July, 2000

July 5, 2000:
The A. braunshauseni is very premolt now. It hasn't eaten in a while, and its legs are quite dark. In fact, they're so dark, I'm expecting a pretty big color change. Tick and Boots and probably a few others are also in premolt.

I've been updating lots of the pages and making various corrections.

Update:
MOLT! Looks like Boots molted. Could have happened any time in the last 48 hours or so (it's hard to see her in her web), but I'm pretty sure it was today. I can't see her well at all, but I'll be moving her as soon as she recovers, so I'll be able to get a good look. She looks so pretty already, I can't wait to see!

The Cobalt looked really hungry (its abdomen is almost always skinny looking), and took out a good sized roach swiftly.

July 8, 2000:
Boots was out and about today, so I tested her with a cricket, and she grabbed it. I moved her into a 2.5 gallon (setup similar to Tick's). In the process I handled her some, and got pictures of that. She was a bit skittsh about it, but not aggressive at all. She did take a couple flying leaps (one from my hand about a foot through the air to my other arm, then another later from my hand four feet to the floor). She falls gracefully, but I'd feel safer if she didn't fall at all. I'll be more careful in the future. She was fun to hold, but wouldn't hold still much. Much rather wanted to jump around. I got a couple good pictures of her during the transfer. I'll post 'em soon. I measured her at 3½"

I gave zoophobas to Kuni, Raul, the Grinch and the P. irminia. The irminia was tough, because I can't just drop them in like crickets, I had to give it to her on a stick so it wouldn't burrow in.

The A. braunshauseni should molt any time now. She's really dark colored - I hope she changes color.

I tried to sex Boots's molt, but it was in bad shape. She probably molted earlier than the 5th (based on her recovery time). I wasn't able to unfold the abdomen very well, but there was a thingy sticking out sorta where the thingy should be (I couldn't even locate the book lungs). It's shaped like it's the right thingy, plus looking at her underside, she looks female, so I'll make that assumption until I get a better molt, or am able to do more with this one.

Tick should molt soon too. I'll clean her cage and get some good pictures when she does.

July 9, 2000:
The P. cambridgei looks like it molted today. At first the braunshauseni hadn't changed color much, but it looks like it has now.

Update: Tick molted late this evening finally. When I first noticed she had, it looked like a bad situation so I went snipping into her web. When I did, she flipped over and I was assured my worrying was unjustified.

July 10, 2000:
I retrieved Tick's molt, but the important part of the abdomen is completely destoryed. Very disappointing. It was still fresh enough so that it could even be unfolded without mostening first.

July 11, 2000:
The new spiders arrived today finally. The T. blondi that was being shipped had to recover from a molt, so it took longer than expected. Also, because the B. smithis were in a molt cycle, that one was taken off the order (I can get them any time though), and I was refunded.

The others are cool though. The blondi has some size on it already, so it looks well established. The G. actaeon and V. platyoma are about an inch (maybe more) and there was also a free B. albopilosum included. I'll take some pictures tonight and post them soon hopefully. It was funny because the platyomma actually chewed a small hole partway through its wrapping.

I'll hold off on getting any more T's for quite a while unless I come across some rare species that I really want (Poecilotheria rufilata and Avicularia purpurea specifically). If I do get a chance to order those, I'll also throw in any of the other common ones I can from my wish list.

There's been a mold outbreak in almost half the cages just in the past 24 hours. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it, but repotting so many spiders would be tough.

July 12, 2000:
The B. albo looks like it dug several holes (some are hard to see) including one along the side that goes all the way to the bottom of its cage. Rather impressive for one night's work. The braunshauseni and the cambridgei were out and about, so they got fed. I got a pic of the braunshauseni, but the cambridgei was too timid. I got pictures of the new spiders as well. The blondi is a big pig of course; it got a zoophoba that I wouldn't normally feed a spider its size, but it had no trouble. The platyomma also ate a cricket readily. The actaeon refused initially - it may not be adjusted yet, or it may be ready to molt (it's rather fat).

The P. irminia has gotten fat, so I've been slowing down the feeding pace, and it's finally started to build a web. It's not the prettiest web, but at least it's a retreat. Should calm her down some to have that. The cobalt has also made modifications to the burrow I made for her, and extended down and horizontally.

July 15, 2000:
Today I uploaded a ton of pictures and made pages for the A. avic and the new spiders. There's gonna be some mess until I've gone through and double checked everything.

The A. fracta is changing color and should molt any time now. The A. avic has also changed color over the past day or so, and should molt soon. The P. ornata and possibly the P. regalis have stopped eating.

July 16, 2000:
MOLT! The A. fracta molted today, and seemed to gain some substantial size, relatively speaking. The A. avic should be pretty close to a molt as well.

The cobalt has moved tons of dirt in the past few days. It's finally adjusted to the new cage and has extensively expanded the burrow I started. I originally dug the start of a burrow at the front of the cage under the cork bark shelter, and it extended it to the bottom of the cage, and then toward the back along the side. It's really moved a pretty large quantity of dirt.

I expected Tick to be recovered and eating again, but her web is still sealed. It's been more than a week, so she should be ready any time. As soon as she starts eating again, her cage is going to get a good solid cleaning, and I'll get some pictures outside of the cage.

July 17, 2000:
MOLT! The A. avic molted this evening. Tick still hasn't emerged, but she's moved around some inside her web. The V. platyomma is super fat (it's abdomen is a big shiny sphere), and may go into pre-molt soon. The Cobalt is moving out large quantities of dirt every day. It's restructured part of the initial burrow I dug and covered up part of the window. It was mostly covered in webbing anyhow, so it doesn't hurt me much. It's created a sorta trumpeting entrance. Speck stopped eating and appears to be PMS.

July 18, 2000:
MOLT! The P. ornata molted sometime in the past several days. I had seen her hiding in a corner over the past few days, and figured she was pre- molt, but it looks like she's actually molted, but stayed in the same spot and moved the skin somewhere else. I'm going to assume she molted yesterday, because she looks the same as this morning. It seems that premolt in the pokeys is sorta hard to detect. Anyhow, she looks awesome, reds, greens, oranges, yellows, etc. When she starts eating again, she'll probably get a bigger cage, or at least a cage cleaning, and some good out- of cage photos. Hopefully, she'll keep these bright new colors.

July 19, 2000:
MOLT! Sparky molted. Though he was clearly in pre-molt, his abdomen didn't appear particularly dark. Anyhow, it had been three months since his previous molt (prior to that, they were 1½ months apart). Also, I was able to retrieve the molt immediately, and it was in spectacular condition. I am very nearly certain it's a male. From seeing his underside a few times, and the sketchy sexing of previous molts, I had a pretty strong hunch. I'm convinced now. I could also see some neat features in the molt such as the lining of part of the digestive tract.

Tick FINALLY ate today. It was a matter of teasing her with a cricket placed directly in her web. She wasn't so reluctant once food was present, but usually, she opens up her web and comes out when she's ready to feed. I haven't gotten a good look at her, but I'll be taking her out to clean her cage tomorrow. I have a sneaking suspicion that she's matured into a male, but I can't see her well enough to tell for sure. I can't see her well enough to tell if there are tibial hooks, but the tips of her palps looks sorta funny (but not really the swolen bulbs I would expect). Though from the underside, she's looked female, I haven't sucessfully sexed her from a molt either way yet.

July 20, 2000:
MOLT! The P. regalis had just started molting before I left for work. She was upside down in a silk "cradle" and her carapace was just coming off.

Since Tick ate yesterday, I cleaned her cage and took some pictures in the process. She's really grown up. Also, the P. ornata ate today, and it's time to move her into a bigger cage. She's not big enough for a 2.5 gallon yet, so I'll just keep her in a medium sized pet-pal for a few more molts. I got pictures of her also. She's really got some color right now. Bright oranges, yellows, reds, etc.

July 21, 2000:
The A. fracta appears to have died during the night. Last night when I checked on her, she had some legs curled up underneath, but she got up and walked away when I opened up the cage to take a look, so I assumed she was just grooming herself. Her cage seemed pretty dry, so I gave her a light spray. In hindsight, I wish I had been more thorough. This morning, she wasn't moving. I immediately put her in an ICU (small container lined with moist paper towel with a few holes in the lid). Hopfully the dampness will allow her to recover from what appears to be dehydration. She doesn't appear to have completely siezed up yet, but it's probably too late though. I'm guessing that dessication is what did it, since she had almost no moisture over the past few days, and not very little since her molt. She could have also used some food (I intended to feed her last night, but forgot), which would have let her get some moisture. Something to take away from this is that dehydration can kill small spiderlings rather quickly, even though larger spiders can withstand it much longer.

I haven't fed most of the spiders over the past three or four days, and have done little misting, but have been refilling water dishes. Tonight I'm going to take this as a solemn reminder not to neglect my collection, espescially the smallest most vulnerable spiderlings. Fortunately, the only other one that is so small is the B. albopilosum. All the other small ones seem to have enough size on them so that they can stand a little bit of neglect.

Update: Well, the A. fracta is looking better; some of its legs have gone back to normal, but it's still not moving. Since it's showing improvement, I'll leave it in the ICU a while and keep my fingers crossed.

MOLT! Also, the G. actaeon molted (I'm pretty sure it was today). It's actually quite lovely, red abdomen with some orangishness and blue- gray legs and carapace. Its fur is more dense than Sparky's too. I've had a spider molt each day for 6 days in a row!

Also, in other big events, I more closely examined Tick's palps, and posted some pictures to the pix list to be sure, and she's a HE! I've posted him on petbugs.com and have gotten several responses. I plan to be sending him out next week, hopefully to multiple people.

July 23, 2000:
MOLT! Speck molted today, and ZOWIE! Insane electric blue legs! I can't wait until she comes out of her web to take some pictures.

Tick will be going out tomorrow to do his thing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Also, the A. fracta is dead for sure. It's legs eventually straightened out, but then pointed up over its back. I guess its body just absorbed the moisture.

July 24, 2000:
Well, I've learned lots of interesting things about A. versicolor in the past few days. One is what their bulbus look like on mature males. Also, I learned that though most male Avicularia have normal tibial spurs, versicolor males have greatly reduced spurs (small tufts of stiff hairs instead). I'll post pictures of both soon. Also, it seemed that Tick was trying to kick hairs at me when I was handling him. It didn't seem to work at all, since I had zero reaction, so I assumed I was misinterpreting something (after all, Avicularia aren't supposed to kick hairs). Someone e- mailing me about pictures of his palps that I posted to the pix list mentioned that versicolors sometimes do this. I guess that again makes them an oddball in Avicularia.

I looked at Sparky again, cause I had a hunch, and surprise surprise, he's a mature male! I didn't really expect that he'd be mature, cause he wasn't all that big before the molt, but a lot of size was gained this molt, and he's much much leggier now. The hooks and bulbous palps are very obvious. I'll probably sell or trade him rather than doing a 50/50 split. He's not recovered from his molt yet, but when he does, I'll get him out to take some pictures and post him for sale/trade.

July 25, 2000:
My cricket population was petering out (aside from a whole bunch of pinheads,) so the feedings over the past week or so had thinned out as well. I got a new shipment in today, so everybody that's eating got a big feast.

The B. albo is dark and shiny. Also, the P. irminia has been sealed in its web for quite some time. It may even be pre-molt. Bob showed some interest in a zoophoba yesterday, but didn't snatch it up before it buried itself (so I had to dig it up). Today, she ran away from a pathetic little cricket. Urggg.

Sparky should be recovered by tomorrow. I'll take some pictures (he looks MUCH different, extreemly leggy, he had been about 4 inches in legspan and somewhat stocky, but now his body is almost smaller, and he might have a legspan around 6 inches).

July 26, 2000:
MOLT! Curly #2 molted today and seemed to gain some good size.

Sparky's eating now, and took out a small roach that had been roaming its cage for a couple weeks.

July 28, 2000:
MOLT! The P. formosa had almost finished molting when I checked the spiders right before I left for work this morning. Its abdomen was sorta shiny, but I wasn't 100% sure it was in premolt because the cage is a mess so crickets can really hide well.

It seems that it's harder to tell when the old worlders are going to molt.

The V. platyomma is refusing food completly now, so it can't be far from a molt. The P. irminia has been sealed in its web forever. It's still moving around, but it may be near a molt or something.

So far, nobody wants Sparky. I got a huge response about Tick, so I expected at least SOMEBODY would want a mollicoma as well. I dunno.

July 29, 2000:
MOLT! The V. platyomma had flipped onto its back shortly after midnight last night, and I got to watch (and photgraph) the whole thing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a great angle on the photograps, but I did get a decent time lapse of the whole process.

Also, I've orderd another batch of 'lings. They won't be here until next friday because some have just hatched and need time to harden. They are a B. smithi, C. cornuatus, C. thorelli P. fasciata and T. gigas. I actually ordered them a few days ago, but I got a call from the guy at Arachnocentric yesterday about the shipping date, and it turns out that he also has A. purpurea! What a bastard, making me spend more money! So that's SIX new spiders total, all but one were on my wish list (though the P. fasciata was simply under "other Poecilotheria").

July 30, 2000:
MOLT! The P. cambridgei molted today. It seemed to have a short eating period this time (it had been sealed up in its burrow/web for quite some time).

There was also a big feeding session. Speck is looking really great. I'll get some pictures soon (I've got lots of others I have to post, but I haven't gotten to it yet). Kuni, as is usual, is fat as a cow, but shows no signs of slowing. Raul and the Grinch are also fairly fat. The P. irminia has been sealed in for weeks it seems.

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