So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

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Wow, can't believe you're handling that Pokie. Especially if you haven't had it from young. How did you guess it would be receptive to handling? It's a beautiful T, mind you. I think the old wolrd tarantulas do tend to be a bit prettier.

My pokie is 2" and I wouldn't dream of handling it, never mind when it gets to that size.
 
Well we had to move her to clean out her tank (mite problem, someone keeping their T too moist ;))
I started by nudging her into the big tupperware bowl, but wanted to get her to sit on the white lid to get some better shots.
She slowly walked onto the lid, but started to come to the edge - rather then poking her back onto the lid and risking startling her, I decided the most sensible course of action was to let her walk over my hand.
She was graceful, slow and well-behaved - I think Pokies are only a problem when they get startled because she didn't show a hint of aggression throughout 15 or so minutes of handling. I think it's all about assessing the mood of your spider at that particular time - if she'd have been running and darting about I wouldn't have held her.
 
I haven't seen my biggest T Maya for a few days now, she has made her burrow even larger, extending around a U-Bend kind of corner and there is no way I can see in.

I wanted to test if she was moulting so I sent a cricket in to the burrow, it never reappeared, and I could make out some movement.

Last night I put 3 mealworms in a plastic dish and left them outside the burrow. They were still there this morning but I've been out all day with the room in darkness and one of them is now missing. So maybe she came out and got one.

Anyways, is it alright for me to dig her up? The burrow is kind of annoying as I can never see her, everytime someone comes round they arent too impressed. Is it alright to get her out and then keep her on low substrate with a hide, or would this really stress it out having its burrow removed?
 
Another warning - Don't even think about trying this at home!

Leon decides to dice with death.... AGAIN!!

Well, clearly not satisfied with holding a pokie, today Leon decided he wanted to hold Zuila, my Psalmopoeus irminia. Just to jog your memories, he's the one who tries to kill me everytime I look at him funny, and gives me this open-armed welcome when I open his tank

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We found out that he had a slight mite problem, so I decided I wanted to clean him out before Leon went home - it's easier and safer to do this with both of us there. After the initial threat pose, and a lot of resistance, Zuila finally came out of his tank and settled in the mixing bowl.

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I cleaned his tank with hot soapy water, sterilized his bark and gave him some new peat. When ready to transfer him back to his tank, Leon gently poked his back legs and he climbed very slowly up the side of the mixing bowl and onto his hand. Absolutely no sign of aggression from him at all, and he walks incredibly slowly. I was amazed.. this was a complete turnaround.

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Anyway, we got him back into his tank. I've just lifted his lid now to check on him and he's back in threat pose, so he seems unaffected by the whole fiasco.

Suntigers have a reputation for being fast, vicious multiple biters. We saw none of these characteristics once he was out on Leon's hand. He must have some magical calming power over T's or something. There's only one challenge waiting for him yet.... to hold Sanchez, my loony bin of a B. vagans.
 
My Cobalt Blue has a very deep burrow, with the entrance running up the side of the tank.
Now normally, I can see in through the side, but the damn creature often covers the side with web and dirt. I just use a cotton but or tweezers and tissue paper and wipe the edge clean so I can see through the glass.

They generally don't stay annoyed for long at you tearing up a burrow - try making a "lean-to" against the glass with a piece of cork bark and surrounding it with substrate. This encourages the T to adapt the bark into a burrow so you can still see it.
 
Lostkat, that's a beautiful spider. It seems huge in the first picture, in threat pose. When it's on Leon's hand though it looks much smaller. How big isit?
 
Those are some superb photos with both spiders looking spectacular. I never knew so many tarantulas had such bright n' colourful patterns.

As for holding them :eek:
Is Lopez related to that nutter of an Australian who likes to hold deadly snakes and snog alligators ??? ;) :D
 
Do NOT try this at home

Well, as I seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment......why not try holding Maz?

Maz06


As usual, reluctant to leave her burrow. Check out those awesomely coloured footpads!

Maz07


The camera can do no justice to the beauty of these tarantulas. There are stunning violet highlights on every leg

Maz08


Gently does it....

Maz09


Up my arm for one last shot and there endeth playtime with Maz - don't fancy spiders running over my head/up my sleeves, they get really tricky to deal with because you can't manipulate them any more at that stage.

Always gauge your spider before handling it - if you are going to handle it at all.
If you are at all apprehensive then please don't bother handling - at the best you may get bitten, at the worst you may kill your spider.
 
I'm feeling all photographic today.....

Roger04


What a gorgeous tarantula. Shame they don't last very long :(

Roger05


He's a lot like an arboreal to handle - very gentle but nervous.

Pepper09


Note how much stockier she is compared to Roger.
The pink on the carapace is also a lot less noticable.

Pepper10


Pepper is a Red Phase of the Chile rose species - this means she has dark red hairs instead of the regular brown.
 
i recently noticed a few mites in my versicolours jar and decided to change his home to a clean one.

But digging around for info on mites i found this uk website sells the predatory mites that some t keepers use to control the problem.

Quite expensive and not really needed for my sling as it's so small and i only have 9 t's but thought i might let you guys know incase you want to look in this area sometime in the future :)

http://www.gonegardening.com/xq/ASP/dept_id.60061/pf_id.7702008/referer./qx/gg_shop/product.htm

http://www.gonegardening.com/gg_shop/
 
Originally posted by The Edge
Hows the mating going??have thery rogered yet?

Is the greenbottle still ok that had the problem moult?
Click to expand...
I'm afraid that Carabobo evidently failed to shed his stomach and mouth lining, and was totally unable to ingest water or food, no matter what :(
He died last week unfortunately.
 
Ah ha! I've found the reason why Zuila was so well-behaved when Leon decided to handle him on Friday. He was premoult! T's often go very lethargic when they're premoult and you can handle them no problems at all.

Anyway I got up this morning to find my gorgeous suntiger moulted and all huddled up in the corner. I removed his skin and left him to it, and eventually he came out briefly to show me his gorgeous markings. He looks as if he's turning black now because he's dark grey at the moment (should harden to black). That's a nice surprise because he was very brown before he moulted. I don't think he's grown a tremendous amount, but I until I see him stretched out, I won't really know.

Check out those awesome orange streaks across his feet. They're really vivid now.

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After taking a couple of pics, he then went into hiding pose with his legs all tucked in close to his body and his knees shielding his carapace.

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So I started to put the lid back on, and to my shock I got this :eek:

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This is ridiculous! A freshly moulted spider cannot bite. Look how white his fangs are. If he went to tag you in this state, he would deform his fangs badly and probably be unable to eat until his next moult. This T is a raving loony.. he should be running for his life, not threatening me with his silly white fangs. Plonker!

Leon - I challenge you to try holding him again when he's fully hardened off and feeding again. We'll see how he reacts to you then :p
 
Just feeding my T's and thought I'd take a picture of Tom, my B.smithi. He is just a crazy eating machine. Today he has eaten 2 crickets and a locust. Here's a picture of him with a cricket hanging out of his mouth, he reminds me of a Zoid (remeber them?):

Tom%20Legs.JPG
 
Originally posted by si_sleaf
Just feeding my T's and thought I'd take a picture of Tom, my B.smithi. He is just a crazy eating machine. Today he has eaten 2 crickets and a locust. Here's a picture of him with a cricket hanging out of his mouth, he reminds me of a Zoid (remeber them?):
Click to expand...
They look so strange when they lift themselves up like that - arboreals don't seem to do it as obviously as terrestrials for some reason.
 
Originally posted by si_sleaf
Just feeding my T's and thought I'd take a picture of Tom, my B.smithi. He is just a crazy eating machine. Today he has eaten 2 crickets and a locust. Here's a picture of him with a cricket hanging out of his mouth, he reminds me of a Zoid (remeber them?):
Click to expand...

He looks a tad round ;)



P.S.
spideyzoid.jpg
 
I'm getting a little worried about my B.Bohemei Maya. On Saturday I dug her our of the burrow she had made, lowered the level of the substrate down and then put in half a flower pot as a hide. She didn't seem too bothered and at first she tried digging back into the ground, I lowered the substrate a little more and saw her make a feeble attempt to kick hairs at me when i touched her leg. I think I got my first experience of uriticating hairs as my hands tingled slightly after messing with the cage.

Anyways, she then found the flowerpot and stomped round the cage a bit. She seemed happy enough and has laid down a little silk at the entrance to the flowerpot.

Now on Sunday I had to move back home from Uni, by car. It was pretty hot inside the car, so I made sure to mist them and keep their water topped up during the journey.

Ever since I've got home though, I haven't seen her emerge from the flowerpot, she is sat like this:

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Shielding her carapace, she does react slightly if I knock the side of the cage. She has been sat like this for ages. Do you think its due to stress? Or is it pherhaps signs of an impending moult? I've had her nearly a month now and she hasn't done so yet, but her colour does appear to have faded, not looking as bright as when she first arrived. When I last got a decent look at her on Saturday I could see the patch on her rear end, but it wasn't really what I would call dark. Last time I think she ate was possibly last Thursday.
 
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