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With gloves you're still squeezing them, sometimes overenthusiastically, and if you miss they're running up your arm. I've had many years of field experience and cups worked for everything plus you probably already have them with you. Extra tools you don't have and don't need you can't lose. I...

Tweezers, tongs, and hemos are a great way to end up with a fatally injured centipede. Think how healthy you'd be if someone picked you up by the stomach with a giant pair of pliers! Plus they stress the centipede unduly meaning it will be trying to bite everything in sight. Just place a cup in...

Hello, It is a question still open to debate. Years ago I checked data from someone who performed chemical analysis on the exoskeletons of various species. Some of them were very high in calcium. Many were not or had very little. It is quite possible needs vary by species. This makes...

Great idea Andy.

Try some reverse psychology for a sec. Imagine if a couple of railroad rails crashed through your roof and started bashing through walls and moving things around. You look up and see they are being wielded by a giant. I don't know about you but I'd freak out and run around. My point is the...

Hello Peter, Have you compared it to Doratogonus flavifilis?

At the moment you're a newer millipede keeper looking for something visually exciting, which a mixed group can be. Later you'll be an experienced keeper and, hopefully, a breeder, as that's part of the journey too. You don't want to get there a couple years down the road with a 10 or 40 gallon...

Taking a break After nearly a decade of serving our clients and the community in various roles we're taking an extended hiatus, some time for ourselves. Among other things, this may include a relocation and addressing health issues and family emergencies. Please note that our Order page has...

In addition to pesticides wild grasshoppers are known to host nematodes and similar pests but are reknowned for being host to botulism. Botulism outbreaks in a given area often leads to widespread death in predators of many kinds in large numbers.

American Tarantula Society Conference ATS 8th Annual Conference Enjoy our brand new organization and website too.

Hello, Have you ever noticed how the soil in the pot of houseplants often develops a crust of salts, mineralization, and goes hard? When this happens, and it inevitably happens with hard water, it becomes necessary to change the soil or the plant begins to die. This happens due to a...

Hello, To my knowledge such concentration in scorpions hasn't been proven but it certainly makes sense. There are additional factors to consider though. As you likely know, sometimes a scorpion will just push at an intruder with the back its tail as if to slap it away gently without...

Hello Andrew, I used to believe the same thing. To some extent its true but with consequences. When you think about it the same is true of tarantulas but its also true with venomous snakes, dogs, or, in my case, cats. I'd say the pictures you posted effectively destroy any argument you...

P.S. Please don't think I'm telling you what to do I just don't want to see you lose anything. :)

Hello, When I was about 13 I was bitten on the last joint of the index finger by a neighbor's cat. Minor penetration, tiny wound. In the morning my finger was a bit stiff and swollen. By nightfall I was in the hospital unconcious with an iv in my arm. I was out for two days and in the...

Hello, I've had a lot of experience handling centipedes. First, I've wild caught quite a number of S. polymorpha, S. heros castanecieps, and S. h. arizonensis. With the S. polymorpha I ended up taking them for granted and carrying them around in a closed fist til I could find a container...

You might want to reconsider and save yourself a lot of effort spent trying to rear silverfish or firebrats as feeders. I once had a similar idea. It seems like a great one. Unfortunately, research into their reproductive habits told me they usually only have about one batch of offspring a year...

Sticky traps can be hugely effective. Unfortunately they are also effective at trapping geckos, something that occurs naturally in our neighborhood, indoors and out. There are designs that prevent their entry. Cheers, Darrin Vernier Golden Phoenix Exotica

The cleaning solutions based upon orange oil do a great job of loosening adhesives as well. The same cleaners will also remove most 'permanent' marker writing from vials and vial caps as well.

Allergies to tarantula venom would seem possible but one would also think if such a thing were even remotely commonplace there'd be a lot of reports in the literature of such allergies. To my knowledge there are no such documented cases. 'Sensitivity' levels are something else. For example a...