# gvfarns' Picture Thread



## gvfarns (Feb 7, 2009)

Finally getting around to posting a few pictures of some of my collection.  I only like nice, docile tarantulas that I wouldn't be afraid to hold, although I seldom actually do.  For me much of the fascination with tarantulas is associated with how they are fierce and sometimes frightening predators but so gentle and harmless to us.  That's why I don't keep any old worlds.

*Tarantulas*

I love this little Acanthoscurria geniculata.  She's not fully mature yet, but so active and lovely.  A very impressive and bold tarrantula.







Male Avicularia aviculara.  We don't actually like him much because any time we have had to chase him around the house a few times.  He's really fast and unpredictable







Cyclosternum fasciatum.  This is my tiniest sling, but quite the voracious eater.  It was a real pain to get in the enclosure the first time.  Very feisty and fast.  I ended up putting its vial in the enclosure.  I'll take it out when it's had a few molts to chill out.







Brachypelma emilia.  This was one of my favorite tarantulas before I found out it was a male.  And he went on a really long premolt fast which sort of put it down a rung in my estimation.  He's lookin' pretty good now, though.







My apparently female Aphonopelma "new river".  She really likes to dig as you can see.  I've had her quite a while and she just won't molt.  These guys have a really slow growth pattern.







My wife modeling our female Brachylema smithi.   Overall a nice spider.  Bit of a hair kicker and more feisty than expected, but a good eater and handler.  We like her pretty well.







Brachypelma vagans premolt:







And the amazing post molt change (same tarantula as the one above, just a month or so later):







That vagans is the devil, by the way.  She goes into a threat posture at the least provocation and strikes repeatedly any time I do anything in her enclosure.  A very scary tarantula.  She's apparently never heard of an urticating hair, though.

My beloved Brachypelma boehmei female. She's quite young at the moment, but I love her coloration.  I can't wait for her to mature.







My trusty Grammostola aureostriata.  This was my introduction to tarantulas and still the most docile in my collection.   She's what started it all and is the only T I have with a name: Stella.







And my other excellent handling tarantula: my female Brachypelma albopilosum.  She's a good combination of docile and a good eater.  I like her a lot. Excellent starter tarantula in my opinion.  But not as beautiful as some others.







*Feeder Roaches*

I keep several colonies of roaches.  First the feeders

Lobster roaches.  These are excellent feeders.  Super easy to keep and fast reproducing.  They are hardy and very soft bodied and full.  The only downside I found is that they climb smooth surfaces.  This is not a problem for keeping them but it's really annoying when they stay at the top of the tarantula enclosure to keep from getting eaten.







Blatta lateralis.  These are my favorite feeders.  They are such good growers and and tarantulas eat them like none other.  A very active roach.  I haven't had good luck getting them to breed, but I'm starting anew with moist substrate and a heating lamp to see if I can get it right this time.







Blaberus bolivensis.  These are my favorite large roach.  I used to use Blaptica dubia, but they were way too slow moving and immobile.  The tarantulas never ate them.  These guys are about the same size and exceptionally more active.  My tarantulas like them much better.  A great roach.  A little crunchy perhaps, but quite attractive and those long legs let them run around a lot more.  I don't like the nymphs because they burrow, but the adults are excellent feeders.







*Pet Roaches*

I have four species of hissers right now

Tiger hisser.  Someone called these Gromphadorhina grandidieri but I'm not actually sure what is the correct name of the species.  They are neat looking, but not as docile as the other pet roaches I have.  That is, they try to run away more.







Gromphadorhina oblongata.  Now this is a docile roach.  Large and completely disinclined to run away.  In fact they don't even hiss much.  I like them very much, though I have more of them than I really want.  Actually I have a few more of all the hisser species than I want.







The classic madagascar hisser.  Gromphadorhina portentosa.  Of my hissers these are the best overall I think.  They are very large and docile, but not too inactive.  Really nice roaches.







And of course dwarf hissers: Elliptorhina chopardi. I really like these guys' personality, but they are too small to be really cool.


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## olablane (Feb 7, 2009)

NICE!!! You say you "like" your ts, I love mine!!!!!


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## Thompson08 (Feb 7, 2009)

Very nice! Awesome terrestrial collection :clap:


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## Boanerges (Feb 8, 2009)

Very nice pics!!!


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## Protectyaaaneck (Feb 8, 2009)

I like the pic of the geniculata, nice T.


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## maxi_kdu (Feb 9, 2009)

Very nice collection! I especially like the emilia one, albeit male!


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