Let's Babble Our Way to Post #4,000,000 And Win Prizes Too!

NewYork1303 said:

 
She eats crickets. She used to eat cockroaches, but I hate them even more than I hate crickets so I switched. I got her from someone who breeds tarantulas and sells them online. They shipped her to us. We scared the delivery person half to death when we told her what she was delivering. Tarantulas live different amounts of years depending on species and gender. She is female and in her species females live to be around 20 years old. We didn't get her as a baby though so its hard to say how old she is now. 

She is on packed peat moss. So maybe? Last time I moved her with one of my small tupperware containers, but she's way too big for that now. I'll probably buy one of those little plastic pet cages to somehow herd her into.

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Good luck with that. I hope it helps. (If it makes you feel any better, I once had to petsit the gerbils from Hell for two weeks--they were like the raptors from Jurassic Park, and I was terrified that they'd escape their pen--they were in a 30 gallon plastic tub with cedar chips at the bottom--and kill everyone in the house. Like the humans in the movie, I lowered the food for the gerbils from the top with thread crane style and fed them in biodegradable cups--specifically sold for that purpose--that the gerbils could eat when they were finished with the food inside. The largest gerbil would sit in the middle and watch with beady little eyes as I did, and every  time I got close to the pen. I could handle the hamsters, the rats, the cat, and the dog--but the gerbils--ugh! I still have nightmares about them escaping. The scariest thing? They never attacked the same way twice and it freaked me out.)

NewYork1303 said:

 
She eats two larger ones every few weeks. They have very very slow metabolisms. 

Tarantula reproduction is extremely risky business. Males tap to the females and if she taps back they know its somewhat safe to approach. They are equipped with special hooks that help them hold the female still. When they finish with everything they have to get out and away fast since she is grumpy and usually is significantly larger than them. In the wild they run away fast and find a place to hide. Tarantula breeders will add small hiding areas to the habitat of the female and try to get him out as soon as possible. Even if males do escape they don't live long. A male tarantula cannot usually survive molting because his hooks get stuck.

Females produce 500-1000 babies from one egg sack which is probably why the species survive. Babies have to also get away soon after hatching so mom doesn't eat them. The males mature much faster than females which prevents inbreeding entirely.

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You know, turtles are similar, except that if you keep a turtle in the same enclosure as the eggs she laid, she'll eat them. Doesn't matter if she's hungry or not (and yes, turtles can  get fat), she'll eat them anyway, just because they're there. Points to ponder. 

And may you sleep without nightmares.

foxxycat we have black flies too. Lots of them as we live right on a small river. Guess that's the price you pay for living next to running water. Good to know about sandlewood. I'll have to try it. I can't burn incense in the house, as it gives me migraines, but outside it should be fine. Thanks for the info.

NewYork1303 said:

 
She eats crickets. She used to eat cockroaches, but I hate them even more than I hate crickets so I switched. I got her from someone who breeds tarantulas and sells them online. They shipped her to us. We scared the delivery person half to death when we told her what she was delivering. Tarantulas live different amounts of years depending on species and gender. She is female and in her species females live to be around 20 years old. We didn't get her as a baby though so its hard to say how old she is now. 

She is on packed peat moss. So maybe? Last time I moved her with one of my small tupperware containers, but she's way too big for that now. I'll probably buy one of those little plastic pet cages to somehow herd her into.

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That BIG!!!   ohhhh  heebie jeebies....

I was telling my grandson about your tarantula NewYork1303 . He informed me that if everyone had a Tarantula, he would be homeless because he wouldn't have anywhere to live. I reassured him that he wouldn't be homeless because I wouldn't have one and he could live with me. That made him feel better.

They are pretty cool to look at though. From a distance, that is.

Rhondalee said:

I was telling my grandson about your tarantula @NewYork1303. He informed me that if everyone had a Tarantula, he would be homeless because he wouldn't have anywhere to live. I reassured him that he wouldn't be homeless because I wouldn't have one and he could live with me. That made him feel better.

They are pretty cool to look at though. From a distance, that is.

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Fun fact: when itching powder first came out, tarantula hairs were the main active ingredient. In fact, on some species of tarantula, the barbed hairs on its forelegs are its first defense, with venom being a secondary and last ditch defense. Points to ponder.

Artiemom said:

That BIG!!!   ohhhh  heebie jeebies....

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15 words.


It looks like another beautiful day outside and the cold I've been dealing with may finally be starting to get better. :cross:

That's interesting about these critters-I love learning biology facts.

Jon is fascinated with turtles-whenever we go to our hideaway up in Maine in the summer he likes to creep out to the swamps and watch the turtles. Sometimes they are sunning on the rocks..othertimes they slip into the water right when we see them.

Someone said they have issues with a tub stains=toothpaste=it works=I had a can of shaving cream I left on the side of the tub and that lovely rust ring left behind-tried bleach and other bathroom cleaners-even that lime off crap didn't work. so one day I grabbed toothpaste because I used it in the toilet for those pesky hard water rust stains-if I left it a minute then scrubbed it eventually went away. so you would need a good amount if its all the way around but hey at least the fumes from toothpaste wont give you a headache. I use plain white paste toothpaste for cleaning.

Thursday I have to see the dentist-my teeth keep chipping-and more chipped away-I have to find something else to drink-no more orange juice-its too acidic even though I rinse my mouth after..I quit 15 years of diet coke and now my teeth are crumbling..so no popcorn or nuts-that leaves me with few options for protein/snack food so I have bought those mammoth protein bars-I hate sweet things-why cant they make them taste like chips or meat or something other than cakes and cookies?!

Sometimes baking powder and vinegar work but it can burn sensitive skin so wear rubber gloves. Toothpaste doesn't burn.

So yesterday I got to get my flowers and sat on the ground and tried to weed but the black flies make me swell up so after an hour I gave up. Floey wanted to go for a walk so we took a walk down the neighborhood-she likes sniffing along the edge of the road-this is a dead end and no one drives on it so not to worry about cars. I bought this little hole in the wall because of the tar streets without traffic=the cats like to lay down in the shade on the hot top in the summer. I will post photos in the garden thread.

So what is up for you on this cool Sunday? its windy out around 53. yesterday it was 80. They say we will get winds around 30-50 mph tomorrow too. So hopefully I will make myself work outside after work-if its windy then the damn black flies won't eat me up like they did last night. And order some incense from amazon? Or maybe find a smoke shop-wonder where else I would find incense?

Do you guys burn this? normally I don't like anything smelly=I like outside natural smells of cut grass and my bee balm for smells. 

Tallyollyopia said:

Fun fact: when itching powder first came out, tarantula hairs were the main active ingredient. In fact, on some species of tarantula, the barbed hairs on its forelegs are its first defense, with venom being a secondary and last ditch defense. Points to ponder.

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Oh that's just downright crazy! I never heard that before. Thanks for the fun fact.

I love arachnids! I want to say right now why I don't like the term 'Daddy/Granddaddy LongLegs"; it's used for so many different things! Harvestmen for example (one of my favorite arachnids I have encountered), are scavengers with circular bodies and clumsy legs who have no venom so they eat already dead insects. They also cannot spin webs, and for many other reasons are NOT spiders. There are also Cellar/vibrating spiders, including the short-bodied and the long-bodied, who are, contrary to popular belief, NOT the most venomous spiders in the world. That myth probably arose because they could take down Black Widow spiders, causing people to think they were more dangerous. There's also a plant called "(Grand)Daddy LongLegs". I'm serious.
Also, the difference between venom and poison. Venom needs to be injected, like through fangs, and you can get poisoned just by picking up the creature, like with poison dart frogs. Even more off topic, poison dart frogs get their poison by something they eat (I forgot what exactly), so ones in captivity who are not fed that food are not poisonous. My cousin is really into aquatic and part-aquatic animals so I kinda have to know this stuff .

PS: You know why spiders (and some other arachnids) have "sticky feet"? They acually have tiny claws!

AbbysMom said:

15 words.


It looks like another beautiful day outside and the cold I've been dealing with may finally be starting to get better.

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oops, I goofed again!!  

Yes a nice cool, windy, partially sunny day out today..

Glad you are finally feeling better. I am still hibernating!!! Getting kind of tired of it. Each time I go out, I get yucky...yesterday was a sleep day. I felt horrible.  enough about me.

The fire alarm in the apartment building sounded yesterday afternoon!! Such a pain.. always goes off...

This time there was not fire, but a flood!! 

One of the tenants, was cleaning. I guess she was mopping the ceilings (?) (who does that?)  went to wipe down the fire alarm/sprinkler, broke off the seal, the alarm went of and then the sprinkler and the sprinkler. 

What a mess!!! She tried shutting off the main water switch in her apartment, but the sprinkler is set up to the building water supply. Her apartment was flooded! The water was seeping out from under her door across the hall to the apartment across from her!! When she finally opened the door, she was in tears, hysterical. I do not blame her, I would be also. I saw that there was at least an inch of water in her apartment...

That is when the Fire Department arrived. 

I feel bad for her, however, I personally do not clean the popcorn ceiling, or the sprinklers because I am afraid the above would happen...

I do not know if the superintendent was home or not. Their car was here but they did not come out. 

When I found out what happened, I went back inside.. I was napping when the alarm went off...

foxxycat said:

So yesterday I got to get my flowers and sat on the ground and tried to weed but the black flies make me swell up so after an hour I gave up. Floey wanted to go for a walk so we took a walk down the neighborhood-she likes sniffing along the edge of the road-this is a dead end and no one drives on it so not to worry about cars. I bought this little hole in the wall because of the tar streets without traffic=the cats like to lay down in the shade on the hot top in the summer. I will post photos in the garden thread.

So what is up for you on this cool Sunday? its windy out around 53. yesterday it was 80. They say we will get winds around 30-50 mph tomorrow too. So hopefully I will make myself work outside after work-if its windy then the damn black flies won't eat me up like they did last night. And order some incense from amazon? Or maybe find a smoke shop-wonder where else I would find incense?

Do you guys burn this? normally I don't like anything smelly=I like outside natural smells of cut grass and my bee balm for smells. 

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Many years ago, before I developed asthma, I used to burn incense. I did like the sandalwood.   I remember I got it at the local Spencer's store, but I think that chain went out of business. 

I think I would look on line for it..Amazon has everything. 

Tallyollyopia said:

 
Fun fact: when itching powder first came out, tarantula hairs were the main active ingredient. In fact, on some species of tarantula, the barbed hairs on its forelegs are its first defense, with venom being a secondary and last ditch defense. Points to ponder.

Click to expand...

This is so true. This is how Precious (my tarantula) works. She will flick hairs when she gets mad and the hairs are the worst. The feeling is like having fiberglass under your skin. Most tarantulas don't use venom as defense at all since the venom is intended for prey not defense. My tarantula's species has venom that is only really dangerous to small insects. If she were to bite me (which she never has) her venom is about as potent and painful as a bee sting. Even the most venomous tarantulas are only venomous enough to kill large rodents and possibly a cat (though doubtful). These aren't usually kept as pets though. 

NewYork1303

Wow! Thanks for all the fun facts about tarantulas. That was like an Animal Planet lesson! I never knew all that about reproduction and eating babies and the males hiding and not living long.

What piqued your interest in owning one, and are they expensive to purchase?

sarthur2 said:

@NewYork1303

Wow! Thanks for all the fun facts about tarantulas. That was like an Animal Planet lesson! I never knew all that about reproduction and eating babies and the males hiding and not living long.

What piqued your interest in owning one, and are they expensive to purchase?

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I went to our local reptile zoo and saw one. Their's was super gentle and everyone could handle it easily. She was about $50 US but they can be more expensive depending on breed, size, and sex. Confirmed males aren't very expensive except that they're wanted for breeding.

NewYork1303

Any chance you could post a picture of your tarantula for us? I would love to see her! Is she all black or brown, or does she have colors on her?

Also, do you have to clean the terrarium often?

sarthur2 said:

@Mamanyt1953

That's quite a lot of cleaning! Have you tried the Lime Away products for the hard water stains? I've also found that the Clorox bleach cleaning gel works well on soap scum. And sometimes just plain old Comet cleanser. In fact, I love Comet.

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I've tried Lime Away, AND CLR!  And every gel and cleanser known to man.  It's a matter of the tub is over 20 years old, but the managers won't replace it until it is actively leaking.  The fiberglass has been scratched over the years, so the stains settle in, and we have hard water.  I've even poured the best part of a gallon of bleach into half a tup of very hot water with no real improvement.  I had hoped to at least lighten the stains, even if the baked on stuff didn't come off.  Eventually one of the several nicks will begin to leak, and they will replace it.  SIGH...

On a GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD note...a friend, who is a historian, has just sent me several photographs of my father and uncle as children with their mother.  She also found photos of each of the boys as infants with their father, who died when Daddy was 5 years old.  Since all of my photos are now gone, I can't tell you how thrilled I am!

Nothing left to do today but dust again, vacuum, clean one fan, and sweep.  I'm so done...You can take me out of the oven now...

Thank you! I just learned even more about the molting in your last comment. So interesting!

Is she the size of your palm, or bigger?

Nice picture! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

sarthur2 said:

@NewYork1303

Any chance you could post a picture of your tarantula for us? I would love to see her! Is she all black or brown, or does she have colors on her?

 

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If you post a picture, please post a SPOILER ALERT first.  Seriously, I've got it bad (that arachnaphobia) and don't want to have a heart attack sitting right here at the computer

So for you people babbling about the weather, I think HERE it's supposed to drop back DOWN into the upper 90's today.  Been in the low 100's for the past couple days .   Pour cats didn't get to enjoy their open windows in the morning for very long

Babykitty05 said:

I love arachnids! I want to say right now why I don't like the term 'Daddy/Granddaddy LongLegs"; it's used for so many different things! Harvestmen for example (one of my favorite arachnids I have encountered), are scavengers with circular bodies and clumsy legs who have no venom so they eat already dead insects. They also cannot spin webs, and for many other reasons are NOT spiders. There are also Cellar/vibrating spiders, including the short-bodied and the long-bodied, who are, contrary to popular belief, NOT the most venomous spiders in the world. That myth probably arose because they could take down Black Widow spiders, causing people to think they were more dangerous. There's also a plant called "(Grand)Daddy LongLegs". I'm serious.
Also, the difference between venom and poison. Venom needs to be injected, like through fangs, and you can get poisoned just by picking up the creature, like with poison dart frogs. Even more off topic, poison dart frogs get their poison by something they eat (I forgot what exactly), so ones in captivity who are not fed that food are not poisonous. My cousin is really into aquatic and part-aquatic animals so I kinda have to know this stuff

.

PS: You know why spiders (and some other arachnids) have "sticky feet"? They acually have tiny claws!

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Another fun fact: poison dart frogs have the exact same poison (same chemical composition) as the Papa New Guinea ptooey bird. (I'm not sure I spelled that right.) But it's the only known poisonous bird in the world, and I just think it's amazing that it's got the same poison as frogs found on the other side of the globe.

NewYork1303 said:

 
This is so true. This is how Precious (my tarantula) works. She will flick hairs when she gets mad and the hairs are the worst. The feeling is like having fiberglass under your skin. Most tarantulas don't use venom as defense at all since the venom is intended for prey not defense. My tarantula's species has venom that is only really dangerous to small insects. If she were to bite me (which she never has) her venom is about as potent and painful as a bee sting. Even the most venomous tarantulas are only venomous enough to kill large rodents and possibly a cat (though doubtful). These aren't usually kept as pets though. 

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Do those really count as tarantulas though? What makes a tarantula a tarantula as opposed to just a big spider?

On to other news--I was in the backyard a few minutes ago and there is a strange cat in the yard. I wouldn't mention it (stray cats, Ghost) except that this cat has a massively deformed right eye. Not only is the right eye larger than the left eye, but it's an odd shape. Instead of being round or almond shaped it's shaped kind of like the letter "u". What causes that? Is it safe to have this cat in the yard with mine?