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rappstar609 Nov 30, 2008 06:28 PM

Are these very cool? I just got one.

Replies (12)

thevez2 Dec 02, 2008 11:33 AM

>>Are these very cool? I just got one.

I'd say so. I don't have one but they are definitely on my "want list". Fairly docile, but some individualy will have attitudes. Thier curly 'hair' appearance makes them unique and a real stand out in a collection.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery
Missouri Tarantula Enthusiasts Group

rappstar609 Dec 02, 2008 03:05 PM

Thanks!

I see your from Missouri, as am I. I work at a pet shop in st. louis we have quite the variety of arachnids.

thevez2 Dec 03, 2008 02:23 PM

You should join our Missouri Tarantula Enthusiast Group. We have lots of members in the STL area.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery
Missouri Tarantula Enthusiasts Group

rappstar609 Dec 03, 2008 07:27 PM

I am enthused about tarantulas but I don't think that my one curly hair will qualify me lol. I have had rosies in the past but haven't gotten crazy with my tarantula collection quite yet. I am curious about the baboons and cobalts we have at work because of their size and aggression but all that I witness is that they dig a burrow and stay in it all day which doesn't make me want to get one. What is your favorite species cool wise?

TheVez2 Dec 03, 2008 11:23 PM

You have a tarantula and like them, that's good enough for us. You donn't need to be overboard to join. We welcome locals who just want to learn more about the native Missouri species.

My favories are the Aphonopelma genus. If you click on my gallery linnk below you can see what I have currently and what I've had in the past.

Pet holes are what some of us call the obligate burrowers. I don't get why you'd want one either.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery
Missouri Tarantula Enthusiasts Group

rappstar609 Dec 04, 2008 12:10 AM

Yeah I looked at it you have quite an impressive collection. I especially like the a.hentzi. What is their street name?
Where are the meets held at for the club?

TheVez2 Dec 07, 2008 07:11 AM

Aphonopelma hentzi is officially the Texas brown tarantula. But this is the same species that is found in Missouri and is known locally as the Missouri brown. It is also found in many other states and takes on similar monikers. Mine was actually collected in Oklahoma.

The MO-TEG does not have any formal meetings yet. Right now it's just an online community of locals helping and sharign with locals (no experience level required). I am not from the STL area, but I understand the folks in that area have met a couple times at local reptile shows. We tried to set up a meeting around Halloween but ran out of time to plan. We hope to put together somehting for this spring/summer.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery
Missouri Tarantula Enthusiasts Group

rappstar609 Dec 09, 2008 01:42 PM

Thats pretty cool. It is illegal to keep native snakes as captives in MO, I wonder if that goes for T's as well?
You seem to know your stuff Vez, have you had any experience with Theraphosa blondi? They just fascinate me because they go so freakin big!

Also, my curly hair is doing great, but I am giving him to my grandpa for Christmas. My grandpa has always had a rose hair, and his just recently died ( lived for like 15 years!) so, I am giving him the curly hair since it is doing so well, and it is a little cooler than just your basic rosy i think.

Things that are cool about my curly hair:
At first it just kinda chilled. I realized that was because I was going by the mis-information I read online (again) and was trying to keep 80% humidity levels at all times. The poor spider was being secluded to the only dry spot in the cage! Now that I stopped spraying so much he moves around the cage a lot more when he doesn't have to worry about his feet being soaked all the time.

I saw him eat for the first time last week. i did notice his abdomen is pretty small (smaller than it could be), so i threw in a few extra cricks, but only saw him eat that one. Last night i threw a meal worm in and realized he built a web entirely around him! it was awesome, when i threw the worm in it got stuck then wiggled its way out and fell to the ground and hid. the spider didn't eat it. BUT, then I threw a crick basically directly at the spider and it caught it out of mid air and ate it! I thought that was so cool, I did it again this morning, and he did it again. Except this morning as he was eating he was repairing the web damage from the worm last night. Spinning and eating at the same time, it was awesome!

I would hate to give him up, but I know my grandpa will thoroughly enjoy him, plus i am ready to get something new! Also, the curly seems pretty darn easy to take care of so my grandpa would be more than fine with him.

rappstar609 Dec 09, 2008 01:58 PM

I named him Pube (curly hair tarantula... get it?!?!) I may or may not tell my grandpa that yet, still trying to decide. Here are some pics of the little fellow!

Pube:

Pube:

Pube:

TheVez2 Dec 09, 2008 02:22 PM

Well I won't be able to see your pics until I get home tonight, but did you happen to include a pic of the "web entirely around him" as you said. That intrigued me as it doesn't sound normal. Abnormal webbing can be an indication of upcoming molt (unlikely since it is still eating), a male's sperm web, or a female laying an eggsac.

I hae no experience with T. blondi. They don't interest me one bit. I don't liek thier color. and I've read about too many folks having problems keeping them. They require very high humidity. And they have some of the itchiest hairs of any T and will readily flick them. If you want a big spider that is easier to keep, look at Lasiodora parahybana, they get 10" .

I've never heard any laws regarding native Ts in Missouri. I know several folks that collect them down south at the Annual Missouri Bug Hunt.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery
Missouri Tarantula Enthusiasts Group

rappstar609 Dec 09, 2008 02:48 PM

In one of the pics you can see it but not very well... It's in a position that is hard to get a decent pic of without tearing it up. I say " all around him" because as he was eating he just kind of spun around in circles generating web, so it really is like, all around him which i thought was cool. it is like a 'forcefield of web', if you will. Unsure of the sex and unsure how to sex for sure. I read about the spurs on the front legs, but can't see those. I wish the spider would molt so I could take a look at that a little bit closer.

TheVez2 Dec 12, 2008 11:34 AM

Well, I looked at the pics but didn't see any odd webbing. Some tarantulas lay a feeding mat down after they catch a prey item, but that is usually just on the ground. By all around, I assume you mean on the sides as well. Don't know what that would be.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery
Missouri Tarantula Enthusiasts Group

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