Traveling with a Tarantula in Pre-molt?

[Emster]

I'll be moving to a new state in 4 days (it will be a 7-8 hour drive) and I just noticed that one of my 1 inch slings is in pre-molt. Is it safe for the little guy to travel right now? Or if it happens to molt before I leave is it safe to travel before it's hardened back up? I can't postpone the move at all but I can try to work something out if it's a huge risk for the sling to move right now. I dont have much experience traveling with tarantulas so I'm kind of nervous.

 

[Oursapoil]

Hi Emster,
At 1 inch you sling should be in a small container. Put that container on top of fluffy sheets or towels in a basket to help with the shaking/vibrations but except if your move includes off road or dirt tracks it should be more than OK. If you are in a car just keep it away from any blowing fan or AC. Have a great move and keep us updated.

 

[Tomoran]

I'll be moving to a new state in 4 days (it will be a 7-8 hour drive) and I just noticed that one of my 1 inch slings is in pre-molt. Is it safe for the little guy to travel right now? Or if it happens to molt before I leave is it safe to travel before it's hardened back up? I can't postpone the move at all but I can try to work something out if it's a huge risk for the sling to move right now. I dont have much experience traveling with tarantulas so I'm kind of nervous.

Hey, Emster. Congrats on the move! If it's just a 7-8 hour drive, you should be fine. What type of enclosure is it in? Try to secure the enclosure well and make sure that there is nothing in it that could fall or injure the spider. You could always pack it a bit with some moist sphagnum moss. If it's hot, make sure to have the ac on, and don't leave the spiders in the car to bake if you stop anywhere on the way. If it molts shortly before you leave, you should also be fine. I've had ones molt in their shipping tubes before without issue. It's definitely not ideal, but they are resilient little guys. Good luck!

 

[Emster]

Hey, Emster. Congrats on the move! If it's just a 7-8 hour drive, you should be fine. What type of enclosure is it in? Try to secure the enclosure well and make sure that there is nothing in it that could fall or injure the spider. You could always pack it a bit with some moist sphagnum moss. If it's hot, make sure to have the ac on, and don't leave the spiders in the car to bake if you stop anywhere on the way. If it molts shortly before you leave, you should also be fine. I've had ones molt in their shipping tubes before without issue. It's definitely not ideal, but they are resilient little guys. Good luck!

I will admit the enclosure I have it in is probably a bit too big for the sling. I have some nice travel sized containers that I want to move my tarantulas into with either damp paper towels or moss. I'm usually pretty quick with my stops and I'll probably only need to stop once or twice so the temperature should stay steady. I guess my biggest fear is that the little guy is going to decide to molt during the trip.

 

[octanejunkie]

Slings should be in containers no larger than 3-4x their overall size in width & length. Limit free climbing height to about 2x their overall size.

Smaller containers ensures they feed when offered, prey won't be able to hide in the enclosure, and you can monitor it's feeding and activity. If the enclosure is too small for a water dish, make sure there's a patch of moss in there you can keep damp in one corner and don't over water, let the substrate dry out weekly.

 

[Emster]

I almost forgot to update, but the little guy ended up molting 2 days before the move. All of my slings made it safe and sound