Prepare the new enclosure first
Finish substrate, ventilation, hide or cork, water dish and lid security before touching the old enclosure. Test every door and gap. A half-built destination turns a simple move into a rushed one.
Choose a working area where an unexpected bolt can be contained. Close doors, remove pets and clutter, and work close to the floor or inside a larger catch area if the species is very fast.
The basic catch-cup method
Use a clear container large enough for the spider and a piece of card or plastic that can slide underneath. Encourage the spider into the cup with a soft tool from behind rather than poking at the legs from every direction.
Once the spider is covered or inside the cup, slide the card underneath without trapping toes. Move the whole contained spider to the new enclosure, set the cup down, and let it leave under its own power.
Terrestrial rehousing
Keep terrestrial spiders low. A heavy-bodied tarantula can be injured by a fall, so do not conduct the transfer over a table edge or hold the cup high in the air.
Give the spider a clear hide in the new enclosure and avoid chasing it around to make it enter the retreat immediately. Once the enclosure is closed, it can choose where to settle.
Arboreal rehousing
Arboreals can accelerate vertically and may cling to cork or web tubes. Where possible, move the retreat with the spider contained, or position the catch cup so the easiest escape route leads into it rather than out into the room.
The new enclosure should already have vertical cork and anchor points. An empty tall enclosure is not a suitable destination for a fast arboreal simply because it has height.
Fossorial rehousing
For a fossorial species, avoid collapsing a burrow with tools while the spider is trapped inside. Work gradually from the opposite side, exposing enough of the retreat to guide the animal into a cup.
Deep-burrowing Old Worlds deserve extra planning. Keep the route controlled and do not turn the transfer into a prolonged chase through loose substrate.
Fast or defensive Old World species
Do not handle them. Use a larger containment area, secure doors, clear escape routes and have a second catch cup available. The aim is to offer one obvious route from the old enclosure into containment and from containment into the new enclosure.
If the spider stops and threat-postures, give it space rather than repeatedly prodding it. Calm, deliberate movement is safer than trying to complete the rehouse quickly.
After the move
Close and check the enclosure before tidying anything else. Make sure the spider cannot reach a gap that was hidden while the door was open. Refill the water dish and let the spider settle without immediately feeding or disturbing it.
If the rehouse was prompted by growth rather than an emergency, normal behaviour may take time to resume. Hiding, webbing or refusing the first meal can simply be settling-in behaviour.
When does a tarantula actually need rehousing?
Rehouse when the spider has clearly outgrown the usable space, when a sling enclosure has become difficult to feed or maintain, when the ventilation or security is unsuitable, or when contamination makes the current setup unsafe. Rehousing because the enclosure looks boring to the keeper is not a welfare requirement.
A spider that has sealed itself in for premoult is a poor candidate for a non-urgent move. If the enclosure is safe, wait until the spider has moulted, hardened and resumed normal activity.
Do not rehouse by handling
Even calm New World species can bolt or fall. Picking the spider up creates a risk without giving you any control if it suddenly moves. A cup and card let you contain the animal without relying on its temperament.
For large terrestrials, fall risk is one of the strongest reasons to keep transfers close to the floor. For Old Worlds, bite risk and speed add another reason to avoid hands-on methods.
Using a transfer tub or bathtub safely
Some keepers work inside a large plastic tote or dry bathtub to add a second layer of containment. That can be useful for fast species, provided the area has no drain gaps, clutter, chemicals or slick escape routes that make recovery harder.
Containment is not a substitute for preparation. The catch cup, card, tools and new enclosure should still be ready before the old lid comes off.
When the spider refuses to move
Do not escalate from gentle guidance to jabbing because the spider has frozen. Give it time, change the angle of the cup or provide a clearer dark route. A stationary spider is often easier to manage than a panicked one.
If the animal retreats deeper into cork or a burrow, reassess the plan rather than tearing the enclosure apart at speed. Controlled patience is one of the most useful rehousing tools.
Plan for the spider you have, not the spider in a care sheet
A species may have a reputation for being calm or defensive, but an individual can behave differently on the day. Build the rehouse plan around the fastest plausible movement, not around the hope that the spider will sit still.
That means secure doors, enough working space, no loose pets, a catch cup already in your hand and a destination that is fully ready. If the spider turns out to be calm, the extra preparation costs nothing.