Hi! New here and would love some help PICS!!!

Hello All!

Brand new here to this forum and very happy to have been referred here! I've had my first tarantula for a little over two years now and my second since this last February.

My first a pretty B. smithi "Charlotte" is pretty much full grown now at a little over 5" legspan. She's molted once for me a year and a half ago and I was lucky to see the whole event! She was also very kind to have picked the best spot in her tank to see the event happen to moult! What a sweetie Here she is munching on a fuzzy mouse:



And here she is coming out of her burrow (love this shot!):


My second T was a cobalt blue "Kitana"! Anyone know where I got the name from??? Surprisingly she's been a very quiet girl and not displayed any aggressive behaviour whatsoever aside from her initial transfer into her new home where she struck at her old container 3 times rapidly before walking off. Here she is:





I love them both and am looking forward to getting more T's!!! In fact, I am getting a T. blondi this week! !

I do have a couple of issues I would love to get some advice and tips about. The first is my cobalt. I'm getting worried as I haven't seen her out in a couple of weeks. I know this is not abnormal as she has hidden out in her burrow consistently since I've had her and I know it's a characteristic of the species. She's hidden in her burrow before for longer periods and I wasn't worried. I am now because I can't see her whatsoever anymore (she did a great job of hidding herself, see future post on cobalt blue webbing proggression) and the little bit that I can manage to see doesn't look too good to me... I can see one leg in a strange position...

I'm thinking either she has molted or unfortunately passed... I am cleaning out her enclosure today to find out. And I'm sure I will find out rather quickly!!! Any advice on how to get her into another container? I'm only familiar with the cupping method and wonder if this is an appropriate method for this quick species.

My second issue is with handling. Ahhh, the most common question asked of experienced keepers!!! I've personally never felt the need or much desire to handle a tarantula as I love them as display pets. After reading very often that handling is discouraged, I thought "great"! Just what I wanted!!!

Since having my Charlotte for over two years now and getting to know her, I've recently sparked the desire to try and handle her. She is incredibly docile and hasn't made any type of threat display in well over a year including any kind of hair flicking. This is also when I prod her to move to another area of her tank by gently nudging her with a wooden kitchen spoon and also during and after "rescuing" her many many times from dangling by one leg from the screen top.

So I would like to attempt handling her since she has been so good lately. I'm thinking of either laying my hand down flat in her tank and nudging her on to it or cupping her out and then handling her. What makes my situation a little particular is that I have a moderate to severe anxiety disorder that leaves my hands shaking most of the time and I can't control that... I'm afraid of spooking her out by not being steady enough...

Any suggestions that would help me are greatly appreciated.

Pixie

Those are great pics and great choices in Ts.

Cobalts are often rarely seen. Chances are, it is coming out at night when nobody is around. Throw some crickets in and see if the disappear by morning. If you are still going to go digging for her, a good way to capture her is by using a 2 liter bottle with the bottom cut off. With this in hand, coax her out using a long handled paint brush and trap her with the bottle. Then, slide something underneat her and lift her out. Just make sure you put the bottle somewhere stable because it can get knocked over easily.

I personally do not like to handle my T's, but my husband does. He will usually first nudge the back of the T to make sure it isn't in a foul mood. Then put his other hand in front of it and coax it onto his hand. He also uses the pinch method, picking them up between legs II and III, but I wouldn't do that the first time. Just take is step by step. Try just nudging it a few times to get used to touching it, then go for handling.

BTW, nice looking T's. I like the set-ups. Is that a foamarium in the B. smithi's enclosure??


-Jill

Thanks for the tips I will definitely be taking it one step at a time and very slowly when it comes to my first handling experience.

Yes, that is a foamarium in the B. smithi tank and my cobalt also has one in hers. That is what makes it harder to get her out of there!!! I absolutely love them to display T's and I have 2 left that I'm saving for other T's I'll be getting in the future.

Here's a pic of my Charlotte finishing up her fuzzy mouse:


Pixie

I say, don't dig up your cobalt. As stated before, put the crickets in there and if their gone in the morning, she's fine.
IMO, its way to much stress on the T to dig her out, just to see if she molted. It could damage her, and she'll just have to line her burrow all over again.
I dug out mine one time and felt really bad about it afterward.
Plus, she could bite the crap out of you...

Welcome friend,


Ernie

Good news is that thanks to a new stronger flashlight, the bit that I could see turned out to be a molt!!!

I am still planning on digging her out though cause her tank is a mess and I have no clue what's rotting in her burrow... It's been 6 months now and quite a few meals with no remains left on top so it's gotta be pretty nasty in her burrow now. I'd also like to retrieve her molted skin and I'll be mean and remove her webbing so I can see her for a week!

I've got to see her now that she's molted!!!

I think I've got a decent plan though that should get her out without too much ado (I'm keeping my fingers crossed!) and let me do what I need to. Her foamarium burrow has two openings that she can in and out from and those are the only ways to reach her. I'll be covering one with a container big enough to catch her and I'll gently prod in the other with a soft bristle paint brush. I am of course expecting that she might come out attacking through the hole that I'm prodding with but I will have another container to cup her and an extra pair of hands to help.

Wish me luck!!!


Pixie sayin' a prayer :S

Pixie,
When I dug out mine, I did it in the bathtub with the drain pluged.
I used a long tablespoon and one scoop at a time I opened both ends of the burrow. Then i took a straw, a long straw and blew into one end and the T come out the other. I about crapped my pants doing it. I just cracked the lid enough to get the spoon and straw into the enclosure. I would have used to spoon to block her if she came at me. Then you still got to get her into a cup or bottle. BE CAREFUL..

BTW, I don't feed my burrowing T's pinky's anymore. The leftovers just fester in the burrow if they don't kick them out.

Good luck,

Ernie

I'm happy to report that containing my cobalt and cleaning out her cage went very smoothly I sometimes wonder if she is really a cobalt as she surely doesn't behave like one!!!

Her molt seems to have gone very well and must have happened a few days ago as her fangs are already completely black. She is an absolutely amazing blue now it's unbelievable!!! You can bet that there will be some new pics coming soon

I'm so happy now! I was worried about how this event was going to unfold and I couldn't have thought it any better!

Now, I hope my first handling experience with Charlotte will go well I'm still open to suggestions in that department!

Pixie

Great pics and very nice looking T's. How big is the smithi?

Andy