So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

Lostkat · 1 Apr 2003 at 00:24

Not far off actually werewolf. It was a Boots tub of those little cotton wool bud sticks. Perfect for a baby arboreal I thought. Didn't come complete with peat, bark and ventilation holes though

Lopéz · 1 Apr 2003 at 08:51

Originally posted by Lostkat
Not far off actually werewolf. It was a Boots tub of those little cotton wool bud sticks. Perfect for a baby arboreal I thought. Didn't come complete with peat, bark and ventilation holes though

Those Avicularias are soooo vain.

Repo · 1 Apr 2003 at 19:51

<-- Repo

Went through the thread again and found that LK had already talked at length about the Costa Rican Tigerrump on Page four no less

... lol

Have narrowed my choices down to the Tiger or the Curly Hair. Both are suitable for raving amateurs like me

Will talk to GF again later

SaBBz · 2 Apr 2003 at 00:05

I've read that you should not use aquariums to keep the spiders in but if they are well ventilated (air holes etc) and have something on top so that the spider cannot get out are they fine?
Oh and also do you start feeding crickets to the spiderlings straight away?

Think I need to get myself a book!

Thanks

Lostkat · 2 Apr 2003 at 00:55

Originally posted by SaBBz
I've read that you should not use aquariums to keep the spiders in but if they are well ventilated (air holes etc) and have something on top so that the spider cannot get out are they fine?
Oh and also do you start feeding crickets to the spiderlings straight away?

Think I need to get myself a book!

Thanks

Aquariums are absolutely fine to keep your spiders in as long as they have lots of holes drilled in the roof to give some ventilation. Leon keeps his juveniles, and Pepper in small aquariums. However, even the smallest aquarium might be a bit big for your spiderlings to start with. I'd recommend getting a couple of plastic pet pals (the smallest size they do). They're about £2.50 each and a perfect size for spiderlings. This is Jezzies tank, and it's more than enough for her to make her burrow and wander around in. (Don't worry that it's 3/4 full of dirt... that's her fault, she's been digging

)

Crickets - Don't try and feed your spiderlings the second they arrive. Jez didn't eat for a week after I got her, and Rio took about 3 days before she decided she was hungry. General consensus is to just give them a water bowl and leave them to settle in for about 3 days before you introduce food to the tank. If they've not eaten it within 24 hours, remove it and try again in a couple of days. Even baby tarantulas can go for weeks without food, so don't stress about it. They will eat when ready.

And finally...

YES YOU NEED A BOOK!

Tarantulas and other arachnids
Samuel D. Marshall
Pub. Barron's
ISBN: 0764114638

I've read all the book reviews there are to read on tarantula guides, and this one is considered to be the best one for beginners. It will tell you absolutely everything you need to be able to look after tarantulas from hatchlings to adults. It's available from an online bookstore, and is only about a fiver. Well worth the money!

Hope this helps

Malt_Vinegar · 2 Apr 2003 at 00:57

LK, i just got piccies of my mantis in the relevant thread

Thought u might wanna see

oh, and where do u get the petpal small aquariums from (internet?) I was after some for my new mantids (when i get them)

I was not sure wether to go internet, or local shop

hsp70 · 2 Apr 2003 at 02:50

i got some petpals from here

http://www.livefoodshop.co.uk/catalog/default.php

specifically here

http://www.livefoodshop.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=35_46&products_id=207

bought a few petpals, crickets, heat mats' etc from this place 2 times now and the service was great

both times i got my parcel the next working day

i think easyexotics also sell petpals but i have not tried them before.

Lostkat · 2 Apr 2003 at 08:13

I get my petpals from my local petshop. It's stacked to the rafters with every size imaginable

ANYWAY...

My new arrival has just landed on my doorstep! I set my alarm for 8am so I was ready and up for the postman and he came at 7.40am! Typical

She arrived in a film carton, and I set her tank in a massive box whilst I got her out so as to avoid a lost spider if she decided to bolt. She didn't. Just sat there calmly on her bit of kitchen roll. I was surprised to see she wasn't even in a hidey position like the other two were when I got them.

I've left her in her new tank on the kitchen paper to acclimatise, and she's just plodded onto some bark and is now exploring. I'm amazed to see that she has red mouthparts even at this size.

I took some pics, but they're not brilliant because she's teeny, and I really didn't want to start poking her about getting her to pose nicely for the camera.

Meet Louis (pronounced loo-wee) everyone! Not sure if I've spelt the name correctly, or whether it should be Luis.

This gives you an idea of size.... she's probably got the streched out legspan as a 5p!! Now THAT'S what I call small.

Isn't she adorable??

Lopéz · 2 Apr 2003 at 08:19

Now that is small!
I've got to wait around for the postman now.....no new arrivals for me until about 11 I expect.

hsp70 · 2 Apr 2003 at 09:29

mine just arrived too

These guys have a lot of growing to do ! they are tiny !

Mine had this funny walk when it was still sluggish where it lifts each leg really high when walking, very cute

But seems to have lost it now it's warmed up a little.

I'm keeping mine in a honey jar with a bed of coir+vermiculite and a strip of cork. Are you still housing yours in the cricket box Leon? or are you going to nick one of lk's cotten bud things ?

Lopéz · 2 Apr 2003 at 09:57

I think a cricket box is too "low" - Avicularias can get very stressed if they cannot climb.

So I rigged up this for now:

As soon as the postie arrives I'm popping out to try and get a new one though - this particular petpal was the one Pepper arrived in over 10 years ago!

Master Skooter · 2 Apr 2003 at 10:34

A Avicularia versicolor spiderling! :eek:

U lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky so & so!!!!

She's absolutley gorgeous!

Malt_Vinegar · 2 Apr 2003 at 11:49

H'update lopez pls!

Lopéz · 2 Apr 2003 at 12:48

There must have been some sort of mix-up at the post office. I have been sent a pair of fleas.

Pics coming when I find something small enough to put them in!

Master Skooter · 2 Apr 2003 at 13:07

Originally posted by Lopéz
There must have been some sort of mix-up at the post office. I have been sent a pair of fleas.

I'll swap ya fleas for a pair of rare black field crickets?

Email below in ya interested

Lopéz · 2 Apr 2003 at 13:26

Well, I've deduced that I have a Blue Flea and a Sort-of-orange Flea.

Both are hyperactive as hell, but in differnet ways. The Blue Flea never stops moving but walks slowly, and the Orange Flea doesn't move much, but when it does it goes at the speed of light.

I've put both in cricket boxes for now - ideally I need something the size of a multi-vitamin tub but clear plastic, ideally with a screw top. I'll have to see what I can source tomorrow.

For now, here are the pics. These things are so small that the Macro mode is being pushed to the absolute limit here.

Now they just need names.

SaBBz · 2 Apr 2003 at 14:09

Aww they look so cute, I can't wait to get mine now

Sending the cheque off tomorrow!

LawfordLass · 2 Apr 2003 at 14:11

Awww.. they're all so cute!

Never thought I'd be saying that.. but they are, and so incredibly small! Gorgeous!

- Kyzia

Lopéz · 2 Apr 2003 at 17:41

Well the Blue Flea has been given a name.
These tarantulas come from Martinique Island, in the Caribbean, which is under French rule (boo, hiss) so I wanted to pick something that was French - maybe Jean Paul, Pierre, Bernard?
Nah, nothing like that took my fancy, so I chose my favourite French word from school: Oiseau

Oiseau is also French for "bird" which is where the "Avicularia" part of the spider's latin name comes from

So here is Oiseau in his new home:

Photographing them at this tiny stage is nigh-on impossible to be honest.
Oiseau has already munched the tiny cricket I gave him - hopefully he'll start looking like a real tarantula in a few months

Lostkat · 2 Apr 2003 at 20:29

Well little Louis certainly enjoyed the 100 mile trip home from uni today a lot more than Rio, who spent the whole of the journey going mad in her tank, digging her holes and trying to hide. I even saw her fangs pop out at one point... I guess she wasn't happy at all the bumping around

I've rehoused the little one anyway into a much smaller, more suitable tub until I get a better container.

Home at the moment is an incredibly small plastic cup which I actually got Rio in. Good thing I kept it! She seems happy for now anyway.

She's already escaped and wandered all over my hand earlier when I was showing her to my mum. hsp70 - mine waves her legs in the air too when she's walking

Jez used to do it a lot too when she was smaller. It's SO cute!

Anyway here's a slightly better pic of her. As Leon said, it's damn hard to get a decent macro shot because these things are literally fleas! I'm going to get my big proper camera out this week and take some nice close macro shots with that instead.

I still can't get over how stunning she is