Meet Kriemhild, my first tarantula! (B. albiceps)

[coffee_nebula]

She's so tiny! Just chilling in her hide right now. She is a little smaller than I expected...Y'all think I should switch her to a smaller enclosure, or does this one look okay?

My first time buying a spider was certainly an adventure. There was a delay in shipping, so the seller offered me a freebie. Since I was worried about possibly getting something I couldn't handle, I sent the seller a message asking not to send an old world species. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication and he thought I was asking for an old world. And so I received a tiny OBT lol.

Talked to the seller and he realized the mistake, so luckily he was willing to let me ship it back. Hope the poor little thing makes it back safely and finds a good home! OBTs are beautiful spiders, but too feisty for me.

Anyway, regardless of the mishap, I love my little B. albiceps. Looking forward to watching her grow!

 

[menavodi]

It looks good to me. I don’t think smaller would be better. You made her a good first home!

 

[coffee_nebula]

It looks good to me. I don’t think smaller would be better. You made her a good first home!

I hope she likes it! I did add a little more substrate in case she fell trying to climb the walls. She's spent most of her time since she moved in hiding in the dark.

I just can't believe how small she is!

I'll try giving her a meal worm in a few days.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Looks good...I'd wet that corner by the water dish a little more. Cute little fella

 

[coffee_nebula]

Looks good...I'd wet that corner by the water dish a little more. Cute little fella

Done! The lower levels of substrate are also damper than the top. I haven't seen her burrowing yet, though.

I caught her out in the open today, but she ran back to her hide before I could get a good picture. I'm glad she feels safe there at least!

 

[octanejunkie]

Congrats, it's a load of fun watching them grow. Enjoy!

 

[Josh]

Looks great! Congrats on the new addition!

 

[coffee_nebula]

Thanks y'all, she's a real cutie and I'm happy to have her.

I spotted her out of her hide today! It's good to confirm she's still alive haha. She spends most of her time hiding. Looks like she's moved the moss around the enclosure, though.

Tried feeding her two different sizes of meal worms, but she showed no interest in either. Feels a little weird having a pet that doesn't eat every day. I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[octanejunkie]

Try every 3-4 days, let it build up an appetite!

Just keep the water bowl clean and full

 

[coffee_nebula]

Try every 3-4 days, let it build up an appetite!

I've heard that tarantulas can go a long time without eating, but this advice does reassure me I don't have to worry about her starving any time soon haha. Thanks

 

[coffee_nebula]

Kriemhild finally ate! I left her a pre-killed meal worm overnight, and I found her with it today! I guess she was too scared to hunt. She seems pretty skittish. I'm happy to see her out and enjoying a meal.

Here's a pic I took the other day. She ran to the top of her hide after I accidentally spooked her. The lighting makes her look browner than she normally does, but it's the best I've been able to get since she moved in.

 

[octanejunkie]

Glad "she" ate. Some slings prefer pre-killed, I prefer to get them hunting sooner than later; it is instinct after all.

Keep trying live, small crickets no larger than her abdomen would be a good place to start, injure the cricket if she is scared to give her the advantage

 

[coffee_nebula]

For now, I'm just happy that's she's eating haha. Even with a tiny live meal worm, she would not leave her hide. I'll keep trying live first, then pre-killed if she doesn't respond.

From what I've read, meal worms seem more convenient for me to keep, but I'll try crickets at a later time so she has some variety in her diet.