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!

 

 

 

 

 

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So Many Updates… but just a few for now…

Well, I have obviously neglected the Desktop blog, and sadly, there is no longer a desktop.  It looks more like a cardboard box and a couple of 10 gallon tanks.

I feel like the Zoo and I have been moving for eternity, bouncing from place to place in Stockton. Through the past few months I have bought and sold more additions than I care to mention, but the good news is that we now have an official (free) website that allows me to keep a virtual store and more- but the problem is that I have lacked the desire to rewrite care sheets and bug hunting info.

I suck, right?

Well, at least I think we have finally settled somewhere for the long term.  A studio apartment that I share with my mother.  Part of what I have been doing with the Zoo, though, consists of  adding them to yard sales and showings in whatever location I am in.  For instance, when I am at my boyfriend’s house, I have customers meet me there.  Tomorrow I will be here at Mom’s, so my customer is coming here.

This still equals a lot of bouncing for the zoo, hence the cardboard box.  I am down to 5 spiderlings, Sid, Nata, and a new A. avic that I have yet to name.

After this next weekend, though, I think I will finally be able to let these poor guys rest at my mother’s- because my guy is scared to death of them….particularly the roaches I also have.

I am sad to see the zoo has dwindled to such a state, but I am planning to rebuild with the money I make over the next few months.  It is all for the new Buggy Zoo- I call it Zen Critter.

Zen Critter’s website can be found at:

http://zencritter.weebly.com/index.html

Once I get off my tired butt, I will once again add care sheets, better photos, and of course kid guides, and a pitch for some upcoming projects that I already have in the works.  The nice thing  is that my experience with Buggy Zoo has given me the framework for a much bigger (streamlined) idea.

Look for updates soon.

One last note- and I am pretty sad about this:

Siddhartha II (Avicularia avicularia) is not looking well.  He is in a permanent Kritter Keeper to help him get to his food, as he is no longer climbing or moving much.  He appears to be nearing the end, after an ultimate molt last December.  I am already researching ways to preserve him, as he was my first (long living) tarantula on the Desktop.  (You may remember Sid I lived for about 18 days after I got him… thanks PetCo. 😡  )

Sid has been retired from the multiple showings, and only comes out when absolutly necessary. (The last was for his safety, as this most recent move was a very messy one that involved some police, thieves, and sadistic threats from teenagers involving the killing of my critters…but that is another blog, for another day, in another place).

As for Nata, he is well, has taken to being handled (sort of) and is as pretty as ever.

With all the moving, I am surprised that the zoo has not packed up and left me for good.

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

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.

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Pictures and Measurements!

I got a couple of Serj and Tank, as well as Isis and Annabel Lee a few days after their molts.  I measured both, and here are the results:

Annabel Lee:

Old LS- 1/8″ New LS-1/2″

Isis:

Old LS-3/4″ New LS- 1 1/4″ (WHOO!!)

I held Isis (Brachypelma smithi) for the first time about 4 days after her molt, when she was out and about looking for food.  Though I didn’t get any of her in my hand, I did get a few of her last night!

Isis 8.29.10

Here is Isis eating a cricket!

Alee- Lasidora parahybana- (as compared to a Cheerio..since I couldn’t find a dime):

Alee 8.29

Alee on the side (By a Cheerio)

Alee by a meal

Here is are a couple of Serj (Aphonopelma chalcodes):

Serj on the Jar

Serj 8.29 With Notecard

Tank (Aphonopelma sp.):

Tank 8.29

Tank and the Cheerio

Nhandu coloratvillosus Makes Rare Appearance! (With Pics)

I was finally able to capture my elusive Nhandu coloratvillosus on camera yesterday morning, as we were both in rare form.  It was actually sitting outside of its burrow, and I was able to assemble a light and my rink-e-dink webcam in perfect time!

This one, unlike the Chromatus of the same species, likes to hide, and only comes out when it is looking for food.  So, the reward for sitting so pretty?

A freshly killed cricket!

Bon Appetit!

N. coloratvillosus Spiderling

Nhandu coloratvillosus Spiderling

Nhandu coloratvillosus Spiderling

*After picture time, I put the cricket in his deli cup (pre killed) and I went to work.  By the time I got home, both N. Color, and the cricket had vanished…..

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….

Nhandu Chromatus/Coloratvillosus- Brazillian Black and White

Nhandu sp.

Legspan: 5.5-6.5″

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: 15-20 years, if not longer.

Species: New world.  Will readily flick hairs when irritated.

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

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

Poecilotheria Regalis-Indian Ornamental

This is a neat looking spider that I refer to as a Poe. (As in, Edgar Alan.) But most enthusiasts refer to the Poecilotheria species as Pokies.

Pokie

Legspan: 8-11″

Aboreal– Meaning that they need taller tanks as opposed to short/long enclosures. 10 gallon tanks are good for this.

Humidity: 80-85% Should be misted, but spiderlings should be misted more often, and when they reach a leg  span of 1.5″, they should be provided a water dish with moss in it.

Growth Rate: Fast

Life Span: Up to  10 years, if not longer.

Species: Old world.  Fast, agressive, will inflict a nasty bite.

*Eats: Crickets (adult) and roaches (spiderling). Pokies prefer flying insects, locusts and others.

Brachyhpelma Boehmei-Mexican Flame Leg

These little guys are probably my favorite looking tarantulas.

Mexican Flame Leg

Legspan: 5-5.5″

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

Humidity: 50-65% Normal room humidity, but spiderlings 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: Slow, and they will reach maturity in about 5 years(?)

Life Span: Up to 30 years, if not longer.

Species: New world.  Will readily flick hairs when irritated, but still easily handled.

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

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