Brazilian Fire Red ~ #2

We have 2 Brazilian Fire Red Tarantulas. I believe they are from the same egg sac. We got them at the same time. I had never even heard of the species. I felt they had outgrown their little deli cups, so they got larger habitats with plenty of dirt. Experience has taught us to provide plenty of substrate for burrowing, just in case. It can be difficult to add more once a tarantula has begun a burrow.

Lasiodora difficilis
Brazilian Fire Red
deep burrow goes almost all the way around the bottom of the bowl!

Avicularia versicolor Info

I learned a few new tidbits about the Avicularia versicolor (Antilles Pinktoe) today! Verrrry interesting stuff.

• They can actually jump 30cm or even higher!
  
• I knew they had urticating hairs like other tarantulas, but I didn't know that they are unable to kick those hairs off like the terrestrial tarantulas we have in the states.
  
• I also now know that males tend to have brighter coloration than females.
  
  

This particular bundle of tidbits brought to you from Wikipedia.

SFB Molting Again?!

I got Señor Fuzzy Britches, a Brachypelma albopilosum (Curly Hair) at the Oklahoma Reptile Expo in October of last year. Then at the end of November, he had built an awesome burrow and molted in it. His burrow has since collapsed. He tends to web the lid to his enclosure. Yesterday he built / laid a sort of web hammock. And then today, a short 3½ months since his last molt,... (drum roll please) he molted again! He is so big!

SFB - Freshly Molted
cozied up to old skin

I fed everyone last weekend and failed to notice there was still 1 of 2 crickets loose in his cage until later in the day! I noticed he was pressing himself up against his old skin. Then I noticed the cricket and just about had a heart attack! Tarantulas are very vulnerable during and after their molt (for about a week). I immediately caught and removed the cricket! All appears to be well. This was wonderful news after losing a pet yesterday. I would have been a wreck if I'd lost SFB over something so simple as a cricket so soon after losing S.B.

SB - Another Death of Old Age

When I first got interested in tarantulas, I had a wish list in mind of the species I wanted to own. On the top of my list was the Avicularia versicolor. In October, we attended the Oklahoma Reptile Expo and I brought home one gorgeous A. versicolor (Antilles Pinktoe). The breeder informed us that the spider had just molted a few days prior. It had previously been turquoise (A. versicolor slings are turquoise).

Avicularia versicolor
(Antilles Pinktoe)
S.B.

Tears - Hide & Seek

Tears, our Haplopelma lividum (Cobalt Blue) is quite the hermit. We rarely see her at all.

Cobalt Blue Tarantula Habitat

You see that we provided a hide for her, but she chose to burrow her own. We love for our pets to create their own burrows! However, if we'd known she would do it we might have left the clay pot out of her cage. Since she has built her burrow against it, we can't remove it. Oh well.

This is about the only glimpse we might catch of her:

Cobalt Blue Tarantula Burrow
Do you see her down there?