Species Brachypelma hamorii (a.k.a. Brachypelma smithi)

[D Sherlod]

My girl Merrideth

 

[JohnR]

Here’s mine...

 

[Olan]

Potato, who is now in heavy premolt

 

[Vanessa]

My darling little girl, Autumn... one of my favourite models.

 

[McGruder]

View attachment 267969 Potato, who is now in heavy premolt

Potato? Haha that's a great name! So is Autumn.

I think this species will always have a soft spot in my heart. They're gorgeous, and have great personalities. Here's my Priscilla (I don't hold her anymore).

 

[Ray Lence]

To faceplant or not to faceplant, that is the question... - Teraphohamlet, prince of Teraposidia

My small (L8 female) teenage fury roach-killer.
Maria Huana.
First ever tarantula in my life.

 

[InvertAddiction]

You picked a great choice as a starter T Mine was ALWAYS in sight and ate like there was no tomorrow (except premolt). Very rare did she ever flick hair, which was a big bonus lol.

 

[Ray Lence]

You picked a great choice as a starter T Mine was ALWAYS in sight and ate like there was no tomorrow (except premolt). Very rare did she ever flick hair, which was a big bonus lol.

Thx. Yeap, I did some research, that's why I 've chosen that spec. Also, here in Europe they are not as common pets as in USA.
Well, mine normally too, but she still throws them now and than on the ground around her den. So yesterday when I was re-filling her waterbowl, I got a bit of them. It's still a bit ichy.
Will go and buy medical gloves, just not to go there bare-handed. I've heared that reaction on hairs gets worse as time passes.

 

[InvertAddiction]

I got the hairs by accident/ignorance when I was doing an enclosure change and bare handed her water dish and hide. The itch was (what I thought back then, till I got my T. stirmi rofl) bad, but I immediately finished in her enclosure and took a shower and the itch was gone.

 

[Ray Lence]

I got the hairs by accident/ignorance when I was doing an enclosure change and bare handed her water dish and hide. The itch was (what I thought back then, till I got my T. stirmi rofl) bad, but I immediately finished in her enclosure and took a shower and the itch was gone.

Problem is that allergic reaction seems to get worse as the number of contact increases. Shultz wrote in his book, that urticating hairs are evolutonary selected to be as allergeic for mammals as possible. He citaded series of experiments, where mice were exposed to urticating hairs.
It was like
1. Mouse finds a spider's den
2. Mouse sticks it's head there
3. Mouse gets nosefull of irritating hairs.
4. Mouse is small, so it gets not just itch but a full-scaled Quinke swelling
5. Mouse dies
6. Tarantula eats mouse
7. The End.
So we - as being mammals - are at risk too. We are relatively big, so getaway just with an itch. But its not as safe as can seem to.
So basically, later we got exposed - the better.

 

[BladeGypsy]

 

[Dabalya]

Never seen her eat like this.She was in more like a "curl" position when she was eating.

And what i noticed is she was touching the surfuce with her spinnerets and turning around.

 

[Ungoliant]

Never seen her eat like this.She was in more like a "curl" position when she was eating.

And what i noticed is she was touching the surfuce with her spinnerets and turning around.

That's the happy dance. They spin around while making a feeding mat and/or wrapping their prey in silk.

They often stand on their tippy-toes while feeding, especially early on in the meal. It's probably to prevent the prey from getting leverage by touching the ground.

 

[Nevelio]

Hello! I'm new and got my first tarantula yesterday from @sdsnybny
She's a B. hamorii

I named her Chupa

 

[sdsnybny]

Hello! I'm new and got my first tarantula yesterday from @sdsnybny
She's a B. hamorii

I named her Chupa

Nice shots Robert! Welcome to the hobby

 

[Garetyl]

Sorry Starbucks barrista. It was just too hot to make it home without something to drink, and the siren call of your frufru summer drinks was too strong for m to just walk by with my new friends.

I did make a little kid's day by letting him peek at my new lil guys, though.

 

[Garetyl]

These two are from the same eggsack. Lil guy had a rough start.

 

[Nevelio]

Here's Chupa showing off her underside like a brazen hussy.

Incidentally, does anyone know why the area around her mouth is deep red like that? I thought hemolymph was clear or blue.

 

[Ungoliant]

Incidentally, does anyone know why the area around her mouth is deep red like that? I thought hemolymph was clear or blue.

Do you mean the area around her mouth or that red area at the top of her sternum? (The mouth itself looks normal.)

 

[Nevelio]

Do you mean the area around her mouth or that red area at the top of her sternum? (The mouth itself looks normal.)

I should have been more clear! I don't think anything is wrong with her at all, I was just wondering what makes that fleshy red/pink color, since in humans that color is cause by blood in capillaries etc. I have to assume in spiders it's that color for a reason other than being "flushed", if that makes sense.