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!

Spider Bugs (a10com.wordpress.com)

Serj feeding and crickets (photos)

This is Serj, named for my favorite System of a Down frontman and solo artist, Serj Tankian.

She is a 3″ Aphonopelma chalcodes who has been with me since August of 2010.

Here she is eating a cricket, and looking gorgeous!

Here are the crickets, feeding on orange, and drinking from a wet cotton ball:

Thanks for stopping by. The zoo is well, and no longer eyeing me, hungrily.

Serj Tankian Is In No Rush To Create A New SYSTEM OF A DOWN Record (metalinjection.net)
Serj Tankian: Musical Album ‘Jazz-Iz-Christ’ Coming in July (rocknocks.wordpress.com)
Male Crickets Present Chivalry? (blogpestcontrol.com)
News: Serj Tankian on New SOAD: ‘It’s Not Something I Can Do Right Now’ (izzy91sworld.wordpress.com)
To My Fellow Keepers (UPDATE) (sidnata.wordpress.com)
Video: SERJ TANKIAN, IHSAHN, DEVIN TOWNSEND Featured On Charity Single (blabbermouth.net)
This is the Music Video for “We Are” (metalsucks.net)

Cool Spider and A Moth from my porch

Pics from around my house

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!

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)

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.

KEN THE BUG GUY’S NEW SHOW!!!!

BUGGING OUT

Sad news….

This morning, I was doing a quick feeding and tank check when I noticed that my little Aphonopelma sp. Davis Mountain Rusty was in the death curl. He had not eaten in quite some time, and had molted recently, although I have yet to see the actual molt. I believe it is underground in the soil. I am wondering if I didn’t keep it humid enough, or if he had a bad molt that led to complications that I was unable to see due to the small size…

Either way I am sad.

RIP Tank. The Desktop will miss you. 😦

Official Facebook Page!!

Here is the brand new page for the desktop!!

Please add us here: Sid and Nata on Facebook

Isis Molt Pics

Here are a couple of Isis, my Brachypelma smithi, after her molt. I couldn’t get the molt itself because she appears to be standing on top of it, and the light for the photos was irritating enough without me grabbing things from her film container hide…..I will post new measurements of Isis and Annabel Lee (L. parahybana sling) in a few days.