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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Eighth Eye Blind" data-source="post: 242551" data-attributes="member: 49683">The answer, like so much in biology, is "it depends".The new cuticle is hardened through an interaction of proteins, sugars (mostly chitin), and chemicals called catecholamines. These ingredients get linked together in a fairly complex chemical reaction that also removes water from the new cuticle. The whole process also requires trace minerals such as zinc and calcium that need to come from the T's diet. Once hardened the new exoskeleton is filled in and coated with a waxy substance to make it watertight. That's probably what you're seeing with the change in shininess you witnessed.How fast the new cuticle hardens is therefore dependent on the T's nutritional state. A well-fed animal that has sufficient stores of protein and other required nutrients can harden its new cuticle in less than a day. One that has a some sort of nutritional deficiency or has been on a hunger strike for a long time might take several days to get the job done.So, it depends. I think the one week rule is pretty good. If the new cuticle hasn't properly hardened by then you have a very sick spider and feeding it probably isn't going to do much to save it anyway.</blockquote>