Recent content by Greg

My Chaco golden knee has mostly been a couch potato for two years. It just molted, sprouted much longer legs, and now moves super quick. Is this an “adolescent” phase?

Is it alive? Slings webbing in the burrow is normal, as is hiding out for the first few months. This though, looks very strange, as if mold or a parasite took over.

My pet shop cut a deal with me when they realized I was needing the hissers as feeders for my tarantula, and not as pets. One buck each. Maybe they'll work with you. My large A. geniculata takes a whole day to eat one, and so I don't worry if I don't feed him for the next two weeks.

Very true; I've seen posts about Jekyll and Hyde curly hairs (supposedly "docile"). We must take our time and tune into the individual animal.

Acanthoscuria geniculata (Brazilian white knee) is kind of mid-range, not categorized as docile or particularly defensive. Very fast growing, and reasonably priced. Mostly stays in borrow as a sling, gets a bit testier as a juvenile, and then mellows out. Likes to flick hairs, so I use...

Sometimes they just fast for no apparent reason. Mine have sometimes gone weeks without eating, especially in the winter. Also, a pre-molt fast can also be very long. When they want to eat, they do. Just keep offering something each week, and remove it if it isn't eaten in a day. And try not...

True, never recommended. Still, take the species into consideration. My Brachypelma smithii is mellow as can be, and is fine sitting on a hand or walking slowly up an arm. They are often the ones you see being introduced to people that are afraid of spiders. You also see them in the movies...

Classic molting position. BTW that's a really huge enclosure, more than it needs. It's easier for them to catch their food in a smaller space.

Mites are dark spots, not white ones.

I was also thinking Avicularia, but your newer photo appears to show leg banding, which would put it in a different Genus altogether. It would be great if you could take it out and put it in a well lighted location for a photo.

Wow ~ mine is super mellow. Interesting how the same species can keep us guessing.

I don't have a colony. Fortunately, I have deal with a pet store that sells them to me for $1 because they are feeders and not pets. I don't need a colony because my other tarantulas are smaller and still eating dubias. Good luck!

When my Brazilian white knee got up to 5-6 inches, I starting feeding him hissing ****roaches. They make a pretty big meal, so not needed to feed very often. It takes nearly a whole day to eat; it' quite a process.

My A. geniculata, three years old, had its first molt of the year about a week ago. Since then, it has been resting its body close to the ground, where normally it has had a more crouching (slightly lifted up on its legs) resting position. It's also been inactive, though I haven't fed it yet...

I think they may also be aware of mold that can form on the leftovers.