NW Berks Reptile Show

My GF, sister and I attended the NB Reptile Show in PA yesterday. Anyone else happen to attend? It's a huge show (this was our first time!) and it was SO hot and crowded. We did come away with some nice additions for our herp collection, though. I got a newly born 2009 blue tongued skink who is just GORGEOUS. Great colors and wonderful personality, and eats like a champion! Gender is unknown, but I've taken to calling it a "her." "She" had 5 crickets this morning!

Met up with a few friends from CornSnake.com, and one guy, Rick, had a female 2008 Baird's rat snake for sale for $30. He still had her at nearly 2 PM and offered her to us for $20. Considering I paid $80 (with shipping) for my 2008 Baird's male, I thought that was too good a deal to pass up! She ate for me today too, took down a pinky mouse! Woot!

Lastly, Tara, my GF, picked up a juvenile Mexican red-leg Tarantula (Brachypelma emilia). This is our first tarantula and I am somewhat a spider phobe. I am getting better with them every day. When she opened the deli cup to bring him out and into his permanent cage he ran up her arm and I admit that was a bit freaky. I fed him this morning and he ate 5 small crickets. It's amazing how fast they can move when they want to. He is about half dollar sized now.

I'll try and post pics later tonight! Got some great pics of venomous herps that were for sale at the show-- animals like gaboon, rhino and eyelash vipers, monocled cobras, and copperheads. Amazing animals!

Edit: Pics added

Baird's ratsnake, female, named Comet


Blue-tongued skink, unknown gender, not yet named


Fireleg T, unknown gender, named Phoenix


And yes... it is ON Tara's arm in the pic... creeeeepy!

Beautiful spider, just watch those hairs, they are no fun in your skin.
Looks to be a female, but even with practice they can fool you

For a bit of warning, they feel like a hornet sting when they bite, and if either of you have bee allergies, it's possible to be allergic to Ts too.

I've never seen such a tiny blue tongue, so cute, as it the rat snake.

I know I'm not the only tarantula keeper on the site, so if you have any questions you can't find answers to, just ask.

I'd like to go to a reptile show sometime.

Cool looking snake and the skink is awesome. Tarantulas creep me out.

Arlyn, thanks for the advice! We don't plan on handling her, she scampered up my girls arm when she tried to move her out of her deli cup and into her critter keeper. It was totally accidental.

Bryan-- I didn't know you were on this site, too! Nice to see you man!

Pretty snake, and I LOVE the blue tongued skink! My DS has been wanting one of those, but I'm not exactly sure where we'd put one...

Very brave of you to feed the tarantula. I love my reptiles, but I do have a bit of a phobia about anything with more than 4 legs!

Originally Posted by NinaCaliente

Very brave of you to feed the tarantula. I love my reptiles, but I do have a bit of a phobia about anything with more than 4 legs!

Click to expand...

Does that include hermit crabs??

I own a video about Black Mambas in Africa (type of snake). In it, a mamba catcher who traps and removes snakes from homes and yards says "I can't be afraid of something I am interested in," and I think that is where I am with this spider. She is interesting... and I am having a hard time summoning that fear I always used to get.

Originally Posted by Hypancistrus

Does that include hermit crabs??

I own a video about Black Mambas in Africa (type of snake). In it, a mamba catcher who traps and removes snakes from homes and yards says "I can't be afraid of something I am interested in," and I think that is where I am with this spider. She is interesting... and I am having a hard time summoning that fear I always used to get.

Click to expand...

This is exactly why I bought a tarantula
I am an arachnophobe, but it used to be so bad that I'd have panic attacks if a spider was even in the same room with me.

I tried to come to terms with it by keeping scorpions, but they creeped me out by scratching on the sides of their tank at night, so I gave them to a friend.
I bought Lolth and I'm pretty good now, I can pick her up to transfer her to a deli cup when I clean her box, unless she's feeling aggressive, then I herd her using a straw

I only freak now if I suddenly find a spider on me.

I've had Lolth for 7 years now and I love her, and I've discovered how cool spiders really are.

I've also been lucky enough to meet a few of the native tarantulas here in the Mojave, as well as desert iguanas and a few geckos.

I find scorpions interesting as well. In fact there are few animals that don't interest me... but I really am doing better with this spider than I thought. I found myself today looking for breeders of Brazilian White Knees... another species Tara and I saw at a show and said WOW! What kind of T do you have Arlyn? You might have said... if so, forgive my poor memory!

Oh, yes, and we named the skink Avery! A nice unisex name, just in case "she" turns out to be a "he."

Grammostola rosea - Chilean Rose
I've got pics of her gray phase pre-moult
Red phase post-moult
And I've got pics of her on her back during moult
If you'd like to see any.

She has only shed twice since I've had her, so she's at her full size, I'd estimate that she's at least ten years old.

I would love to see pics... do they change colors that way always? My GF saw a nice one at the local pet store today that was reddish. I really like the fuzzy grey ones!

I'm really unsure if it's a true color change, or more like the milky sheen a snake gets before a shed.

Here's her pics (clickable thumbnails as these are large, macro pics):

Here she is pre moult, grayish caste, and defensive
http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b377/Solocelt/Other pets/Spider/?action=view&current=Lloth007.jpg

This is what a T looks like during a moult, if you ever see yours in this postion, don't bother her.

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b377/Solocelt/Other pets/Spider/?action=view&current=Spaz002.jpg

This is post moult, the grayish caste is gone, her red quite brilliant, no longer defensive.

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b377/Solocelt/Other pets/Spider/?action=view&current=Lloth006.jpg
http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b377/Solocelt/Other pets/Spider/?action=view&current=Lloth005.jpg


I hope to find a female native Desert Tarantula, they are very striking, jet black spiders with a reddish brown abdomen, very lazy, not prone to aggression and about twice the size of my G. rosea.

Absolutely gorgeous. We've started going to the yearly "Repticon" in Atlanta, it's so much fun. Your new skink is absolutely GORGEOUS. Love the names, can't wait to see what you name "her"!

We are calling the skink "Avery." A nice unisex name that will work no matter what gender she turns out to be!

Originally Posted by Hypancistrus

We are calling the skink "Avery." A nice unisex name that will work no matter what gender she turns out to be!

Click to expand...

Avery is a lovely name, for either gender. A beautiful skink deserves such a lovely name!

OK, what do spiders live in when being kept as pets? Do they require a lot of room? hidey spots? I find them horrifyingly (is that even a word?) interesting.

My girl lives in a sterlite buckle box (cat proof locking lid) about the size of a 2.5 gallon aquarium.
I've drilled holes all over the lid and around the upper inch of the box all the way around, tiny holes.

As per her preference, I use shredded coconut husk for medium, about 4 inches deep, great for burrowing species like the Rose.
I tried her with hides and she won't go near them and they tend to give the crickets a place to hide. Last thing you want in the tank with a moulting spider is a cricket.

No decorations.