Action and Adventure in August #13: The Upcoming Molt

 As you know, a tarantula by the name of Harriet lives in my classroom.  Harriet's a great pet.  She doesn't do anything at all, and she's fascinating to look at because she's a tarantula.  Every once in awhile she walks up the walls of her tank, delighting all of us. That's a rare occurrence, so she's never much of a distraction to our learning.

A pal at work loves Harriet.  She even reaches in and pets her gently from time to time. She supplies water for her whenever I forget to check on the water supply and she talks to her every afternoon.

The other day, this pal said, "Have you noticed that Harriet is losing hair on her back?"

Of course I had not.  I barely look at Harriet except for a quick glance each morning as I walk into the classroom and call out, "Hi Harriet" as I schlep my 80 pound bag over to my desk.

"Rats," I said.  "I hope she's not dying.  I can't handle that right now."  I walked over to check her out and sure enough, she had a bald spot on her abdomen.

I finally got a chance to google this tarantula hair loss condition today and come to find out, Harriet's going to be molting soon.  Not sure if you've ever seen a tarantula molt, but it's quite a dramatic adventure.  I've seen it twice and it does not get old, my friends.  Between the monarchs and the tarantulas, Room 200 is turning into a Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins episode.