Week 3

Okay guys so a few interesting things have happened since the previous post.

I'll do them by date:

16th Jan - Napoleon (Chaco Golden Knee) Again took to his 'ambush hole' and I thought a feed might be a good idea.  Just like in previous rounds, he did not disappoint.  Only this round he made it much more interesting.  Napoleon's actions resembled that of a skilled hunter.  The cricket that I put in seemed to be very excited and jumped around a bit, but this was only motivation for Napoleon.  He started stalking the cricket and used the piece of bark in the tank as a cover from which he started flicking his hair (the urticating hair I think) at the cricket.  In doing this it seemed like Napoleon was chasing the cricket into a corner where it fell into the hole that Napoleon burrowed (not sure if that is the correct way to say it but anyway).  This is when he used the opportunity to jump on the cricket and sink his teeth in.  It was awesome to see, so far the most exciting event by one of my Ts.

17th Jan -  I tried feeding Edmund (Curly Hair) and Buzz (Black Tiger Dwarf).  Edmund took the cricket out quite quickly, but not with nearly as much excitement as Napoleon.  Edmund dragged the cricket down the hole that he burrowed and finished the meal in peace.  Buzz didn't take the cricket and hasn't eaten since.  I'm not worried about him though, he seems relaxed and isn't doing anything that could arouse suspicion.

21st Jan - Last night, my parents in law came over for a quick coffee and I decided to show them how much Napoleon enjoys hunting.  Napoleon took the cricket very quickly and without any hesitation.  He finished the meal in about 2 hours leaving only the head of the once bouncy cricket.  Edmund didn't do anything by the time I went to bed, so I'll check if he has when I get home this afternoon.  If he hasn't eaten the cricket I'll just take it out of the tank.

So that is a wrap in regards to the Ts.  Also on Monday (20th Jan) our Guinea pig passed away... We aren't sure why just yet.  But he is no longer with us.  So goodbye mr Mot, you were fluffy and huggable.

The first feed

So I've read that T's don't generally eat within the first 3-4 days after you bring them into their new living space...  I guess that 2 of the 3 that I have do not comply to this idea.

On Saturday (11th of Jan) I noticed that my Chaco Golden Knee (Napoleon) had burrowed about 5cm and was sitting in a way which suggested that he (as i'm not sure about the gender just yet I'll call it a he) was waiting for an unsuspecting victim to hop/crawl/walk/slither past.  I decided to give him a cricket just to see what happens. I must admit that I didn't quite expect that the cricket would live only a few more minutes.

I was impressed and figured that I might as well try with the other two.  The Curlyhair (Edmund) also didn't hesitate too long before devouring his first meal (first meal in my possession that is).

For the Black Tiger Dwarf (Buzz) things were not that exciting on Saturday.  Due to the fact that he is the tiniest one of the lot, I decided to only give him a cricket leg... which he obviously didn't find exciting (24 hours later I just removed the leg)

On Sunday (12 of Jan) I found Napoleon in the same position and decided to give it another go. I was beyond excitement when he went for it again.  He ate the second cricket and this was the first one that I got on video (awesome).

I decided to give a second go at feeding Edmund (just to see what happens) but this round he wasn't interested, I left the cricket in the "tank" though, I'll check if there is any change as soon as I get home today.

Buzz was next on the list and I was really curious to see what he would do if I put a cricket in (instead of just a leg).  It seems like the full cricket got his attention a lot better than just a leg.  The last time I checked on him yesterday, before going to bed, he was still eating.


Okay so to take a small step back, the reasons for the names are easy.  I decided to give the first 3 T's names of people that were firsts to do some awesome stuff, or just interesting leaders.

1. Napoleon Bonaparte - Famous leader.
2. Edmund Hillary - One of the first men to climb Mount Everest.
3. Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin - Second man to walk on the moon.

The big T beginning

Yesterday I officially started my new hobby - Tarantulas.  I've been reading about T's for just over a month now and got my first 3 Yesterday afternoon.

My original intention was to get 2, but I couldn't resist adding the 3rd one as we went through the seller's collection.

I know the pictures aren't great, but it is all I have at the moment.

Chacho Golden Knee - Grammostola Pulchripes (+-3cm)

Curlyhair - Brachypelma Albopilosum (+-1cm)

Dwarf Black Tiger - Cyriocosmus Bertae (about 3mm)

I will be keeping track of their growth and eating habits.  This will be more for myself as I am brand new to this and I like to look back at things to improve as I go forward.

I'm going to try to stick with only these 3 T's for at least the next 6 months. I'll use the time to see if I'll be able to keep up with them before getting more.