BriansWife
New Member
- Messages
- 5
- Location
- Missouri City, TX
Back in 2011, I was living in Vancouver, Washington.
My son excitedly brought home a tarantula from a friend's house. Neither of us had ever had a tarantula before, so we googled.
The friend said his mother insisted he could not get any more spiders until he got rid of at least one.
The one that came to live with us was a Chilean Rosehair, G. rosea. She was our, ah, test model. She endured quite a bit while we learned the ins and outs of housing and handling a large spider. Along the way, I lost my fear of arachnids and actually came to enjoy caring for her.
We named her Mabel.
Then I got married in 2015. My husband and I got a cat, and the cat took an unhealthy interest in Mabel. We decided that Mabel would be happier with a friend who already had 2 similar spiders.
In the middle of 2018, we decided to move to Texas and start a new life. We bought a house. I began to study the spiders in the area.
The guy we bought this house from, Mr. Riggs, had purchased a home to retire to in Brenham, Texas. We became friends. His new house is situated on a little hill known locally as Tarantula Hill. Turns out, that is no idle moniker. I informed Mr. Riggs of my affection for large arachnids.
A few days ago Mr. Riggs brought me a big ol' spider in a big ol' jar.
I have my suspicions, but I really don't know what species this guy is. I have been able to determine that this is indeed a male, and it is a tarantula. After that ... I'm really not sure. I am guessing he is around 2, for he seems to be sexually mature and ready to seek a mate. He might actually have been on that errand when he was captured by Mr. Riggs.
Despite the quality of this image, this spider is completely and utterly black. The only areas that are not black are the ventral side of the chelicerae and the fangs, which are a reddish color, and the urticating hairs, which are a deep brown.
This photo was taken through the side of the enclosure I kept against the arrival of one of Mr. Riggs spiders.
We now have five very small dogs who were rescued, three cats who really don't care, and this spider. I have named him Elmer. He never comes when called.
Can anyone give me a clue as to what species he might be? Is there a website you would recommend I visit?
![DSC_0123[1].JPG](https://tarantulaforum.com/attachments/dsc_0123-1-jpg.46588/ "DSC_0123[1].JPG")
My son excitedly brought home a tarantula from a friend's house. Neither of us had ever had a tarantula before, so we googled.
The friend said his mother insisted he could not get any more spiders until he got rid of at least one.
The one that came to live with us was a Chilean Rosehair, G. rosea. She was our, ah, test model. She endured quite a bit while we learned the ins and outs of housing and handling a large spider. Along the way, I lost my fear of arachnids and actually came to enjoy caring for her.
We named her Mabel.
Then I got married in 2015. My husband and I got a cat, and the cat took an unhealthy interest in Mabel. We decided that Mabel would be happier with a friend who already had 2 similar spiders.
In the middle of 2018, we decided to move to Texas and start a new life. We bought a house. I began to study the spiders in the area.
The guy we bought this house from, Mr. Riggs, had purchased a home to retire to in Brenham, Texas. We became friends. His new house is situated on a little hill known locally as Tarantula Hill. Turns out, that is no idle moniker. I informed Mr. Riggs of my affection for large arachnids.
A few days ago Mr. Riggs brought me a big ol' spider in a big ol' jar.
I have my suspicions, but I really don't know what species this guy is. I have been able to determine that this is indeed a male, and it is a tarantula. After that ... I'm really not sure. I am guessing he is around 2, for he seems to be sexually mature and ready to seek a mate. He might actually have been on that errand when he was captured by Mr. Riggs.
Despite the quality of this image, this spider is completely and utterly black. The only areas that are not black are the ventral side of the chelicerae and the fangs, which are a reddish color, and the urticating hairs, which are a deep brown.
This photo was taken through the side of the enclosure I kept against the arrival of one of Mr. Riggs spiders.
We now have five very small dogs who were rescued, three cats who really don't care, and this spider. I have named him Elmer. He never comes when called.
Can anyone give me a clue as to what species he might be? Is there a website you would recommend I visit?
