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New Tarantula Parent

Whitelightning777

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Baltimore MD
Hi Everyone,

I recently acquired a honduran curly hair. I researched a lot and as she is my first Tarantula so I chose to go forward with the Honduran curly hair for their docile temperament and reputation of being a great beginner tarantula.

However, the day after I got her (she is a sling) she molted and has not really eaten anything. I have given her crickets after removing their heads but she has not even touched them. She prefers to stay in her burrow in the wet sponge that she came in from the store. I have read that sometimes they take a while to eat but I don't think that curly hairs are known for fasting. When I coax her out of her burrow she is active and moves around but she is not eating at all. I have not placed her in her terrarium yet as she is really small and want her to get a little bigger. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

SC


Tarantulas can't drink from sponges. They need an actual water dish with water at all times.

Wait a week after the molt. The fangs need time to harden. They need water after molting, not food.
 

T_spidey

Member
3 Year Member
Messages
38
Location
USA
Fair enough. My eyes aren't so great anymore.

I have posted a video of having my brachy albo on my palm. Well this is what happened. While on my hand my fiancee shone her phone flash at her while trying to take a pic. She panicked. While she did not jump, she kicked hair twice in rapid succession straight into my hand. I was sure it was going to cause a rash. While I saw the hairs sticking into my skin right above the wrist. There was no itching or redness. I did not feel a thing. I put molten wax and then pulled it off like I would pull of the hairs of a caterpillar. Has anyone had the hairs kicked but no reaction in spite of being struck? Is this normal? Should I try and get bit to see if I am an alien or not? ;)
 

T_spidey

Member
3 Year Member
Messages
38
Location
USA
I think I am more concerned you pour molten wax on yourself....ROFL!
I find it easier to pull out hairs. My mom used to have a garden and more often than not I would have caterpillar hair. I always used this method to pull out the hairs without the Barb's staying inside and causing swelling.

Also most hair/Barb's contain proteins that cause the reaction with the skin. Heat breaks down that protein. Candle wax doesnt burn but gets the job done. :)
 

Phil

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3 Year Member
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3,918
Location
UK.
I find it easier to pull out hairs. My mom used to have a garden and more often than not I would have caterpillar hair. I always used this method to pull out the hairs without the Barb's staying inside and causing swelling.

Also most hair/Barb's contain proteins that cause the reaction with the skin. Heat breaks down that protein. Candle wax doesnt burn but gets the job done. :)
useful to note...cheers buddy
 

MassExodus

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Outside San Antonio, TX
I never had any real problems with hairs, not even when inhaled a direct attack from my genic juvie. Until..Theraphosa stirmi. Fiberglass has nothing on a T stirmi..I itch for two days, and its not a casual, occasional itch, like fiberglass..its a seriously annoying, distracting itch..like crabs. And you cant just light one side of your pubes on fire and stab them with an icepick when they run out the other side..that doesnt apply here..
 

T_spidey

Member
3 Year Member
Messages
38
Location
USA
Quick update on my Brachy Albo female. I have named her "IT" not because she is evil but as most people exclaim "What is it?" upon seeing her. Well it seems that she is the best spider a beginner like myself could have ever got! She is like a dog as in she kind of recognizes me. She lets me slowly run my finger down her carapace to her abdomen and doesn't run or flick hair. Seems she likes that! Who knew! I will post a video for all those that think that I am exaggerating.

Oh and now I have 5 spiders in total. My Brachy albo IT is an adult female whose pics I have posted and videos as well.

I also now have
1. Grammastole Pulchra sling (big) female. Her name is midnight
2. Brachy albo male sling (big). His name is Gerald.
3. Brachy Hamori sling (unsexed). Name is Red
4. Brachy Albo female sling (big). Her name is BB8.

Well no surprises that most of my spiders are brachy albos. Who needs a dog when I can have my albos behaving like dogs. I never expected such nice tempered predator species. Oh trust me the feeding instinct is awesome. She goes to her water bowl which means she is hungry. Grabs anything I put in front of her instantly and then gently carries it off to a corner which I call her dining space.

She is so nice!
 

T_spidey

Member
3 Year Member
Messages
38
Location
USA
Quick update on my Brachy Albo female. I have named her "IT" not because she is evil but as most people exclaim "What is it?" upon seeing her. Well it seems that she is the best spider a beginner like myself could have ever got! She is like a dog as in she kind of recognizes me. She lets me slowly run my finger down her carapace to her abdomen and doesn't run or flick hair. Seems she likes that! Who knew! I will post a video for all those that think that I am exaggerating.

Oh and now I have 5 spiders in total. My Brachy albo IT is an adult female whose pics I have posted and videos as well.

I also now have
1. Grammastole Pulchra sling (big) female. Her name is midnight
2. Brachy albo male sling (big). His name is Gerald.
3. Brachy Hamori sling (unsexed). Name is Red
4. Brachy Albo female sling (big). Her name is BB8.

Well no surprises that most of my spiders are brachy albos. Who needs a dog when I can have my albos behaving like dogs. I never expected such nice tempered predator species. Oh trust me the feeding instinct is awesome. She goes to her water bowl which means she is hungry. Grabs anything I put in front of her instantly and then gently carries it off to a corner which I call her dining space.

She is so nice!

Oh and a little background on my T hobby. I used to be extremely arachnophobic till about 4 years ago. It was mainly because I was bit by a black widow while I was sleeping. This was in california in 2013. I did not need anti venom but the pain was in waves for almost 3 days. I needed prescription ibuprofen and codeine. I was scared of spiders and would typically kill them on sight (not very proud of it).

Then 4 years ago, during one of my visits to India I woke up one morning with one of the biggest spiders in India on my face. It was a huntsman, which I did not know at that time. I was paralyzed for some time. But then when it scurried away it seemed my fear had abated. I studied all kinds of spiders and their behaviors. Yes I will still maintain my distance from a sydney funnel web and a brazilian wandering, but in Northeast PA, I have actually handled a brown recluse albeit accidentally. Later I came to know that brown recluse spiders are not aggressive and have such tiny fangs that they actually need to be pressed on to the skin for them to pierce human skin and most bites occur when they are in fact pressed against us when we wear jackets and shoes without checking. It did nothing sat there for sometime and then when I lowered my hand, just scampered away.

Then I started reading about T's. Got fascinated and look at me now. 5 Ts in less than a month. Thanks a ton to all of you that are here for encouraging a hobbyist like me. You folks are amazing.
 

Whitelightning777

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
2,566
Location
Baltimore MD
Nice. I cant wait till i get my first sling. Not sure what im going to get yet. Maybe a Poecilotheria striata.

P striata isa vary calm tarantula but it might be best to try another arboreal first just to get into the mentality better. Pokies have a medically significant bite and are extremely fast.

The slower you move the slower the spider moves, & pokies are wicked fast!!

I'm skeptical of the ladder system, but if you're gonna get a pokie do a ton of research first and have a plan to deal with a fast spider when doing normal maintenance and cleaning the glass.

They do befoul the glass on a regular basis.

A psalmo sling like P pulchra or P cambridgi will demonstrate how pokies behave.
 

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