More tarantulas. A LOT more

[Snagrio]

So, went to my monthly local today expecting to come home with one or two more Ts. I ended up with 5 because 3 of them were freebies.

A young adult female Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, a larger than 1" Caribena versicolor sling, an 1" Pseudoclamoris gigas sling, a tiny Tliltocatl albopilosum sling and an equally tiny Holothele sp. blue sling.





The transfers went from okay to nerve wracking. The terrestrials went okay (the GBB took a little bit to get her to clamber out), but the arboreals... The versicolor was easily the worst. Climbed all over the place, jumped to the floor twice (thankfully I think it's okay), and overall took forever to get in the new container.

The gigas meanwhile I got it out of the vile just fine, but it moved a bit, and I looked away to start screwing the lid back on. I look again and in that microsecond it teleported almost to the top of the container. I knew they were fast but, what. It's pretty though, and had an old molt in the vial.


Finally, a better pic of the GBB post-transfer and all the setups overall. She's a beauty.

[YungRasputin]

v nice selections - C. versicolors are absolute sweethearts (minus the poop cannon lol)!

[Bogertophis]

Sounds like you needed more of these- for the practice! hahaha!

[Caitlin]

I love the tiny threat pose, lol

[Snagrio]

Just offered all the new Ts their first meal. 99% sure the GBB took the superworm offered. She panicked a bit due to her web roof getting torn off (because of course one of the very first things she webbed up was the lid) but I saw she turned back around towards where I put the superworm and it was gone next time I checked. As for all the slings I just put prekilled mealworms near them and hope they'll take them. The terrestrial sling were easy and the C. versicolor already made a little web platform to put it on, but the Amazonius germani (i.e. Pseudoclamoris gigas, I've learned that A. germani is the current name and its taxonomy was changed 3 times already) hadn't webbed up at all yet and has spent all its time on the underside of the lid. Luckily though I was able to very carefully able to lift it out while on the lid and keep it in a box with tissues while I changed the water and balanced a mealworm on the top of a branch. Just hope it notices it eventually.

[Snagrio]

I have mixed news. My Holothele sp. blue sling is for sure eating. Saw it actively feeding on the mealworm. I think the C. versicolor ate. It was out of its leaf tent and the mealworm was noticeably moved. Don't think the T. albo ate, still just sitting next to the mealworm, and I'm certain the A. germani never even saw the mealworm. Definitely going to glue some kind of bottle cap feeding platform near the top when I have some time because it never leaves the lid. Glad at least a couple of them are eating already though.

[Snagrio]

Gave all the Ts fresh water and food. Decided to give the slings multi-choice and put in a pre-killed mealworm and P. pruinosus isopod to see if that'd encourage the ones that haven't eaten yet (T. albopilosus and A. germani) to do so. Speaking of the latter I unfortunately wasn't able to make the feeding platform as it wasn't hanging on the lid and I'm not confidence enough to try and get it to move myself and I certainly wasn't going to try and spend the time to glue the bottle cap to the side in case it tried to escape, or worse bolted right into the fresh glue so I left the prey items on the ground (I saw it near the floor yesterday presumably to drink so I'm hoping they'll be noticed this time). At least I've had good luck with it not bolting free so far with my techniques, as this time I put a piece of paper over the top of where it was in case it moved up while I put in the water and food.

For some good news, I got visual confirmation of my GBB eating.

[Snagrio]

I'm getting incredibly frustrated with my A. germani... All the other slings have either eaten or, in the case of my curly hair, are in premolt as I've come to find out. But the germani is definitely not in premolt (it came to me with a molt in its vial) but has still not eaten for over a week. I've tried balancing prekilled prey on a stick halfway up the side, I've offered it at ground level, and neither has worked. I've just made a feeding platform at the top after several attempts (tried super glue and silicone and neither worked, only to find just driving a nail through the whole thing shish kabob style worked instantly), so I'm going to see if that will finally make a difference.

[Snagrio]

After a lot of struggling, I finally just went and got some live crickets for the A. germani and put in a couple last night, and it finally ate!!! Checked this morning and couldn't find one of the two crickets, and then I noticed the sling had a nice plump rump, and I have a pic from a week ago that showed how much thinner it was. Now all my slings have eaten at least once except for the T. albopilosum who's still in premolt (apparently it can take quite a long time).

[Snagrio]

I swear all my Ts are spoiled princesses. The GBB (who now has a name, Mora) didn't eat her prekilled superworm and instead just kicked it out of the way despite taking prekilled just fine before, but she of course took a live one instantly.

My Holothele sp blue, by the same token, also refused a prekilled mealworm despite taking one before, but quickly took to a prekilled cricket. Then there's my A. germani (who also has a name now, Phaser, just three Ts left to name) who's only eaten live crickets. Everyone goes on about snakes being a pain to feed sometimes but these guys have been far more egregious with their feeding preferences than my snakes ever have been.

The T. albo is excused for now because it's in premolt, but still, they're all so picky.