Today in the Spider Room?

[Arachnophoric]

Don't you love it when you set up a fossorial in a lovely new enclosure with plenty of space (but not TOO much) and the prime opportunity to burrow....

Just for them to do this?



You're killing me here, Sans.

 

[Colorado Ts]

I re-housed my A. seemanni from a sterilite tub into a nice glass enclosure.

I had given my Biology class a quiz while I was working with the spider. I was then planning to follow the quiz with a lecture on “Probability” as we work our way through genetics.

Half the class had been watching me working with the tarantula and hadn't even started the quiz. So class on Friday became a quiz followed by discussions on best beginner tarantula species...questions on techniques for working with venomous spiders and questions about have I ever been bit, or nearly bit.

Thanksgiving Break...a well deserved break.

 

[ShyDragoness]

not exactly "in the spider room" but I sent off a MM vagans and he was striking at the guy I sent him too like a mad fool during unboxing

 

[Brachyfan]

I re-housed my A. seemanni from a sterilite tub into a nice glass enclosure.

I had given my Biology class a quiz while I was working with the spider. I was then planning to follow the quiz with a lecture on “Probability” as we work our way through genetics.

Half the class had been watching me working with the tarantula and hadn't even started the quiz. So class on Friday became a quiz followed by discussions on best beginner tarantula species...questions on techniques for working with venomous spiders and questions about have I ever been bit, or nearly bit.

Thanksgiving Break...a well deserved break.

Have a good thanksgiving break!

 

[lostbrane]

O. schioedtei tried to molt upright. It popped the carapace only. I have no idea when it tried this. I got the carapace/abdomen off, but I don't know if I can get the chelicerae out and it might already be dead. Will continue trying though. I think it's done though...

 

[corydalis]

Well, my G. pulcra sling I got 150 days ago (had four molts during this period), today is finally condescend to accepting the hide I carved her/him so neatly two months ago, in its new enclosure.

Digging began instantly.

Concerning his/her visibility, the results are fascinating:

Then:



Now:



I'm not disappointed though, as he/she’s finally doing the usual pulchra stuff (beside gorging, and throwing a hissy fit).

 

[Ungoliant]

Don't you love it when you set up a fossorial in a lovely new enclosure with plenty of space (but not TOO much) and the prime opportunity to burrow....

Just for them to do this?

LOL, Miss Hissypants, my C. marshalli, has also done that instead of digging in her nice new enclosure. Spooder's gonna spood.

 

[lostbrane]

Ah ha! C. lividus feet made an appearance! I assume it molted but I was worried since I hadn’t seen it in months.

 

[Arachnophoric]

A couple rehouses - Chromia's old setup was randomly overrun with some strange mold, bad enough that it wasn't gonna be a simple scoop out, but I disliked the tub she was in anyway and got to move her into a better one. After getting poked and prodded into a catch cup and kicking some hairs, she was still patient enough for a quick photo.



Jigsaw the P. ornata also got officially set up. It was really interesting watching her explore, hopefully she'll settle in quickly. Looking nice and fat, thinking a molt will come in the near future!




Still have a handful of rehouses planned, including getting my T. stirmi into her adult setup!

 

[Colorado Ts]

Here is something that I've noticed about tarantulas (or spiders in general), they seem to get much more active, or agitated, when a storm front moves in. The bigger the storm front, the more agitated or active they become.

I re-housed my new little A. seemanni last Friday, and it’s been acting very stressed and just sitting during the day, and exploring its new enclosure every night. (The tiny little tracks each morning show me that it’s crazy busy every night.)

Storm front pushes in, and suddenly it’s been moving about the enclosure both during the day and at night. The front is gone, now we're getting steady snow outside, and the A. seemanni has settled back into its immobile stressed routine again, until the next front pushes through.

A couple weeks ago, we had a significant front push through, 12 degree temperature drop in 15 minutes, and one of my Aphonopelma hentzi females came out of her burrow and was very agitated...she should have been in her burrow for several more months. I re-housed her into a new enclosure with much deeper substrate, and by the next day she had burrowed to the bottom of the enclosure and completely sealed the opening. This is a spider that gets VERY stressed when re-housed...burrowed in one night, blamo.

Of my 5 Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens slings, 2 have webbed themselves up, almost as if they were in a pre-moult situation. The remaining 3 slings are actively exploring their enclosures, something that I haven't seen since they were first re-housed.

Storm fronts seem to agitate spiders...

 

[Arachnophoric]

Did two rehouses today - one being my A. avicularia Ebrietas. Hopefully she'll settle better into this setup than her previous one, she never set up a web except for when she was going to molt, which she'd always tear down after.

Second was far more exciting; at 7"+, my T. stirmi Yhorm had definitely outgrown her enclosure. I found a nice 24"L x 16"W x 13"H sterilite that looks like it'll be perfect to house her well into adulthood if not the rest of her life. Filled it with a solid 4" of substrate on the shallow end and 6" at its deepest where she's got a cork round to hopefully be the entrance to a burrow. It's a little more barren on the foliage front, but I can add that in later.

Getting her out was fun, and even after gearing up in long sleeves and rubber gloves I'm a little itchy, but nothing terrible and I hopefully will never have to do that again. After lots of very agitated stridulation and even some hair kicking, got her into the catch cup and into her new home.

I don't think she's terribly grateful.

 

[Marika]

I rehoused my A. chalcodes sling, because her old enclosure was moldy and gross. There's also mold in my T. cyaneolum sling's enclosure, but not as much, so I'm not rehousing her yet...

 

[KingAvi]

Did a rehouse of my avicularia merianae today

 

[Colorado Ts]

Sat down early this morning with the grand kiddos and fed the slings, filled the water dishes and made sure that all was well.

My smallest sling is a freeby L.P. from my last order. That little dude has moulted once, so far, and really put on some size. I may have to rehouse it soon.

Slings are kept in a temperature regulated cabinet at 79 degrees +/-.

 

[Arachnophoric]

Did a rehouse of my avicularia merianae today View attachment 326974

That looks WAY too wet with far too little ventilation for an Avicularia.

 

[Kitara]

This little dude finally got rehoused. I knew the enclosure was too big when I put him in it, but he was eating fine so I left him. He closed up shop, molted, reemerged and was eating fine again. Before I got around to rehousing him, he closed up shop again so I was going to wait until he molted. Two month later..... done waiting. Little dude is in his new digs now and is eating the prekilled mealworm I threw in there. Ok little dude, time for you to start growing!

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Yesterday was feeding day. A. chalcodes and GBB got a cricket, T. albo got a mealworm. My GBB proves herself a very....special little spider, she's awful at hunting prey. She strikes at it with lightning speed but doesn't actually get it and she ends up laying on top of it. A few minutes later she figures it out and grabs the cricket. My T. albo is a paradox, she's skittish as all get-out but the second prey is dropped she tags it immediately.

Tried to feed my B. hamorii too but the mealworm startled her? Odd considering she's usually a great eater. I'll try again later cos I'm sure she's fine.

Here is something that I've noticed about tarantulas (or spiders in general), they seem to get much more active, or agitated, when a storm front moves in. The bigger the storm front, the more agitated or active they become.

I remember a few months ago I commented that my A. chalcodes and B. hamorii climb the walls when we get rain & someone said that they're reacting to the change in moisture content in the air. Like little fuzzy barometers.

 

[Urzeitmensch]

First, I want to thank whoever recommended "The Boys" here on the board. It is truly an amazing series.

However, it let to me walking into the spiderroom and upon seeing my very reclusive Haploclastus nilgirinus out saying in my best Bill Butcher voice: "Well, if that ain't the invisible *****".

I felt slightly akward.

 

[Arachnanoob95]

Two interesting things happened.

1. My T. cyaneolum, Neela, finally started to web up her enclosure and treats the thin layer of webbing as an actual bed. Not kidding. It was hilarious and adorable at the same time when I caught sight of her just laying flat on her belly, legs spread out. I love that spider

2. On feeding day. Fed my versi sling, Ivy. Normally I head crush the roach and drop it on top of its webbing, in the corner. This time though I put it in alive and kicking. Since Ivy isn't in premoult and I check it daily. Figured why not. Let her work for her food from time to time ;P. I also filled up the waterdish at the bottom of the enclo, and misted one side a bit.
Barely 5 minutes later I suddenly saw her crawling around, on the side that I had misted. My first thought, she went for a drink, drinking the droplets. But then she just went all the way down, right towards her water dish and started drinking. So fascinating. Up until then I honestly had no idea if she ever drank from it but she really seemed to know where it was located and clearly appreciated the fresh water. Even more interesting, after she was done drinking. She went up, on top of the web and actually checked the corner where I usually leave the roach.
You read contradicting things, some say tarantulas don't learn others say they do. She sure seemed to understand where to find food and water. So cool.
(She also caught the roach and ate it)

 

[corydalis]

Can't believe I caught my H.mac. sling outside (not of the enclosure of course, in that case I wouldn't be that delighted, trust me )! Honestly, I can check him/her out in its hide, by the side of the terrarium, but the sight is not clear enough for taking photos, not to mention the unprofitable perspective, and I don't want to bother it anyway. But tonight, finally got some luck! Not just waited patiently while I grabbed my camera, also gave me the chance to take some proper shots before bolting back into his/her hide. In addition, ten days ago was kind enough to deliver its molt, by placing it in front of the entrance. Such a sweetheart.