Rehousing is the part of the hobby people dread, usually because they start before they are ready. A rehouse that goes calmly is almost entirely decided in the ten minutes before anything is opened.
Set up the new enclosure first
Substrate in, cork standing, water dish filled, door sliding smoothly. The new home should be completely finished and sitting on the table before the old one is opened. Nothing turns a quiet transfer into a chase like realising you still need to fill a dish.
Prepare the room, not just the enclosure
- Close the door and any windows, and turn off fans.
- Clear the table. Every object is a place to hide under.
- Have a catch cup and a stiff card within reach, not in a drawer.
- Put the light behind you, not in the spider's face.
- Work low. A fall from table height is worse than any bite risk.
The transfer
Most arboreal species will be inside their cork tube or webbed retreat. If you can lift the whole piece of cork with the spider on it and place it into the new enclosure, do that and nothing else. It is the least stressful rehouse there is, and it carries the silk and scent they already know.
If the spider is loose on a wall, guide rather than grab. Hold the catch cup a little in front of them and touch the opposite side gently with the card. They move away from the touch and into the cup. Slide the card across, lift, and lower the cup into the new enclosure with the opening facing the cork.
When it goes sideways
Sometimes they bolt. If the spider ends up on the table, put the cup over them and wait, do not chase. If they end up on you, stand still, lower your arm to the surface and let them walk off. Speed is what causes injuries, to both of you.
If everything stops being calm, you are allowed to pause. Put the lid back on, let everyone settle for an hour and try again. There is no prize for finishing in one go.
The first day after
Close the door, put the enclosure somewhere quiet and leave it. No feeding for a couple of days, no lifting the enclosure to look underneath, no rearranging the cork because they webbed it in a way you did not expect. A settled spider will start webbing within a day or two, and that is your sign that the rehouse worked.
Why the door design matters
Sliding doors help here more than people expect. A hinged front swings a large opening into the room in one movement. A sliding panel lets you open a few centimetres, place the cup, and close again with one hand. On a T-LOVER enclosure the panel slides to the left and locks to the right on three recessed magnets, so the opening is on the right where your working hand naturally goes in, and the magnets hold it shut while you check the room. That last part is what lets you sleep.