What I would like to know is, why do tarantulas eat there molt after they have finished molting?

I was talking about it earlier today with Johan van Dalen, and he thinks that if there is
not enough humidity in the enclosure the spider will eat its molt to replace the fluids its
lost during the molt.

Could the T just need to replace fluid? or does it maybe need to get some nutrition
to sustain it over the next week or so?

Thanks
Dave

Not sure about T's but it is hypothesized that other goggas consume them to recycle the Nitrogenous compounds (protein and chitin).

Strange though how heavy webbers seem to munch away and arboreals like Pslamopoeus can't wait to dump them at the far end of the enclosure.

I have also noticed this, especial when the molts are really wet.

If you look at it, it is always the abdomen that gets chewed, and it is normally the wettest and softest part of the spiders molt
I would say that mite be a very good reason to way they chew the abdomen after a molt.

I don't think it's all that difficult, the T needs to replace lost fluids.
T's that live in dessert areas like Brachypelmas does this most as in their normal habitat they dont get that much water.
Where pokies and the sorts live where there is a lot of water / humidity thus you won't find these doing this.
This might not be 100% fact but a logic expanation I think...

I have another theory...

I am getting this theory from reptiles, i think leopard gecko's do it...

Maybe they eat them as a natural instinct because out in the wild if a predator finds the molt its close to the spider right? So maybe the spider wants to erase all evidence that it has been there? Just a theory

Don't think it's about the munidity or climate etc.
Out of all my t's only my two H. Lividium's ate their molt, and the complete molt every time.