Updates and new bugs

After a trip on Thursday to GBU Enterprises, I came home with some new bugs, a creature I have never kept on the Desktop before, and a critter that was happily released right after I snapped it’s photo.

A turtle, obviously. Something I have NEVER kept before.

3 Madagascar hissing beetles! Yep, I am bringing them back to the zoo!!

A Black Widow and her brood. After photos, they were kindly released away from my home and back into the wild!

She had a few hundred in there, I think. Now, they will be ‘enjoyed’ by the folks of Stockton, CA.

A Pink Toed spiderling 1″ whom I am still trying to name. Sid IV, if you will.

A cool shot of the spiderlings backside, and as one of the forum members pointed out, the spiderling resembles a Green Bottle Blue, though I doubt GBU made that big of a mistake. I am quite certain this is an avic.

 

I had a great time interviewing one of the co-owners of GBU. and may even be volunteering there if I can get out of some engagements that will take up most of my time over the next month or so.  In the meantime I will be enjoying these new additions, and hopefully will acquire more to begin doing private bug-shows and maybe getting back into selling again.  Who knows!

IT’S A BOY!!!

Mitzy, my fuzzy Lasiodora parahybana (also acquired from GBU back in February) has turned out to be a boy.  I’m toying with renaming him, but may keep it the same just to throw people off.  Even though he will not (most likely) have the opportunity to reproduce, I will still enjoy watching him grow, and will  be keeping him as a personal pet, along with Serj, my A. chalcodes female.  Serj, who can live for up to 25ish years, will hopefully become a companion for my son when he goes to college.  He’s 1 now, so just 17 years to go!

 

 

 

 

 

Related articles

• Spider Bugs (a10com.wordpress.com)

Mitzy (L. parahybana) post Molt

Mitzy has grown a bit.  I think (s)he’s about 1 1/2″ now, and molted sometime in the past week.  I am hoping to get another L. parahybana soon…and maybe a roach or 10.

The last photo is Mitzy’s molt.

Highlight-Lasidora parahybana

Meet Mitzy, the 1″ Lasidora parahybana that I acquired in February while getting another tarantula sexed.

Mitzy’s species is the 3rd largest in the world, giving her the reputation of being a “dinner plate” tarantula. In an ironic twist, some  species are used for food. (Although I have been told that the taste is comparable to that of a soft shelled crab.  I think I’ll pass on both, thank you!)

The L. parahybana is an aggressive eater, eating pretty much anything you can throw at it.  Mice and lizards are a wild staple, although my preference is to only feed insects- mostly crickets and roaches.  (For tiny spiderlings of other species, I do occasionally buy flightless fruit flies.)  Which ever becomes your preference is fine, but remember that the LP is a new world species, so  if they feel threatened they will not hesitate to flick hairs.  Take caution to keep these hairs from entering your airways and eyes.  If you do wind up with one of the urticating hairs in your skin, be prepared for an itchy rash.  And yes, I do mean ITCHY.  Also, as if I have to tell you, BE VERY CAREFUL of the fangs of this species!  They can be up to 1″ long, and inflict an extremely painful bite. ALWAYS USE CAUTION WHEN FEEDING!!!

Mitzy may look harmless now, but someday she (I hope for a she, at least) will be extremely large and bulky, and will grow quickly into a nice roomie 20 gallon tank.  If  you acquire one as an adult, be sure to have an appropriate house.  This means no large sided tanks because if your critter falls, it can be fatal.  Also, a shallow water dish, and moderate humidity should be provided.  Keep a spray bottle on hand to fill the dish from above your tank lid (if the LP’s size is too intimidating for you to put your hands in the tank) and to keep the humidity up.  As your LP molts, (flips over and plays dead while shedding it’s exoskeleton) it will need extra humidity and a quiet dark environment. Cover the tank, and do not handle your LP for at least a week to be safe.  This goes for all T’s, and although some people say to only wait 3 days, I prefer safe than sorry methods.  Do not feed your critter at all during this period as crickets like to feed on, and possibly kill, molting tarantulas.  (Even after they molt, tarantulas are very soft  and easily killed by an aggressive keeper or hungry food source.)

Provide a hiding spot (hollow logs for BIG LP’s and film containers, or halved flower pots for smaller ones.)

Mitzy is now a 1″ spiderling, but was only 1/8″ when acquired.  These suckers grow FAST so be prepared by reading a lot of books, blogs, and articles.  Also, never be afraid to ask questions to other hobbyists.  I do and always will, as there is so much to learn.  Facebook, arachnoboards and the American Tarantula Society are great places to start.  Many keepers also recommend a book called The Tarantula Keeper’s Guide as THE BEST BOOK on tarantula keeping.

I hope to have shared some information that may help you in your own endeavors as a tarantula keeper.  The Lasidora parahybana is an excellent addition to any household as it is low maintenance, displays well, and makes for great learning for older children and adults alike.  No walking, peeing on the carpet, or tearing up of your furniture.

Find me on Facebook. and use my resources to jump start your hobby today 🙂 OR, just search for your own.  They are out there, and in the hundreds of  thousands across the world.

I have been keeping T’s for 4 years, and probably will for many to come.  I love the hobby, the tarantulas, and seeing children and adults take one home for the first time.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Related articles

• The creepy-crawly farm that grows 5,000 giant SPIDERS as big as a man’s hand (at least they don’t bite) (thisismoney.co.uk)
• Advice about getting a Tarantula as a pet? (petsandcares.com)
• What are the safest and most docile tarantulas you can keep as pets? (petsandcares.com)
• Shopper shocked after finding tarantula on bunch of bananas (telegraph.co.uk)
• To My Fellow Keepers (UPDATE) (sidnata.wordpress.com)
• Isn’t it Cute? Chilean Farm Exports Tarantula Pets (thejakartaglobe.com)

A few old and new pics

Me and some of my past and present critters 🙂

Osiris (E, cyanognathos)

Nata (G. Rosea)  RIP

Nata

Mitzy (L.P.)

Zero (C. fasciatum)

Serj (A. chalcodes)

To My Fellow Keepers (UPDATE)

Hello again!  It’s been a long time, and if you are browsing my site for photos of beautiful tarantulas and hissing roaches, I am sad to say, you will be disappointed,  Everything I had was linked to a website that I have since let lapse.

Since relocating the zoo to California, my priorities have shifted and unfortunately, my luck with electronics extended to my laptop. The Toshiba  is now sitting idly by, awaiting the day it will come alive again.  I have since sold most of the critters except for Serj, my beautiful 3 1/2″ A. Chalcodes.  I had her sexed in February, and received the happiest news!  It’s all skirts and barbies for her! 🙂

Then, I decided that while getting her sexed, I would try my luck with an LP (Salmon Pink Birdeater) sling.  I bought Mitzy right then, and am awaiting the day  when I will discover whether it’s bloomers or boxers for the little 3/4″ beauty.  Both she and Serj were a 1/8″ handful in the beginning, but now they are both getting huge! I never thought that my little desert freebie would turn out to be a critter that will probably go to college with my son.  Mitzy is designated to be for sale, but not until another molt or 6….

What’s that?  You didn’t know I had a baby?  Well….yes, and he is a beautiful, bouncing boy, born July 22nd, 2012.

Serj came before he did, and in between, I was devastated by the loss of both Sid and Nata within a few weeks of each other.   They  now reside in my freezer and are awaiting preservation.  (Yes, I know, I know….a year and a half is a long time to live in a freezer…but please bare with me! I’ve been busy!)  My baby is now learning about T’s through Serj and Mitzy, and will one day understand the beginnings of Buggy Zoo. He will also learn the story of  how Sid and Nata started it all.  They are definitely missed.

So, here’s to a new chapter of “The Zoo” with Mitzy, and a very pretty Serj leading the way.  Perhaps the name of the blog will change to From the Desktop of Serj and Mitzy….Naaahhhh

I look forward to bringing you new photos, on a new laptop (thanks to my Oregon friend who understood my predicament).  Until my old one is up, you can still view many photos on my facebook pages, since sadly, the Toshiba holds all of the originals. (A great lesson in BACKING UP FILES.)

Also, I look forward to sharing my son’s journey around the zoo with all of you.  If I ever refer to “Moo”, you will know I am talking about him.

Thank you for reading 😀

Have a great day, week, month, and year.

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. 🙂

NaNoWriMo is my Bitch…well…Days 2 and 3 it was…

First things first:

I have not seen Alee in her jar for about a month now.  This morning, during routine critter check, I noticed that she pushed out a molt through one of the burrow holes.  I will try to measure soon.

We have another addition to the zoo: Lizzy Borden, a Leopard Gecko that needed a new home ASAP.  She got one, and seems to also like hiding.  When I started the zoo (which now sits on the floor of the new apartment) I never expected to have a gecko, or the scorpions that I should be sending the shipping fees for next week.  5 in all, babies.  I am going to need help with these, guys!

All is still well in the zoo, although I am having problems getting crickets.  Luckily no one in this household ever starves, and I can get superworms if necessary.

NaNoWriMo stuff-

Day one I began my quest, we met Ferren andFierre, while getting some of the back story that brought Fierre to where he was at in the Black Lands.

I couldn’t quite get my footing in day one, so I fell behind by about 500 words off the days goal of 1600.

Day 2 came, and I woke up just feeling ready, like I knew that the story was bursting to get out from some far off place.  I typed and typed and typed, allowing it to flow and manages 2,558 words.  Far better than Monday’s 1185.

Then, day 3 came and my mind and fingers were working in such cooperation that I couldn’t stop typing!  I was developing more characters, killing 2 off (one was planned all along) and the other just screamed out of my brain and on to the laptop keys. GONE. VANISHED.

I typed and awesome 3,310!

Now, you may not know this, but most of this typing has been on the hard floor of my old apartment.  My husband sleeps during the day and works nights, so I have had the wonderful task of packing and cleaning.  We moved almost a half hour away, and since I am not able to drive, I have been stuck there, trying to pass the time-or better yet-making good use of it.

The move is almost complete, and today has been my first full day in the new apartment.  The entire zoo is here (including a leopard gecko that was given to me a day before we started moving) and so is the cat-who hates being indoors.  He let me know this all night last night.

This apartment is bigger, has central air and heat, softer carpet (since we now have no furniture beyond a bed and a desk that are still at the old place til tomorrow) and I am typing this to you from the floor as well.

So why is it that I only have 400 words today?

I just woke up from a heavy nap and have devoured a Tiger’s Milk bar.  I have a cup of coffee beside me, and am hoping that (as my NaNoWriMo writing buddy would say) I CAN DO THIS.  Hell, she’s doing it with NO caffeine, and way worse stresses than I have to deal with.

Now that all of this is off my chest, I am off to type for really reals now.

 

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!

 

Update and 16 Legs, perhaps……

Well folks, I have been a very bad blogger.  So far, no pictures, and no LS report for the newly molted.  Things have been pretty crazy around the desktop, but rest assured, the goodies are coming.

MOLT UPDATE:

Annabel Lee Molted last Sunday, and is getting bigger by the minute!  According to my note card records, she was a stunning 1/2″ after her last molt, which leads me to believe that she is around 3/4″ now!

Raven, Alee’s litter mate, should also be molting soon.  According to the same records, she molted 6 days after Alee last time.  I am curious to see if they will remain on schedule.

Additions Update:

Through the magick of Facebook, I have had the opportunity to meet and greet some of you, and many other enthusiasts from around the globe.  One of whom has just successfully bred a Poecilotheria Subfuscia!!  (Well…more like bred, egg sat, hatched, egged with legged, and over-saw molts into 2nd instar…) He has offered to send me one of these adorable little critters, and even managed to wrangle me an Ephebopus cyanathogos! (Blue Fang!!!!!!!) I am flattered by the gesture, and thank *you* for the idea!!

I hope to one day be in a position that allows me to also send out 8-legged packages to random people across the US.

Speaking of positions, an opportunity to move locations has come our way, and I must say that I am excited to jump on it!  Currently, the desktop and I reside (with my husband) in a small apartment in Grants Pass, Oregon that is no longer meeting our needs.

Within the next month or 2 I expect us all to be starting fresh with a new apartment, and new jobs in our closest big city.  This will not only grant me the opportunity to possibly meet other hobbyists, but it will also allow me more freedom to begin breeding projects as room and time expand!

One of the many perks of moving will also place me by SOU, where I hope to study biology, and pass (knowledge) along to 5th and 6th graders as a teacher.  It took a high school teacher to inspire my love of reptiles and crawley things, and I want to bring the same joys to a kid like me…

(Thank you Ms. Bodily, you are one of my select heros.)

In addition to this, I am getting out of the retail game while I prepare to go back to school, so hours will once again change, but opportunities will grow for all of us on and around the desktop of Sid and Nata.

Let’s all not forget the upcoming NaNoWriMo event that starts in exactly 32 days!  I will be taking on the task of 50,000 words by the end of November that may actually look loosely like a story that some may call a novel…..  I am in research mode for this, and have a few ideas that may prove fruitful with a bit of TLC and lots of coffee!  If you are in the mood to race with thousands of people from around the world,come join in at NaNoWriMo.org!!  Look for me under the user name “Sidnata” and we can be writing buddies 🙂

Keep baring with me, and as soon as I get it together, the website and FB pages will be published for the world to see!  Wish us luck!!