So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

Lopéz · 28 Aug 2003 at 09:39

Originally posted by George
Just recieved my three slings, they're tiny! about 1cm, I thought they'd be quite a bit bigger.

The vericolor is in too big a tank and i'll move him over to a jar like the other two later.

It's all perfect except the c.rose just went straight under the vermiculite and has vanished, when will he come back up?

I sprayed the sides of their tanks with water, when shall I pop in a cricket?

thanks,

Don't worry, the versicolor at least will grow pretty quickly. Make sure they can't get out of any small ventilation holes - spiderlings are good climbers and can squeeze through very very thin gaps!

Drop a crick each in for them this afternoon, take it out tonight if it hasn't been eaten and try again tomorrow

The Chile is just hiding, he'll eventually resurface so don't worry

Lopéz · 30 Aug 2003 at 19:14

Re: Peat?

Originally posted by George
Hey, can someone tell me where I can get peat? what exactly am I looking for? is it a peat based compost?

A store and a place online where I can purchase it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

Peat is just that - peat. It comes in big bags at the garden centre, about 3 or 4 quid a sack.

Lopéz · 31 Aug 2003 at 15:10

Originally posted by George

He's dead.

I don't understand, I havn't even opened his lid for two days, i've been spraying his jar every 2 days like you said. He's been running away from crickets since I got him, hasn't eaten a thing since I got him.

Why the hell did he die?

Happens sometimes mate, you just have to move on and not beat yourself up over it. It's just one of the bad parts about keeping an exotic pet.

Tarantulas lay huge amounts of eggs to compensate for a big rate of attrition in the wild. Obviously, with captive breeding, the weak ones don't get picked off so easily - so a lot of "runts" stay alive longer than they would in the wild.
Once a T is past 3inches or so you're out of the danger zone and they tend not to drop dead any more.

Emial Sven and explain the situation, he might offer you a replacement out of goodwill - he might not. It's worth asking anyway

Lopéz · 1 Sep 2003 at 18:24

Originally posted by si_sleaf
Which invert show is that? The one near Lincoln? I thought it was on the 7th?

Not sure about the show details, but your smithi moult pics only just started working for me - looks like a girl to me!

The bit you are looking for is the dark semi-circular "flap" between the first set of book lungs (the white patches)
This is only present in the female

Lopéz · 3 Sep 2003 at 08:32

Originally posted by hsp70

is anyone going to get a bluefang t ar brums? i couldn't resist

No, I'm getting mine direct from Holland at a third of the price

Just reserved an adult female for just £10 more than those spiderlings!

Kate, Zuila should now become calmer in temperament - males are generally pretty timid.
Advertise him on www.terrastik.com - it's German but you can click for an English version, it's a very busy message board for tarantula buying and selling.

Lopéz · 3 Sep 2003 at 13:29

If you're worried about temps (all mine arefine with just one big heatmat) then you can put all the tanks into a wooden cabinet, with the heat mat inside the cabinet.

Lopéz · 3 Sep 2003 at 18:39

Originally posted by George
hey, lovely T, Lostkat. What species? I'd say it was an a.metallica at a guess?

PS. b.auratum and a.metallica in the post now, should get here Friday. 8)

thanks,

George,

Did Sven give you a free auratum as recompense? He didn't have to of course, I'm just interested that's all.

Kate's spider is a Psalmopoeus irminia (male)
Look closely at the tarsus (final leg section) which is orange striped. This is not present in Avicularia spp.

Lopéz · 4 Sep 2003 at 19:38

Ston3y, I would say that the "P cambridgei that moulted in transit" is actually a Poecilotheria (ornata or possibly regalis)

Heres my little P ornata (excuse the missing legs and palps

)

Lopéz · 7 Sep 2003 at 17:42

Another good idea is to search the Arachnopets forum for the species you are buying. I always do loads of Google and Google Image searches before I buy a new beast. Sometimes, info is really scarce, so I ask Steve Nunn or Martin Huber, or maybe Soren Rafn in Denmark

So si, do we get a full review on the invert show? Any bigwigs there? And when are you starting the H gigas project?

Lopéz · 8 Sep 2003 at 20:04

Originally posted by DHR
Any A.metallica going spare locally wouldn't mind one of them

Sven had some recently, I've not seen any well-priced slings in the UK I'm afraid mate.

Lopéz · 9 Sep 2003 at 13:48

Sorry to hear that SaBBz - sometimes the little ones just don't make it, all tarantulas are prone to unexplained deaths as spiderlings.
I lost Guarico, my P irminia a few weeks ago - just dropped dead for no apparent reason.

I've got new stock coming on Thursday, so will be updating with more pics

Lopéz · 9 Sep 2003 at 20:21

Originally posted by George
Damn, I just tried the water trick, and a lot of colour started to run, and it all just fell apart.

Oh well, i'll wait till another spider molts.

Thanks,

The colour of chitin is defined by it's construction. This is why we don't have albino spiders. It's like coloured plastic - it won't run or lose colour if you get it wet.

Lopéz · 11 Sep 2003 at 13:28

Latest arrival - how's this for SMALL!? :eek:

Lopéz · 11 Sep 2003 at 17:04

Originally posted by si_sleaf
What is this new T you have Lopez? Inquiring minds need to know

It's an Aphonopelma sp. "Guatemalan Blue" bred by Guy Tansley ([email protected])
I got one for me and one for Kate.
These are a steel blue variant of Aphonopelma seemanni - Guy is not calling them seemanni so the blood lines do not get mixed

Zoltan, yep - Micro crickets or very small (week old) crickets will be fine for food.

Lopéz · 12 Sep 2003 at 18:17

Originally posted by hsp70
i see you couldn't resist too lopez

Indeed

But they're so small! Even I've never kept ones this tiny before...

Lopéz · 13 Sep 2003 at 14:40

Originally posted by hsp70
what are you keeping yours in?
i'm keeping mine in the film roll still at the moment, i don't really have anything smaller or the same size that is practical. But i wonder if they might need a bit of sunlight.

Mine is in the film pot still. My spiders get very little sunlight at all - remember they spend the vast majority of time underground in the wild.

At least they are eating - small crickets the size of their own bodies!

Lopéz · 15 Sep 2003 at 18:16

My P ornata from Vinmann moulted just this minute. She looks stunning now, still very small though.

Today, my Haplopelma schmidti arrived all the way from Hong Kong. Accompanying her was another Haplopelma schmidti "Dark Form" (formerly Selenocosmia huwena) that I ordered for a friend.

Both spiders were very sluggish and lethargic after their flight, so I left them in their travel tanks right next to the heat mat and went to work. When I came home at lunchtime, the transformation was amazing.

The gold H. schmidti instantly reared up as I opened it's tank, stridulating loudly and striking out in every direction. Quite how I missed receiving my first bite I will never know.

With her safely in the tank, I soon saw that this was not the small sub-adult I had been expecting - this beast had legs the thickness of biros and measures around 7" with more to come!

The dark spider is far more nervous, and runs extremely fast - whereas the gold one will stand and fight. She isn't much smaller in legspan, but the carapace and legs are significantly less stocky.

Anyway, here are the pics for now, enjoy!

Gold form:

And the dark:

Lopéz · 15 Sep 2003 at 19:28

Unfortunately I have to send the dark one away, she isn't mine

Might get myself one from HK in a couple of months though, assuming my supplier still has them!

Yeah, they are water droplets on the legs. T's don't like beingsprayed, but it's a bloody good way of controlling a feisty adult T that doesn't want to go where you want it to

Lopéz · 15 Sep 2003 at 20:26

One freshly moulted Poecilotheria ornata:

And here's my Chilobrachys sp. "burmensis" that came in the same order from Thomas Vinmann:

I can't get a decent shot of the regalis yet, it won't stop running about! I'll just wait until she moults, that might tire her out enough to sit still for the camera!

Lopéz · 19 Sep 2003 at 18:43

Ladies and gentlemen, we have Blue Fangs!
My Dutch E. cyanognathus arrived safely today - a sub-adult female, and a sling each for me and Kate. Also, 2 Poecilotheria fasciata spiderlings at a bargain £2 each!

Enough talk, here's the sub-adult

(Don't try this at home, she ran up my arm of her own accord, E cyanognathus are generally defensive)