Personality Change After Moult?

[Robert Farmer]

Is it me or do all T's undergo some sort of mental makeover after a moult?

EG:

P Regalis pre-moult - extremely skittish, ran to hide at the slightest disturbance, never seen her feed.

Post - I watched her eat today in full daylight, with me opening and closing lid several times, then watched her stalk the other cricket for a while then watched as she wrapped then sulked off to her hide... This is the first time I've been able to clearly see what she's been up to!#

B Vagans pre-moult - Always out and about earth moving, you could class as a "hand-pet" she's that docile, never kicked hairs, cept sometimes at a large prey item.

Post - Kicks at slightest disturbance and is so skittish it rivals my P Pederseni...

What's up with this?

Anybody else have any amusing experiences such as this?

[Johanna Turner]

Have experienced the same with my B, smithi juv. Was a little darling up to the moult, would happily potter about and wouldn't react when you went in to do anything.

Post moult - did a runner up my bedroom wall whilst I was misting the tank and sat by the ceiling kicking hairs at me! Ever since it moulted it has been really flighty, kicks hairs too readily and spends all it's time under the hide!

[Colin D Wilson]

my L Parahybana's changed after moult too Jo.

pre moult it was very relaxed and stayed out in the open even when i was doing some general housekeeping in it's cage.

after moult, very skittish, even the slightest touch on the cage door and it's back in it's burrow.

The only thing that's remained constant is it's voracious appetite

[James Box]

Not such a drastic change, but my female B. albopilosum seems to kick more hairs since her moult. still as lazy as before though. was a bit slow to eat as well.

[Abi Skeet]

My bros B. albopilosum juvie was also very docile, didnt really do much at all. Now after its moult it looks beautiful but will kick hairs at the slightest thing. I am hoping my L.Para will come out more when its moulted as I never get to see it lol.

[Glenn Wilkinson]

My B. albopilosum used to be out in the open all the time, but after the last moult about 3 weeks ago it went into hiding and rarely comes out. Hopefully it will settle down and become more sociable in time.

[Gem Lee]

The same thing happened with both my smithi , who became really docile after a moult and my bicoloratum who turned into a lovable hair flicking nut job

Gem

[Bryan_Dennis]

Yes, i too have experienced the same as you Robert with the same specie.
I received 6 P.regalis instar 2 spiderlings last summer. They used a couple of weeks to settle in and throw some web together and then dissapeared, only ever coming out at night.

A few months ago after many moults they were now approx 10-12cm from the tip of leg 1 to leg 4.
Now they are basically allways out on full display every day. I can even lift their containers without them dashing away despite having plenty of web funnels to run into.
I had assumed it was simply because of increasing confidence (if you can attribute such a thing to a tarantula) as they grew. I mean, a 10 cm legspan can cover a lot more ground in the same amount of time than a 1½ cm legspan.

I haven't observed the reverse behaviour in my other spiders.

All the other spiders mentioned however where the behaviour is the reverse are terrestrial spiders (until someone else post's and says's "My Avic's do the same ....could it have something to do with increased sensitivity to something in their enclosures/substrate..?

[Nicola Dolby]

I've found changes in my Avicularias after moulting. When they were smaller they were both very 'assertive' but as they've grown they have become much more placid as Avics should be.

[Larry Shone]

Oh yes I have noticed this too. My chile rose is a totally different T after the last molt,very skittish now and eats like a horse. The curly sling comes out a lot more now as does hawk the P.camb,who i never used to see.