Theraphosa Blondi - SteveIDDQD's little guy.

[SteveIDDQD]

A few of you asked for updates on my little T.blondi sling. I thought I'd set up a new thread and keep it updated with photos, and any developments.

I'm still yet to get a decent photo, but I've got a new camera arriving this week - it's amazing how cheap you can get a decent second hand DSLR and macro lens - so I should be able to do better than my 6 year old phone!

To recap, I got the little guy just under a week ago, at about 3cm DLS. It's set up in a "Braplast" tub, which is about 300x200x75mm, with lots of ventilation holes in each side. It has around 30mm of coco fibre, some sphagnum moss around the edges, a cork bark hide and a bottle top water dish. I'm keeping the coco fibre dark brown, but not soggy.

So far it likes to sit in the open on a patch of moss, has the occasional walk around and hasn't used the hide at all. It ate 3 relatively large crickets over the first weekend, and now it's in pre-moult already!

We've called it Aragog.

Hopefully I'll get a photo before it moults to compare with after, but I'm looking forward to seeing how much it grows. I also hope the enclosure will still work for at least another moult afterwards...

I'll upload some photos when I get some worth sharing, and let you know how the moult goes.

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[esa space station]

Nice!

 

[SteveIDDQD]

Not the best photos, I've found out that dlsr cameras are hard to use and take time to learn, but here's the little scamp. Yes, the second photo is a mini threat posture at the camera flash!

I don't really want to open the lid to photograph him, as it's still very skittish and small/delicate. Also my camera macro lens has a long focal range (no idea if I've got that right?) so you have to stand pretty far away to get a shot like this, not good for quick catch cup reactions!

He had a bald patch from when I moved him into the tub, he was angry about it, and it's been black for around 6 days now. Hopefully we'll a moult soon!






Cheers,
Steve.

 

[esa space station]

Adorable!should molt soon looking at pic on a close up!

 

[basin79]

This is how my lass has progressed if it's any help. The little water dish is 47mm across.

 

[esa space station]

Measured diagonal shes actually 5.5 inch leg length but still very good at exactly one year!

 

[SteveIDDQD]

Wow, that really is a fast growth rate.

 

[basin79]

Wow, that really is a fast growth rate.

It's the sheer amount of growth after a moult that will blow you away. It's ridiculous.

 

[esa space station]

Im hoping she s at least 6.5-7 inch dls on this one

Wow, that really is a fast growth rate.

Yep and youve got all this fun yet to come!welcome to the jungle!

 

[SteveIDDQD]

Quick update, the little guy was on his back and in the process of pushing his old exo off this morning.

I couldn't get a clear enough view to take a photo, or see how well it's going without moving the enclosure and taking the lid off, so I've left him to it. I'm out on my works xmas party tonight, so I'll check in first thing in the morning and hopefully I will have a much larger little blondi.

Good luck little buddy!

Wow, so hungover I forgot to update yesterday!

All went well and Aragog is looking not much bigger in terms of leg span, but much thicker and more tarantula like. Going to give it a few more days before feeding him, so he's having a cricket for xmas!

I got the old exo out, but the abdomen was pretty torn up and small. Guess I'm waiting til next time to find out if I have a he or she. Also got introduced to therophosa urticating hairs, got them on my fingers from playing with the exo, and then on my nose and cheek...

 

[esa space station]

Piccys!

 

[SteveIDDQD]

 

[esa space station]

Adorable they do grow fast you know!

 

[Andrew Clayton]

It's the sheer amount of growth after a moult that will blow you away. It's ridiculous.

I feel the same with my lasiodora parahybana

 

[SteveIDDQD]

I feel the same with my lasiodora parahybana

My LP moulted a few weeks ago, I couldn't believe how much bigger it got. Went from a big looking sling to a pretty big juvenile in one go. It's legs got at least three times thicker than they where before too. Hope the blondi has similar growth when it's out of the sling stage.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

My LP moulted a few weeks ago, I couldn't believe how much bigger it got. Went from a big looking sling to a pretty big juvenile in one go. It's legs got at least three times thicker than they where before too. Hope the blondi has similar growth when it's out of the sling stage.

Same here mine went from 2" to 4" in one moult

 

[mantisfan101]

A true theraposa blondi!

 

[SteveIDDQD]

Update on the little/big guy.

Another shed went without issue around a week ago. Has eaten a few small crickets this weekend, so all good.

It's at around 5/6cm leg span now, but it's still a skinny, long legged looking sling. My LP was a similar size when I got it, and it went from a large, leggy sling to a huge juvenile (compared to other juvenile T's I've got) in a single moult, so hopefully we'll have the same from the Blondi.

I feel it's time for a re-house too - the braplast tub while large enough in plan, is very shallow and the sub dries out pretty quickly. Also the cork bark hide has no sub in it anymore, the T moved it all out and spends it's days say on the plastic base. I think deeper substrate and a larger cork bark would be better for it.

Will get some photos when it next come out of the hide or I move it to a new home. It also buried it's old skin behind the hide, so I'm not holding out much hope of sexing it yet.