So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?
- Thread starter Lopéz
- Start date
- Status
Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Apr 2003
- Posts
- 3,938
- Location
- InterZone
He he, like the video of Jose kicking hairs. His leg seems to move really slowly, more like he's trying to have a scratch 'cos someone is tickling him with a paintbrush!
Yeah, if they mean it then they usually do it uber fast. I'd been poking José for about 10 mins though and he obviously wasn't bothered, so that was the best I could get. He's got a right bald arse now
He even kicks hairs when I take the lid off his tank. He's not aggressive in the slightest though, I think it's more of a 'leave me alone and stop bullying me' gesture
Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Apr 2003
- Posts
- 3,938
- Location
- InterZone
Terrible Tom
Wow! I just saw Tom nail a big cricket. I don't know what happened because I was sending an email but I heard him jump down from the side of his tank. I spun round and he's crouching over this big cricket I put in two minutes previously. It must have brushed one of his back legs or something. As soon as it moved he grabbed it with his pedipalps (is that the right word for those two little "legs" at the front?) and sank his teeth in. He's munching happily as I type. What a star
Wow! I just saw Tom nail a big cricket. I don't know what happened because I was sending an email but I heard him jump down from the side of his tank. I spun round and he's crouching over this big cricket I put in two minutes previously. It must have brushed one of his back legs or something. As soon as it moved he grabbed it with his pedipalps (is that the right word for those two little "legs" at the front?) and sank his teeth in. He's munching happily as I type. What a star
Re: Terrible Tom
I got home yesterday to find that Punta, my C fasciatum, has just moulted.
Even today she's very pale (not to mention skinny!) so I'll need to wait a while before I can feed her up.
http://www.vsupermarket.co.uk/~lopez/MySpiders/Punta01
Spider, skin and 10p piece all in one shot (which took a bit of doing
)
Yep, the two miniature legs at the front are indeed pedipalps.
I got home yesterday to find that Punta, my C fasciatum, has just moulted.
Even today she's very pale (not to mention skinny!) so I'll need to wait a while before I can feed her up.
http://www.vsupermarket.co.uk/~lopez/MySpiders/Punta01
Spider, skin and 10p piece all in one shot (which took a bit of doing
)OK here is an update, interesting day I had watching these little guys yesterday.
Shiva succesfully moulted.
Like I said, pretty poor quality as this was taken through the plastic container so as not to disturb.
Freshly emerged from the old skin, just after flipping back upright.
A better view of the new colouring, looking very pale although looking signicantly larger.
Probably at least 1/4 inch bigger than she was before, maybe more.
Shiva succesfully moulted.
Like I said, pretty poor quality as this was taken through the plastic container so as not to disturb.
Freshly emerged from the old skin, just after flipping back upright.
A better view of the new colouring, looking very pale although looking signicantly larger.
Probably at least 1/4 inch bigger than she was before, maybe more.
Quite cool thing that I saw this morning; I've seen my Ts stretched out before but today Shiva was streched out like the Pokies do.
Another poor quality picture due to being taken under red light and through the container
My Smithi, Tequila doesn't appear to be eating anymore, so she is probably not far off moulting either.
Here is Maya, my Boehmei. Here she is sitting at the top of her burrow eating a cricket. She spends most of her time sitting here or a little further down the burrow. From my observations she appears to be pretty damn quick, whenever I disturb her she shoots into the bottom of the burrow. I've also noticed a slight patch on her bum that wasnt there when I got her, so I guess she has kicked some hairs, but I havent seen this. Probably best that I don't try and handle her.
Last night after I fed her a cricket, she ate it right infront of the plastic, so I could see for the first time exactly how they use their fangs and mouth to eat. Interesting stuff.
Another poor quality picture due to being taken under red light and through the container
My Smithi, Tequila doesn't appear to be eating anymore, so she is probably not far off moulting either.
Here is Maya, my Boehmei. Here she is sitting at the top of her burrow eating a cricket. She spends most of her time sitting here or a little further down the burrow. From my observations she appears to be pretty damn quick, whenever I disturb her she shoots into the bottom of the burrow. I've also noticed a slight patch on her bum that wasnt there when I got her, so I guess she has kicked some hairs, but I havent seen this. Probably best that I don't try and handle her.
Last night after I fed her a cricket, she ate it right infront of the plastic, so I could see for the first time exactly how they use their fangs and mouth to eat. Interesting stuff.
This is a pretty serious medical condition as far as i know, it can prevent them from eating, its slipped my mind what its caused by but as far as i can tell it is either lack of water during transport or mites (i'm near 100% sure its one of those just can't remember which one), i'm thinking lack of water though during transit.
I read on the BTS forum that it's due to an infection of nematode worms, which is ultimately fatal to the infected T. Infection apparently spreads quickly so one T could give it to your whole collection :/ I'm glad I didn't buy off that German guy at the BTS show and am keeping a close eye on my spiders atm.
Finished now.
A 'When Animals Attack' type programme. They had a story on a baby that got bitten by an Aussie Funnelweb. They were showing the Funnelweb in a container then all of a sudden it cuts to a reconstruction that featured a docile Tarantula. They didnt bother informing the viewer that the spider in the reconstruction wasn't a funnelweb.
They then did a story on the Black Widow, warning of how dangerous it is. At the end of which the narrator chessily says "Another Spider also feared, The TARANTULA! With razor sharp piercing fangs, venom and an enormous size.... blah blah blah" que a bunch of clips and then Rick West proding a pokie with some tweezers. The narrator then went onto say that they could kill if they attacked in numbers! lol
A 'When Animals Attack' type programme. They had a story on a baby that got bitten by an Aussie Funnelweb. They were showing the Funnelweb in a container then all of a sudden it cuts to a reconstruction that featured a docile Tarantula. They didnt bother informing the viewer that the spider in the reconstruction wasn't a funnelweb.
They then did a story on the Black Widow, warning of how dangerous it is. At the end of which the narrator chessily says "Another Spider also feared, The TARANTULA! With razor sharp piercing fangs, venom and an enormous size.... blah blah blah" que a bunch of clips and then Rick West proding a pokie with some tweezers. The narrator then went onto say that they could kill if they attacked in numbers! lol
Rick West is cool.
Apparently you can judge somebody's tarantula knowledge by the size of their beard...or so I'm told
On a more sombre note, Carabobo my Greenbottle Blue has gotten into moulting difficulties today
I got home to find him still stuck to his old skin - my first ever problem moult. It appears he was unable to seperate his fangs and pedipalps from the old skin.
Using a wet cotton bud I managed to persuade away the old skin (a horrible exercise)
One palp is dangling limp at the moment, and it seems the fangs are still encased in their old skin - there's just no way I can remove it.
I really hope he pulls through - I'm hoping if he recovers from the moult I will be able to feed him with mushed up crickets and mealworms.
Fingers crossed
Apparently you can judge somebody's tarantula knowledge by the size of their beard...or so I'm told
On a more sombre note, Carabobo my Greenbottle Blue has gotten into moulting difficulties today
I got home to find him still stuck to his old skin - my first ever problem moult. It appears he was unable to seperate his fangs and pedipalps from the old skin.
Using a wet cotton bud I managed to persuade away the old skin (a horrible exercise)
One palp is dangling limp at the moment, and it seems the fangs are still encased in their old skin - there's just no way I can remove it.
I really hope he pulls through - I'm hoping if he recovers from the moult I will be able to feed him with mushed up crickets and mealworms.
Fingers crossed
Originally posted by Lopéz
On a more sombre note, Carabobo my Greenbottle Blue has gotten into moulting difficulties today
I got home to find him still stuck to his old skin - my first ever problem moult. It appears he was unable to seperate his fangs and pedipalps from the old skin.
Using a wet cotton bud I managed to persuade away the old skin (a horrible exercise)
One palp is dangling limp at the moment, and it seems the fangs are still encased in their old skin - there's just no way I can remove it.
I really hope he pulls through - I'm hoping if he recovers from the moult I will be able to feed him with mushed up crickets and mealworms.
Fingers crossed
Any updates on him?
He's made it through the night, but until he's hardened enough to attempt feeding I won't know much more.
The "jaws" and fangs have failed to come out of the old skin, leaving them sticking out at a wierd angle like buck teeth.
Hopefully he managed to shed his thorax and mouth linings - if not then there's no way he can eat.
If it's just the fangs that are damaged I can attempt to feed him by mushing up crickets/mealworms and placing them in front of him.
With a lot of nursing, it's sometimes possible to help the tarantula survive until its next moult - when fingers crossed, it will regenerate properly.
All I can do is try.....if it dies, it dies.
Bad moults are just "one of those things" that you can't really do anything about.
- Status