I feel like I've gone through a tarantula keeping rite of passage

gobey · Aug 21, 2014

My G. Rosea greeted me upon opening the lid of her enclosure today to change her water with a big threat posture!

We looked at each other for a bit and then she forgot why she was mad, sat down, and I got her a new drink.

My Rosea was calm when I got her. And put up with a lot of rookie crap from me, so she must've known she was my first T. Because she certainly wouldn't let me even attempt to get near her to do the things I did the first month I had her.

I'm only a little under 3 months into Ts. But my hopes (and they were high hopes) of having a "docile" rose hair, are gone and forgotten. And honestly dealt with. My Ts are accepted for who they are. Even my boring L.P.s who won't come out and are scared of everything, Including crickets.

Anyway, long story short, my Rosie has mood swings turns out.... who woulda guessed it?

Ghost Dragon · Aug 21, 2014

LOL... Welcome to the wonderful world of owning a rosie, gobey. No two are EVER alike in temperament. Very prone to mood swings. I still wouldn't trade my two, though. If I rub my thumb & forefinger together in front of her, Itsy will come over and, depending on her mood, will either lay her front legs on my hand or give it a good slap if she's grumpy

gobey · Aug 21, 2014

Pffffft..... I would never put my fingers in front of Dee. She thinks anything in her personal bubble is food. I have to lead her away from the water dish with the tongs like a cat with a laser pointer.

To think when I first got her and didn't know anything I used to prod her abdomen with my finger.... Oh lordy how I've learned so much in so little time.

She flipped after I rehoused her for the 2nd time in 1 month. She didn't like the big enclosure I put her in. So I made a custom one that was slightly wider and longer than the one she came in but 2x as high. And she took a fall into it. She didn't get hurt. But she decided that was the end of her putting up with my shenanigans and she immediately started wandering around in what I could only call the "crab walk". And was cranky for like 2 days after, and now she's moody and is always thinking about food.

I had the opportunity to unload her back when I thought maybe I had bought too many Ts too quickly, and thought maybe the rose hair wasn't my ideal T. But when aced with the decision, I just couldn't. She was my first, and she's a special little critter with a funny pattern of behavior. She's honestly probably my favorite T of my 7, and my only T with a name really.

My Avic would be my favorite if he didn't crap all over the walls..... Man he's really calm and chill.... But he's a messy spider. So my Rosie it is, even though she doesn't move much and likes to hang out on the wall sometimes. But that unpredictable random odd behavior I'll witness every now and then is so worth it. And she eats like a garbage disposal
Although I'm hoping when these L.P.s are done molting they'll fit that bill more. I don't want to over feed her and encourage a fast.

Anyway as I said, I'll hit my 3 month Mark of owning her August 7th. I'm at 7 Ts now. 2 adults, 2 sub adults, 3 slings. So I have plenty more to experience

I just figured I'd share I'm finally experiencing that famous random Rosie behavior I was so warned about.

awiec · Aug 21, 2014

gobey said:
Pffffft..... I would never put my fingers in front of Dee. She thinks anything in her personal bubble is food. I have to lead her away from the water dish with the tongs like a cat with a laser pointer.

To think when I first got her and didn't know anything I used to prod her abdomen with my finger.... Oh lordy how I've learned so much in so little time.

She flipped after I rehoused her for the 2nd time in 1 month. She didn't like the big enclosure I put her in. So I made a custom one that was slightly wider and longer than the one she came in but 2x as high. And she took a fall into it. She didn't get hurt. But she decided that was the end of her putting up with my shenanigans and she immediately started wandering around in what I could only call the "crab walk". And was cranky for like 2 days after, and now she's moody and is always thinking about food.

I had the opportunity to unload her back when I thought maybe I had bought too many Ts too quickly, and thought maybe the rose hair wasn't my ideal T. But when aced with the decision, I just couldn't. She was my first, and she's a special little critter with a funny pattern of behavior. She's honestly probably my favorite T of my 7, and my only T with a name really.

My Avic would be my favorite if he didn't crap all over the walls..... Man he's really calm and chill.... But he's a messy spider. So my Rosie it is, even though she doesn't move much and likes to hang out on the wall sometimes. But that unpredictable random odd behavior I'll witness every now and then is so worth it. And she eats like a garbage disposal
Although I'm hoping when these L.P.s are done molting they'll fit that bill more. I don't want to over feed her and encourage a fast.

Anyway as I said, I'll hit my 3 month Mark of owning her August 7th. I'm at 7 Ts now. 2 adults, 2 sub adults, 3 slings. So I have plenty more to experience

I just figured I'd share I'm finally experiencing that famous random Rosie behavior I was so warned about.

The LP just needs time to grow into its size. My phormic and pamph were total scardy cats, the pamph is now more aware of her size and will occasionally attack when I water the cage; she shows that water who's boss.

gobey · Aug 21, 2014

Lol shows the water who's boss, once way back when my Avic was in my first enclosure (too small) it pounced on the water dish being filled.

My L.P.s are 3.5" and 4" respectively. I am about 90 % certain the 4" one is in pre molt. It hasn't eaten in about 2 weeks. Dug a big burrow a long while back. Doesn't come out anymore. And his abdomen has gone from being a pale yellow to filling out into almost completely black.

The 3.5" one didn't eat last feeding. She's been walled into her half log for a while. I barely ever see her. I can't tell what's going on with her. Her setup aggravates me. It's part how I arranged her enclosure and part how she decided to wall off her hide. But I can't clean her poo or find food boluses in her cage.

Anyways they're sacmates and I'm hoping they're both going to molt soon. I've yet to have a T molt yet.

lacrosse5001 · Aug 21, 2014

Wow that makes me feel lucky to have a such a carefree LP. I have a 2.5" female I call Winry and she's constantly wandering her enclosure. The substrate is just covered in little spider footprints all over every inch of it

awiec · Aug 21, 2014

gobey said:
Lol shows the water who's boss, once way back when my Avic was in my first enclosure (too small) it pounced on the water dish being filled.

My L.P.s are 3.5" and 4" respectively. I am about 90 % certain the 4" one is in pre molt. It hasn't eaten in about 2 weeks. Dug a big burrow a long while back. Doesn't come out anymore. And his abdomen has gone from being a pale yellow to filling out into almost completely black.

The 3.5" one didn't eat last feeding. She's been walled into her half log for a while. I barely ever see her. I can't tell what's going on with her. Her setup aggravates me. It's part how I arranged her enclosure and part how she decided to wall off her hide. But I can't clean her poo or find food boluses in her cage.

Anyways they're sacmates and I'm hoping they're both going to molt soon. I've yet to have a T molt yet.

That's definitely a rite of passage, you gotta see a T molt. The first T I got molted on the car ride home so I kinda saw it early.

Nosiris · Aug 21, 2014

"Even my boring L.P.s who won't come out and are scared of everything, Including crickets. "

An Lp that doesn't instantly kill anything dropped into its home is either dead or very close to moulting. Once they're older you'll find them out and about all the time. One thing an older/adult Lp does NOT do is hide.

Ghost Dragon · Aug 22, 2014

awiec said:
That's definitely a rite of passage, you gotta see a T molt. The first T I got molted on the car ride home so I kinda saw it early.

+1, agreed. It is really cool to watch a T molt (if they are considerate enough to do it while you're awake, that is).

The LP is a neat species. I have two, a 1/4" that I got as a freebie with a T order last month (and who has molted once already); and my big girl, Evita, who is about 8.5" DLS, a real monster. She's quite cranky, so I don't handle her unless I have to, but she is forever wandering around her enclosure, on the sides of it, upside down on the top screen.

My most aggressive T, believe it or not, is my 3/4" GBB. She is forever throwing up threat poses and always attacks the water stream when I wet her enclosure.

gobey · Aug 22, 2014

Ok so I'm like 90% certain both my L.P.s are going to molt.

The bigger one has been in his hide for 2 weeks and hasn't eaten for 9 days. The smaller one just refused food for the first time this week.

Both of them built Burrows after about a week of me getting them. That was maybe a month ago. Even then they ate maybe 3 crickets a week.

They're 3.5 and 4 inches. Both had big yellow abdomens. The hairs on top are slightly pink. But now both of their abdomens yellow patches are being filled in by black coloration that looks almost plastic like. Now I bought these Ts from a reputable breeder and dealer. But he actually didn't breed these Ts and they never mooted in his care. (They're unsexed)

So I figure they must be due for a molt then. And from what I've read that sounds like the signs of molting. It's sweet they're doing it together. I'm excited to get 2 bigger Ts! Hoping for a good size increase! Hopefully not an attitude increase lol. I already took my first hair when unpacking the bigger guy here.

It's just cool for me now because even though the initial excitement of first having tarantulas, and then going on my initial tarantula acquiring spree has worn off. I've now been doing this long enough where I'm starting to get comfortable with the ones I've had for a while, and I'm getting to really observe their behavior patterns better. And there's still so much left to experience!

And as for those GBBs.... I've seen someone else here who has one that thinks it's an OBT.

awiec · Aug 22, 2014

gobey said:
Ok so I'm like 90% certain both my L.P.s are going to molt.

The bigger one has been in his hide for 2 weeks and hasn't eaten for 9 days. The smaller one just refused food for the first time this week.

Both of them built Burrows after about a week of me getting them. That was maybe a month ago. Even then they ate maybe 3 crickets a week.

They're 3.5 and 4 inches. Both had big yellow abdomens. The hairs on top are slightly pink. But now both of their abdomens yellow patches are being filled in by black coloration that looks almost plastic like. Now I bought these Ts from a reputable breeder and dealer. But he actually didn't breed these Ts and they never mooted in his care. (They're unsexed)

So I figure they must be due for a molt then. And from what I've read that sounds like the signs of molting. It's sweet they're doing it together. I'm excited to get 2 bigger Ts! Hoping for a good size increase! Hopefully not an attitude increase lol. I already took my first hair when unpacking the bigger guy here.

It's just cool for me now because even though the initial excitement of first having tarantulas, and then going on my initial tarantula acquiring spree has worn off. I've now been doing this long enough where I'm starting to get comfortable with the ones I've had for a while, and I'm getting to really observe their behavior patterns better. And there's still so much left to experience!

And as for those GBBs.... I've seen someone else here who has one that thinks it's an OBT.

Sounds like pre-molt to me. LPs are one of those spiders that if they aren't stuffing their face then they are probably going to molt. If you can do so safely, grab the molt before the T fully hardens up so you won't have to worry about being bit. Of course most Ts just throw their molt out eventually but it gets mangled sometimes.

gobey · Aug 23, 2014

/\

Awesome! I'm excited!

Should I keep trying to feed them every few days to be sure though? I don't want to be wrong and deprive these poor little buggers of food. I just got tired of picking crickets out. And the way they built their Burrows was like to be the most inconvenient as possible for me to do any maintenance.

I feel like I've gone through a tarantula keeping rite of passage

gobey

Arachnoknight

Ghost Dragon

Arachnopeon

gobey

Arachnoknight

awiec

Arachnoprince

gobey

Arachnoknight

lacrosse5001

Arachnosquire

awiec

Arachnoprince

Nosiris

Arachnosquire

Ghost Dragon

Arachnopeon

gobey

Arachnoknight

awiec

Arachnoprince

gobey

Arachnoknight