Halloween Decorations

We got a new decoration for the front of the house!

Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula

Auggie my chaco golden knee tarantula (Grammostola pulchripes) hanging out on my hand!

Rise and Shine

Ziggy, my Trinidad Chevron Tarantula (Psalmopoeus cambridgei), emerged from hiding after months underground.

Ruby Does a Little Dance

Get a cricket, do a dance. Ruby, my wife's Brachypelma hamorii, doing a happy dance after getting a cricket.

Horacio Quiroga, an Uruguayan Poet

Today I learned something about Grammostola quirogai. Tarantupedia has a section on the etymology of name. Interestingly G. quirogai are named after  Horacio Quiroga, an Uruguayan poet.

Memphis, my G. quirogai

National Tarantula Appreciation Day

 Happy National Tarantula Appreciation Day!

August 8, 8/8, get it!

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (GBB) Out For A Stroll

Blue, my GBB, walked out the top of her enclosure last night when I was feeding her. I let her walk onto my hand. She walked around calmly for a bit, before having her walk back into her enclosure.

New Tarantula: Brachypelma hamorii

I got a new tarantula last night, off of Craig's List. Brachypelma hamorii. Beautiful 4" female. I was nervous about getting a spider from someone off of Craig's List, but she looks healthy, and transaction went smoothly.

She's looking good this morning. Even after the stressful, nearly two hour, car ride she still took a cricket this morning.

She's in an aquarium with reptibark, so I do need to re-house her as soon as possible. But, otherwise, shes great.

Webbing Up the Place

Having freshly regrown her missing leg, Blue is webbing up her enclosure more and more every day

Seven Plus One Equals Eight

My Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens only had seven legs when I got her. I didn't notice until I got home from the reptile expo where I picked her up. I had heard that tarantulas could regrow legs, but I was still bummed. What if it didn't grow back?

In this photo you can see she only has seven legs. Her left side leg 3 is missing. Well after a molt she as regrown the missing leg!

In this one you can see the regrown leg. This photo is from the bottom so it appears on the other side. But the leg is there! Her left side leg 3 is slightly smaller than the others, but it has grown back.

She stayed in her web hammock for several days after the molt. Today is the first time she ventured out to walk around on her new leg.

I'm YouTube Famous

While we where at the grand opening of Fear Not Tarantulas Richard from The Tarantula Collective was live streaming. Guess who made a guest appearance?

https://youtu.be/VeHNhnwiSoE?t=19m10s

Memphis Stalking A Cricket

Memphis, my Grammostola quirogai, hunting a cricket

Fear Not Tarantulas Grand Opening

We just arrived at the grand opening of Fear Not Tarantulas, in Virginia Beach, VA

Nice long line, we ended up waiting about 1 hour to get in

While we waited in line Richard Stewart, from The Tarantula Collective YouTube Channel, came out to talk to people in line, and he gave Ella isopods, super nice guy.

Once we were inside Richard was doing his podcast in the store.

Lots of cool spiders

Mexican Black Widow

Poecilotheria metallica

Monocentropus balfouri communal

Fear Not Tarantulas was awesome. We picked up 2 new tarantulas, Psalmopoeus irminia and Psalmopoeus cambridgei.

The P. irminia is named Seven, she is our 7th tarantula and a gift from Christie for our 7th anniversary. 

Peek-a-boo

Izzy, Ella's Brachypelma hamorii, peeking out from her hide

 

The "Tarantula Enclosure" Store

Heading into The Container Store for the first time ever. Hopefully find some nice tarantula enclosure candidates.

Lost In the Pumpkin Patch

On June 1st I re-housed Lucy, my Hapalopus Sp. Columbia Large, or pumpkin patch tarantula. That was the last time I saw her, she's be buried ever since. No signs of life. I hadn't seen her. She was not taking any of the food offered. Nothing! I was starting to get nervous.

Being new to tarantula keeping I had to fight the urge to dig her up, to see! All the advice is, "Leave them, they do this, bury themselves and don't eat." But it's hard. Well, after 24 days of not knowing if she was alive or even still in there, I was a little worried she might have escaped, I finally have confirmation she's alive and in her enclosure! Overnight she took a pre-killed cricket!

Midnight snack!

Finally! A Tarantula

This is Memphis, my Grammastola quirogai.

Domain Name Is Finally Configured

After several days, and several support chats with Namecheap, the domain name SpiderByte.org appears to be working correctly!

My other new domain name, SpiderBite.org, just points to this one. I hope to find some meaningful use for that domain name. Tarantula conservation? Tarantula education? Tarantula rescue?

Setting Up Domain Name On Blogger

I am now on day two of setting up spiderbyte.org to work with blogger. Namecheap DNS settings were messed up and it has taken two support chats to correct. Hopefully this is now resolved, and once DNS propagates the blog will be up. 

Another New Domain Name

Earlier today I registered spiderbite.org which I thought was a decent domain name for spider related content. When I told my wife, she said "Too bad it's not spiderbyte.org!" Well that one was available too. So, I after going back and forth, I'm using spiderbyte.org. It's more unique, more brandable.