So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

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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

 

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Decided this morning that the Orange Flea needed to be given a name.
Suntigers originate from the rainforests of Venezuela, so I was looking at another Latin American or Spanish name.
Didn't fancy anything like Hector, Rodriguez etc so I did some research on the country itself.
I found that Venezuela is divided into several States, so I picked my favourite from the list.

Welcome aboard, Guarico.

Guarico has been a total pet rock so far - hasn't moved a millimeter overnight. I think he might be a touch stressed out from all the moving around, so maybe he'll settle over the next few days.

 

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Originally posted by <De@thW!sh>
OK! i think i have now gone blind, i have just read all 24 pages of this thread as i started out not realizing how old it was, must say i've been amazed.

The first few pics kinda creeped me out bigtime and i found the moulting pictures amazing as it's something i've always wondered how they do.

Good luck with the new arrivals u lot, not sure if id have the stomach to keep 1. must admit this thread has tempted me.

Keep it coming!

24 pages! Christ I never realised it had grown that big.

Moults are amazing to actually watch - hopefully these 2 babies will be moulting very frequently over the next few months. I can never relax properly with slings this small wandering about.

 

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Well, I don't think hunting an escaped Mugabe would be classed as fun - he runs faster than I think

The new fleas seem to be settling fine incidentally - Oiseau doesn't appear to have eaten but Guarico certainly has, judging by his nicely swollen abdomen.

Just need them to grow big enough to get some decent macro shots, hehe.

 

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Poor defenseless mite
Hopefully this means mine should be due to moult soon. I'll be a lot happier when it's grown some.

 

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Bad news

Well, it had to happen sooner or later.

In 10 years of keeping spiders I've never had a negative experience of any sort - well, my luck ran out yesterday.

Baby Oiseau was very slow moving all morning, and displaying classic premoult signs of being off his food and having a swollen abdomen. I removed a cricket from his tank, upped the humidity with a small wet ball of cotton wool, and left him to moult.

I came back to check on him a couple of hours later to find him on his back in moult pose - the abdomen skin had shrivelled and already come off.

I was horrified to see a cricket sat on top of him, and shooed it away. I can only guess it was hiding inside the cork bark earlier.
Oiseau hadn't stood a chance - eaten alive by a scavanging cricket Moulting tarantulas are utterly defenseless - they can barely move.

I examined Oiseau carefully but he was too badly damaged to have any hope of survival .

The cricket was given a painful death by microwave - didn't accomplish anything but sure made me feel a lot better.

RIP Oiseau

 

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Guarico has started to make himself at home - he's constructed a funnel web down the side of his cork bar, and camouflaged it with dirt he's dragged all the way up from the floor of the tank.
He seems healthy and happy, and appears to be feeding well.

Heres the tube web:

As the web is so fine it's almost invisible on camera - the red outline shows the basic size and structure of it though


And here's the occupant, sunning himself on the other side of his log.

He's eating well and I'm happy with the way he's settled.

After the loss of Oiseau, I was thinking long and hard about what to get as a replacement. I could get another versicolor - assuming there are any left in stock, but in the meantime I've seen a whole bunch of other stuff I'd like as well.
Decisions decisions.

There's some interesting stuff out there for sale at the moment - I really fancy another Avicularia of some sort - but with prices around £25 for a barely 2cm spiderling I think they are just too pricey in all honesty.

Haplopelma aureopilosum and Haplopelma minax seem to be reasonably available at the moment but both are secretive hostile little sods that I might see once a month if I'm lucky.

Guess I'll just have to wrangle it out and decide for myslef

 

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Originally posted by hsp70
this thread just will not die

just an update on my guys, came home today and my versicolour (shushu) molted ! , he's all shiny and kinda rubbery looking...hehe ^0^

wong choi (my boehmei hasn't eaten for a while but still hasn't molted nor has fu qwai my b.vagans, hope they emolt or eat soon although they are still pretty plump)

Cool names, what do they mean?

 

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Originally posted by Repo
Book came on friday, have read it (excellent book btw) and not only is the gf is now fine with the idea but I have found a shop in Sheffield that sells T's & will be paying it a visit shortly

But... what is the big purple T on the front cover? It looks great, but I couldn't find inside the book anything that said which one it was

That gorgeous T on the cover is an Avicularia versicolor.

That's what Kate's baby Louis will grow and mature into.

 

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Glad you're happy with it - what size is it? And where did you get her from?

 

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Originally posted by DB5

Would like a very colourfull Docile spider....any suggestions.

If you want colourful, docile and hardy then you won't go far wrong with the majority of the Brachypelma genus.

Brachypelma klaasi:

Brachypelma boehmei:

ChromatopelmaCyaneopubescens:

The first two should be readily available as captive-bred spiderlings.
The third are only just beginning to make their way into the UK - hopefully I will manage to get one at the British Tarantula Society show in May.

 

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Originally posted by SaBBz
I got it from David Blades, it's about the size of a 5p, and its so cute when it goes walking

Been sitting under the cork bark for a while now though!

David Blades is an excellent bloke to buy from - knows his stuff.

Don't worry about it not doing much. The Chile rose certainly earned it's "Pet Rock" reputation.

 

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1) It's a Green Bottle Blue

2) These things web like crazy - all over the floor.

3) Nervy but docile

I'm really hoping someone will have spiderlings to sell at the show.

 

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Hi all.

Firstly an answer to the spiderling bite question.

Kyzia is correct - spiderlings manage to pierce the tough chitin shell of a cricket, so human flesh is no problem. However, most spiderlings are more prone to running away than putting up a fight.
The consequences of any bite would be negligable (allergic reactions excepted). A tiny amount of venom (if any) would be injected.
The only tarantula bites that seem to have any form of remotely nasty effects are those from the Poecilotheria (Ornamentals), Haplopelma (Asian tarantulas), Pterinochilus (Baboons) and Selencosmia (Mostly Australian tarantulas).
General flu symptoms and a light fever, nausea and cold/hot flushes seem to be the norm. Don't touch and don't get bitten is my rule with feistier tarantulas.

Anyway, on to the main point of my post:

I'm up in Leicester for a few days staying at Kates - so while I'm here I thought I'd check out the local exotic pet store.

After a long chat and a good look at all the specimens on display (excellent range for a pet shop), well - it would have been rude not to buy something wouldn't it?

So, here I am the proud owner of a plastic container of web and dirt

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to the webs occupant?

 

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Your second guess is probably closer than the first.

I've never seen such a huge amount of web come from such a small spider.
When I saw it in the shop yesterday it had only just moulted, so I beat the price increase by a day
It's a good 2"+ in length - big enough to take full-grown crickets which makes it a good deal easier to feed than miniscule slings.

It's rather a nervy spider, and fast moving too.

 

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Originally posted by DirtyMinx
Come on Lopez, put us out of our misery!

/prays for a cobalt

At £80 for a juvenile I managed to resist - going to keep an eye out for spiderlings at the British Tarantula Society show in May.

Originally posted by Stumpy
What do you get from keeping/breeding spiders? (genuine interest question)

Not sure really -the same satisfaction as people get from keeping any pet I suppose. They're interesting to watch, easy to keep, they don't smell, they aren't noisy, they're cheap (compared to things like Dogs) and relatively long-lived. And you can leave them for 2 weeks when you go on holiday and they won't be dead when you come back.

Originally posted by Werewolf
probably lots of little spiders, unless my biology is worse than i thought

seriously it's like any pet i suspect, the interest etc

Not tried breeding them yet - if this new one of mine turns out to be a male he'll be studded out as they are in demand as pets and rarely available.

Originally posted by hsp70
i know what it is now, but i can't tell because i didn't guess

i got a new sling as well !!! a classic b.smithi it was a bargain at ten pounds

That's cos you cheated

B smithi for a tenner is a bargain - another hardy colourful Brachypelma for your collection!


So, as nobody is going to guess what I got, I'll put you out of your misery:

He's a juvenile Chilobrachys fimbriatus - an Indian Violet.
He's fast, nervy, and webs like nothing I've ever seen. I've just transferred him to a larger tank and he's already coated it in a thin layer of silk - less than 15 minutes work.
He moulted Wednesday and he's eating already.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Maz.

 

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Originally posted by SaBBz
Anyone got any webspace i could upload a pic to please?

Sure, mail it to [email protected]

 

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Tiny!

They feel so delicate at that stage, I guarantee you'll feel happier when he's moulted a few times and grown a bit

My Chile rose was double that size when I got her all those years ago, and I remember thinking then how small she seemed

 

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Well, after getting Zico, Maz and Louis home from Leicester (after a few complications) we unpacked the spiders to check how they were.

Louis and Zico were fine, but Maz was looking a little the worse for wear. He's been badly shaken about and was in the "death curl" position.

In a situation like this there isn't a great deal you can do except skyrocket the humidity, keep the spider warm and hope for the best.

Luckily when I checked on him in the morning, Maz was fine

While I was in Leicester I missed two moults - both baby Guarico and fatboy slim Miguel have shed their skins.

Miguel is now looking like a "proper tarantula" - really thick bushy hair all over and he isn't far off Pepper's size

I'm sure his appetite will return when he hardens up.

Guarico has now graduated from the "flea" stage - his legs and abdomen are now a stunning black, with peachy colour markings

Just glad they're all ok

 

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I'm going to have to ban myself from visiting pet shops at this rate.

Popped down to my local to show Kate the feisty Baboons, and ended up staying a while chatting to the owner.

He even mated his massive female Chilean rose while we were there - I've never seen tarantulas mate in the flesh and it's very amusing really - the male waving his legs like mad, almost like he's on a runway signalling a plane in to land

After all that excitement I noticed he had a box of tiny Avicularia avicularia (Guyanan Pink Toes) living communally in a cricket tub.
At eight quid I couldn't say no, especially after Kate picked one out.

Pink toes come from Brazil originally so I needed a Brazilian name - and as my one has a missing leg I decided to use a little irony and call him Pelé.

Here he is this afternoon feasting on a cricket