Green bottle blue & rose hair tarantula [Archive]

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jaleely

11-10-12, 12:53 AM

Just a little update, since i was feeding the other day. Our green bottle blue (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) has all of his adult coloring now!
Cage was cleaned after this feeding, since he likes to leave roach wings everywhere, so no worries.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8344/8153063206_142d5343b9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87506818@N06/8153063206/)
IMAG0876 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87506818@N06/8153063206/) by jaleely (http://www.flickr.com/people/87506818@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/8153063768_2d06f0164a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87506818@N06/8153063768/)
IMAG0877 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87506818@N06/8153063768/) by jaleely (http://www.flickr.com/people/87506818@N06/), on Flickr

The rose hair (Grammostola rosea) was abandoned at petsmart when i worked there last year. She is the SWEETEST animal. Not just for a tarantula. Gentle. Her color is not that bright in this pose, but her name is "Violet" so that ought to give you an idea of how she normally looks on her back (cephalothorax, not the rump or abdomen).

Anyway, she looked funny eating her roach and lifting herself up to keep it off of the ground : )

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/8153053340_09e40b8a19_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87506818@N06/8153053340/)
IMAG0873 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/87506818@N06/8153053340/) by jaleely (http://www.flickr.com/people/87506818@N06/), on Flickr

iBaman

11-10-12, 12:58 AM

man, those GBB's are so gorgeous. There's a sling at the local pet store that I'm thinking about picking up....he's so tiny <3

jaleely

11-10-12, 01:11 AM

lol you know, i bought a mexican red knee "sling" thinking it was the actual SLING...the webbed case full of babies. Hubby thought so too. I hate calling the babies slings, for that reason. We were totally silly and we looked up "sling" and was like "OH she's selling the sling!" and google said Oh yeah, she means the whole thing! But right when she was shipping it i found it meant...ONE baby..sling...LOL

Rogue628

11-10-12, 01:23 AM

Your GBB is really pretty! :D What kind of substrate are you using for your guys? I've been using eco earth for my rose hair but I'm thinking of switching to something else. I don't like the mess I seem to make with it when trying to break it down out of block form. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong lol.

I want to get a cobalt blue later. :)

iBaman

11-10-12, 01:58 AM

Platinumxero

11-10-12, 02:15 AM

Wow! I'm terrified of spiders, but those are some very pretty ones you've got there! ^^

iBaman

11-10-12, 02:24 AM

Wow! I'm terrified of spiders, but those are some very pretty ones you've got there! ^^

If you're scared, get a tarantula (rose hair or pink toe are awesome). I went from terrified to trying to hold her in a matter of a month. You really gain a new respect for them!

Rogue628

11-10-12, 02:29 AM

^^ Agree.

I did the same. I have a rose hair I've had for about 4 months now. I don't hold it that much, maybe once every couple of weeks for a few minutes, but I'm responsible for its care and it's doing very well. I've gained a new respect for them. I don't even squeal when I see one elsewhere now lol

I love watching it when it's active. Like I said, I don't hold it much, but that's something I've come to terms with. I don't have to handle an animal to get over a fear. Me taking care of my little critter is a huge step. Plus I'd like to eventually have a couple more. :)

DragonsEye

11-10-12, 08:01 AM

Actually, Melissa, your Chromatopelma is not yet fully into its adult colors though it is close. Once it finishes the transition (probably next molt) it will no longer have the black stripes/markings on its abdomen -- that area will be completely orange.

Rogue, the easiest way to use the EcoEarth -- assuming you don't wish to use the whole block -- is to saw off a chunk of it. Then soak that chunk in some water so it swells and falls apart easily. NOTE: Because G. rosea does not like a wet substrate (nor does Chromatopelma for that matter), make sure you dry the EcoEarth THOROUGHLY. (Which can take days. It helps to spread the media out and stir/fluff it up throughout the drying process. And, yes, you can put it in a warm oven to speed the process along.)

On another note, be forewarned, Rogue, that Cobalts are known as "pet holes" by those in the hobby because the hole to their burrow is all you are likely to ever see. (They require a deep substrate because of their burrowing requirement.) If you're lucky, once in a while it will sit in the entrance with a couple of legs visible. A pity as they do have beautiful coloration.

BarelyBreathing

11-10-12, 09:09 AM

Amazing looking spiders. I particularly love the green bottle blue.

Platinumxero

11-10-12, 12:46 PM

If you're scared, get a tarantula (rose hair or pink toe are awesome). I went from terrified to trying to hold her in a matter of a month. You really gain a new respect for them!

My father used to own one when I was growing up. I wasn't allowed to hold him though, only look at him when my dad held him. His name was Hairy. How fitting, huh? xD

Rogue628

11-10-12, 01:17 PM

brylecc1989

11-10-12, 01:27 PM

Wow those are awesome. And the best way to crumble eco earth is put in a bucket of water fully submerged. In a half hour you'll have perfectly crumbled moist coconut husk :)

Snakeman8

11-10-12, 01:34 PM

i.want.a.green.bottle.blue:)

Snakeman8

11-10-12, 01:37 PM

is their another green bottle blue in the cage with it? just wondering:)

DragonsEye

11-10-12, 02:02 PM

Thanks for the information! I didn't know cobalts were rarely visible. :( I guess I need to do some research and see if I can find one that's pretty and more apt to be active and not hidden so much. I'd rather have one I can watch.

Poecilotheria metallica would be more visible and are quite lovely. However they are also quite fast and -- being Old World T's -- they are more defensive/aggressive than most New World T's (the Haplo [cobalt] you were originally considering is also OW btw). The price tag on them is also generally high.
https://www.google.com/search?q=p+metallica&hl=en&tbo=u&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADRA_enUS377&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=LbGeUKjWIcfFyAHcjoHwAw&ved=0CEcQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=608

And the best way to crumble eco earth is put in a bucket of water fully submerged. In a half hour you'll have perfectly crumbled moist coconut husk :)

Indeed, but if you don't want to use the entire block, a saw is the way to go.

jaleely

11-10-12, 02:48 PM

I know dragon, but i wanted an excuse to post ; ) There is a huge difference from the last molt, and he grew a *lot* so I was generalizing. I actually didn't see the stripes until i saw the photos but wasn't going to change my post because i didn't think anyone would really notice...LOL!

There was an old molt in the cage with him. It was removed after he finished eating.

I actually am trying a mixture of sand, and the web covered container next to him has rice in it. I'm trying to keep the humidity low in his enclosure as my area is quite humid and GBBs don't like that.
The rose hair is on coconut husk. I keep all the rest of my T's on coconut husk and try to adjust humidity as needed for each of them.

We had a cobalt blue once, but when we got her she didn't seem to act right, and after a few months she died. She did try to burrow away, and i let her, but she never ate and just acted strange.
I have a burrowing starburst type T that has done great and had him for years.
I think we had a tiger rump years ago who spend his whole life cycle with us. He burrowed at first, then turned his whole enclosure into a big burrow (by webbing it in and piling substrate) so it was cool we could see him from the top. He had a big enclosure too, so it was even more funny since they usually like smaller places.

Roadtrash

11-11-12, 01:46 PM

These things are pretty but I have never really gotten into spiders. Something about all those legs. I mean if you got into a wrestling match with one how would you pin down all those legs? Not to mention the fact they bite and it hurts. I know most of them are not going to actually do any harm but it's still something that goes through my mind whenever I look at one.

In case you're wondering I really don't like spiders. It's funny, snakes venomous or not don't frighten me even though they do demand respect and I give it to them. But spiders.....well I can't explain it.

But I am glad you folks have them and I can enjoy them through your pictures at least this way I can have a close up look without worrying about them getting on me.

Don't misunderstand I'm not deathly afraid of them or anything and I really enjoy watching them build webs and feed and do all the things they do I just don't like to handle them. Funny isn't it, snakes, lizards and all kinds of other animals don't bother me just the spiders.

Oh well.

iBaman

11-11-12, 03:25 PM

Then you REALLY need one, roadtrash! They're really not meant to hold..just very pretty and interesting display animals!

Zoo Nanny

11-11-12, 03:42 PM

Wow that Green Bottle Blue is absolutely gorgeous!

jaleely

11-11-12, 04:01 PM

roadtrash...i like my spiders, even love a couple of them, but i will smoosh anything that gets on me and i do not like finding them randomly in the wild LOL

I hate ants...like, i have a serious phobia of them! but i can appreciate how cute their little faces are...if there's one, and it's a photo...LOL

also depends on the spider. these large fuzzy ones are fine. I will holds some of them (rarely, because their hairs tickle and make me itch) but they are almost cuddly. It's the small shiny ones that give me the willies!!!!

Snakeman8

11-12-12, 03:15 PM

i love the fuzzy ones two, especially the goliath bird eaters.:)

Roadtrash

11-12-12, 09:36 PM

Smoosh anything that gets on you. That is good. I was drinking coffee and just about sprayed it all over the keyboard. I really didn't expect to hear that from a spider keeper and I am still laughing.

If I lived under different conditions I might try one but I wouldn't take it out and handle it. Just something about all those legs I guess.

jaleely

11-12-12, 10:10 PM

goliaths are awesome. we had one until it's first molt, and we didn't take good care of it and it died. we thought we were keeping it humid and warm enough, but apparently not.

Our house is very hard to keep things consistent. We have lost a couple of tarantulas to bad husbandry, unfortunately over the years : (
But most of ours have lived out their lives. Some males (they age and then get the pedipulps..the mating "legs" and then die) have lived a long time...even one species, skeleton knee, having an extra molt and living a year longer past when his pedipalps showed up!
Our one mexican red knee is over 9 years old, i think.

A lot of ours have been males.
Anyway, goliaths are awesome : )

Maybe dragon will expand on the mating "legs"?

jaleely

11-12-12, 10:12 PM

roadtrash, i can't help it...LOL if it's crawling on me, i'm probably already freaking out and brushing it off...which if it's that small, is essentially smooshing it LOL

I have freaked out and NOT smooshed when my own pets have ran up my arm...but OH is that a test in human behavior!!
I'm like to my hubby "get it off, get it OFF GET IT OFF..gently...BUT OFF" lol

Rogue628

11-13-12, 12:01 AM

Sadly, I'm about the same way.

I expect creepy crawlies in the woods and stuff. So when I see one, unless it lands on me, I'm fine. However, in my house, in my car (you should see me when I find a stinging thing in my car lol), or any other public area, I freak out!

Snakeman8

11-13-12, 05:20 AM

i got to hold a goliath at an expo, it crawled up my arm and to my shoulder where it stayed.

Rogue628

11-13-12, 07:27 AM

Wow

I was under the impression they weren't very friendly.

Roadtrash

11-13-12, 07:31 AM

I think I would be a lot like you, something about spiders. Bugs don't bother me and millipedes don't bother me just spiders.

When I was very young my father was bitten by a black widow when dressing one morning. It had gotten in the pants he had laid out to wear the next day and when he pulled them up it bit him in the nether regions if you will. I think this might have a bearing on the reason I don't care much for them.

Pareeeee

11-13-12, 08:31 AM

That Green Bottle Blue is spectacular! What beautiful colours! Who says spiders are ugly? They are cool critters.

I'm not interested in owning a tarantula, but if i was, that would be the one I would get! (I'm not afraid of them - I would like to handle a tarantula some day, but just don't want one as a pet)

DragonsEye

11-13-12, 10:03 AM

also depends on the spider....It's the small shiny ones that give me the willies!!!!

Jumping spiders aren't fuzzy but even most nonarachnid folks do seem to find them quite cute.

goliaths are awesome. we had one until it's first molt, and we didn't take good care of it and it died. we thought we were keeping it humid and warm enough, but apparently not.

You might have been doing everything alright, Melissa. Molting is a dangerous time for any arthropod and any number of things can go wrong. It could be that particular individual may have had other issues (even genetic problems) which played a role in its demise.

But most of ours have lived out their lives. Some males (they age and then get the pedipulps..the mating "legs" and then die) have lived a long time...even one species, skeleton knee, having an extra molt and living a year longer past when his pedipalps showed up!
Our one mexican red knee is over 9 years old, i think.

If it has lived beyond 5 or 6 years, it's not a male. Male T's rarely make it past 5 years of age. With the long lived species like the red knees (B. smithii), males may make it to 6yrs but that is about it. After achieving their penultimate molt (sexual maturity) males typically die within a year. In some cases they may make it a bit past that but not by much.

Maybe dragon will expand on the mating "legs"?

All T's and true spiders of both sexes have pedipalps -- what appear to be a set of smaller "legs" at the anterior of the cephalothorax. (In scorpions, the pedipalps are the pinchers for any who might be curious.) They are used somewhat like hands for the manipulation of objects.

When males reach maturity, the distal segment of the pedipalp undergoes a transformation into an organ for the transmittal of sperm to the female. In many Ts and all true spiders, TBOMK, this segment becomes enlarged. (In true spiders, these enlarged segments are referred to as the male's "boxing gloves".)

-- Easily visible here in this male lynx spider
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/obeah/critters/SpiderID1closeup.jpg

All mature male Ts and spiders also develop a needle like prominence (called an embolus) on this last segment -- it looks a bit like a fang. The male spins a sperm web, deposits a droplet of sperm on the web, and then repeatedly dips his emboli into the sperm droplet to fill them.

These are a couple of pics of my male P. irminia filling his emboli.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/obeah/critters/IMG_9132sm.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/obeah/critters/IMG_9134sm.jpg

Upon finding a receptive female, he inserts an embolus into the female's genital area and deposits the sperm.

When I was very young my father was bitten by a black widow when dressing one morning. It had gotten in the pants he had laid out to wear the next day and when he pulled them up it bit him in the nether regions if you will.

Situation really isn't any different than a snake or other animal biting someone who steps on it -- just a last ditch effort at self-preservation.

Wow

I was under the impression they weren't very friendly.

As with snakes and many herps, "friendly" is not the best word to use. It implies human feelings to something which definitely isn't (anthropomorphism) ;) As with any group of animals, there are always exceptions to the "rules of behavior". ( I have known people who owned "demonic" rose hair Ts ... the Ts apparently had not read the rose hair manual chapter about docility.) The biggest issue with T. blondi -- goliaths -- is not a tendency to bite but rather their urticating hairs. Their urt hairs are said to be among the most irritating such hairs with regards to their effect on humans.

Pareeeee

11-13-12, 07:43 PM

Nice post, Dragon. Lots of interesting and useful information ;)

Roadtrash

11-13-12, 10:08 PM

That's what I like about this forum, I learn something new just about every time I log on.

Thanks Dragon, great post.

jaleely

11-13-12, 10:28 PM

I knew i could count on you dragon! You do good explinations, i ramble a lot lol

As for the skeleton knee, he was specifically Ephebopus murinus. He deveoped his male boxing glove pedipalps, and we thought for sure he would die a few months later. We kept him moist, and fed....and he actually lasted a whole year..then had ANOTHER molt...and lasted another whole year before finally passing away.
We knew it was rare to keep them past that, and were very surprised he lasted so long. He was very, very fiesty his whole life. Only the last few weeks did he really show his age, in his actions, and slow down.

Kind of interesting. i've had a couple of T's that I knew died from poor husbandry...the cobalt blue, and the goliath. I've had a cave spider (tailless whipscorpion) baby, and a brazlian black that i belived died because they were young, and had bad molts.
Everyone else has lasted and done pretty well and died of natural causes as far as i can tell.

I have heard the red knees live long, even in males. We're pretty sure this one is female. Her shape in consistant and her age seems to of course be longer lived. She may be older than 9 actually, as hubby and i have been together for 12 years and he got her and some other tarantulas shortly after we got together.

Rogue628

11-13-12, 11:10 PM

My bad. Friendly was not the correct word to use. Docile was more what I meant. My T isn't 'friendly' as he won't crawl up in my hand on his own. But he's docile when I do hold him.

Thanks for the great info, Dragon! When I do get ready to purchase another T, I will be asking tons of questions I hope you'll answer as I want to get a sling next time instead of one that appears to be fully grown. I want to learn about them better as a baby and how they grow and molt. I feel like I've missed something with the one I have now.

DragonsEye

11-14-12, 07:15 AM

Glad the info proved useful.

Melissa, sounds like your male, though he had hooked out, had not yet reached full maturity when his boxing gloves first developed. It is not unheard of with T's. (Consider it the beginning of puberty.) It can vary somewhat and such a pattern is pretty much the norm with the true spiders.

B. smithii females can easily hit the 25yr mark. With many of the long lived species no one is quite sure as to what the upper end of the lifespan may be in captivity. Simply put, the keeping of Ts is still a rather young hobby and there has been little research done on maximum life expectancy.

jaleely

11-14-12, 11:44 PM

Hey not fair! His clubs didn't change after the last molt, though i admit there could have been some more maturity going on.
I will be stubborn and say that i felt like we just provided such good care that though sheds are difficult after the clubs form, it can be possible : )
;)

AjaMichelle

11-15-12, 12:35 AM

Your rosea is so pretty! :) I have one too! mine won't eat roaches, however, she has a preference for crickets.

DragonsEye

11-15-12, 08:37 AM

Hey not fair! ;)

LOL :D

His clubs didn't change after the last molt, though i admit there could have been some more maturity going on.
;)

No discernable change in the appearance of his 'gloves' would be unsurprising. ;) With a male Steatoda grossa (false black widow) I had last year, for example, that was exactly what happened as well. And for them that is the normal chain of events with the males' 'gloves' developing the molt prior to the penultimate molt. You hit the "nail on the head" with the reference of more maturity going on internally between your male's getting his 'gloves' and his final molt. It is not unlike in humans in which, as children, females have ovaries and males have testes but further developmental is required before those organs are functional.

Most the time people (myself included) don't notice the gloves until the male's penultimate molt. With my former P. irminia, I didn't see the gloves before the last molt, but with that species they aren't as noticeable as with some of the others. (And those species which have a penchant for hiding are a REAL pain.)

I will be stubborn and say that i felt like we just provided such good care that though sheds are difficult after the clubs form, it can be possible ;)

Once a male hits his penultimate, that is the end of molting. You do have me curious though, I need to check with some breeders I know and find out if the formation of the gloves one molt prior to the final molt is the norm for T's across the board or just in certain species.

Btw, Melissa, next time you have a definite male, you may want to hit a herp show and take him with you. You may be able to find a breeder who will take your male in exchange for one or more slings. (Not unlike the breeding loans folks do with their snakes on this forum -- exept you can't count on getting your male back.) I traded my mature male P. irminia in for a large sling of the same species last weekend at a show. Some breeders will only go for it if your male successfully breeds, but others will be willing to give you at least one sling as a replacement since males often get killed by the females (in the confines of the female's tank there is simply no place for him to run away and hide afterwards) or die from wearing themselves out. Overall I find it a nice way to get another T for free -- especially if it is a species you find particularly attractive.

jaleely

11-15-12, 02:16 PM

Dragon that's a good idea! didn't occur to us, but my husband wouldn't have given him up anyway. We get attached and don't do trades with anything. He just goes and buys more T's if he wants them lol
We did get another mexican red knee, hoping he was male, to put with our female and see how it goes. I have a feeling it's another female though!

And, i have a feeling you are probably correct as to the reason why a male would visibly show the boxing gloves, but be able to complete another molt. But, when we looked it up we did find information suggesting that there have been a few people who had males last past the glove formation, up to two molts after. There is a dramatic change in time, and there is a *very* long time between subsequent molts...and boy did he look terrible right before the last molt. We thought for sure he was going to pass on...but we came downstairs one day and nope! Had a molt! Still had his gloves on, and he was fiesty as ever.
He was a particular favorite of ours because he was defensive, and aggressive. Just a little fireball. Not little, either, as he did get pretty big for a skeleton knee, as well.
I will have to dig up some photos of him. I don't have many as he when that lid was off, he was looking for blood LOL
Right before he died he slowed down, and was docile. Looked awful, and skinny. We were like, dude, put yourself out of your misery lol but we were still sad to see him go.