at this point as it is very soft and the skin needs time to harden.

You should not disturb the spider during this process, watch and enjoy but do not touch as you could damage or even kill your spider.

When it has recovered it will flip onto it legs and spend some time stretching and flexing, this is to fully extend the new body as it was constricted in the old skin. It is quite usual for them to walk strangely as they stretch out their legs, in a day or two you will see the new size as it begins to harden, fully stretched and new.

It will usually be around 10 days after a moult when the spider will start to eat again. (Though this will be quicker with spiderlings, I would offer food around 7 days after the moult for them.)