Hi there! It has been a long time. Most of the babies have molted for the third time and are getting big. I had to move them into deli cups - some I moved into chinese take out containers, and after looking at them after a couple of meals, I think those might not last too long. I have switched to feeding them only a couple of times a week, so that they'll be hungry enough to take down their own prey(i.e. I won't have to kill crickets anymore!). Here are some photos I took.

  As you can see, The middle photo is of a baby in the process of molting. The bottom photo is of the burrow the baby excavated after being moved into its new home. You should be able to see 2 openings. When I moved them, I put new coconut coir in the new container. I then put the old home containing the baby inside the new container on its side. I then gently nudged the baby until it left the old container. I, then, removed the old home and dumped the old substrate onto the new substrate. I had hoped that this might help them to settle in more quickly. With several of the babies, the old substrate stuck together in a clump. I'm sure webbing helped. These guys actually dug burrows, which surprised me as most go them had shown no signs of burrowing before. Que sera, sera!

Hey there! how's it going? I hope everyone is getting ready for the holidays. I haven't been on in quite a while. There hasn't been  a whole lot going on with the babies. A handful of them have molted. They are too big for the ketchup containers when they molt, so I have been trying to get deli containers from the store when I can and have been re-housing them as soon as I can. The first one that molted has been real hungry and took down a medium size cricket with no problem. I guess this means that I should probably feed them less, and, therefore, I won't have to kill the crickets anymore. An interesting occurrence, when I re-housed the little guys, I put their ketchup containers inside of the deli container and gently nudged them into their new home. I then dumped the old substrate on top of the new substrate. My hope was that it would give them a sense of security by having something familiar around. Several of the babies - where the substrate basically fell into the new container whole or at least mostly intact - have actually dug burrows. At least one now has a burrow with an entrance and an exit - or should I say 2 openings. I just find this intriguing as none of the ones left had burrows before. I will have to post some photos soon. Ciao.

I know I have been scarce here, but I finally have some news. I have had one of the babies molt for the 3rd time since I have had them! I think moving it to a new container helped speed up the molt by a few days. Taranttulas have been known to molt after moving to new quarters. Here is the pic.

Well, that is all I have. The new molts will be BIG. At least bigger than before! I have been trying to get new containers for them all, so they'll be content for a couple of molts at least. Ciao.

Well, I am glad to be back. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. All the babies were very hungry when I got back. Only one died while I was gone for 6 days. Of course I went straight to the pet shop to get 50 small crickets and to pick up my parrot from boarding. Because they hadn't eaten in six days, many of the babies actually attacked and killed the crickets I gave them. If you remember, none of my babies would kill their prey, but because a couple of people that got babies from me said that theirs would kill their crickets, I figured I  would try to feed live prey to mine this time as they should have been hungry. I an guessing that mine don't like to kill their prey because I feed them every other day. Perhaps because they are so well fed, they just don't feel the urge to kill. I haven't asked the others how often they feed their babies, but ,obviously, if they are hungry they will do whatever it takes to eat. At least one of them was still willing to kill its prey the day after I got home as well. Since today is Wednesday - day 3 since I have been back, I haven't fed any of them...a day of rest and relaxation for all. Ciao.

Well, tonight is the last time I will be able to update my blog until next week. I am going to my mom's for Thanksgiving. I will be back Monday, but I don't know if I will be able to post anything until Tuesday. All the babies have been fed and watered. I'm sure I will be a nervous wreck leaving them for 6 days. Hopefully, they will be ok. As of tonight, there are 4 that still have not molted, but they are fat and looking ready to pop. Have a happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Well, I have a couple of things to tell you tonight. First and foremost, there are only 5 that still have not molted.  Secondly, the baby that had molted twice this time has died. I believe this is what happened the other times as well, but I can't prove that. This time, I marked its container so I would know which it was. It seems that for some reason it molted very quickly after the normal molt and perhaps its body couldn't handle it. It had fed, as it should have, after the second molt, then, just died  - all within a day. Other than that, I really don't have anything else to report so .....Ciao for now.

Well, things are literally "popping" around here. There have been 11 new molts since yesterday! A few had barely finished when I checked on them. One appeared to have just righted itself and still had a couple of legs tangled. I hope that doesn't mean it'll have problems tomorrow. Anyway, I took a picture of something I thought was interesting. Here it is.

In this picture, somehow this little guy got its exuvium stuck to the lid of its container. I have never seen any of them on the lids of their containers, but that doesn't mean they don't investigate them while I'm sleeping or at work. I just thought it was interesting.

Well, it has been a while, and a lot of the guys have molted in that time. T here are 20 new molts, and they are doing fine. I sent 2 more to Texas. They should arrive tomorrow at the latest. Other than that, I have no new news.

How's it going? Since the last post 2 days ago there have been 6 new molts. Things are really starting to pop again - literally. LOL. They all are looking great.
  On another note, about a month ago, I bought 2 Green Bottle Blues, Chromatapelma cyanopubescens.  At first, they were doing well. Then I noticed 1 was walking kinda drunkenly. I increased the humidity, and it did better for a while then reverted back to the odd drunken disabled walking. Then the other started showing similar signs. I moved them to much larger containers. The healthier of the 2 now seems normal. The first to fall ill has been in a death curl for several days. I have been holding out on calling it quits. Yesterday I wasn't sure if it was actually attempting to move, or if it was my imagination. To day, when I open the container, it definitely moved a leg. I am hoping that whatever was the problem will be overcome. I am leaning towards a mold problem. I did find a small spot of mold on the rim of the container when I was removing it. Keep your fingers crossed.

How's it going? I didn't post yesterday, and that's because there was only one change among the babies. There was one new molt. Here is the photo.

When I opened it's container, it still had it's old exuvium stuck to its abdomen. When I pinned the old exuvium to the substrate, it peeled off with no mishaps. Today, it's looking a lot darker - blacker - actually a charcoal gray. Anyway, that is the only change in stats. I have noticed more and more that some of the little guys will - not regularly - spin a lot of webbing. Sometimes when I open the containers, I think a lot of mold  - or something  - has grown overnight. Sometimes, it is obvious that it's over the carcass of a cricket. Here is a photo.

The best example, I inadvertently destroyed by picking it up with my tongs thinking it was a magnificent mold bloom. I the process of trying to remove it, I literally pulled all the substrate out of the container. Even with the above webbing, a lot of the substrate came up with it. Sometimes the webbing isn't visible until I try to remove the remains of the cricket and most of the top layer of substrate is dangling from my tongs. Well, that's all I have for now. Ciao ciao.

Hello. I am back, but I'm afraid I have no new news to report. No one else has molted, although there are a few that are looking dark as though they may be close. Some of them should be close as it has been more than a week since the first one has molted. Oh well. All I can do is wait. Patience is a virtue they say. Ciao.

Well, tonight, there isn't a whole lot of change in the stats. The one I found yesterday that I thought was dead...was dead. There is one that molted, and this is rather exciting. It is a lot larger and really does look like a tarantula now - well at least compared before. Here is a photo.

The photo above isn't the same baby, but it does give you a good idea of what the newly molted one looked like yesterday....a big change. What I find perplexing is that the other one that has already molted does not look like this new one. It should, but perhaps because it molted so soon it didn't have time to mature much?? I don't know. Well, that's all I have for today. Ciao ciao.

Well, here I am again. It has been 2 days since the last post. Not much has changed. On the 1st, the only change was that 1 died. I have since increased to humidity in all the containers in the hope that perhaps they were too dry. Today, there is another one that I think is dead. It is on its side with its legs curled under in a death curl like manner. I have set it aside in the hope that perhaps it might be molting in an unusual position - which does happen from time to time. Either way, we will know tomorrow. Well, that's all for tonight. Hasta mañana.

Hello there. It has been a couple of days since my last post. My dog had an allergic reaction to something. I think it was a vaccination he got Friday.. So, I spent all weekend keeping a close eye on him. I did keep up on feeding the babies. The only change in stats occurred Saturday. One of the little guys died. It was one of the smaller ones, and it had been acting odd the day before - walking all disjointedly - so I wasn't too surprised to find it dead. I went through them today, and there are no more changes  Hopefully they will begin to molt soon and this monotony will be broken. Ciao for now.

Well, it has been a couple of days. I didn't post anything yesterday, because there were no changes and, therefore, nothing really to tell. Today there still are no changes...no new molts and no deaths  -absolutely nothing of interest to report. I still have to kill everything before they will eat. Well, I guess that's all for today. Hopefully tomorrow will be different. Ciao.

Hey there! How's it going? Another day another cricket, huh? Well, today I had a little surprise. As of yesterday, there were 2 that still hadn't grown enough to molt. Today, they still haven't molted. That's not the surprise though. Today, there should have been 55 that had already molted again. However, there were only 54. One of them has already molted again! During the last round of molts, I had thought that a couple of them had molted again before this molt. Now, I am sure of it. I am keeping all the the containers in a 10 gallon aquarium. As they began to molt, I separated the new molts from the others by placing them in the aquarium at opposite ends. The one I found today was in the middle of the ones that had already molted, and, as we all know, there are only 2 left that haven't molted. The same ones that were there yesterday! Any way, I do have a couple of photos to share. One is of one of the guys molting. It always fascinates me to see this. Gigi, my Brachpelma albiceps, molted Saturday and I was able to see almost the whole thing(even though it took about 4 hours). The other photo is of
(I think) my fattest baby who was still feeding on the cricket I gave it yesterday. So here they are.

This above, is the baby molting - just like something out of an alien or horror movie.

Here is the greedy little glutton. It amazes me how much their abdomens can swell and stretch. From what I have noticed, after they molt, they really don't eat too much. Don't get me wrong! They eat, and they eat regularly, but it seems they eat in moderation until their abdomens have filled out somewhat nicely. Then, they really seem to start gorging themselves. Their abdomens are noticeably larger every time I open their containers when the begin this gorging cycle. Well, that is all I have tonight. Hasta mañana y vaya con Dios.

Well, here we are again!. Unfortunately, I did not get to post anything last night due to an unpleasant food poisoning incident that had me up and in the bathroom until 2:00 A.M. I did though, before it set in, get to check on all the little guys. So, the numbers for yesterday are as follows. There were 2 new molts, which left 3 stragglers still trying to get there. There were 51 that had already molted.
  For tonight, there was 1 new molt, and 2 stragglers. There are 54 that have already molted, and some of these are already looking huge and ready to burst.
  Well, those are my findings for tonight, but before I post this and sign off, I would like to pay tribute to Marguerite Jane Schultz co-author of The Tarantula Keepers Guide. She has passed away recently, and will be greatly missed by all who enjoy these creatures. At least she, together with her husband, have graced us with their wealth of knowledge. God Bless.

Tonight, we have some changes. Yesterday, there were 2 new molts, 9 that hadn't molted, and 41 that had already molted. Tonight, there wee 4 new molts, 5 that hadn't molted, and 49 that had already molted. Colby, the guy I work with says his baby took a live but very very small cricket. This astounded me, because no one has said that their babies will take live food or even food that is moving even a little. I wonder if he hasn't been feeding it as well as I do mine. This also makes me wonder if I don't feed mine for several days i f they will be more inclined to attack... I shall have to set a couple aside for this experiment. Ciao.

Good day everyone. I am back. This has been a busy week here with the baby tarantulas...so many molts and hungry bellies to fill. Tonight there were 8 babies that molted since yesterday. This, of course means that the number of babies that have not molted is dwindling rather quickly. There are 19 of those left, and that leaves an even 30 that had already molted. I really am anxious for them to get to the size where they can catch their own prey. I'm tiring of having cricket guts on my fingers. Well, that is all for tonight. Bye bye.

Okay! here we are again. I skipped last night, so I would have a little more to say tonight. Sorry if you missed me. So this is what I have. Yesterday, there were 7 new molts. 23 that had already molted for the second time, and 27 that had not molted.
  Tonight, I have  - again - 7 new molts. 30 that have molted for the 2nd time, 19 that are closing in on their 2nd molt. One thing I like about these Lasiodora parahybanas is that they are not wanderers. I can open their containers, and they have really no desire to leave it to explore. I got a couple of

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Green Bottle Blue) today, and they just want to go go go. As I said, with the L. parahybanas, I can go check on something or chase down a cricket, and at least so far, they just hang out and are content to stay in their containers. I did, however, today see something interesting. I had placed half of a small cricket (which was real more like a medium cricket) in one of the containers, and within a couple of seconds, the baby had lashed out at it - or at least in that direction. It was like when my older tarantulas aren't interested in feeding and are trying to just slap it away to scare it off.  This was the first time I have seen any of these guys do this. Perhaps they might finally start acting like predators instead of scavengers soon.  I have a couple of photos I wanted to share. One is of one of the little guys that had just finished molting today. It is so pale and fresh. The other photo is of one of the ones that molted a few days ago.. Well, that is all for tonight. Ciao ciao.

All right, How is everyone tonight? We are doing well and making progress...slowly but surely, but we are making progress. Tonight I found 7 little guys that had molted since yesterday. There are 17 that have already molted, and there are 33 that I am waiting on to molt. Interestingly enough, the two timid ones that are left both molted since yesterday. That surprises me because they were not hearty eaters and did not seem to be growing fast. There certainly are others that appear more than ready to molt...it's just another surprise when they molt sooner than others that are larger and seem more prepared. Well, that is all I have tonight. Tomorrow is feeding day again. Good night.

OK. How is everyone tonight? We are doing well. I didn't post last night. I went to the local pet shop to get crickets and got there at 7:06pm, and they were closed even thought the sign says they are open until 8:00pm, so being a little miffed, I came home and went through the babies and removed any leftovers and recorded any changes, but did not post anything. so, here are the findings from yesterday: 8 new molts, 9 that have molted already and 40 that have not molted a second time.
  Today, I went to the pet store and got some crickets. I did not see the owner, so I didn't ask about their hours of operation. Today, there was 1 new molt. 19 that have molted a second time and 38 that have only molted once. The babies still are terrified of live food. They will only feed if it's not moving at all. Dylan, the guy in Kalamazoo who bought one told me after I emailed him to see if his has molted that his won't eat live foo. I guess he's been trying live crickets, and it won't eat, therefore it hasn't molted yet. But I still have a lot that haven't molted either, but his was one of the larger ones. I find it interesting that a tarantulas that becomes one of the largest in the world is so timid as a baby and only scavenges for food. It will be interesting to see at what size they actually become active predators. The local pet store has one tarantula. It's labeled a Brazilian Salmon Pink. It's about 2 inches(diagonal leg span), and I saw it catch something in its cage, but mine are far from that size. Well, that's all I have tonight. Ciao ciao.

  I missed yesterday thanks to the sales reps. that took all of us out to happy hour. It was great fun. Thank you. Well, yesterday, There were 5 new molts, 3 that had already molted, and the rest were just feeding and trying to get ready to molt.
  Tonight, there were 50 that are trying to get to the next molt. There was 1 new molt, and 7 that have already molted  -  the leaders of the pack. I did find out that the 2 I sent to Texas have molted as well. Aragog, the one I sold to Katie and Paul is still not eating. I'm sure he is in pre molt. I will be surprised if he hasn't molted by Monday.
  I must add that MOST tarantulas - the Brazilian Salmon Pinks included  -  do very well at average room temperature  -  say 70 degrees. If you want them to grow faster, you need to raise the temperature a few degrees, but probably not much over 80 -80 degrees.

All right. Tonight there are some changes. Of course, the largest one went to its new owner today. Colby was so happy and had it out walking around on his hand  -  which is probably really good. If its used to handling as a baby, then maybe it won't be as stressful when it's larger - say 6 inches or even 3 inches and trying to accustom it to handling. They say  -  even those who do not handle their tarantulas -  that sooner or later there will come a time when you MUST handle it  -  even if it's just to move it to a larger house. Ok, enough of that. He's happy, and I'm happy for him. Paul and Katie say that Aragog hasn't really been eating for a few days. He was being a real pig though, and I am sure he is just getting ready to molt. It's interesting that they took his/her condiment container and placed it in a larger krater keeper. They say he comes out of his container and explores the kritter keeper but then returns to his container  -  familiarity? It's as if his old home is his den that he returns to for safety. I will bet that's where he will molt. Ok, so for tonight's stats, There are 55 that are getting ready to molt again. By this, I mean that they have molted and are feeding to gain sustenance and size so they can molt again. Older tarantulas  -  like my other 3, all Brachypelmas, when they are preparing to molt - called pre molt  -  actually stop feeding and become reclusive until they molt which the whole period may take a month.
 There is 1 that has already molted, and there are 2 mew molts since yesterday. I am kind of excited about this as one of the ones that molted is one of the ones I have set aside for myself. As I mentioned before, The ones I chose for myself was based solely on their feeding response( they feed eagerly when they first arrived). Then, they kind of fell behind in feeding and growth and were bringing up the rear after they molted. Now, one of them has molted and has now, once again, become a forerunner.

Here I am going to include a curious baby.  Many of the babies' black spots seem to have changed over time. Most become rectangular or triangular in shape...not this one. Well, that's all I have for tonight. Ciao.

Well, I don't have much to tell tonight. There were no deaths, which is good. I was so sure the one I dropped would die, but it seems to be doing well and is active. There are no more new molts. 2 that have already molted again and 57 that are waiting and preparing to molt. I am excited about 1 thing though. One will be going to a new home tomorrow. My co-worker got the ok to get the one I had set aside and was holding for him. Therefore, the largest of my brood will be leaving us. My co-worker is so excited. He has been waiting for this anxiously and is looking forward to watching his little tyke grow up. That is one of the most rewarding things for me  -  watching things grow and change as they develop. Partly why I started this exercise was because I wanted to see them grow and develop first hand , and because I wanted one - just one, and when I bought them, while i knew there would be 40, I wasn't thinking there would be 106. Anyway, I've always liked caring for things and watching them grow. Until tomorrow... keep your fingers crossed that more molt!  Ciao ciao.

Well, folks, tonight there is a little bit more exciting news. One more has molted. That makes 2 that have molted for this go around. One died, but it wasn't the one I dropped yesterday. It was one of the ones in the "Timid" stack. That leaves only two of the more severely timid ones left. The one I dropped yesterday seems to be doing great  - as if nothing happened. That leaves  all the rest that are fattening themselves up in preparation to molt. Here are a couple photos of the 2 that have molted.

This is the most recent baby to molt. It's darker that the one that molted yesterday, which is a nice change. They are darkening in appearance. Older ones are black with salmon pink setae or bristles Hence the name Brazilian Salmon Pink.

This is the first one to molt. It's not as dark as the one above, and it still has a piece of exuvium stuck to its abdomen. I tried to remove it, but it's being pretty skittish, so I thought maybe it'd be better to just leave it as is. Well, that is all for now. Good night.

Well, I was seriously thinking about not posting anything tonight...until I went throughout the babies and found one that was just finishing up molting. It was still trying to get its abdomen free of the exoskeleton. I'm not surprised, but I am pleased, that this one molted.  It's one of the largest  -  and now THE largest. One I had set aside for a co-worker(who may not be getting it after all because his girlfriend has a phobia of "bugs"). Anyway, There was the one molt. Then, there was the one timid one from yesterday that I thought was going to die  -  it did. Which now leaves 58that have not molted but should be preparing to molt. Well, It will be a while before the last to molt will be ready, but I can only hope that they will eat well in preparation. Tomorrow I may be one less as when I was getting the last two to molt out to feed check on/feed them, one container slipped out of my grasp and fell to the floor. It seemed ok. The poor thing, but I will be surprised if it's alive tomorrow. Surely it must have suffered some kind of injury in the fall.  Well, we shall see.

Here is a photo of the exoskeleton of the recently molted one.

And now, here is a photo of the recent graduate itself.

You might be able to see that some of the exoskeleton has stuck to the urticating bristles on its abdomen. This has happened to a few others previously without and obvious ill side effects, so I am not going to try to remove it for fear I may cause an injury. It is a good deal bigger than yesterday. I guess that is all I have for now. I am trying to find the last photo of this little one so I can compare them. If I find it I will definitely edit and post it.

AHA!! I found it! So here they are together for comparison,

It's hard to believe it's the same one! Good night all.

Howdy Howdy Howdy! Golly! that sounds so redneckish! I'm NOT a redneck! LOLBet they all say that.Anyway, there's not much to tell tonight. There were no deaths, no new molts. All 61have made it, except there is another of the "timid" ones that didn't seem right. I I was kinda careening around like a drunk when it walked, so I suspect it will soon have passed too. I guess we will have to see tomorrow when I check on them.

Hello, hello! I don't have much to report tonight, except that all in all I have 61 Baby Lasiodora parahybana left, and all are doing well. None have died.  Let's see if I'm still saying that tomorrow...  I have one left that has a triangular dark patch. There were only 2 that I had notice, but the other yesterday had traded the triangular shape for a circular one. Here is a photo of the one that is left with a triangular patch.

Much more triangular that the round or rectangular ones. I just think it's curious. Nice shine to it too. I just wonder if there is a correlation between the size if the opisthosoma and the shape of the spot and getting ready to molt... Probably not, but we'll see. Time will tell. Hasta mañana. Besos a todos.

Well, the times are changing. Now that there are no more waiting to achieve their first molt,  I have less to keep track of, and, therefore, less to report. There were 2 that died since yesterday. If you remember there was 1 that for the past two days I thought was going to die. Well, it did. It certainly hung on there though. The other one that died was one of the very timid ones. That leaves 4 left in that stack. It kind of doesn't surprise me that one of those would die as only one appears to be eating well, and perhaps life is just too stressful for them. Wow, it's a good thing they don't have to ward off any predators if that's the case. Anyhow, that leaves 58 if I counted right that are now waiting to molt once again.  I did have an interesting surprise though. One of the largest, which I had set as aide for my co-worker, whose dark spot had gone from round to a triangular shape, today now has a nice round spot  - again!

Here are a couple photos of it with it's newly rounded spot.

This one is a fatty. It's usually a very hearty eater. I am hoping that since its dark spot has become round again that this might indicate that it may be getting close to molting again. I hope so. I swear that after eating they look like they are about to burst, and I continually wonder how far their exoskeletons can stretch. That is another reason whyI feed them every other day...to give them time to digest their meal and get a little hungry again. Well, that's all there is for today. Keep you fingers crossed that no more die overnight. Ciao.

Well, tonight there are some new developments...some good, some bad. While the 1 that had a spot did molt, the 1 that still had not developed the spot died. While it was the slowest to develop, it was eating well, and I was hoping to see it get the spot soon. On the other hand, as I said, the last one with the spot did molt. One more step out of the way. So that leaves 60 left that have already molted at least once since I have gotten them...with a total of 61 still alive. I almost forgot to mentions. The one I thought yesterday was dying is still hanging on. I took a picture to post, but I really thing that by tomorrow it will have passed on.

Here you can see it's in a death curl. When I first opened the container I thought it was on it's back. It was so hard to tell. Only with the magnification of my camera could I tell for sure that it is right side up and in a death curl. This is the most prolonged death among these guys that I have seen so far.
  Here is another photo.

Most of them have a rather round dark spot on their opisthosoma(abdomen). It seems that as they feed and their opisthosoma expands the dark spot tends to take on a rectangular shape. I was trying to document this through this photo. In some of the larger ones where the opisthosoma has expanded even more, the dark spot seems to have become a pronounced triaglular shape. At first I thought I was imagining this, but it's true. Some people think the dark spot it made up of urticating bristles, although the one time my Brachypelma boehmei kicked at me, it didn't seem like it was rubbing the dorsal part of its opisthosoma, maybe it was. It happened oh so quickly. Maybe the changing from a round patch to a triangle is purely because of these bristles being rubbed off.

  Here is yet another photo.

As I mentioned much earlier, I try to leave their food in the center of the container. Her you can see the spiderling more in the center of the photo, while the head and thorax of the baby cricket is at the bottom go the photo. The spiderling has dragged the abdomen to the edge of the container at the top of the photo. Most of them do still carry their meals to the edge of the containers. Some just eat them where they find them...lazy buggers.

Howdy Howdy. Well, There is still 1 that is hanging on to the status of having no spot. There also is 1 that has a spot but has not yet molted. There is 1 that I think is dying and will probably be dead tomorrow when I check on it. It is somewhat in a death curl although it is hobbling around somewhat, but I'm not trying to keep my hopes up. I did put some food in with it just in case though. There are 62 that have already molted. There isn't much else to say, except, it's kind of interesting that the one that I had set aside for myself at the beginning because they were eating so well, now, have fallen back to to low side  of the middle of the pack. They slowed in their eating and others have surpassed them in size. Also, the one that I had set aside for my co-worker, because it was eating so much and was, until recently, THE largest of them all, has slowed down and at least 1 other has passed it. However, I am basing this mainly on the size of their abdomens as that is what increases in size most notably when they feed, and when they molt again, my co-worker's baby may once again gain the upper hand. Ok then, until tomorrow, Adieu.

Tonight, my stats are as follows. There is 1 that still has no spot. There are 3 that have a spot but still have not molted. There was 1 new molt, and 58 that have molted already. There was 1 that had died and another I think is dying. I am waiting until tomorrow to verify for sure. The one that had died was one of the three that I had marked for myself. I believe I am sure of the reason/cause of death. Yesterday when I was putting it back with the others, I was about to set it down when it slipped out of my grasp and fell about an inch. I believe this trauma is was caused its demise. The other two that were also in this accident have not yet displayed any ill effects. I will have to keep my fingers crossed. Time will tell. Hasta mañana.

Well, today there were no new molts. One baby still does not developed the spot. 3 have the spot, and 61 have molted since I received them In addition, there are 7 very timid acting ones - 1 more than yesterday. I think I just overlooked this one yesterday. Here is a photo of one of them.

All of its legs appear to be raised off the ground and its carapace and abdomen are arced to help facilitate and/or enhance this posture. That is all I have for tonight. See you tomorrow. Ciao ciao.

All right, for todayLet's see where the statistics leave us. There was 1 that had no spot. There were 3 that had the spot. There were no new molts. One died. It appeared to be one of the ones that had recently molted, which is too bad, but that's the way the ball bounces, unfortunately. What caused it? Who knows? Too much humidity? Not enough humidity? Or perhaps something just went wrong with the molt. There were 61 that have already molted.
  I have now created a stack of the timid ones  -  the ones that hunker down and try to be invisible when I open the container. There are 6 of them. I failed to mention that the one I called Invalido - meaning cripple - because of the white discoloration of its carapace - molted successfully and now has completely normal coloration. I can only  guess that, as I and others thought, it was just some of the previous molt's exuvium that had stuck to him.
  I do have news that Aragog, Katie and Paul's baby is eating ravenously, which is good. It will grow quickly then. And the one that went to Dylan in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is doing well too, although it doesn't come out of its hide  -  at least not while its being watched. It does have a large cage though, and maybe the extra space has it a little overwhelmed. Who knows. Perhaps when the lights go out, it comes out to explore. They are rather nocturnal anyway. Ok, enough rambling. That is all I have for tonight. Hasta mañana.

Chicos! Que onda?! To night there isn't a lot to report. There is 1 that still has no spot.  3 have the spot. There were no new molts. There were 65 that are waiting to molt. I goes we are at a plateau so to speak while we wait for  the ones that haven't molted at all to molt and for those that have already molted to molt again. On the other hand, my Brachypelma Smithi ( Mexican Red Knee) has closed the entrance to her burrow in preparation for her pending molt. She did this yesterday. That's all for now. Hasta mañana!

All right! how's it going? We have a few number changes tonight. There is 1 that still has not developed a spot! I can't wait to get past that hurdle! ! had the spot. There were 2 new molts, and 65 old molts. And here I go getting the ones that had just molted for the second time mixed up with the ones that have only molted once. Dang it. However, I did see something interesting. As I removed the lid from one container, I thought it seemed like the baby was hunkered over something it was eating. As I gently turned the container trying not to disturb it, I realized it wasn't feeding but had a chunk of coconut husk in its chelicerae, which it eventually dropped. I am wondering. My first thought was that it was moving it in an attempt to do some excavating, but then I began to wonder if perhaps they can suck moisture out of the chunks of substrate. So far I have only seen my other tarantulas drink water off the sides of their containers ..and once I got a rare glimpse of one drinking out of its water dish.
 , so much for that. Now I have some new photos to show off. This is one of the little guys that worries me most. It doesn't seem to eat much, and while it doesn't even attempt a threat display, the postures it gives reminds me of someone being bullied and trying to defend itself by throwing its arms up to protect its face/head. Let me know what you think.

Well. I guess that's almost all I have for tonight, except that one of the smaller ones that had recently molted seems to have molted again. I find this very intriguing, as it is one that doesn't seem to eat well and was one of the last ones to molt. This has baffled me. Usually they molt, then spend days or weeks fattening up before they molt again. I hope he doesn't overdo himself and wear himself out.
All right, Ciao for now.

How are you all doing out there? I missed yesterday's post,because I was taking photos of "Flat Matthew" with 2 of my other tarantulas and my African Black Giant millipede for my nephew Matthew. He had asked me to do that. How could I say no? Anyway, They weren't being real cooperative and wanted to explore more than anything. Ok, so yesterday I had 3 babies that still had no spot. 1 had a spot. There were 2 new molts and 58 old molts.
  Today, there were 2 that had no spot. 1 had a spot...and 2 newly molted babies. I caught 1 in the act. It's so exciting to see that, because I don't get to see it that often. Here is the photo I took.

Of course you can't tell from a still photo, but it was wiggling its tiny legs strengthening them so it can turn over and stand....so amazing to see. I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing that.
  I have been told by my co-workers that Aragog is eating voraciously...eating up to 2 cricket legs a day! Yeah Ferda Lance and Paul! Here I am going to include a photo of Colby's greedy glutton. Every time I open the container, I think DANG this one is BIG. Then I realize it's the one I have set aside for my co-worker Colby, and I think to myself, "No wonder!" It has always been a hearty eater and definitely dwarfs most of the others and still appears larger than the one closest to its size.

This following photo is of one of the very few that have created any type of a burrow, and this one has  made the largest burrow out of all of them...and it still doesn't quite fit into it.

You can see its little booty sticking out there. That cricket leg I had just put in there, and it was demolished by the next day...which was a relief. I didn't think it was eating much since it had molted. I have noticed that, even though the are young, They don't eat much until about 3 - 4 days after they molt. I had thought that the babies might recuperate faster than that since my older Brachypelma juveniles only need 2 - 3 more days than this after molting  -  so far. I have read and been told, that as they age, they require more and more time to recuperate after molting. I guess, that if nothing else, we will learn to be patient as we wait for them to prepare to molt and then recuperate afterwards. 2 of my others closed themselves in their burrows for a whole month before emerging after molting. At least these guys aren't burrowers. They were fine except for being somewhat hungry. OK, well that is all I
have for tonight. TTYL. Ciao.

 Ok, Tonight I think my numbers might be slightly off, which I will try to explain in a bit. First off, there were only 2 that had not spot...which is good. That means they are eating enough to  get closer to molting, which in turn means the less delicate they are. There were 3 that showed the spot. There were 3 definite new molts, possibly 4. The 4th, I'm kind of uncertain about. It appeared to have molted very recently because of the bluish color of it's exoskeleton, but I couldn't find an old exoskeleton in the container. This means that either it was counted as a new molt yesterday , and its color hadn't changed( so far their colors have shifted from the bluish new-molt color to a tannish or brownish color by the next day), or, it had molted and destroyed its old exoskeleton. I have heard of tarantulas destroying their exoskeleton after molting, but being new to this, I have yet to experience it yet. However, since her last molt, Fifi, my Brachypelma boehmei still hasn't thrown out her old exoskeleton. She molted 3 weeks ago! Sometimes it seems as if they don't want to give up the familiarity of the old exuvium...kind of like a security blanket. Sometimes, when I open the container and they have molted, they'll run over to and crouch down by their old exuvium. To me it seems like it gives them comfort or perhaps a sense of protection. But perhaps it's purely instinctual. Perhaps to a predator, there might appear to be two spiders there, thus giving the newly molted spiderling a 50/50 chance of survival which would be better than if it was alone. All right! So much for new molts. OH! Not quite yet. I know for a fact that one of the babies that had molted previously had just molted AGAIN! A few days ago I had mentioned that I thought that perhaps1 or 2 babies that had already molted might have molted again. Since then, I divided the tank into 3 sections. Section 1 had babies with no spots and this withs spots that had not molted. Section 2 had the newly molted babies, and section3 had the ones that had already molted(old molts). Today, while going throughout he little guys, I found 1 that was still trying to get the exuvium off its abdomen. Of course I was excited by this find. I guess I need to email Stan Schultz again to see if he remembers how often his L.parahybana spiderlings molted.
  One last thing before I go.  Dylan in Kalamazoo, MI got the baby I sent him today! Herre is the picture he sent me of his new baby getting acquainted with its new house.

I hope you can see it. It's in the tube/hide. How cool is that!?

Till next time Adios muchachos!

Well, as of yesterday, there were 3 that has no spot. 7 had the spot. There was 1 new molt, and 59 had molted previously.
 Today, there were 2 that had no spot. 5 with the spot. 2 new molts . and there were 59 that had molted previously. This doesn't add up. While 1 developed the spot, 1 less had the spot and the number of previously molted was the same even though there were 2 molts. This adds more supporting evidence that  the ones that had molted previously might be starting to molt again. I will have to pay very close attention tomorrow when I go through them. I'm scratching my head, because if it's true that they are beginning to molt again, it'll blow apart the idea that they don't molt more often than other tarantulas.
Below I am posting a current photo of one of the babies. This one will be going home with one of my co-workers,Colby King, someday. It's a real glutton. You can see how plump and shiny it's abdomen is.

All right! As I may have said, I sent one of the babies to Kalamazoo, Michigan. If it doesn't arrive tomorrow, it should definitely arrive on Monday.  A young guy from Richmond, Virginia came by this evening for 20 of them. That still leaves me with 66....much better than 106 though. Being a nice guy, I only gave him ones that were doing well and had already molted. Of the ones I have left, there are still 4 that have not grown enough to have a black spot.  The one that I had posted a picture of that has a white patch on its carapace ( I call him Invalido...means cripple) is one of these. There are 9 that have the spot but still have not molted. There were 3 that had molted since yesterday....one of these seems BIG. I mean significantly bigger than all the others, and I'm wondering if it might have already molted  again for a second time. I guess I need to divide the tank into 3 sections. One for those that haven't molted. One for those that have molted, and then have a section for future molts. One expert I received an email from said that in his opinion the Lasiodora parahybana doesn't seem to molt more often than other tarantulas, but that they seem to increase more in size than others when they do molt. From what I have read, most juvenile tarantulas tend to molt about once a month. People also say that as they grow and age, the molting process takes longer, and they take longer to recuperate afterwards. One article I read online says that Lasiodora parahybana can reach a size of 6 inches in a year. I am assuming that is if you constantly power feed them. I don't intend to power feed them for a whole year...just until they get to be  about an inch or two. Well, that's all for tonight. Ciao.

Well, it' has been a few days since I have updated my blog. I've had quite a few changes. Yesterday, I had 7 babies that had no spot a all. There were 13 that had molted since the day before, and 50 that had already molted.

  As of today, there are 4 that still have not developed enough to have a dark spot. 10 had molted since yesterday. 1 had died. It was one that had molted already. 13 have spots and are waiting to molt. 52 have already molted.

  The 1 that died has me perplexed. Although I know there is no way of determining the cause, I wonder if it was too dry.

  On a lighter note, I have sent one of the little guys to a new home in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Fare ye well. I hope all goes well Mr. Seuss. Tomorrow, I have to get 20 ready for a new home in Richmond, VA. Finally, all the ones ( all 3 ) that I had set aside for myself have molted. I have been on vacation this week, hence the lapse in reporting. I wonder hoe Aragog is doing. I know he molted like most of my brood. I also know the 2 I sent to Texas have molted as well, even though they hadn't eaten since I shipped them. Mine seem to eat no matter what and have molted right after eating. Some have molted even with cricket running around with them much to my surprise the next day. I usually tear the crickets in two now and crush the head end before I drop it into the container, unless it's a very small cricket. In this case, I simply crush it's head and thorax with my fingers and drop it in. Evidently, that's not enough for some. Or, perhaps, I am not vicious enough as sometimes I discover a cricket running amok in the container the next day.
 Well, that's all for now.

I just finished checking on everybody, and everyone is fine. There were 11 new molts tonight. I did forget to mention earlier that one of the littlest ones died. It was one of the smallest and hadn't molted yet and didn't feed regularly. So much for weak genes. I am still concerned about the two small ones that seem so timid. They both have molted, but just sit hunched up with their legs pulled in tight to their bodies all the time. They can't do this all the time, because they have been eating. I wonder if they are more photosensitive than the others or perhaps more sensitive to disturbances. Sigh. I truly don't expect them to make it, but we shall see. Only time will tell.

  I had after the first week marked 3 containers for myself to be ones that I would keep. My reason for wanting these three was mainly based on their eagerness to feed. I thought that they would grow quickly, but as time has passed, they aren't growing as fast as many of the others... I keep thinking about the book "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide". In this book the authors put down the thought that perhaps some of the faster growing spiderlings might perhaps be males so as to grow and mature rapidly. If this is indeed true, then I should be glad mine are not growing so fast as the others, since males only live a fraction of the time females do. Below is a photo of one of the little ones who molted today. I interrupted him molting in a not very normal position(right side up).

In about a day, it'll be hungry and ready to eat.

Well,  I skipped yesterday and didn't post anything....not because there was nothing to say - because there was, but because I got my new computer and spent the day setting it up and figuring things out.
I did have quite a few molts yesterday - 15 in all. I even was lucky enough to catch one in the process. It had shed its exuvium(exoskeleton) but had not yet righted itself and was still stretching its legs. Her are a couple of photos.

This is the first time I have ever seen this firsthand. If you look closely, you can see the shed exuvium off to the left of its abdomen. It's kind of hard to see as it is the same color as the coconut husk. Besides the increased number of molts, there are 41 babies that have  the darkened spot on their rumps, and a few looked as if they are starting to get the dark spot.

 I have been pondering a thought for some while now. When I first started this blog, I thought I would make it solely about the baby L. parahybana. I have thought about and considered including my three other juvenile tarantulas as well, just to add a little variety. I am still undecided as to if I should break up the purity of the topic of this blog. Well, that's all for now. Perhaps I will add another post later today, after I check on the babies, and, of course, I need to go to the local pet shop and get more crickets. I'm there so often to get crickets, it throws them off when I show up for dog food! Hasta luego!

All right! I've had three more molts since yesterday. They seem so timid and skittish after they molt. I guess that's to be expected. They are very vulnerable and defenseless. I also counted 54 babies that have developed the dark spot. Surely more will have molted by tomorrow when I check on them. Well, that's all I have for tonight.

Today, while checking on the little guys, I found 39 had dark spots, and one more had molted since yesterday. It still had some exuvium stuck to its abdomen, which, luckily brushed off without any problem. I waas somewhat concerned as so far I had not encountered that. I'll put a notch in my belt for getting through that. :O) Quite a few of the babies with black spots appear pretty dark in color. I'm hoping that means a molt is imminent. Oh, yeah, and so far all three that have molted still have dark spots as well.  Although it's not as prominent as before, it's still  very noticeable as you saw in the photo I posted yesterday. That's all I have for today. Good night.

Tonight, I went through all of the babies and removed uneaten cricket parts and fed those that had nothing in thier containers. All together there are now 32 babies with black spots on their abdomens, but the most exciting news is that 2 of them had molted! I was happily surprised. I though that their whole abdomen would turn dark like my older tarantulas....and maybe they did and it happened so fast I didn't notice. Believe it or not, I don't watch them 24 hours a day. I do sleep, and I do have a job. LOL. Any way, the 2 that molted still have a dark spot, however, it's not quite as bright. but is still very noticeable, which makes me wonder how far away is their next molt? Only time will tell. Below is a photo of one of them(still kinda bluish).

Until tomorrow! Night all!!

Today was another day at Terra Tarantula. Hmm, I kinda like that! Lol. Any way, today we went from 13 babies with black spots to 21. I was hoping there would be more than that as the number had doubled from yesterday from the previous day. Oh well, growth rate isn't something that can be counted on to be regular. I did chat via text with the guy who had bought 2 of the babies yesterday. I was rather concerned that the post office had delivered them to the wrong address. Luckily the package was refused, but that still meant another day of travel, and the guy said that it was 102 degrees! Today, he texted me though and said that they had arrived safe and sound. Whew! That was a load off my mind. Well, I guess that is all for now. I am anxious for these guys to molt. I need to do more research . I have read that they grow very fast. So far I'm not seeing it. My older Brachypelmas, which are still juveniles, molt about every month. I thought that these guys would molt more often. OK. TTYL.

Well, tonight I had a nice surprise. Most of the babies seemed hungry, so I have decided to go back to feeding every other day. This decision was spurred on by the discovery that 13 of the babies have developed the black spot on their abdomens  -  as opposed to the 5 I saw yesterday! Oh! And there were no deaths either.  Aragog, the 1 purchased by a co-worker seems to be doing well, However, I am worried about the 2 I sent to Texas. They were supposed to arrive today, but due to a delivery error they have not. From what I was told, it was 102 degrees today! I hope they survive the trip!

Tonight, I went through all the babies to see how they are doing and to remove the leftovers.. Just as I thought, almost every single one had eaten overnight. This one was still feeding.

Tonight, there are a total of five that are showing the telltale black spot on the abdomen indicating that a molt is approaching. Here are photos of the five.

This last spiderling is just starting to show the dark spot, which I find interesting mainly because not only is it one of the smallest, but is also one of the most timid and seems to eat very little. One other think to noe is their coloration. Some of them in these enlarged photos display an interesting salmony pinkness. Is it a coincidence? Or could they already be starting to diplay the salmon pink bristles for which they were named? Or perhaps it is just the flash from my camera playing tricks on me. Only time will tell! Also, there were no more deaths to report. I did start to add drops of bottled water to the drier containers to help alleveiate dehydration. There is one that is very skittish  and does not want to move. I hope that increasing the humidity in its container might help to  turn this around. It just seems stressed for some reason. Well, that is all for tonight.

Well, tonight was feeding night. I thought that by waiting 2 days between feedings that perhaps the little tykes might be hungrier and more inclined to eat in front of me. WRONG!! They might be hungry, but not a single one came over to eat. I bet it'll be a different story  once the lights go out.  There are 3 more little ones sporting  a black spot on their abdomens. That's good. I'm anxious for them to grow and get past this hazardous infant stage.  I did get a few really nice threat displays from a few of the more brazened tykes though. If only I'd had my camera. At least there were no more fatalities. I guess that's all for today as there really wasn't much to report. Ciao.

Tonight, when I got home from work, I sat down to go through the babies containers. Yesterday, I only fed a few that didn't eat at the previous feeding. So, tonight was primarily a review to make sure everyone was OK and to remove any leftover from the few I did try to get to eat. Everyone was alive, however there are 2 that I'm a little concerned about. They seem rather skittish and while they don't run wildly around, it's as if they are afraid to go anywhere. I know they have all lain down webbing in their containers, eventhough I can't see it, and its as if these two, when they take quick steps, that they are getting stuck in or are startled by the webbing...or something. I hope they are ok tomorrow. Tomorrow is feeding day. Anyway, on a brighter note, I have a great picture to share.

This is a great sight for me. Note the darkened patch on this one's opisthosoma/abdomen? That is an indication that it's getting close to molting. I am so excited! This will be the FIRST of these guys to molt since I have had them. We all know that the molting process is the most crucial time for them and many die  when everything doesn't go just right, much the same as when women give birth. I will update you all tomorrow. The abdomen will turn completely dark like that spot before it happens. It'll be interesting to see if it's hungry tomorrow.
  As you can see in the above photo, I have been allowing the containers to dry out, but have been adding drops of bottled water to keep some moisture in the containers.  Some containers are drying out faster than others. I can only assume that some of the coconut coir wasdamper than other. At any rate, tonight, I was watching to try to see if the babies in the drier containers were hanging out closer to the damp substrate or not. On at least 2 of them, they did appear to be staying on the dampened substrate, but some of the others were on the dry substrate. Is it a coincidence or not? They have no other water source in these tiny containers. Well, that is all I have for now. Hasta manana amigos.

Well, hello again. I'm not really sure where to start. I found 1 dead spiderling today.

 It was nice and plump.The one I found yesterday that I thought was dying, is definitely dead today. I have been keeping one suspected of dying for at least one day to be sure. So far, none of them have molted. Even though I have read that Lasiodora parahybana grow extremely fast, I am not sure what that means. I have read that the average juvenile tarantula will molt about once a month. I thought that these - being spiderling - might molt more than that. Or, perhaps the "growing fast" means that when they do molt their size increases more than other tarantulas do. I don't know but can't wait to find out. My other three tarantulas, when they molt - being juveniles, fairly double their size. At any rate I will just have to wait and see, and they should be getting close to molting since I got them on August 24th.

   Yesterday was feeding day, and since only 1 baby was hungry enough to eat while I was waiting and watching, I had decided that may be I should start feeding them every two days as opposed to every other day. It had also crossed my mind that perhaps they weren't hungry because they are getting close to molting. Today, I went throught each tarantula's container and removed all the leftovers I could find and discovered that almost all of them had eaten overnight. A few had fed out in the open, but most had dragged their food to the side of the container. I guess they just needed a little candlelight and privacy.

Here is one of the little fatties.

 Their opisthosomas/abdomens are all fat and shiny, which still makes me think that it might not hurt to lengthen the time between feedings so that they aren't so fat. Could they being so well fed be contributing to the deaths - even though there haven't been all that many? I am down to 90 from 106. I have sold two to a gentleman in Texas though. There are a few that are not eating as well as the others and are not nearly as plump,,,which may be to their advantage. One of the smallest has had an odd white patch on its carapace ever since it arrived. I thought it might be a deformaty of some king at first, or perhaps a patch of exuvium that didn't come off in the last molt. Who knows.

Here is a photo of it. I will have to get a close up.