So you are a teen wanting a tarantula, but mom says “OH HELL NO!!”

Okay, maybe you are a spouse wanting a tarantula….or a roommate, and the counterpart of your household is vehemently opposed to your demands.  Here are a few tips to help you on your way that may or may not help you, but will at least get you hooked up with fellow spider enthusiasts (who according to your housemate are probably tattooed freaks and certified crazies.)  I assure you, and them, however, that there is nothing certifiable about your fascination with the hairy, 8-legged creatures of the night.  They are rather striking, and some are even handleable!  So, check out my latest article ‘How to convince your parents to let you have a tarantula’ and let these tips send you on your way to being a star keeper in no time!

Caution: there may be normal folks mentioned in this article!

C. fasciatum after a molt named Zero

A madagascar hissing roach

A nice little book on keeping tarantulas

Me and a G. rosea who later turned out to be male (pictured as mature and pink towards the top of this blog.

Me and another G. rosea whom I sent to be the first tarantula of a 13 year old girl.  An amazing event that has fueled my career as an invertebrate dealer.

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• Advice about getting a Tarantula as a pet? (petsandcares.com)
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• Goal #1 – Hold a tarantula – Completed July 31, 2013 (martuo2013.wordpress.com)
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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)

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)

So many Molts!

EEEEK!  Every time I peek into a jar or keeper, it appears that someone is molting.  I thought that molting had to do with species….unless they were all hatched around the same time, and I just happened to get the bunch that happen to be on the same schedule….hmmmm…..  is it possible?

Anyway, this morning, Zero (C. fasciatum) is flipped over. Yesterday it was Athene (N. Chromatus) the day before that it was Raven (L. parahybana) then the day before that it was Serj (A. chalcodes.)

Last week it was Flora (N. coloratvillosus) and the week before that it was Isis (B. Smithi.)

That equals half my collection.

Tarantulas are funny, yet seemingly scheduled creatures. I will post an updated Molt Date/New Leg Span/Picture blog on Sunday if I can.  Might as well do them all at once.

Related Articles

• All About Tarantulas (brighthub.com)

I will be keeping that Finger, Thank you very much!

So much for fixing Buddha!

Every time one of my tarantulas moves from its jar into an official tank or keeper, I place a water resistant mini Buddha in one of the corners.  Usually everyone ignores the Buddha, but my C. fasciatum  (Zero) has found him useful to make webbing from.

Tonight, I managed to shift the tank, knocking over the Buddha.  Zero was playing aboreal, so I thought I could simply get my hand in the tank, and put the Buddha upright again.  Besides, Zero had just finished a good sized adult cricket, so I had no reason to worry…..

Come to find out, Zero is just a fan of attacking ANYTHING within the enclosure that moves.  I managed to pull my fingers out right before it reached them.  It stopped, and appeared to look up at me as if saying:” I’ll get you next time, my pretty, and your little dog too!!”

Buddha still sits on his side, and I am adding fast and VERY AGRESSIVE to the 1.5″ C. fasciatum care sheet.

Zero the Tigerrump and Buddha

*When this photo was taken, Zero actually walked up to where I was photographing, and sat there watching me.  Photogenic, but very eerie…..

Success and Cool Spider Dancing Update

I am winning the battle of spiderling feeding!  I have 2 L. parahybana’s that are roughly 1/8″ and feeding them was one of those tasks that I have been deathly afraid of!

So, taking the advice of everyone, I tried killing feeder roaches with no success, as they (apparently) do not die very well. Then, still taking the advice of everyone, I tried killing mini crickets with huge success!!  One parahybana took about a minute before it pounced on the head of the dearly departed cricket, and the other was showing interest.  I AM WINNER!!!

On another note, I have noticed that one of my Nhandu sp. burrows while the other likes to remain in view…weird!  Both of those guys are pretty good eaters with an appetite for living crickets.

Even my Tigerrump is enjoying larger crickets, but the last one it was given just wound up being tossed by a hole that my spider made…. I don’t know if this is normal behavior, but it was interesting to see.

As you guys may have seen, I posted a video of my Tigerrump (I call it Zero) eating it’s first meal at home.  I thought it was cool because it appears to be dancing with the food in its mouth.  Tonight, I noticed the same behavior from my N. chromatus sling, and have seen it also from my older Chilean Roses.  I am calling it the Spider I GOT FOOD dance- which oddly resembles an 8 point turn.  Very cool to watch!!

On one last note, I have learned by watching that even 1/8″ L. parahybanas WILL kick hairs.  An (unfortunately) alive roach found this out when he managed to piss off my little one, and I got to witness it.

Sorry for the long update, but I wanted to just let you guys know what’s happening, and share my feeding success.  This was a huge step for me, and no one was lost, smooshed, or injured during the process-except for a few crickets….

New Spiderling Pictures!!

Zero the Tigerrump and Buddha

Nhandu chromatus spiderling

Aphrodite the Brachypelma boehmei

Annabel Lee the Lasidora parahybana

These are just some of the pictures I have of the new spiderlings.  I am now in possession of Serj photos (A. chalcodes sling), which I have been lacking and will post later.  There are also some Hissers I will be posting.

My N. coloratvillosus likes to hide in her deli cup, so she was MIA for photo time.  I even have a second L. parahybana named Raven that will be featured later.

Cyclosternum fasciatum-Costa Rican Tiger Rump

Costa Rican Tiger Rump

Legspan: 3 1/2- 4″ (A smaller species)

Terrestrial– Meaning that they need longer tanks as opposed to tall enclosures. Long Critter Keepers are good for this.

Humidity: 60-80%  Should be lightly misted once a week.  When they reach a leg  span of 1.5″, they should be provided a small water dish.

*I use moss from a local forest to place in the water dish to keep everyone (spider and food) from drowning.

Growth Rate: Fast

Life Span: NO INFORMATION FOUND.

Species: New world.  Will readily flick hairs when irritated. (Slightly Nervous)

*Eats: Crickets (adult) and roaches (spiderling).

*This is how my entire collection is fed.  Feeding practices may vary by enthusiast, and in some cases, specie