Moving, again….

Well, being that I am such a lazy blogger, I have a lot to say, and just a cup of coffee to help me say it.  As the title states, the zoo and I will be moving, again.  This time however, it will not be within Oregon.  We are packing up and heading to Stockton, CA sometime around the first.

If you have been a reader of my blog for a while, then you know that I refer to the zoo as Buggy Zoo.  This will change in the upcoming weeks, as I am hoping to make even more additions that will prove “neato” to the local people in Stockton.  Part of my plan is to run a booth at the Open Air Mall on Wilson Way, where these little critters can be showcased, and hopefully will inspire some new hobbyists to join the tarantula fan club.

The first new additions have already arrived, as I have just acquired some tiny Avicularia avicularia! They are cute, fuzzy, and are sure to make some child or adult happy as they grow into Pink Toed adults.  Up next on my grocery list is the Brachypelma smithi, which is the Red knee.  I have already sold one, and plan to get more.

For the first time, the zoo will have a dedicated shop, that is going to be set up specifically for them.  In the back of the house I am moving into there are shelves, and the ability to heat/cool them as needed.  We will be sharing the space with a bike shop, so if you are ever in the area and need a bike, or a tarantula, feel free to stop on by.

While I am excited to move, I am sad to see Oregon through a rear view mirror.  I hope to return once I take care of some things in California.

On a sadder note, on 2-16-11, the zoo lost Aphrodite– the Flame Leg sling.  She went into a molt, and never came out.  At 1/2″, she was very tiny, and it is hard to tell what could have caused the issue.  She will certainly be missed.

Questions Answered

I had a few more hits on my blog today than expected.  Being a blog about tarantulas, you can probably imagine that the stats are not stunning.  However, the same questions and searches seem to keep coming up.  Today, I will use the search terms from this blog today, along with some recurring questions/searches to get you to the right info.

Remember that if you do not find an answer here, you can always join InsectGeeks, visit forums, or ask around your social networks to see what their experience is.  Although most information is useful, you will find outdated or unusable info around the web, so SEARCH WISELY!

The FIRST THING I would recommend is to get a copy of the TARANTULA KEEPERS GUIDE by Stanley A. and Marguerite Schultz.  This is considered the “bible” of the keeping hobby, and is recommended by most top breeders/dealers and hobbyists.  GET THIS BEFORE YOU GET YOUR FIRST TARANTULA.

If you already have a T, and still have questions (and you should) GET THE BOOK.

Then, NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK.

I have many friends across insect geeks, facebook, on forums, and elsewhere.  When I see a blog or site that shares information in a readable non-ad flashy way, I contact the webmaster and compliment them.  This opens up a dialogue for future questions, and lets them know that their hard work is helping someone.  (Like ME!)

Now, on to today’s searches:

brachypelma boehmei when will she get the colors: My boehmei has colors, and she is only a half inch.  Look closely, and if you notice yours getting dark and ugly, then it is probably time for a molt.
why is my b. smithi is pacing? Could be a hunger thing, could be that her soil is too moist, could be that she is looking for a retreat.  Try to fix each of these and see if it helps.  Usually, the pacing stops shortly after the problem is addressed.  My A. avic was doing this, and I realized that I had forgotten to put a climbing branch in after  a cleaning.  When I put the branch back in, Sid climbed up and made a nice new web.  The pacing ceased.
parahybana on girls hand My parabyana is too small to be handled (1″) and I have seen her flick hairs…so I cannot help you there.  Try Google Pictures.
aphonopelma sp care sheet Try THIS
n. chromatus care sheet Try THIS and add enough soil to allow for burrowing!!
brachypelma smithi spiderling care YER KILLIN ME SMALLS!!!!!  Try THIS and if yours is as small as mine (1 1/2″ls approx) use a film canister as a hide.  These are GREAT for any terrestrial spiderling!
how fast do rose hair slings molt I am not too familiar with a rosie as a sling, but I do know that as adults, there is NO TELLING.  Rosies do their own thing at their own pace.  If your sling gets sluggish, gets ugly and darker in color, and refuses food, you are probably headed for a molt.  Hit up some forums for more info.
spiderling care sheet SEE ABOVE ANSWERS!  Please be more specific.  Certain spiderlings (like my E. cyanognathus and P. subfusca require more humidity, and different set ups than other spiderlings.) When you hit the forums, have a species in mind so the community can better assist you.   If you have any specific questions for me, please use the form on the right to ask it.  I won’t bite!  If I can’t answer a question. I will be more than happy to find the answer for you because it will probably benefit me and my growing tarantula zoo as well!! You can always email me directly at 8pinktoes@gmail.com too…. Thanks for looking! ~Tia Marie

Loss and a Molting Rose Hair

Well, the zoo is still on the floor of the new apartment, but I have been pricing some shelving units that will look fantastic in my living room.  Hopefully sometime in the next few weeks I will be scheduling zoo visits with some local children, allowing them to explore the fascinating world of invertebrate keeping.

Molts:

Tonight, I had one molt that was VERY unexpected.  Sarva, my smaller Rose Hair, did the deed after 4 months of barely eating.  She looks beautiful, and the best part is that I am almost certain that she is a GIRL!  YAY!!  I measured her through the enclosure, and I am putting her at around 3 1/2″.  She gained an entire inch!!

Sad news 😦

Raven, my moody Lasidora parahybana sling died yesterday.  I noticed it in the death curl, and moved it into a film container with no lid just to be sure.  I am certain that she has passed, and sadly, I don’t know why.  Once again I believe that the recent molt might have been at fault, but because it was less than an inch, I am unable to give a definite reason.  If you have been following this blog, you will recall that the zoo just lost an Aphonopelma sp- Davis Mountain Rusty under the same circumstances.  Humidity levels have been closely monitored, as have feeding practices.  I am still looking into ways to prevent future losses.

As mentioned earlier, I am looking at shelving units to nicely display the tanks and jars, as well as provide functionality for lighting and heating (we have a gecko here too.)  A camera is in the works so as soon as we are fully settled into the new apartment, I will be posting pictures.

I am looking for photos and set up ideas, so if you have any tips or photos of your own “zoo” displays, send them to me at 8 pink toes at g mail dot com, and I will post them here!

(BTW- If you read the last blog, Aphrodite is doing well, and is her same old self. 🙂

Molts, NaNo, and a stray Roach.

Quick Update for you guys:

-Siddhartha, the Godfather of the Desktop (or floor of the new apartment) has molted!

I am guessing that (s)he is 4″ now!  This is the 3rd molt this year.  One every 5 months is the trend.

-Osiris Molted!  The Ephebopus cyanognathus from the kind stranger looks like it might be about 3/4″ now, up from 1/2″ ! It still has the pink legs, and hopefully will keep baby colors for a while.

Stray Roach-

One of the Gromphadorhina portentosa babies escaped, and was found basking in the light on top of Lizzy the Leopard Gecko‘s tank.  I think a few more are missing, and some have been found living amongst the crickets.  I just pick them up and place them back in the roach tank- I can’t figure out how they are escaping!

Aphrodite (Brachypelma boehmei) has not moved in a few days.  I am keeping a close watch, in hopes that there might be a molt coming up.  She hasn’t eaten in some time, so we shall see…  I hope that she turns out okay, but I refuse to move her or do anything until I know for sure.  Every forum I have read says not to move a tarantula that might be dead until it is in the death curl,and/or stinking.

NaNoWriMo–

12,774 words as of this posting.  I took Saturday off to spend time with my husband whom I had not seen in a week due to the move, and his new Graveyard schedule.

I have been making coffee by hand (since our old maker had to be thrown out) and my guy was awesome enough to bring us home a new one this morning!! (After I had just spent a half hour hand making a pot…sheesh!)

It gets tough to write without thoughts of editing and restarting every five minutes.  However, knowing that I have committed to doing this has really allowed me to stick to it without feeling like I can just walk away.  I have developed “writing buddies” on all of my social networks, along with interacting with local Wrimos -although I have yet to be able to make it to a write-in.  I hope to, someday!

Well, it is back to the ol’ word processor, and hopefully a few more words so that i can at least make my daily goal of 1700 words for the day.

Wish me luck, and if you are writing as well, good luck to you!

You can always look me up on the NaNo website under the user name SidNata!

 

 

Care sheets updates

A few months back I made some quick care sheets for various species using photos and info from around the web.  Now that I have acquired a few new slings, I decided it was time to update the care sheets using my own photos and some information relevant to my critters to give you a quick overview of the desktop.

To see these updated sheets, just visit this link HERE.

The site BUGGYZOO will now host the “Meet the Zoo” page as well.

I see a lot of searches for the Cyclosternum fasciatum and Nhandu chromatus, so I will be sure to keep these pages updated frequently.

Each care sheet now has my critter’s LS, name, common name, and photo- as well as information on temperament and housing etc.

I have been promising these updates, so finally, here they are!

 

Food/Molt Update

Today, once again I write to you as a lazy blogger.  While feeding the zoo, I noticed that Aphrodite (B. boehmei) finally molted!  Took her long enough…

My N. Chromatus (Athene) took on 2 crickets, and is walking around with both of them in her pedipalps (and fangs…)

Zero is being a booger and is still guarding the molt, AND has yet to completely push it out, or emerge from the hide himself.  Perhaps the crickets I dropped in today will entice him to emerge.

Other than that, I am still adjusting to the longer shifts at work (yesterday was 10 1/2 hours of customer service goodness and freight processing…yay 😐 )

Someday I will be able to do more than type….

Blah,

Tia Marie

Scratching my head….

I have been too lazy to post anything lately, but here is a quick update:

Zero (C. fasciatum) has still not let me measure him….nor have I been able to get near the molt.  Today though, he did begin to push it out of his hide, so tomorrow I am going to try and remove it while feeding the zoo.

Tank (Aphonopelma sp.) has not eaten in a while, and looks like he may be molting.  Aphrodite (B. boehmei) has also been refusing food, and looks very boring in color.  I really REALLY REALLY can’t wait for her to molt!!

Nata (G. rosea) exhibited some odd behaviors on Sunday, and in addition to refusing food (which is not like her at all!) she attacked the water that I was pouring in her dish AND attacked the tweezers I was using to place a cricket in her tank.  This is highly unlike her.

Now, she and Sarva are both acting like normal pet rocks.  WEIRD.

Thank God Sarva is still normal, and as always was a pleasure to hold during feeding.  She’s so sweet!

Well, that was my update, and when I finally get my schedule back (as far as adjusting to new work times and new sleep times) I will post the promised pictures, Molt Update, LS roundup, and regular blogging.

BTW- For those of you who read my Frank Zappa blog, I wanted to let you know that tonight my cat tried to eat my foot…through my blanket.  He is truly a douche-bag, but yes…I love him.

Frankie *Wonder Kitty* Loving Me With His Teeth

Related Articles

• How insects and crustaceans molt (scienceblogs.com)
• My Tarantula is Molting! (therealowner.com)

Holding a spiderling

Aphrodite is the first tarantula spiderling I got from my wish list.  I have had her for about a month, and she is a rather tiny 1/4″.  Since I got her, she has refused all food, but I thought I would give it another go this evening.  I figured that I would try a near dying cricket, as opposed to the freshly killed ones I usually give my spiderlings.  I found, however, that this particular cricket was not as near dead as I had hoped, and that it was a little bit bigger than I had anticipated.

So, I opened the deli cup once more, and when the cricket finally jumped out, Aphrodite went missing!  I panicked A LOT on the inside, but remained physically calm, eyeballing the container in which all small deli cups sit when being opened for feeding ( a practice I use for cases like this…)

I slowly turned my hand over, and there was my precious Boehmei, sitting right in my palm! I stared at her for a few minutes, and gently coerced her back into her deli cup with the butt end of a pair of tweezers.  She is absolutely beautiful, and safe with a very dead cricket.

Newbie Tools- Things I have been learning…

Here is a short list of things I use, or have learned over the past few months as a newbie keeper.

1- Naming is important if you don’t want to say proper names over and over again:  EXA- Cyclosternum fasciatum, Brachypelma boehmei (which I had been mispronouncing for weeks!), Aphonopelma (unnamed sp.) “Davis Mountain Rusty” etc…..  Zero, Aphrodite, and Tank are much easier to say, and much easier for my husband to pronounce when he is talking to me.  It is the common place in which he can understand the language that I am speaking…all else leaves him utterly confused….

2-Film containers are the gifts of GODS!!  They can be used for scooping, digging, hiding, transporting and subduing prey.  They are also great for dead cricket removal!

3-A DIG KIT IS NECESSARY!  My dig kit contains the above mentioned film container, a paintbrush, the bottom of a sweater gift box (The kind that lazy people like me use to give sweaters at christmas ’cause I am too lazy to wrap OR get a better gift!) I also have a flashlight on hand at all times, and a spoon.

4-Dig Kits Are Necessary when someone like me wanted a better view of my spiderlings and put them in jars with too much soil. (and then a week or so of NOT seeing my spiderlings at all!,  10 minutes with the jar and a dig kit, and you may  find your spiderling somewhere in the big brown soil void.  I like to use my dig kit on the bed.  My husband likes to sit on the couch at these times.

5-Holding a tarantula in bed is fun- unless your husband is eating. Apearantly he does NOT want to see Sarva, no matter how sweet she is!

6-Tarantulas are a great way to spend the money you saved from quitting smoking!  If your husband does not want the tarantulas, offer to take up smoking again.  Chances are, you will be a master keeper in no time!

7- Tarantulas dance.  I call it the “I Got Food” dance.

8-Forums are useful!  You may look like a newbie, but little do those people know, you are only asking stupid questions so that real newbies won’t have to be embarrassed when they go to ask them!

9- 3 cool tarantulas beat your neighbor’s froofy Bischon poodle yappy thing in the pet department hands down. Your dog wears T- Shirts?  My tarantula does the “I got food” dance.- a 10cents cricket is well worth the spending! …..no Cesar Milan video necessary.

10- Crickets are for quick feeding, or you will surely pack up and leave your home from the stench.

I have many more newbie thoughts…and these are in no random order.  I will keep the list running, and if you have a newbie thought, please share!  Real newbies would hate to feel alone and retarded when it comes to keeping…

Feeding, Sexing and a pig named Zero

You might be wondering why I have 2 videos of Zero here.  Let me explain:

Last night was feeding time on the Desktop, and after everyone was given their crickets, I had one large cricket left.  Zero was already feasting on a cricket, but since I know how much she loves to eat, I decided to give the last one to her.

In the videos, you can see her chewing on one, next to the cricket she was originally feasting on!  PIG!!!

If you notice, Zero’s sex is being referred to as “SHE”.  Thanks to one of my many learning aids, I am pretty sure she is a FEMAL!!  WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! (Just learned about doing this roughly 45 minutes ago!)

Feeding:

Everyone got a cricket except for Aphrodite- who appears to be not eating.  My N. Coloratvillosus traded its cricket for a roach that was living in its soil (iin a new enclosure.)  Both Nhandu sp. were moved into jars!  WHOOOO!!!

Isis is also not eating…..but I think the last cricket may have filled (her?) up for a while….

Raven ate well (L. parahybana), but her sibling is also not eating…hmmmmm..