I woke up yesterday morning to find that the tarantula, Woody, was lying still as could be on her back. Thankfully I knew that 1) Despite the appearance to the contrary, she was not dead; and 2) she was getting ready to molt. She’d not yet molted in the year that we’d had her, so it was a very big deal. The boys and I watched over the next few hours as she alternately wriggled free and rested. I only called Mike for assistance once, the first time she started the seizure-like shaking. He had me spritz her gently with water, because low humidity can sometimes be an issue for them, and otherwise just keep an eye on her.

It was an amazing thing to watch.