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Tarantula Talk

patrick

patrick

Hey folks,

I've had a couple of inquiries about my other hobby and I thought it would be smart to get it off of my grow log and over hear into the lounge. I'm such a genius. :rolleyes:

So if anyone has any questions or comments to make feel free.

Marc--Sandgroper, you OZ folks have a few of your own that are showing up in the US Hobby. Got a great little organization too. It's run by Steve Nunn and he also has his own personal site. http://www.thedailylink.com/australiantarantulas/id/idindex.html If you ever need any info on Aussie tarantulas this is the guy. Nobody knows more about the local fauna.

I'll post some photos here to dispel the myth that all tarantulas are dull brown or black in color. If you're a spider phobe there is no better way of getting past it than actual experience and education. What have you got to lose?

One other thing I would like to pass on is that nobody has ever died from a tarantula bite. Ever. With a few exceptions their venom is less harmful than a bee sting. Some of the Asian and African tarantula venom can produce muscle cramps and make you feel pretty lousy. Also, you cannot have an allergic reaction to tarantula venom. It lacks certain peptides that are responsible for allergic reactions.

See you soon.
 
fuzzzzyyyyy. lol. they are the only type spider I have ever willingly held and they are cool. My kids though....don't feel the same.
 
This is one of my babies. She is an Aphonopelma bicoloratum. Most of the species in this genus are extremely slow growers. I've had this particular lady for four years. She was about 1/4" when I first got her and is currently about 2.5" in leg span.

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These are native to Mexico and the extreme southwest U.S.

This here is one of my favorites. She's a Poecilotheria striatus and hails from India. I've had her for almost four years and when we got her she was about an inch long. Now she's 6" pushing 7". This lady has spent some time with a mature male, notice the rather plump abdomen, and I'm hoping she will produce an egg sac.

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This is how I keep the larger arboreal tarantulas. Arboreal means they prefer to live above the ground. Some in trees and others in man made structures. This container is 2.5 gallons. I use cork bark to give them something to attach their web to so they can construct a home. They will incorporate some of the substrate into the webbing to make their hide harder to locate. I use coco coir as substrate for the most part. I will add peat on occasion.

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This is one of my favorites and is partially responsible for me getting into the hobby. I took one look at it and that's all it took. She is an adult female Psalmopoeus irminia.

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The orange Nike "Swoosh" on the legs is what I noticed second, after the brilliant colors on the abdomen.

More later and please feel free to ask any questions.
 
Going on my sixth year Marc. It's a very addictive hobby. A little like peppers. Once you start you're always looking for the next great one. With over 900 identified species in the world and who knows how many that aren't a person can never own all of them. Can sure as heck try though. :lol:
 
I got stuck on that Aussie site for a couple of hours then that led me to an Aussie scorpion site. I better watch out or the bug will bite me too.
Did you get mail yet cos yours arrived yesterday safe and sound. Thanks mate.
 
I did get the mail Marc, thanks bro.

The length of time they live varies by sex and species. The slower growing terrestrial species live longer than the faster growing arboreal ones. The genus that is native to the U.S., Aphonopelma, may live longer than any other one. No one has ever kept one from the time they come out of the sac until death from natural causes. I do know of a few that have lived 20 years and are still doing fine. Some experts have estimated they could live 40 years plus!

Besides coming in every color they also come in different sizes. There are dwarf species too. This is one of my favorites, Cyriocosmus ritae. This one is on a friends hand, the ring is on his thumb by the way. This is a mature female and she won't get much bigger than this.

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On the other end of the spectrum is the Theraphosa blondi, Goliath Bird Eater. This species is in the Guinness book for the largest leg span; just short of 12 inches or 30 cms.

Here's one that a friends wife is trying to coax onto her hand. She's wearing gloves because this particular species has the worst urticating hair of all tarantulas. That hair is on the abdomen and when threatened they can use a leg to brush the hair off and it comes off in a cloud. You don't want these in your face. Causes severe itching, rashes and it can get into the eyes.

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Photo courtesy of RobC.
 
Good stuff Patrick, please post more! lol. Especially if u have any pics of the Avicularia genus you have, im addicted those fuzzy lil things.
 
I think I had the first one you posted. A Mexican red legged or Mexican rosey legged, something like that. I was given it by a neighbor who got tired of having her. I had her in a 55gal fish tank that had no lid! Next to it I had a small house tree and she went nowhere else except the tank and the tree. She had free roam of my room. Needless to say the cats stayed out of the room after I introduced them to each other =) Curiosity didn't kill the cat, but after one look they new it would damn sure hurt!
 
patrick, cool looking spiders! I've always enjoyed looking at the spider pics you & others have posted here. some of them are very vivid looking. as for spiders I'm not affraid of'em..just dont care for them but if I saw that Goliath Bird Eater in the house I'm sorry but I might break out the baseball bat on it, I know thats the wrong stance to take cuz spiders are very helpful to have around..just like snakes (which I like)
 
Chilehunter if I seen a dinner plate size spider walking across the floor in my home I might do the same thing.
 
Here's a couple from the Avicularia genus as requested by Dibs.

First off is Avicularia sp., "Guyana"

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This particular spider has never been classified so they use the area it was found in as the species. In this case Guyana. Photo my mascot

This is an Avicularia metallica Green. I love the white tipped setae--that's what the hair is called. Photo by mascot

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And lastly one of the hobby favorites, Avicularia versicolor. In this case a mom guarding her babies.

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Photo by Jen
 
Hey thanks Patrick, i dont think ive seen or heard of the sp. "Guyana". Well thats another on the list of wants lol.
 
Awesome pics, I had no idea of such beautiful color combinations and sizes. I remember as a kid (6th grade) going to a science fair and one of the coolest things was we got to hold a tarantula and let it crawl on our hand and arm. That was my fav part of the entire day. Of course, not many of my classmates held the same opinion I did. I think that is one of the reasons I am not scared of spiders to this day. I think they are cool! Thanks for sharing!
 
Its amazing how fast they are at the same time, you take your eyes off them for 2 seconds and its ninja vanish.
 
Patrick,

Somebody here in the PI is offering baby trantulas for sale. He is selling a yet-to-be-sex-identify baby spider for approx $10 USD.

Is that a fair price for a baby arachnid? I find it too pricey given that you can get a generic puppy for the same price here.
 
I need a brandy after seeing that. Confirmed, dyed-in-the-wool arachnophobe here - these guys scare the living crap out of me. Like, MORTAL fear.
 
Togaflex said:
I need a brandy after seeing that. Confirmed, dyed-in-the-wool arachnophobe here - these guys scare the living crap out of me. Like, MORTAL fear.
Click to expand...

I am a "non-practicing" arachanophobe, I am getting better, and as fascinating and admirable as these creatures are, I'll stick to my spaniels for now! :D
 
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