This is actually week 7... but I was away on vacation last week and couldnt make it to a computer so this will be 6 ok?
Since Nuno was good enough to show off his little doll for us in some photos I thought I would make it the profile of the week...
Species: Chromatoplema Cyaneopubescens
Common Names: Greenbottle Blue, Orange bottle-brush, bluebottle
Hails from: Northern lowlands of Venezuala
General Description:
This is a VERY cool NW spider. One of the few species that looks just as gorgeous as spiderlings as when they show adult colours. They undergo fairly drastic colour/pattern changes as they grow larger so I pretty much have to do 2 seperate descriptions!!
As spiderlings: They have an abdomen with chevrons closely resembling tiger stripes. The legs are banded with pink/orange and blue/green.
As adults: Photos never seem to do them justice as their colours seem to sheen in the light. Their abdomens are a rusty orange colour and the rest of the body is a blend of metallic blues and greens.
The temperament of this species is regarded as docile but very nervous. They kick hair at the slightest provocation and are incredibly fast runners. They tend to kick hair and then bolt to find a hiding place.
These are also one of the heavier webbing species. When given the chance they will cover most of their enclosure with thick and strong webbing... some suspect this is due to their natural habitat... they web to add stability to the loose dry sand where they live.
Housing:
This is a species that seems to prefer dry conditions. I keep my female at room temperature and about 60% humidity. This species is a bit of an oddball in that they tend to be a little aroboral as well as a little terrestrial. Although they are considered to be a terrestrial species, many go as far as to call them semi-arboral.
They seem to prefer a long and high enclosure with dry, loose substrate. I keep mine on a mixture of large grain lizard litter (its about the consistency of dried barley) with some repti-bark mixed in for colour and structure. A water dish (the sole means of humidity for this species) and a hiding place should also be provided.
Feeding:
Crickets twice a week are fine, with the occasional pinky mouse for adults as variety.
Personal notes:
-This species (as I am sure Nuno will attest to) is a VORACIOUS eater. They seem to only have food on the brain and not much else. While considered a non aggressive species, they are quite quick to pounce on food so care should be taken not to let your finger be mistaken for potential prey because they tend to pounce first and ask questions later.
-My girl is a real hair kicker. She doused me quite well with hairs when I was tranferring her to a new enclosure. I did handle her, but I would NOT recommend this as a handling species as they are very jumpy and nervous and will almost surely bolt off your hand and fall to their death. I only handled mine to put her inside the new enclosure.
As always, personal anecdotes and photos are welcome!!
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