Alynn's Little Monster(s)

[AlynnBity]

Yesterday Taru also molted. He has the typical colors of B. albiceps now. Beautiful!
I also prepared his exuvia. Unfortunately, I couldn't check if he is really a male because she was too small for that. I'll have to wait for him to get bigger.

I fed Audrey for the first time today and she grabbed the cockroach right away. So sweet

 

[Matt Man]

really nice enclosures and beautiful Ts. Be very happy with yourself

 

[AlynnBity]

There is news again!
I could tell from the behavior of my darlings in the last few weeks that they would molt in the next weeks or months. Taru's abdomen was getting darker and he didn't want to eat anything. Jiji and Emmi didn't want to eat anything either - and my big girl is actually a little eating machine.
I couldn't wait for it, until Jiji surprised me with his molt a few days ago. His color is more intense and reddish again. Fortunately, he hasn't matured yet. So I have a little more time with him before I give him to another person for breeding.

Last night I was able to watch Emmi distributing stinging hair at her entrance. That was a clear sign for me. When I woke up this morning and checked on her, she was lying on her back and still is. Of course, I'm worried that everything will go well. As always
I covered the terrarium with a towel so she wouldn't be disturbed when I walk by.

After I found out that tarantulas can die of constipation I was particularly concerned about Emmi, because she has never gotten thinner over time. I couldn't feed her for a long time, she was just too fat. At some point I saw more and more places with poop outside of her cave and that calmed me down.

Oh, and Audrey molted in early April too. I think you can now easily see the "flame spots" on her patella.
She also sits in a larger enclosure, appropriate to her size.

Freshly molted Audrey

From today

Keep your fingers crossed for my big girl, that she will make it unscathed.
Taru is the last... I will keep you up to date!

 

[AlynnBity]

Emmi did great with her molting and Taru also molted during my absence. My friend takes really great care of them when I'm away.
Especially with the extreme temperatures in summer, I'm always more worried. That's why I never stay away for vacation longer than a week in summer and a maximum of 2 weeks in winter.

Here is my beauty, again in full color <3

Jiji also knows how beautiful he is

Unfortunately, the colors on photos are never as beautiful as they are in real life...

In the meantime I have also obtained and installed the remaining back panels. It looks so good now!
And my big cuties also seem to feel safer now that the side walls are closed too. At least I hope so. ^^

 

[AlynnBity]

Dear tarantula friends,
I'm very worried about my two big ones, Jiji and Emmi.
Let me explain:

It has been a while since I was able to have a look at Emmis bottom. She was hanging on the glass doors. That was about a month after her molt and I spotted this bright spot on her.

Before her last molt, she didn't have this noticeable area and since I have had her, she has never shown any visual abnormalities and always looked healthy. No fungi, no bald or damp spots. No sign of any disease or infection. I haven't changed anything, I'm doing everything like the last few years.
She behaves normally. Still, I wonder what it could be and what caused it. The only thing I could find about it is that it could be a remnant of the old skin that hasn't come off.
But it looks more like a hair loss or something.

***
Now to Jiji, who worries me the most!
He started to be very active. He's been climbing the walls and ceiling for weeks like crazy... Sometimes he falls down and I'm immediatly checking if he's okay.
I keep an eye on him more than usual. And because he recently climbs on the measuring devices, which then make noises on the glass. That drives me crazy sometimes!

In addition to that, I first discovered a small, white dot on his abdomen. But that hasn't changed since then.

Instead, I see more and more small clumps of stinging hair on the abdomen. He now also has a small bald spot. I hope it's just a bald spot and no skin irritation or even an infection.

He isn't a mature male! But there must be some reason for his hyperactivity.
I'm really worried he might be sick.

I need your experience. Please help me.

 

[USNGunner]

Picture links are broken.

 

[joossa]

First off, I want to say thank you for coming back here to post updates year after year. I just read through the whole thread and really enjoyed how your posts reflect how tarantulas can come into and be a part of the different chapters of our lives.
I also wanted to say you have very beautiful tarantulas.


About your questions:
1] I would not worry about the spot on the bottom of Emmi's abdomen. It is not totally clear in the pic what it could be, but I'm guessing it's either 1) part of the old molt that is still stuck or 2) a rub mark where hairs have been rubbed off the abdomen as the T has moved around. I would say either of those things are nothing to worry about and will resolve themselves after the next molt.
The good thing is that it's not an open wound and is not leaking fluid or anything like that. You also said the T is acting normally, so even more reason to not worry.

2] The matted hair and balding on Jiji is really normal. My B. hamorii climbs up and explores her enclosure and falls all the time too. This causes her hair to clump up and fall off a bit. After a molt and time passes, terrestrial Ts tend to have hairs the mat and/or clump and fall off over time, especially if they are active. This is all normal and nothing to worry about. The T will have a fresh "head of hair" after it molts.

Jiji being active and climbing is also normal. Some Ts are just more active than others. I have a large juvenile B. hamorii that becomes super active every day in the early evening hours. She walks around, bites the fake plants, digs, and yes... climbs and falls. The climbing and falling can be an issue and is something you can mitigate by doing the following:
A) Minimize the amount of space between the top of the enclosure and the level of the sub. 1.5 times the diagonal leg span of the spider is recommended.
B) Remove any sharp or really hard objects from the enclosure so if the spider does fall, there is minimal risk of the spider injuring itself on a sharp, pointy, or hard object.

You won't be able to make the spider stop climbing and falling, but you can help prevent injury when it does. In the one pic where the T is on the wall, it looks like there is too much vertical space between the top and the sub level, especially towards the front. So, you could add more sub or switch to a different enclosure that would let you accomplish the above.

I will let others chime in with more suggestions.

How is your B. albiceps doing? Can you share pics?

 

[AlynnBity]

@joossa
Thank you for your kind words and all your thoughts.

a rub mark where hairs have been rubbed off the abdomen as the T has moved around

That's what I was thinking the whole time, but I still wanted to ask because it could be something else. But that seems the most logical.
In any case, I am reassured now.

Jiji being active and climbing is also normal. Some Ts are just more active than others.

I know tarantulas can behave differently after molting, but he's never done that before. That's why I'm concerned, because it can also be a sign that something is wrong. But I haven't changed anything. I've even fed him medium-sized Dubias more often in case he was just looking for food.
Anyway, I keep an eye on him. Today he's a bit calmer again.

I jokingly interpret his behavior as a protest because he can no longer see Emmi since I put cork back panels between the two terrariums. He may not be mature yet, but he's a teenager, right? Maybe the hormones are already going crazy and he notices beautiful (mature?) Emmi next to him.

Jiji is a little stalker anyway. Here's the proof:

bites the fake plants

What? This is hilarious! I would like to see that.

How is your B. albiceps doing? Can you share pics?

He is doing very well and happy that you ask about him.
I don't take that many photos of him, but shot two especially for you today

Picture links are broken.

Oh, that's bad. Unfortunately, I don't know why you can't see them. I hope it works soon.

 

[USNGunner]

Aha! Now they're there. Nice.

 

[AlynnBity]

Hello everyone!
I want to give you some updates again.

Jiji's weird behavior stopped a few days after I told you about it. A few weeks later he behaved like this again for 3 days. Both times I found a dead adult Dubia shortly afterwards and that made the cupboard, in which I store them, smell a bit. After I removed the dead Dubias and the smell disappeared, Jiji also calmed down.
Maybe his behavior is related to it? If there is a context, I really wanted to let you know.

As you can read from my thread, Emmi's home was my first attempt to set up an enclosure. Over time, the height of the substrate dropped and a few weeks ago I decided to rework it. The old substrate was also pretty loose and I wanted to mix a really solid soil like I managed to do for Jiji's enclosure. I removed the top layer and added new higher ones. Now it lines up with the edge of the air holes.

Until everything is ready again, Emmi has to temporarily live in the box, which was her first terrarium in 2018 - before I had a glass terrarium built.
She wasn't thrilled at all about leaving her home and kicked stinging hairs like crazy. I'm so sorry for Emmi and it breaks my heart, but unfortunately I have to do it to give her better and higher substrate. I hope she will forgive me and settle in again quickly. Maybe I'll give her a snack later as an excuse.

Now I have to wait until everything is dry enough. As always I took out the doors so that there is enough air circulation. But I'm afraid that a bit of mold will develop on the surface area like it was with Jiji's substrate, although the terrarium was in a constantly ventilated room. I even used springtails, but it didn't help. I kept removing the mold until it was so dry that it wasn't a problem anymore.
Do you have any ideas how the substrate can dry out without causing mold?

 

[AlynnBity]

Dear tarantula friends,
you haven't heard from me in a while, but I'm back today with special news: My beloved Jiji became a mature male a few days ago!
After 6 years of care and love he's finally an adult and I'm so proud of him (and myself for how far I've come as a beginner ^^). He is such a beautiful tarantula and even though he's so easily scared, he always shows off a lot.
The timing is also very special considering that I got him in November 2017 and he reached maturity exactly 6 years later (he's now 8 years old).

Now the time has come when I have to slowly prepare to say goodbye to him. As I mentioned in one of my older posts, I decided to give him to a experienced breeder so that he could be bred to a female (or more) and fulfill his natural purpose. I'll wait until next year so that this year doesn't end without him for me. He still has to recover from molting anyway.
Every year I hoped to have another year with him, but now the time has come. I'm proud, happy and sad at the same time. This is a completely new and very emotional situation for me that I have to learn to deal with. That's why it's also very important to me that he is treated well by the breeder and I will choose carefully who gets him. If the mating is successful, I would love to have a few of Jiji's babies.
I know that it can also happen that the female eats him, but I'm okay with that too. That's part of their nature. Of course the breeder should try to prevent this, but that doesn't always work.
I really don't want to let (and see) him die slowly in my care. I just hope that everything goes well with shipping at these temperatures. I'll do everything I can to ensure he arrives safely. But one step after the other...

I love his long orange legs so much

I was surprised that he molted outside of his cave again.

His legs seem to be twisted a bit in some positions and he sometimes lies strangely. I hope this will change to normal over time.

As planned, I will frame his final molt and hang it with the others. I got everything for it yesterday. ^^

- - - - -
Don't worry, I won't forget to give you updates of Emmi, Taru and Audrey.

Emmi still shows herself a lot and her character has changed a bit since she molted in June 2022 (just a few days after my birthday). She has become more reactive and even more greedy. As soon as I move the glass door, she quickly runs towards it. I can no longer give her fresh water without having to put a plastic lid as a divider between her and the water bowl because she would grab everything near her and won't let go. She even holds on to the glass door when I move it, like "Where's my foooood?!".
I love her character even more now ^^

After molting in 2022

Photo from a few days ago

She is a bit bald on the abdomen because she kicked hairs at me when I was just changing water and I didn't offer her a snack for her patience.
- - - - -
My little ones take their time to grow... a LOT of time. Taru and Audrey have only molted once a year since my last update. Taru in May 2022 and October 2023 (this year even a little longer). Audrey molted on my birthday in June both years. What a special gift!
That seems very unusual for their size (especially for Audrey), but I trusted that they had a reason for it. The only important thing is that they grow and do well, right?

And a few more pictures at the end:

Before...

After...

He now has such beautiful black legs again. I love his colors!

My little girl gets bigger and more colorful ^^

Have a nice day everyone and take care of yourselves and your eight-legged families!
See ya

 

[gabrieldezzi]

Dear tarantula friends,
you haven't heard from me in a while, but I'm back today with special news: My beloved Jiji became a mature male a few days ago!
After 6 years of care and love he's finally an adult and I'm so proud of my him (and myself for how far I've come as a beginner ^^). He is such a beautiful tarantula and even though he's so easily scared, he always shows off a lot.
The timing is also very special considering that I got him in November 2017 and he reached maturity exactly 6 years later (he's now 8 years old).

Now the time has come when I have to slowly prepare to say goodbye to him. As I mentioned in one of my older posts, I decided to give him to a experienced breeder so that he could be bred to a female (or more) and fulfill his natural purpose. I'll wait until next year so that this year doesn't end without him for me. He still has to recover from molting anyway.
Every year I hoped to have another year with him, but now the time has come. I'm proud, happy and sad at the same time. This is a completely new and very emotional situation for me that I have to learn to deal with. That's why it's also very important to me that he is treated well by the breeder and I will choose carefully who gets him. If the mating is successful, I would love to have a few of Jiji's babies.
I know that it can also happen that the female eats him, but I'm okay with that too. That's part of their nature. Of course the breeder should try to prevent this, but that doesn't always work.
I really don't want to let (and see) him die slowly in my care. I just hope that everything goes well with shipping at these temperatures. I'll do everything I can to ensure he arrives safely. But one step after the other...

I love his long orange legs so much

I was surprised that he molted outside of his cave again.

His legs seem to be twisted a bit in some positions and he sometimes lies strangely. I hope this will change to normal over time.

As planned, I will frame his final molt and hang it with the others. I got everything for it yesterday. ^^

- - - - -
Don't worry, I won't forget to give you updates of Emmi, Taru and Audrey.

Emmi still shows herself a lot and her character has changed a bit since she molted in June 2022 (just a few days after my birthday). She has become more reactive and even more greedy. As soon as I move the glass door, she quickly runs towards it. I can no longer give her fresh water without having to put a plastic lid as a divider between her and the water bowl because she would grab everything near her and won't let go. She even holds on to the glass door when I move it, like "Where's my foooood?!".
I love her character even more now ^^

After molting in 2022

Photo from a few days ago

She is a bit bald on the abdomen because she kicked hairs at me when I was just changing water and I didn't offer her a snack for her patience.
- - - - -
My little ones take their time to grow... a LOT of time. Taru and Audrey have only molted once a year since my last update. Taru in May 2022 and October 2023 (this year even a little longer). Audrey molted on my birthday in June both years. What a special gift!
That seems very unusual for their size (especially for Audrey), but I trusted that they had a reason for it. The only important thing is that they grow and do well, right?

And a few more pictures at the end:

Before...

After...

He now has such beautiful black legs again. I love his colors!

My little girl gets bigger and more colorful ^^

Have a nice day everyone and take care of yourselves and your eight-legged families!
See ya

Just wow. I took the time just now to update myself on your whole story and it’s a great one. I wish the best for Orenji and that you can have atleast one of his offspring to remember him. Good luck to Audrey, Taru and Emmi too!

From, Regina, Wok, Luigi, Herbie, Charlie, and Evelyn over here

 

[AlynnBity]

Just wow. I took the time just now to update myself on your whole story and it’s a great one. I wish the best for Orenji and that you can have atleast one of his offspring to remember him. Good luck to Audrey, Taru and Emmi too!

Thank you very much

 

[SpookySpooder]

I am late to your story but I have to say I can feel how much you care about your pets by how you talk about them. I hope all goes well with the breeder and soon you are enjoying the next generation of Jiji's descendants.

 

[Olan]

It is pretty cool to have the offspring of males you had raised from slings. Hopefully you can get some.
I’ve got adult female H. gigas and O. schioedtei that are the offspring of my males.

 

[AlynnBity]

Jiji's beautiful exuvia is now in a frame and am very proud of the result.
I took advantage of the opportunity and bought one for Taru's as well, since I prepared and saved all of his exuviae. Unfortunately I never found the carapace after his first molt (no idea what he did with it), so it looks a little incomplete. ^^''

It really wasn't easy to move and attach the ones from Taru since they are so fragile and small. This requires really steady hands. Unfortunately I broke off one leg of his last molt, but was able to reattach it with superglue so it isn't noticeable at all.

- - - - -
Jiji is doing great, everything looks normal, he is very active and eating well.
Since he is now starting to climb through the terrarium a lot in the evenings due to his natural instincts, I'm becoming increasingly concerned that he could injure himself.
Even though I really like how I designed his terrarium (and did a really good job considering it's only my second one) the distance between the floor and ceiling is still quite large. This has never been a problem so far, but the risk is still there.
The basic idea I wanted for all of my final terrariums was to have enough height at the back to dig a cave and reduce the falling height, but a flat surface at the front to be able to put the water bowl there and not block the ventilation on the ground. I did my best with Jiji's and Emmi's terrarium to get as close to that as possible.

Long story short: I'm thinking about putting him in the box Emmi was in at the beginning. The box I use as temporary enclosure too.
This way I can prevent him from injuring himself from a fall until he gets to a breeder. What do you think about it?

Unfortunately I don't have a breeder for Jiji yet. The first one of my choice doesn't have a female B. boehmei right now. So I have to keep looking.
I don't even know how this whole process works. Many questions are running through my mind about the price I can charge for him, shipping costs and agreements with breeders. I'm thinking about starting my own thread for this. If I find out which subforum it belongs to...
You are welcome to give me a few tips and suggestions here, I would be very grateful for that.

A few more photos (from today) of my big boy at the end of the year. I try to do as many as I can before he's no longer with me.

Have I mentioned how much I love his colors? *-* Yes, I think often enough. xD

Don't pay attention to that lone cockroach leg xD

He just got a juicy roach

I wish you all a Happy New Year!
Warm greetings from Germany.

 

[AlynnBity]

After two unsuccessful attempts over the last few days, I just managed to catch Jiji and put him in the temporary box. It didn't take long for him to start walking around again.
What I can now observe for the first time is that he begins to vibrate and drum. He hasn't done that before in his terrarium.
I said to him "No, there's no female in there. This is your enclosure."
Or maybe he is now reacting to Emmi, who is next to him?

Questions and interpretations! But I can now rest assured that he won't hurt himself by climbing around.
I really hope I find a breeder this month...