So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?
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Gutted 
My juvenile Lasiodora Parahybana started to change colour the other day also its been off its food for about a week so it looks like its due for a moult
. I’m going away for the week on Saturday and I’m worried I’ll miss the 1st moult, also if there are any complications I won’t be there to help out.. What should I do??
My juvenile Lasiodora Parahybana started to change colour the other day also its been off its food for about a week so it looks like its due for a moult
. I’m going away for the week on Saturday and I’m worried I’ll miss the 1st moult, also if there are any complications I won’t be there to help out.. What should I do??
How big is it?
Make sure there are absolutely no crickets or food around, and give him a water bowl (if he doesn't already have one) to keep the humidity quite high (Lasiodora parahybana is a tropical rainforest species and needs about 80% humidity). If you're worried about him getting stuck in the water bowl, just fill it with some small pebbles so he can get out if he falls in.
Also give his tank sides a few mists before you go away, but make sure the substrate isn't sopping wet because tarantulas don't like moulting on wet soil. I had one moult hanging off the side of her tank once because I'd soaked the substrate
If you're still worried about humidity, cover the top of the tank with some clingfilm. When I leave my T's and go to Leon's, I usually cover 3/4 of their tank lids with clingfilm, making sure that the water bowl is down the covered end. It just helps to maintain the humidity for a little longer, especially in this hot weather.
Having said all this, it's actually thought that raising the humidity during a moult is not necessarily beneficial because the tarantulas produce enough moisture themselves to aid the moult successfully. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry isn’t it.
Finally, just hope for the best. There's really not much you can do to help your T moult successfully, or prevent him from having a bad moult. You just have to leave them to do the business. Good luck, hope he's alright and have a good hol
Make sure there are absolutely no crickets or food around, and give him a water bowl (if he doesn't already have one) to keep the humidity quite high (Lasiodora parahybana is a tropical rainforest species and needs about 80% humidity). If you're worried about him getting stuck in the water bowl, just fill it with some small pebbles so he can get out if he falls in.
Also give his tank sides a few mists before you go away, but make sure the substrate isn't sopping wet because tarantulas don't like moulting on wet soil. I had one moult hanging off the side of her tank once because I'd soaked the substrate
If you're still worried about humidity, cover the top of the tank with some clingfilm. When I leave my T's and go to Leon's, I usually cover 3/4 of their tank lids with clingfilm, making sure that the water bowl is down the covered end. It just helps to maintain the humidity for a little longer, especially in this hot weather.
Having said all this, it's actually thought that raising the humidity during a moult is not necessarily beneficial because the tarantulas produce enough moisture themselves to aid the moult successfully. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry isn’t it.
Finally, just hope for the best. There's really not much you can do to help your T moult successfully, or prevent him from having a bad moult. You just have to leave them to do the business. Good luck, hope he's alright and have a good hol
Well it’s about 3.5" long currently...
Not 100% sure on the sex but was told it’s a female but time will tell..
The temps & humidity are fine at the moment but with the recent hot weather it’s been hard to keep it stable. I've taken all the crickets out so there should be no interference. I’ve thought about asking the shop I had it from to look after it for the week..
Not 100% sure on the sex but was told it’s a female but time will tell..
The temps & humidity are fine at the moment but with the recent hot weather it’s been hard to keep it stable. I've taken all the crickets out so there should be no interference. I’ve thought about asking the shop I had it from to look after it for the week..
No, but have a pic of Tamil, my Poecilotheria fasciata, munching a cricket to keep you going. That cricket looks delicious doesn't it
I've also had a couple of moults in the last week from my avics. First there was Sash, the Avicularia purpurea, who's on his second moult with me. He didn't really change colour that much, but the underside of his abdomen is white now. Looks quite cool. He's like a dark mossy green. Never seen a baby avic this colour.
And my unnamed Avicularia metallica also moulted on Monday. His legs went from pink to almost black when he was premoult, but after shedding his old exuvium, he's now a lovely pink again with a jet black carapace and feet. He's gorgeous. I love avics at the pink stage, they're so cute. Just wish there was one that stayed pink with black toes as an adult
Soldato
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LostKat, that's a great pic of your Pokie eating that cricket.
How is your £2 Curly by the way? If you remember we both got one each from the same stall at the BTS show. Mine moulted on Friday and has really grown. It must be 4" at least now but I haven't measured it.
How is your £2 Curly by the way? If you remember we both got one each from the same stall at the BTS show. Mine moulted on Friday and has really grown. It must be 4" at least now but I haven't measured it.
My £2 curly is lovely actually He moulted about 2 weeks ago and is probably the same size as yours is now. He's a lot redder than Leon's curly hair though, does yours look like this too? I'm so glad I got him. He's so docile, yet so pretty. He's a bit of a kicker if you suprise him though 
He moulted about 2 weeks ago and is probably the same size as yours is now. He's a lot redder than Leon's curly hair though, does yours look like this too? I'm so glad I got him. He's so docile, yet so pretty. He's a bit of a kicker if you suprise him though
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Must say lostkat your pictures are excellent. Especially the one eating the cricket 
Very detailed, amazing
Very detailed, amazing
Soldato
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Originally posted by Lostkat
My £2 curly is lovely actually
Wow, mine looks just like yours
I was just saying to my girlfriend Fiona how much redder my Barabara's carapace has got since the last moult. I'll try to get a picture up in a bit as I am busy fiddling with Seti at the moment.On another note, I have another 7 legged spider
Not only does my Psalmopoeus cambridgei have a missing leg but now my Ceratogyrus bechanicus (Straight Horned Baboon) also lost one the other day. It moulted a week ago and I decided I wanted to get the exuvium out (this was a couple of days after the moult). As I did so the spider ran over the side of it's jar and was scurrying around in the bathtub. When I tried to "shoo" it back in to the jar with a paintbrush it dropped a leg in the bath! Not good really, but at least it is still young (it's around the 2" mark currently) and it had just moulted so the next moult should see some regeneration of the leg 
Haven't updated for a while 'cos there wasn't a lot to report, but there were 2 significant events this week.
Firstly, Guarico my P irminia died. No apparent reason, no attempted moult, I just found her curled up in a ball one afternoon. She's been fine for 5 months, no changes in her care, conditions or diet. Mystery deaths are always the most annoying.......
Secondly, and on a far happier note, Napalm my psychotic Haplopelma sp. "longipendum" has moulted. And what difference a moult makes!
Not only is she now huge (I'd estimate a 6" LS) but she's jet black with mossy bluegreen tinges on the abdomen and faint white striping on each knee
What a difference from the ugly brown spider I got a month or so ago.
The old attitude is still there....
Old skin for scale.
Firstly, Guarico my P irminia died.
No apparent reason, no attempted moult, I just found her curled up in a ball one afternoon. She's been fine for 5 months, no changes in her care, conditions or diet. Mystery deaths are always the most annoying.......Secondly, and on a far happier note, Napalm my psychotic Haplopelma sp. "longipendum" has moulted. And what difference a moult makes!
Not only is she now huge (I'd estimate a 6" LS) but she's jet black with mossy bluegreen tinges on the abdomen and faint white striping on each knee
What a difference from the ugly brown spider I got a month or so ago.
The old attitude is still there....
Old skin for scale.
My Pinktoe moulted yesterday, just after I had put some mealworms in... lucky I didn't have any cricks or I might have had problems!
Completely caught me by surprise, but s/he's huge now - piccies to follow
I flattened out the old skin on my right hand to try to compare how much s/he'd grown & was left with a very tingly feeling in the palm of my hand that lasted for about an hour. Good job s/he's docile & not much of a kicker!
Completely caught me by surprise, but s/he's huge now - piccies to follow
I flattened out the old skin on my right hand to try to compare how much s/he'd grown & was left with a very tingly feeling in the palm of my hand that lasted for about an hour. Good job s/he's docile & not much of a kicker!
Because when tarantulas moult, they lie on their backs for hours, even days when adult. During this time they are completely helpless. If crickets are in the same tank as a moulting tarantula, they are likely to start nibbling at the poor defenseless little guy and kill him. This is what happened to Leon's A. versicolor when it first moulted
Repo - Avics don't actually kick hairs... they're more subtle than that. They slyly rub their abdomens on your hand which rubs the urticating hairs into your skin. Delightful creatures
I don't get half as much skin irritation from my avics than I do from them damn Brachys though. Right, now onto what I actually came in here to post. I got a new tarantula today, but not just any old tarantula, no... a FREE one
He's a juvenille (3") Trinidad chevron. I'm extremely pleased with him as I've liked these ever since I saw Leon's. The guy who gave him to me originally bought two of them as spiderlings, but now they're past the critical stage (over 2.5-3", tarantulas are less prone to randomly dying on you), he only wants the one. My chevron was the faster growing one of the two (he's about twice the size of his sibling), so we guessed it was probably a male. Normally I'd want a female, but I'm not worried because he was a freebie, and I can stud him out and get some spiderlings to raise too. He's lovely; all fluffy with the characteristic orange tarsal stripes and amazing green iridescent footpads. He was looking a little skinny this morning, so I bought him a tub of nice juicy crickets and he's currently munching on one now.
Anyway, meet my new (unnamed) Trinidad Chevron:
haven't replied here for the longest time.
i've had some additions too
a tiny A.seemani that is supposed to be a blue form of A.seemani, won't know until the little guy grows up since he's smaller than a grain of rice right now
and a not much bigger green bottle blue
LK the tiger rump is fine btw
i've had some additions too
a tiny A.seemani that is supposed to be a blue form of A.seemani, won't know until the little guy grows up since he's smaller than a grain of rice right now
and a not much bigger green bottle blue
LK the tiger rump is fine btw
Weird that, 'cos my Pinktoe has a classic bald stripe across his rump where's he's kicked hairsOriginally posted by Lostkat
Repo - Avics don't actually kick hairs... they're more subtle than that. They slyly rub their abdomens on your hand which rubs the urticating hairs into your skin. Delightful creatures
.. or rather he did until he moulted
Someones been shopping at GuysOriginally posted by hsp70
haven't replied here for the longest time.
i've had some additions too
a tiny A.seemani that is supposed to be a blue form of A.seemani, won't know until the little guy grows up since he's smaller than a grain of rice right now
and a not much bigger green bottle blue
LK the tiger rump is fine btw
Very good breeder and keeper, they should be nice spiders. The Guatamalen blue Aphonopelma he sold you is quite an interesting one, I know someone who has some larger ones which are bright blue.when T's "kick hairs" are the hairs just sort of.. floating slowly towards you? or are they like spears though the air? always wondered this.. if its a defence move then the hairs would have to move pretty quickly to get to their destination (im guessing eyes/face area would be most effective) right?
always wondered this.. if its a defence move then the hairs would have to move pretty quickly to get to their destination (im guessing eyes/face area would be most effective) right?Originally posted by Chief
when T's "kick hairs" are the hairs just sort of.. floating slowly towards you? or are they like spears though the air?
It looks just like a cloud of dust really. They're obviously very effective because just a few seconds after my greenbottle blue kick some hairs my way, I was coughing and spluttering. I'd obviously inhaled a few. Not pleasant
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