Chon's Creepy Crawlies - Update

[chonabot]

Here's my latest batch of pix of my pets, a few new ones included....

Newly moulted 3 inch Theraposa blondi - Goliath Bird Eater - Worlds largest species of tarantula

Grows in this - Fully grown at 10 plus inches plus ! From Brazil.

My friendly Emperor scorpions !

Everyone's favourite Tarantula - B.smithi - Mexican redknee - 6 inches - very docile chap !

A very fiery little chap from Kenya - P.murinus - Usumabara Baboon spider

A very pretty lady from South America - Venezuelan Sun Tiger - P.irminia

This little chap is Thai - H.lividum - Thai Cobalt Blue - A vicious little bugger already !

Where monsters live !

Crazy doesn't even come close....C.crawshayi - King Baboon - Central Africa

In threat pose...............

My new Sri-Lankan mate - P.ornata - Fringed Ornamental - only a babber but will grow to over 9 inches....oooeeerrrr missus

[Patsycat]

Hmmm - nice, I think...

[BambinA]

My x-BF had a pet like you, and I got allergic with it...

I have no idea whether it is the same specie as yours or not

It looks like this one but bigger arse

It eats worms

jummmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy

[tutsiwarrior]

EEEEYAOOOO!!! like most phobic types I just hadda have a look...now my sleep will be disturbed fer de next 6 months....

[LaoPo]

If you eat them.....do you cook or fry them ?

serious: on the square in Pattaya coming out of the small street where Dave's club is, there is a small foodstall selling dozens of creatures like this (dead), scorpions, spiders and the like....

LaoPo

[Jet Gorgon]

Chonabot, they are all lovely! Never seen emperor scorpions. Colour is absolutely fab. And very big. I only had the white and black varieties in the yard. Only got stung once. Hurt, but not like a centipede bite. Thanks for sharing the snaps. Tutsi won't sleep for a month now.

[Khonwan]

Hi Chonabot

I've lived right on the edge of a hill forest for 11 years now but have only ever come across a tarantula (looked like one to me anyway) once. Several months ago, I shook out a pair of long-unused boots (usually find toads in my shoes!) and, ignoring the cobwebs covering the opening (!), put my foot in. I was immediately bitten, though I assumed I had been stung by a scorpion (have been stung quite often). Still thinking it was a scorpion, and being totally unable to dislodge it from deep inside, I sprayed the boot with insecticide. Only then was the dying spider dislodged. I have held a pet tarantula in my hand many years ago - this was of similar size and appearance but was red. Can you identify the species from that? The villagers said it was a not-often seen forest resident (which sounds likely). The pain was mild - similar to a small scorpion or large wasp. BTW, I wouldn't have killed it had I seen it - honestly!

[chonabot]

My x-BF had a pet like you, and I got allergic with it...

I have no idea whether it is the same specie as yours or not

It looks like this one but bigger arse

It eats worms

jummmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy

Hi Bambina , that one is a Thailand Zebra (Haplopelma albostriatum). Very nice spider indeed.

The other well known Thai tarantula [ as well as Thai Cobalt Blue ] is the Thailand Black ( Hapopelma Minax ) I think these are known locally as ' Poong ' . My wife's mother loves to east these as well as the one in your photo.....

When I finally settle in Thailand I may start a Tarantula rescue mission....................

edit

Actually it may be a Haplopelma Lividum Adult male - Cobalt Blue, these do not adopt the blue colour form, the trouble with the Hap. family is that many of them appear to look similar depending on the stage of instar they are approaching.

[chonabot]

Hi Chonabot

I've lived right on the edge of a hill forest for 11 years now but have only ever come across a tarantula (looked like one to me anyway) once. Several months ago, I shook out a pair of long-unused boots (usually find toads in my shoes!) and, ignoring the cobwebs covering the opening (!), put my foot in. I was immediately bitten, though I assumed I had been stung by a scorpion (have been stung quite often). Still thinking it was a scorpion, and being totally unable to dislodge it from deep inside, I sprayed the boot with insecticide. Only then was the dying spider dislodged. I have held a pet tarantula in my hand many years ago - this was of similar size and appearance but was red. Can you identify the species from that? The villagers said it was a not-often seen forest resident (which sounds likely). The pain was mild - similar to a small scorpion or large wasp. BTW, I wouldn't have killed it had I seen it - honestly!

If it was Red it may have been a sub-adult male lividum, but they are more brown than red [ before the colour change ]

You may have zapped the last remaining member of an endangered species......

Let me trawl a few Tarantula websites and see if anything comes to mind.

[Khonwan]

Hi Chonabot

I've lived right on the edge of a hill forest for 11 years now but have only ever come across a tarantula (looked like one to me anyway) once. Several months ago, I shook out a pair of long-unused boots (usually find toads in my shoes!) and, ignoring the cobwebs covering the opening (!), put my foot in. I was immediately bitten, though I assumed I had been stung by a scorpion (have been stung quite often). Still thinking it was a scorpion, and being totally unable to dislodge it from deep inside, I sprayed the boot with insecticide. Only then was the dying spider dislodged. I have held a pet tarantula in my hand many years ago - this was of similar size and appearance but was red. Can you identify the species from that? The villagers said it was a not-often seen forest resident (which sounds likely). The pain was mild - similar to a small scorpion or large wasp. BTW, I wouldn't have killed it had I seen it - honestly!

If it was Red it may have been a sub-adult male lividum, but they are more brown than red [ before the colour change ]

You may have zapped the last remaining member of an endangered species......

Let me trawl a few Tarantula websites and see if anything comes to mind.

Oooops! Sorry!!!

[chonabot]

EEEEYAOOOO!!! like most phobic types I just hadda have a look...now my sleep will be disturbed fer de next 6 months....

[bina]

bambina shame on you: those arent worms those are larvae before becoming black beetle type things (sorry dont know name in english) that pet leopard gecko loves to eat. we raise them for food for quails, lizards etc.

[chonabot]

bambina shame on you: those arent worms those are larvae before becoming black beetle type things (sorry dont know name in english) that pet leopard gecko loves to eat. we raise them for food for quails, lizards etc.

Waxworms or mealworms.

My Spiders love 'em !

[Mossfinn]

Hi Chon,

I really, really hope that that is a Maximum security box you keep thim in and not something flimsy!!

If they break-out, you be sure and let me know, you hear.

Good Luck

Moss

Seriously deranged

[chonabot]

Hi Chon,

I really, really hope that that is a Maximum security box you keep thim in and not something flimsy!!

If they break-out, you be sure and let me know, you hear.

Good Luck

Moss

Seriously deranged

Moss , anytime you want to pop down to Wallyworld for a pint and an audience with my pets - give me a shout !

[BambinA]

Hi Bambina , that one is a Thailand Zebra (Haplopelma albostriatum). Very nice spider indeed.

The other well known Thai tarantula [ as well as Thai Cobalt Blue ] is the Thailand Black ( Hapopelma Minax ) I think these are known locally as ' Poong ' . My wife's mother loves to east these as well as the one in your photo.....

When I finally settle in Thailand I may start a Tarantula rescue mission....................

Oh yes, Thais call it as "Beung" บึ้ง . This spider has hair, and it makes me get itchy and rashes

bambina shame on you: those arent worms those are larvae before becoming black beetle type things (sorry dont know name in english) that pet leopard gecko loves to eat. we raise them for food for quails, lizards etc.

heheh ... In Thai we call it as "nhon nok" หนอนนก (worm for bird)

[guardian]

Here's pics of what I used to keep Caught this fellow running around the house in Bangers. I used the term used to keep because I had 3 different species of large spiders and was feeding them those mealworms like in the picture that Bambina posted. All of them died on me. Read below for more details.

Extreme closeup:

Size comparision:

Sometimes, when I was too busy to go out to buy these worms, I would catch tiny critters around and feed them to these spiders.

One really terrible thing I noticed is this. My office is located in a high rise building and it is infested with !#@$# roaches. The tiny type, not the big ones. It's a wonder the management cannot control this problem. Well, our office as well as many others in the building have contract with pest control for weekly spray of poison to kill these buggers, yet they always come back the very next day after the spraying is finished.

What's the above information got to do with spiders ? Well, at times, when I really cannot find other critters around, I would catch these roaches from my office and fed them to the spiders. I did not realize the problem the first two time. The very next day after ingesting these roaches, the spiders died. I blamed myself the 1st two time that I was not looking after them properly. Only on the 3rd death I realized that the poison was in the roaches :o . Feeding them critters caught around the house never caused a problem. Only the ones from the office building. Anyone else noticed this?

PS: Whether you call these critters mealworm or larvae, I don't know. But with the third death, I had a bit of these critters left in a box. I put some cabbage leaves and forgot about them for a couple of days. One day when I looked into the box, most of them had already disappeared and a few beetles left behind. So, bina's correct about the black beetle thing.

[chonabot]

Very interesting post Guardian .

With regards feeding the office roaches to your Huntsman spiders, it's usually because they are in contact with some kind of man-made substance that is harmful to the spider. In this case it was proobably traces of the poison that was laid down earlier. It can take months for these hosts to pass the elements from their system , sometimes never. For the same reason it is never recommended to feed your Invert/Reptile/Amphibian any wild caught insect unless you are 100% sure that it has never been in contact with any pesticide or fertiliser.

Even a housefly may have traces of furniture polish that can kill a spider who ingests the fly.

Have you thought of catching a few more and starting again ?

[bina]

meal worms are easy to raise:

1. two old aquariums: put bran flakes (the stuff u put on yougurt for constipation problems, not the big flakes.) in the bottom. put in a half loaf of dry bread. some apple halves. and some soft material like those rags for cleaning in the kitchen or washing tables.

2. put the larvaes in there. they eat and eat and soon become hardened (the stage between larvae and beetle). then they 'hatch' and are beetles. the beetles eat and eat and lay eggs which hatch and becme baby larvae mealy worm things. move them to the next aquarium and feed them the same things. let them grow. pick out the big juicy ones to feed to your pets. always keep some larvaes to become beetles so they can lay eggs etc.

we started with five larvaes we 'stole' from the big zoo. now we have boxes of the things. they are expensive in stores so we just refrigerate them in margarine containers with holes in the covvers. when they are cold, they dont develop. summer rolls around and we start it again. but u must variate the food for lizards an spiders, not just mealy worms (low protein). the best are crickets and roaches.

1. to raise roaches u need a container with grease all the way around the walls about a few cent. frm the top. put in a few. they live birth so soon u should have a nice healthy amount. feed them good veggies and bread so they will be plump for your pets. my gecko loooooooves roaches. they do cause asthma among some people so keep roach farms not in daily living areas. a good way to cathc roaches is to put some dog food in a garbage can. put machine grease around the wall of the garbage can and then put the cover on. put a small hole in the middle of the can. roaches climb up, look in, fall down and cant get out. we caught our hundereds of escapee roaches this way. no poison. no hassle. (escapee due to stupid worker accident)

crickets i never had luck with (they escaped) but u can also build a house for them and feed them fresh grass every day.

bon apetite.

bina

btw there are two different types of those mealy worms. fat big ones and smaller ones liek in the pic. i ate those (on a dare, to gross the kids that work with me, out). the big ones have legs or something and are wrigglier.

DONT FORGET TO FEED YOUR food BUGS. they are more or less self reproducing and your stock will grow but u ahve to feed them well or your pets wont eat well (a thin calf is awful veal).

[guardian]

DONT FORGET TO FEED YOUR food BUGS. they are more or less self reproducing and your stock will grow but u ahve to feed them well or your pets wont eat well (a thin calf is awful veal).

bina, I did leave some cabbage leaves for those worms.

Have you thought of catching a few more and starting again ?

It's not like I see these spiders running around everyday. Now I don't live in the place where I originally caught this one. Even then, I lived in that place for 4 years, yet saw this type of spider only twice during this period.

Actually, I'm more fascinated with the tiny jumping type as colourful as the one shown in the pictures below. It's really difficult to find something for them to eat.

PS: the above pictures are all of the same spider in different angle.

EDIT: To add the PS

[tutsiwarrior]

in Bolivia, there is a terribly venomous jumping spider known as 'apasanka', its quechua name...its bite was lethal. I was out studying in a field by the grandparents house in de countryside and observed a mortal battle between a huge red flying insect an' one ob dese spiders...de spider lost, stung ta death by the huge flying bug...I had ta have a look at de corpse...an ugly mother wid fangs an inch long...contributed to my fear an' loathing ob arachnids

let's not even talk about the huge, red, hairy mother that I encountered in a ditch in de Chapare jungle as I was tryin' to go about my business clearin' weeds onna road crew on summer holiday...sum campesino dude whacked it wid his machete an' we inspected it after...in loose translation he said 'you're lucky...if he woulda bit ye you'ld be dead in an hour...' (ain't no medical treatment out in de jungle)

[guardian]

tutsi, I don't know how big the jumping spider you mentioned is. But, these ones are very small. About a third in size in comparison with a 25 satang coin. Sorry, I cannot think of anything else to compare size with.

[Mossfinn]

Moss , anytime you want to pop down to Wallyworld for a pint and an audience with my pets - give me a shout !

We must really get round to this pint sometime Chon, just don't bring your friends!

Well thats not quite fair, the Scorpions are fine, but those eight legged & thousand eye monsters are just beyond the pale.

Good luck

Moss

[raro]

Saw this beauty on Koh Samed the other day. Largest spider I saw in my life, about 10 cm in diameter, the body almost 5 cm long!

Wife said that they DO bite...

[Gimbo]

When I was in Lebanon, deployed with the UN peacekeeping force there, our MP Platoon decided it would be fun to keep a bunch of scorpions as pets. They kept them in a cardboard box. One morning they where all gone