User Kada's Tarantula Pictures

[Tentacle Toast]

Great thread friend, didn't see it until today. Out of curiosity though, have your metallicas plateaued at all with their growth? Mine have all grown & molted like gangbusters, then kinda leveled off for a while. I never kept a journal, which I now regret (especially with all the species I keep), but looking at this thread's timeline, I've got to think that you're right about at that cusp...if you even experience it at all...

 

[Kada]

Cheers, thanks. I like a timeline so can go back and compare rather than rely on my sporty memory hehe.

the Metallica's havent slowed down a bit. they are still eating and growing like monsters! They arent big yet though either, I will try and measure them next feeding. I give them half size dubia now. I was doing the feed them as much as they will eat, but they could eat those dubia every day or other day, literally. I feel its excessive so they get 2~3 a week now. However, they never get ultra fat, so the food train keeps coming. I was trying to get rid of all my red runners, they were getting 2~3 adults a day for a couple weeks. Now I need to start more dubia bins, I thought I had enough breeding....

Garbage cans they are!

 

[Kada]

Acanthoscurria geniculata

Harpactira namaquensis

Harpactira pulchripes

Poecilotheria metallica

 

[Kada]

Excited to see the blues pop on the P. metalica after this shed!!! Also got to see the C. darlingii, which is a very rare treat it seems! My wife hadn't seen it since we bought them.

Some pics, super happy with the pokies


Acanthoscurria geniculata eating after a recent molt. this dude jumps to bite the roaches then lands and takes a second grab. probably about 70% of the time. super cool style of killing stuff!

Ceratogyrus darlingi was out drinking. lost the chance of good pics to show my wife who hasnt seen any of them since we received them in the mail. worth it. but only a slowly retreating bum pic as a result.

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens molt and a feed (different spiders)

Poecilotheria metallica This was the shed that REALLY brought in the blue. waiting on one more to molt.

Before

After

this pic it started getting freaked out so we shut down the photo op.

they are about 9cm Leg span, about 3.5cm body length now

 

[Kada]

This Augacephalus junodi has been off food for a while now. Bit worried, but also not too sure how fast males normally mature...? This guy is under a year old.

the Poecilotheria metallica have long past outgrown their old home, by 2 molts i say. Bought this tank, a local brand, to see how it works. slightly bigger than i wanted, but for pokies im not too concerned, plus i get to use bigger wood. 45x30x45 high. comes standard with punched steel on the sides which i really liked! just moved one so far. there are door issues i am working out with the manufacturer, if all ends well will buy a bunch for the rest and future arboreals

 

[Kada]

Bumba cabocla

Harpactira Pulchripes

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

Poecilotheria metallica

 

[Kada]

Acanthoscurria geniculata latest molt bringing in the red. with a red runner to celebrate.

 

[Kada]

Augacephalus junodi was confirmed male by the breeder and just recently died RIP they really are tiny!!

Bumba cabocla

Poecilotheria metallica first full sized dubia. the dubia had its eggs expelled then was contracting its muscles and its insides came out, in, out and so on. Anyway, the spider came out and water, grabbed its meal and brought it home and closed its door with some web.

 

[Kada]

Some lucky shots!
Bumba cabocla came out to hunt.

Harpactira pulchripes decided to molt out in the open rather than in its cave system. it later retreated the next day to underground. but me and the wife got to witness it under dim light for an hour or so to get some pics.. was amazing. following pics were withing about 1 hour of it actually emerging from its shed. very fresh. also go to watch it go and carry its old skin and start munching on it a bit.

H. maculata. usually only see shed skins and bigger holes. finally some legs and toes.

P. metalica final home. 45x45x30cm. Waiting on some bark to close up the back hollow in that wood and to make the other guys' homes.

 

[Kada]

Acanthoscurria geniculata

Bumba cabocla

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

Hapalopus kolumbien

Harpactira namaquensis

Harpactira pulchripes

 

[Kada]

Good feeding day, saw many specimens hadn't seen in a while! All pics are the same specimens as previous. taking pictures between 3-6am as they are out. will add sizes later


Ceratogyrus darlingi

20/06/2023

22/06/2023

17/06/2024

Heteroscodra maculata
20/06/2023

17/06/2024

Hapalopus sp. kolumbien
17/06/2024

Bumba cabocla
17/06/2024

Harpactira namaquensis

20/06/2023

17/06/2024

Harpactira pulchripes
20/06/2023

17/06/2024

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens
17/06/2024

Acanthoscurria geniculata
17/06/2024

 

[Kada]

Monocenttropus balfouri

just got these nice little guys from a very good local breeder. over the moon. i have held off on getting more, but as soon as the wife said she liked this species a lot, we had 3 a couple days later i have always loved this sp. as well. but hard to justify the space. but if the better half says so, i comply and figure out a new living room arrangement! can wait to get their proper display enclosures setup!

this guy, probably thirsty after been in transit for about 20 hours in the "air conditioned" summer, going for a dip. got them all rehoused. added water then a slight spritz of water. that triggered this won to literally dive into the water bowl. where it stayed for a solid 5 minutes. my irrational paranoia got involved and i tapped the tank to make sure it was still alive haha. thirsty!

 

[Kada]

A fun comparison of sizes. pics are of same spiders or siblings of same size.

for rough sizes, the new pics just taken are eating full grown red runners, mostly males.


Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

25/10/2023

02/09/2024

Harpactira namaquensis

20/06/2023

02/09/2024

Heteroscodra maculata
This is by far my favorite species along with pretty much any pokie. by leaps and bounds. the only downside is how much they hide compare to many pokies. This little guy i have affectionately called "Fa Mei". Which means "Mold" in Mandarin. actually i call him "My little Fa Mei" because i got them so small they looked like little dust bunnies. I think this one is the only spider i own that has a name. So cute!

20/06/2023

02/09/2024

Now they have gotten bigger I have seen them maybe 4 times since June last year.....finally they are getting a bit more bold, and now i see why. time for rehousing, they are too big for these tubs!

 

[Kada]

Acanthoscurria geniculata

if there is an arachnid version of a trash compactor, these guys are it. Attitude and hunger hasnt changed since day 1 haha.

28/10/2023

02/09/2024

Bumba cabocla

25/10/2023

02/09/2024

more comparison growth pics as various individuals come out to play.

 

[Kada]

Ceratogyrus darlingi hooked out recently. Mature Male approx 1.5 years old. the legs stretch out once they molt out.
26/09/2024

03/10/2024

Monocenttropus balfouri
16/09/2024

Harpactira namaquensis

Bumba cabocla
26/09/2024

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens
03/10/2024

Poecilotheria metallica Also got a semi accurate measurement. Approx 14cm Legspan
03/10/2024

Little Fa Mei got a measurement, sort of. bit banana shaped. Appox 6.5cm legspan

Acanthoscurria geniculata

 

[Kada]

new addition and a very new species for me. couldnt resist.

Bonnetina papalutlensis
first arrrival

 

[Kada]

The above C. darlingi that matured male was traded for some other spiderlings and another baby darlingi. I really enjoy watching them grow through the stages!


all pics 24/11/2024.


Avicularia avicularia. I haven't kept avicularia for probably 25 years. I just love arboreals!
Approx 1.6cm first meal, caught like a jumping spider hah.

Heteroscodra maculata

Bumba cabocla

Acanthoscurria geniculata

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

Bonnetina papalutlensis
Approx 1.4cm

Poecilotheria metallica