Ok more pics! The first one was this morning. The other two are this afternoon.
What is happening is, A Tarantula will flip over onto its back when it begins to moult. It will then "Pop its top", Meaning its Carapace comes off. The carapace is the round part of the exoseleton on it's back.
It will then ever so slowly pull itself out of his old exoskeleton through the opening left by the ruptured carapace. The exo around the abdomen will also rupture.
I would imagine that it would be like trying to take off a pair of really tight jeans without unbuttoning and unzipping them.
The reddish colored parts are the old exoskeleton. All the old legs are now hollow tubes.
You'll notice that the new fangs are white while the old ones are black. Thats because his fangs as well as his new exoskeleton is soft and pliable.
Once he fully emerges, It will take several days for his exoskeleton to harden. During this time, It will be his only opportunity to grow larger for once his exo hardens, That's it! Once it hardens, there's no room for expansion untill the next moult.
I'm so releived! I was worrying that this spider was going to die because he hasn't eaten for almost four months!
I believe he was waiting for the conditions to be right to moult.
Two weeks ago, I put him in a larger tank with fresh substrate and a heat bulb on one end. I also sank the water cup into the substrate so he didn't have to climb up onto it.
These animals are native to the S. American jungles and need lots of humidity.
I'll take more pics when he is fully emerged.
I'll have to show my daughter when she gets home from school...she likes tarantulas... ugh....
