Today in the Spider Room?

[NMTs]

Thanks, first time trying to breed Aphonopelma spp so I think I'll probably need it. There's not a lot out there about breeding Aphonopelma spp at all. Most people seem to swear by a cooling period and I'm choosing to forego it, so brave new trails lol.

My concern is this is a WC female, although a well adjusted long term captive, and we're months past their breeding period in their natural habitat. I hope I can induce an eggsack without having to wait until possibly next year.

I also hope this second female Dragoons molts before the male kicks the bucket...

I think the fact that she's obviously holding a lot of eggs is a good sign that she'll drop a sack sooner rather than later - you would think that if conditions weren't ideal, she would have held off on developing them. Here's hoping!

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I think the fact that she's obviously holding a lot of eggs is a good sign that she'll drop a sack sooner rather than later - you would think that if conditions weren't ideal, she would have held off on developing them. Here's hoping!

That’s really amazing that they can do that. Good luck l4nsky!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Jasmine (0.1 P. ornata) was up against the glass so I used a flashlight and tried candling. I was able to tell that eggs have just started to develop. I'm very excited!

 

[Ungoliant]

My husband woke me up yesterday by saying, “One of your tarantulas is out.” He led me to the kitchen and pointed out Flash (sub-adult Grammostola pulchra), who was chilling a couple of inches up in the corner. Fortunately, she was easy to catch and put back into her enclosure. I’m really lucky that our cat didn’t find Flash before my husband spotted her.

Check the latches on your enclosures!

 

[MariaLewisia]

Today's rounds was a roller coaster of emotions. From discovering an egg sac from a pairing attempt I didn't think was successful, to several moults... to discovering that my young Monocentropus balfouri female, one of my favourites, has passed. And I have no idea why. She moulted in August, she ate, looked nice and plump. Saw her alive and well just the other day. Was looking forward to breed her soon. And now this.

No obvious signs as to what could've happened. She seems to have passed suddenly, sitting right at the opening to her burrow. I didn't think she was dead at first but when I opened the lid to the enclosure... the smell told me she was very much dead.

I know I shouldn't blame myself, and that this will happen to all keepers eventually, but truth be told, I'm gutted, and despite knowing full well I kept her happy and healthy for two years I'm also second guessing my knowledge as a keeper. It's my first loss of an adult T, other than mature males. I've already buried her and as soon as I've posted this I'm scrubbing that tub clean just in case. Sigh...

 

[l4nsky]

I've already buried her and as soon as I've posted this I'm scrubbing that tub clean just in case. Sigh...

First, my condolences. The unexplained ones are the worst. Unpopular opinion here, but if it's a cheap enough tub, just retire that one from the collection and get a new one when you need it. Biosecurity is a topic I'm diving deeper and deeper into and IMHO, a $3 ‐ $20 proactive cost when you absolutely need a new enclosure and deep cleaning equipment now is better than risking a pattern becoming established.

 

[MariaLewisia]

First, my condolences. The unexplained ones are the worst. Unpopular opinion here, but if it's a cheap enough tub, just retire that one from the collection and get a new one when you need it. Biosecurity is a topic I'm diving deeper and deeper into and IMHO, a $3 ‐ $20 proactive cost when you absolutely need a new enclosure and deep cleaning equipment now is better than risking a pattern becoming established.

To be honest, that same thought occurred to me while scrubbing the tub. I need to rehouse a couple Ts soon and the thought of putting one of them in there, despite a thorough clean, was not at all appealing. If I knew for certain the balfouri passed because of a moult defect or injury or whatever, something physical rather than pathological, I wouldn't mind reusing it, but now? The entire thing cost me the equivalent of $7 so no huge financial losses. Only immense heartbreak. Rip little Sigrid.

 

[corydalis]

Today's rounds was a roller coaster of emotions. From discovering an egg sac from a pairing attempt I didn't think was successful, to several moults... to discovering that my young Monocentropus balfouri female, one of my favourites, has passed. And I have no idea why. She moulted in August, she ate, looked nice and plump. Saw her alive and well just the other day. Was looking forward to breed her soon. And now this.

No obvious signs as to what could've happened. She seems to have passed suddenly, sitting right at the opening to her burrow. I didn't think she was dead at first but when I opened the lid to the enclosure... the smell told me she was very much dead.

I know I shouldn't blame myself, and that this will happen to all keepers eventually, but truth be told, I'm gutted, and despite knowing full well I kept her happy and healthy for two years I'm also second guessing my knowledge as a keeper. It's my first loss of an adult T, other than mature males. I've already buried her and as soon as I've posted this I'm scrubbing that tub clean just in case. Sigh...

Sorry for your balfouri.. but(t)fingers crossed for the egg sac.

 

[MariaLewisia]

Sorry for your balfouri.. but(t)fingers crossed for the egg sac.
View attachment 457965

Lol love the pic. Thank you! Strangely, I found yet another unexpected sac yesterday, this one from a female I thought for sure had or was going to moult as she never acted nor looked gravid before closing up her burrow. But nope, she's in there with a sac. One unexpected death and not one but two unexpected sacs, along with the emotions to follow, all in the span of 48 hours. Life sure is strange.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Got my N. chromatus's cricket graveyard cleared out yesterday. I recently noticed that she is not eating her food, just killing it and burying it. I only noticed because the little buried pile she made started to mould. This spider vexes me, she ate like a champ when I first got her but slowly started killing-but-not-eating mealworms so I moved her to crickets. Now she's not getting anything!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. My Aphonopelmas are slowing down and getting ready for winter brumation. When Maricopa and Margarita (A. chalcodes and A. moderatum) bury themselves, I probably won't see them until March-April of next year. Hopefully they'll come out wearing new clothes! They're both very plump.

 

[l4nsky]

Tonight on one of the Phormingochilus spp growout shelves...

0.1 Phormingochilus sp Akcaya subadult female, recently molted, roughly 4" DLS.


1.0 Phormingochilus pennellhewlettorum, roughly 3.5" DLS and hopefully penultimate.



1.0 Phormingochilus sp Akcaya. I've bred this species in the past and my last penultimate male also displayed this same coloring on the ventral sternum. The female, pictured earlier, has a dark, sleek carapace by contrast.



0.1 Phormingochilus sp Sabah Dwarf, freshly molted. This is a drop dead stunning tarantula.

Bonus picture, if you know, you know . Should hopefully be soon.

 

[NMTs]

Tonight on one of the Phormingochilus spp growout shelves...
View attachment 458071
0.1 Phormingochilus sp Akcaya subadult female, recently molted, roughly 4" DLS.

View attachment 458072
1.0 Phormingochilus pennellhewlettorum, roughly 3.5" DLS and hopefully penultimate.

View attachment 458074
View attachment 458075
1.0 Phormingochilus sp Akcaya. I've bred this species in the past and my last penultimate male also displayed this same coloring on the ventral sternum. The female, pictured earlier, has a dark, sleek carapace by contrast.

View attachment 458078
View attachment 458073
0.1 Phormingochilus sp Sabah Dwarf, freshly molted. This is a drop dead stunning tarantula.

Bonus picture, if you know, you know . Should hopefully be soon.
View attachment 458076

 

[l4nsky]

Tonight in the spider room.... Some uncommon appearances by some usually less than photogenic specimens.

Suspect 0.1 Tapinauchenius violaceus. Both other sackmates have matured as males, so I think this one will end up female when I get to sexing the molt.


0.1 Aphonopelma sp Diamondback. Juvenile female maybe 3" DLS. She was quite visible her last molt cycle, but has become more secretive in recent times.


0.1 Phormingochilus pennellhewlettorum. This beauty is out on display every night, but she will retreat as soon as I touch her enclosure.


0.0.1 Tapinauchenius sanctivincenti. I really need to get these Tappies sexed lol....


0.1 Aphonopelma sp nov. This little gem surprised me with a molt just 5 months after her last one, but I'm not complaining when I get a sight like this.


0.1 Ornithoctonus sp Ranong Blue. She was just rehoused yesterday and is HOPEFULLY gravid and will settle into her new enclosure quickly.


0.1 Cyriopagopus sp Sumatran Tiger. This girl is in what counts as "premolt" for Ornithoctoninae spp. She's still eating, but it takes a day or two to catch the male dubia as opposed to minutes and seconds.

 

[Tbone192]

Watering/feeding greetings! Worms scare me too, C dyscolus.

 

[NMTs]

My young female Psalmopoeus pulcher got rehoused today. She's kind of a spaz, but wasn't too difficult to move over. I had a chance to get a measuring tape up next to her and she's right at 5.5" DLS - time to start fattening her up!



Funny story - I got he whole enclosure set up only to realize I did it backwards, so the top opens the wrong direction. Oh well, I'll adapt...


I had the acrylic in the lid cut and drilled at a local plastics fabricator, then I removed the mesh from the top and silicone in the acrylic to the frame. Not really cheap, but not super expensive and I've been really pleased with the results.

 

[DustyD]

My husband woke me up yesterday by saying, “One of your tarantulas is out.” He led me to the kitchen and pointed out Flash (sub-adult Grammostola pulchra), who was chilling a couple of inches up in the corner. Fortunately, she was easy to catch and put back into her enclosure. I’m really lucky that our cat didn’t find Flash before my husband spotted her.

Check the latches on your enclosures!

So how far did Flash travel from her enclosure?

 

[ATPikachu]

Well I did some eyeballing of sizes during feeding and got my partner who has actual spatial awareness to verify and concluded that I need to order a bunch of new tanks. So there's that.

Had another argument with my brazillian black who decided to make a burrow UNDERNEATH the partly dug in water bowl and endanger themselves (i know it was dangerous because it wasnt stable)....because evidently they got all the smart genes when they hatched....so apparently I'm the mean one for moving it back to solid earth.

Oh and the evil one murdered water, again, for good measure.

 

[GarField000]

I rehoused my B.klassi and G.pulchripes to their adult enclosure.
I filled and organised the new enclosure for the M.balfouri ... but the cocopeat first have to dry .....

 

[spideyspinneret78]

I feel so much relief and happiness right now. My husband and I are moving and have been searching for rentals these past few weeks. Of course I've been worrying like crazy about probably having to hide my spiders. We eventually decided to just be honest about it. To my surprise when we talked to our new landlord about it, he said it would be fine- no issues at all. I'm thankful that there are some open minded people out there, and now I don't have to worry about my cherished pets . Huge weight off my shoulders. Also everyone was out and about last night feasting on crickets!