Eight-legged addition.

[Jace]

I'm so glad to hear she looks healthy! The crickets I've been giving her have been gut loaded with fresh fruits and veggies, so I hope they continue to keep her healthy. I haven't found any bolus yet, but she does most of her eating behind the silk plant backdrop and I haven't gone looking behind it yet as I don't want to stress her out. On the weekend I will very gently go on a scouting tour to remove any leftovers. I usually put in two crickets at a time and was told to remove any she had eaten as they could start nibbling on her. So far, I haven't found any to remove....but I am worried that they are hiding in the moss and coming out at night and harrassing her. Hopefully not (fingers crossed).

I read on a site that most tarantulas that are sold in pet stores are female-is there any truth to this? Can their sex be controlled like geckos, based on temperature, when they are bred? I am mostly hoping for a female because I know they live longer...and I'm not sure how getting a second one if it is a male will go over in my house....

Your tarantulas are absolutely gorgeous...I think I am going to be a single tarantula owner for now though....at least until I stop worrying about every little thing with her!! Thanks for all your help.

[flamesbane]

I'm so glad to hear she looks healthy! The crickets I've been giving her have been gut loaded with fresh fruits and veggies, so I hope they continue to keep her healthy. I haven't found any bolus yet, but she does most of her eating behind the silk plant backdrop and I haven't gone looking behind it yet as I don't want to stress her out. On the weekend I will very gently go on a scouting tour to remove any leftovers. I usually put in two crickets at a time and was told to remove any she had eaten as they could start nibbling on her. So far, I haven't found any to remove....but I am worried that they are hiding in the moss and coming out at night and harrassing her. Hopefully not (fingers crossed).

The big issue with the crickets bothering her is if she is molting, or fresh molted then they could potentially nibble or hurt her. Once she settles in and gets some webbing in there you can always drop the crickets in her "web" (it won't be a web like an orb weaver...it will look more like curtains) so that you will know right away when she gets them. If you are still worried roaches (B. dubia) are always an excellent option.

I read on a site that most tarantulas that are sold in pet stores are female-is there any truth to this? Can their sex be controlled like geckos, based on temperature, when they are bred? I am mostly hoping for a female because I know they live longer...and I'm not sure how getting a second one if it is a male will go over in my house....

No, actually more often then not tarantulas sold in pet stores are male (with avics it is 50/50). This is because almost all tarantulas in pet stores are wild caught, and it is much easier to catch a wandering Mature Male than a hidden female. Tarantula sacs are 50/50 sex wise, however there is some evidence to support a higher number of males 70/30 males to females. None of that is proven mind you.

Your tarantulas are absolutely gorgeous...I think I am going to be a single tarantula owner for now though....at least until I stop worrying about every little thing with her!! Thanks for all your help.

Most people can't just keep one tarantulas, they are quiet addictive. The big thing about tarantulas is not to worry, treat her like a plant and she will do fine. They are very low maintenance, and most are quiet hardy! Enjoy your new addition (and the ones that are to come ).

[Jace]

I probably should have mentioned this sooner, but the only plants I can keep alive are bamboo, peperomia and ficus.....my track record with anything else is rather dismal. So hopefully Kamani will be easier to take care of than say...and African Violet. I have a dead one of those on my deck. The only real thing I am concerned about is crickets hurting her and the humidity level. I live in a desert like place and we are going through a heat wave. My house does not have adequate air conditioning, so we have fans constantly going to just keep the air moving. Unfortunately, it dries everything out, and I am constantly misting my frogs, toads, geckos and now spider to ensure no-one gets too dry. Kamani does NOT like the mistings, though I never spray her direct, and try to keep the nozzle of the spray bottle close to the moss. She still kind of panics and goes deeper into the silk plant.

Would you perhaps know what temperature to bake sticks in the oven to sterilize them? I found some great ones at a local lake that I think Kamani would enjoy, but I don't want to risk introducing anything into her home that could harm her.

I am quite taken with your tarantula, H. longipes. The colouring is just amazing. How many tarantulas do you have in total? I'm going to let Kamani be the judge of whether I deserve any more of these amazing animals...if she thrives, then I am always up for another one!

[Deku]

Hmm try fixing the a/c and get the temp in her tank to the right temps. Also for misting your frogs and stuff. Try getting a fogger. Let it run daily for 30minutes. It wont stress t hem out. I do it alot to my tree frog. He likes it alot. :]

[flamesbane]

I probably should have mentioned this sooner, but the only plants I can keep alive are bamboo, peperomia and ficus.....my track record with anything else is rather dismal. So hopefully Kamani will be easier to take care of than say...and African Violet. I have a dead one of those on my deck. The only real thing I am concerned about is crickets hurting her and the humidity level. I live in a desert like place and we are going through a heat wave. My house does not have adequate air conditioning, so we have fans constantly going to just keep the air moving. Unfortunately, it dries everything out, and I am constantly misting my frogs, toads, geckos and now spider to ensure no-one gets too dry. Kamani does NOT like the mistings, though I never spray her direct, and try to keep the nozzle of the spray bottle close to the moss. She still kind of panics and goes deeper into the silk plant.

Yeah, make sure not to mist her directly. If you put in a substrate like peat moss or eco-earth and actually wet part of the substrate down and it will help with the humidity. Also, you can restrict the ventilation on the tank, that will help as well.

Would you perhaps know what temperature to bake sticks in the oven to sterilize them? I found some great ones at a local lake that I think Kamani would enjoy, but I don't want to risk introducing anything into her home that could harm her.

I boil all the pieces I collect and then back them at 250 or 300 degrees until they are dry (it doesn't take to long). The only thing you really have to worry about introducing are mites.

I am quite taken with your tarantula, H. longipes. The colouring is just amazing. How many tarantulas do you have in total? I'm going to let Kamani be the judge of whether I deserve any more of these amazing animals...if she thrives, then I am always up for another one!

Thanks, my H. longipes is one of the gems of my collection. They are hard to find as they are often mis-ID'd or missold (H. lividum are sometimes sold as H. longipes). They are definitely not a beginner Tarantula, and being the Haplopelma genus they are fossorial (this means they are obligate burrowers) to the point that some people call Haplopelma's "pet holes". They are also very fast and very defensive.

I currently have around 60 tarantulas, most of which are listed in my profile though some are not.

[Jace]

60 tarantulas.....I think I would be handed divorce papers if I brought that many into the house. Do you breed them, or rescue them, to have that many? Between the frogs and the tarantulas, your house must be an amazing place to be!

I think I mentioned to your wife what a beauty H. longipes was and she mentioned it was definitely not a beginner tarantula. I've never even heard of one before; most of the ones I see are the Pink toe and Rose hair. I found a tarantula book I want that tells of a variety of species, so if nothing else, I can read about them.

Sorry to bug you with another questions, but because of the extreme heat wave we are experiencing, I just want to make sure Kamani is alright. She is currently set up in our living room that can hit 30 degrees Celcius (86 degree Fahrenheit) but our kitchen that has the air conditioner can be 10-15 degrees cooler (almost chilly by comparison!)...what temperature-of the two-would be best for her? She did not eat anything last night, but very effectively caught and is currently eating a cricket as I write this. That was very neat to see, I might add. I was surprised to see her hunting out in the relative open with me sitting right there watching her.

I will boil and bake the sticks tomorrow and get them set up for her. No new webbing yet...I hope that will change with more branches and a bark hide, if I can find one. Have I said thanks for all your help? Lol-thank you!

[flamesbane]

60 tarantulas.....I think I would be handed divorce papers if I brought that many into the house. Do you breed them, or rescue them, to have that many? Between the frogs and the tarantulas, your house must be an amazing place to be!

I pretty much just have that many...lol...we have a frog/tarantula room...

I think I mentioned to your wife what a beauty H. longipes was and she mentioned it was definitely not a beginner tarantula. I've never even heard of one before; most of the ones I see are the Pink toe and Rose hair. I found a tarantula book I want that tells of a variety of species, so if nothing else, I can read about them.

Browsing Arachnoboards or tarantulas.us will let you see some pretty neat tarantulas as well.

Sorry to bug you with another questions, but because of the extreme heat wave we are experiencing, I just want to make sure Kamani is alright. She is currently set up in our living room that can hit 30 degrees Celcius (86 degree Fahrenheit) but our kitchen that has the air conditioner can be 10-15 degrees cooler (almost chilly by comparison!)...what temperature-of the two-would be best for her? She did not eat anything last night, but very effectively caught and is currently eating a cricket as I write this. That was very neat to see, I might add. I was surprised to see her hunting out in the relative open with me sitting right there watching her.

I will boil and bake the sticks tomorrow and get them set up for her. No new webbing yet...I hope that will change with more branches and a bark hide, if I can find one. Have I said thanks for all your help? Lol-thank you!

No problem, as far as temps; generally if you are comfortable she is. 30C is a bit on the warm side though...If you can find some pieces of bark you can actually make you own hide with a hot glue gun pretty easily...I will try to get some pics of some I have done later.

Again no problem!