ViRoLoGY
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2011
- Messages
- 2
So this is partly a mild rant and also a celebration in how little we can actually predict the behaviour of our T's even when we do have them in enclosures.
My story begins in July earlier this year with my purchase of my Cyriopagopus sp/L. violaceopes sling (Singapore Blue):
As you can see, such a cute little thing barely bigger than a bottle cap. (After careful research of it's molts I've hesitantly deduced it's a male btw)
It started in a small 100ml beaker, and sometimes would come out to web over the sides, including webbing the thermometer probe in place.
Once it had completed a couple of molts it was time to give it a bigger home, so I chose the smallest scale kritter keeper to monitor the humidity a bit better. The move was around 4 weeks ago. I caught a glimpse of him during a particularly hot day (yes, they do happen in Ireland :sarcasm
when the humidity in the habitat dropped a bit and it was hanging around the water bowl:
Not so tiny now.
But once conditions returned to normal he returned and has still not accepted a single cricket.
I have not seen him since.
What's more he seems to have completely webbed over the entrance to his burrow as well:
Bit hard to see, but the top of the burrow is on the right.
I expect this of course from such a young spider, but thought it strange that the crickets that kept going in would always find their way to the dawn of a new day, and so I'd take them out. Figuring she was in pre-molt, it didn't bother me that much thought.
Though quite obviously by the picture he's a fat little spider and shows no signs of dehydration. Happy days.
Following on from this, I acquired my new Grammostola Pulchra (Brazilian Black) literally three days ago.
And this beautiful girl is around 2.5" leg span. Here she is before she went into her habitat:
I figured I'd throw in a cricket to see if she was hungry considering she was so calm. She absolutely savaged the little thing, so I figured that she had molted quite recently.
The following day I come home from work to find this:
She has her hide totally blocked up, presumably also (despite feasting on a cricket the day before) in pre-molt.
So I just wanted to share my experience with you so far about my two little T's, and to get it off my chest that one of the reasons I love spiders so much is this adaptability. They don't care that I'd prefer to see them, but I feel a little deflated about my €65 G. Pulchra going missing after less than a day.
Still, a happy tarantula is a tarantula you can't see, right?? :biggrin:
My story begins in July earlier this year with my purchase of my Cyriopagopus sp/L. violaceopes sling (Singapore Blue):
As you can see, such a cute little thing barely bigger than a bottle cap. (After careful research of it's molts I've hesitantly deduced it's a male btw)
It started in a small 100ml beaker, and sometimes would come out to web over the sides, including webbing the thermometer probe in place.
Once it had completed a couple of molts it was time to give it a bigger home, so I chose the smallest scale kritter keeper to monitor the humidity a bit better. The move was around 4 weeks ago. I caught a glimpse of him during a particularly hot day (yes, they do happen in Ireland :sarcasm
when the humidity in the habitat dropped a bit and it was hanging around the water bowl:
Not so tiny now.
But once conditions returned to normal he returned and has still not accepted a single cricket.
I have not seen him since.
What's more he seems to have completely webbed over the entrance to his burrow as well:
Bit hard to see, but the top of the burrow is on the right.
I expect this of course from such a young spider, but thought it strange that the crickets that kept going in would always find their way to the dawn of a new day, and so I'd take them out. Figuring she was in pre-molt, it didn't bother me that much thought.
Though quite obviously by the picture he's a fat little spider and shows no signs of dehydration. Happy days.
Following on from this, I acquired my new Grammostola Pulchra (Brazilian Black) literally three days ago.
And this beautiful girl is around 2.5" leg span. Here she is before she went into her habitat:
I figured I'd throw in a cricket to see if she was hungry considering she was so calm. She absolutely savaged the little thing, so I figured that she had molted quite recently.
The following day I come home from work to find this:
She has her hide totally blocked up, presumably also (despite feasting on a cricket the day before) in pre-molt.
So I just wanted to share my experience with you so far about my two little T's, and to get it off my chest that one of the reasons I love spiders so much is this adaptability. They don't care that I'd prefer to see them, but I feel a little deflated about my €65 G. Pulchra going missing after less than a day.
Still, a happy tarantula is a tarantula you can't see, right?? :biggrin:
