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)

Prepare to ‘Bug Out’ at California Bug Club’s next meeting

Prepare to ‘Bug Out’ at California Bug Club’s next meeting.

Visit the California Bug Club for more information.

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

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.

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

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. 😦

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

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!