Fangs & Forests

[fangsandforests]

T. albopilosus, aka the curly hair tarantula, is an underrated species and the perfect tarantula for beginner keepers. This is my female, Arka. I won her in a photo contest . . . but she was supposed to be a G. pulchra! As she grew from a 1/4" sling, I started to suspect that she was definitely not a G. pulchra. And when those curly hairs started to show, her true species was no longer a mystery. Despite being lied to, I quickly grew fond of her. Unlike some other beginner species (looking at you, G. porteri!), this species has a great appetite and grows quite quickly for a New World. Arka went from tiny sling to her current, near-adult size in about three years. For comparison, my (real) G. pulchra that I got around the same time as her, has only reached half her size in those three years. Although she was a bit skittish up until she was around 2", Arka has never reacted defensively to anything and has become extremely easy-going and docile as she's matured. She's super easy to rehouse -- I basically just gently coax her to walk from the old enclosure to the new one. But even though she's calm, she's also not a tarantula that just stays in one place all day. She likes to go for a stroll now and then to keep things interesting, and she has a great feeding response. The other big plus to this species is its price. You can easily get slings for cheap or as freebies in tarantula orders, and you can sometimes find adult females for less than $100. If you have this gorgeous species or would like to get one, let me know! :)

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Meet Cherry, the newest member of the Fangs & Forests family. I've been looking for a G. actaeon for a while, and was happy to see that Swift's Invertebrates had some available. This is not your typical Grammostola, though. Even at this size, they have a little bit of spunk and spice to them. Not to mention, an amazing feeding response. I love all Grammostolas, but I think this one is going to become one of my favorites!

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There's nothing quite like a G. pulchra after a molt. This is Shadow, my female. She's over 4 years old and somewhere between 3 and 4 inches now, so she still has quite a bit of growing to do! If you've been thinking about getting a G. pulchra sling, I can tell you that, although these black beauties take forever to grow, it's well worth the wait!

[fangsandforests]

The G. pulchripes, or Chaco gold knee, is one of my all-time favorite species. I have two juveniles right now that I recently rehoused to give them more burrowing space. These guys are impressive excavators and should have plenty of substrate to work with. 🙂

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The Gorgeous Bloodthirsty Beast (GBB), Nebula.

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Juvenile Brachypelmas are so cute! Meet Friday, the 13th addition to my eight-legged family.

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Updates: Molts, Loss, and Newbies

It's been a while since I posted here. And, because everything related to my animals seems to accelerate over spring and summer, there's a lot to share.

Mostly molts. Once the weather warmed up, several of my tarantulas went into premolt all at once. Only my two G. pulchras, G. porteri, and H. chilensis decided not to molt (yet).

Here are some fresh shots of some of the recently-molted tarantulas.

First up, I should share my T. albopilosus, Arka. She got her adult coloration after her recent molt, and she looks incredibly fluffy! This is such an underappreciated species that I think is simply beautiful.

I know a lot of people love this next species, so I won't pass up the opportunity to share her photo. Von, my B. albiceps, surprised me with her molt this spring. I didn't know she was in premolt because she rarely eats as is. She also molted upright for some reason, which, of course, scared the heck out of me. But she came through just fine!

My GBB Nebula has been growing like crazy (and she is crazy). She has already molted twice since I got her earlier this year.

A few of my little guys molted, too, including my two juvenile G. pulchripes and my painfully slow-growing G. rosea.

Unfortunately, I also recently lost one of my tarantulas due to old age. I got Livi, my C. elegans, as an adult, so I don't know how old she was then. But this is a short-lived species, and I was glad to have her for a few years before she slowed down and eventually passed away.

On a happier note, I added two new slings this year -- a tiny B. boehmei that was a freebie and a C. versicolor sling I found at a reptile expo. (Sorry for the fuzzy shots; these guys are tiny!)

Lastly, I made the decision to take in another rescue. He is a baby crested gecko that came to me with an injured tail. But he healed up just fine within a few weeks and has been growing fast. He's a dalmatian and reminded me of Ico, my crestie that passed away early last year.

The warmer temperatures have also made Spark, my H. chilensis, eager to get out and explore. I hear this is pretty common behavior for this species, and while I normally avoid handling tarantulas, she seems to like coming out now and then for a little adventure.

I'd like to read up on this species more, because it seems to me like they might move to different locations during seasonal changes in their natural habitat. Thus, the tendency to want to come out of their enclosures at certain times of the year. I've noticed that when I change up Spark's enclosure or rehouse her during these times, she'll settle down.

Do you notice faster growth and behavior changes in your tarantulas during warmer weather?

[fangsandforests]

Nebula and Von enjoying the warmer weather. 

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Nebula is here and ready to web up the world. 🕸️

[fangsandforests]

Tarantula Cribs Enclosure Review

I’ve been through a number of different tarantula enclosures by now, both cheap and expensive. And there always seems to be something that keeps each one from being perfect. I’ve had problems with doors getting stuck, acrylic warping easily, and the sizing not being ideal (typically too short so I have to skimp on substrate). I also like to be able to stack enclosures to save space, and that’s hard to do with most enclosures. Sometimes the enclosure is perfectly functional, but it doesn’t display well. 

The closest to perfection I’ve come across is Jamie’s Tarantulas adult tarantula enclosures. But if you have a bunch of tarantulas, those enclosures aren’t really cost effective. (They’re also not stackable.)

Well, it seems someone’s been listening to all our issues, friends. If you haven’t heard about Tarantula Cribs yet, you should. They thought of everything and it shows!

I picked up some of the 6x4x4 enclosures last year for my growing G. pulchripes slings. I thought it would be a great opportunity to test out the brand before buying any larger enclosures. And I have to say, I’m thoroughly impressed! 

The ventilation holes are in just the right places, which allowed me to put in plenty of substrate. I can also easily stack them up without blocking ventilation. 

The lids close smoothly and snap shut with a magnet. The sturdy track helps prevent tarantula escapes or toes getting stuck when I close the lid. The acrylic is nice and thick and crystal clear. So now I can easily see my fancy box of dirt at all times. (Gotta love those slings that like to burrow!)

I just purchased three enclosures of the next size up to rehouse my G. rosea, younger G. pulchra, and my H. chilensis. It wouldn’t be much of a size upgrade for those three, but their current enclosures are pretty terrible. My H. chilensis is in an acrylic enclosure I found on Amazon, and it has a bowing lid -- it’s at the point where if it gets any worse, she’ll be able to escape. The other two are in little Kritter Keeper type enclosures with doors that keep getting stuck, and I end up scaring the tarantulas every time I open them. 

So, yeah, I can’t wait to get them into the new Tarantula Cribs enclosures! Eventually, I intend to pick up the largest of their enclosures for my larger juveniles and adults. 

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After losing my crested gecko Ico at the start of the pandemic, I’ve been thinking about whether or not I should rescue another gecko. I ultimately decided to honor Ico’s memory by adopting again. So... meet Nova! I adopted her over the holidays, and she just finished her quarantine period. Unlike Ico, she doesn’t have any health issues or deformities - she just needed a good home. 

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Calcifer’s Story: One Year Later

Last October, I saw a post from our local reptile rescue asking for fosters for a pair of leopard geckos. The female was showing obvious signs of metabolic bone disease (MBD). The male had sores on his tail, swollen back feet, and since he was housed with the female, was likely also at risk of MBD.

Though at this point I’d never owned a leopard gecko before, I felt like I had done enough research on their care to help out at least one of the geckos, at least long enough to go through the medical treatments required. So I picked up the male, who I quickly decided to adopt. This is Calcifer’s story.

Unfortunately, Calcifer’s story isn’t uncommon. I see this happen far too frequently, and it’s really depressing. People pick up reptiles from pet stores or wherever without fully understanding how to care for them. Then they quickly end up with MBD, stuck shed problems, burns, and other common health problems. 

Leopard geckos are pretty hardy creatures. They can even do well without UV-B as long as you provide the right supplements. (And supplements aren’t expensive!) Many people successfully house them quite cheaply. So it baffles me when people fail to provide even the bare minimum for these guys. This is why I always say if you’d like to get a leopard gecko and have done all the research, please look into rescues before buying from a pet shop or breeder. There are a lot of geckos out there who need a good home! 

But back to Calcifer... We started Day 1 with a chlorhexidine soak and a dose of antibiotics. And this was his routine for the next 10 days, even though his swollen feet were already looking less red and inflamed by the second day. 

And he seemed to recognize that I was trying to help, at least enough to put up with the treatment. 

His enclosure setup during this time was very simple and sterile -- paper towels/cage carpet as substrate, hides that were easy to clean, etc. This was not only to prevent infection but because all new animals should go through a quarantine period. To properly quarantine a reptile, you should keep them in a separate room from any other reptiles in the house and in a setup that allows you to easily monitor for issues like parasites and diseases.  

I was, however, experimenting with the heat source during his quarantine. I settled on the Deep Heat Projector, which you can read all about in my review. I also added a UV-B light and, once he was ready to eat again, started using Arcadia Earth Pro supplements. Due to the MBD issue, one of my priorities was making sure he was getting the best possible sources of calcium and D3. 

For Calcifer, I knew his first shed in my care would help me gauge his progress, since his swollen feet came from stuck shed. And, much to my surprise, that shed came off perfectly -- not even the tiniest piece left behind. 

He improved very quickly from there. His appetite came back in full force, and he started to associate me with food instead of foot soaks and nasty medicine. I started improving his enclosure, adding in natural rock, wood, and substrate. 

It took a few months, but eventually his back feet were back to a normal size and his tail grew back. Unfortunately, the stuck shed issues in his past caused him to lose the tips of some of his toes, but he gets around just fine.

For a male leopard gecko, Calcifer seems to be on the small side. He averages about 45 grams. So even though he uses every inch of his enclosure, I haven’t felt the need to upgrade to a size up from the 18x24 Exo Terra he’s in now. (I'm not completely writing off the possibility though!)

Out of all my geckos, Calcifer is by far the most personable. He’s very curious and regularly pokes his head out of a hide or comes up to the door when I’m in the room. 

Would I ever rescue a second leopard gecko? Well, it was definitely worth it to see Calcifer make a full recovery and watch his true personality come out. I didn’t fully understand how wonderful leopard geckos are until I brought this guy home, and that’s what makes it even harder for me to grasp how people can fail to give them the care and attention they deserve.

So, yes, when I have the space and resources available, I’d love to help out another gecko in need. 

And if you read all this and are now thinking you’d also love to rescue a reptile instead of buying one, that’s great! 

I’d encourage you to see if there’s a reptile rescue near you. Reptiles are becoming more popular, which unfortunately means that more of them aren’t taken care of properly. So if you don’t have a local reptile rescue yet, there may be a need for one soon!

[fangsandforests]

Signs of a Molt

Few things worry first-time tarantula keepers more than what these critters do before a molt. So if you haven’t yet seen your tarantula go through this process, here are the signs to familiarize yourself with.

I’ve listed these signs in the order they typically appear, but some of them might be hard to spot depending on your tarantula’s normal coloration or if it has gone into hiding. 

1. They stop eating

Typically the first indication that a tarantula is preparing to molt is a refusal of food. They might hide or shy away from feeder insects and will usually make it very clear that have no interest in eating.  

Some tarantulas (like G. porteri) will randomly fast, so this might not be a helpful clue for those species. On the other hand, some species will eat within the same week of their molt. This is why you have to be on the lookout for other signs. 

If your tarantula already has a very plump abdomen and you have reason to suspect its in premolt, make sure not to leave any uneaten feeder insects in the enclosure.

2. They may seal themselves in a burrow

While some tarantulas will just molt right out in the open, others prefer to keep their molts private. If they have built a burrow or you’ve provided a hide, you might see them block the entrance with substrate and webbing. This is their way of keeping feeder insects (and nosy humans) from interrupting their molt process. 

Unfortunately for you, this means you won’t know the status of the molt until the tarantula emerges. For some species, it may even be a few months until they come out. Trust me, I know how worrisome this is, but it’s important not to dig up the burrow to check on the tarantula during this time. 

3. They kick off some hair

Unless they've been kicking urticating hairs at you or some other threat, a nice bald spot on a New World tarantula’s abdomen is a pretty solid indication that a molt is on the way. 

4. Their abdomen darkens

Once you notice a dark black, shiny abdomen, the molt is imminent, perhaps hours or days away. It’s easiest to spot this sign if your tarantula has kicked off some of the hairs on its abdomen.

Here’s an example. The first picture is my G. pulchra a few months before her molt, and the second is when she was days from her molt. Note the shiny black spot on the top of her abdomen where she had kicked off some hairs. (Normally her abdomen is pinkish in color.)

5. They make a web mat

Before they can molt successfully, tarantulas construct a web mat. It’s basically a concentrated area of webbing that will hold the old exoskeleton in place. This keeps them from getting stuck inside the molt.

6. They flip onto their back

Now it’s time for them to flip over onto the web mat to start the molting process. This is the part where new keepers tend to freak out and think the tarantula is dead. And I don’t blame them. It looks very frightening if you don’t know what’s happening. 

It’s very important not to interrupt this process in any way. Tarantulas are incredibly fragile creatures, and they are especially vulnerable during molting. 

While slings tend to finish molting very quickly, juveniles and adults can take several hours. There may be long stretches of time where it looks like the tarantula isn’t moving at all, and that’s fine. Typically they will rest right after flipping over to molt and again after they’ve completely shed the old exoskeleton. 

Once they’ve finished the molt and rested for a bit, they will flip back upright. 

I usually squirt water into the substrate near the tarantula once it has righted itself. It will be very thirsty after that exhausting process!

Don’t worry — once you’ve witnessed a few premolts and molts, it’s much easier to recognize these signs. 

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There are three years between these photos, and Shadow still has at least three more inches to grow. Still can't believe how stunning she looks after a molt!

[fangsandforests]

Do Tarantulas Need Enrichment?

Your dog benefits from regular exercise, playtime, and training. Your parrot would appreciate more foraging toys and quality time with you outside its cage. But what about your tarantula?

It’s a well-known fact among tarantula keepers that bigger enclosures are unnecessary for tarantulas. Unless it’s a male tarantula looking for a mate, most species typically don’t stray far from their burrows. They wait for their food to come to them, then they seize the opportunity to eat. So providing more space isn’t exactly enriching for them; it could have the opposite effect.

Does this mean we can’t provide anything to improve their lives? Certainly not. But enrichment for tarantulas is simple -- it’s about providing them with a naturalistic environment where they’re most comfortable.  

Start by changing the substrate

Let’s face it, coconut fiber is not natural for tarantulas. They wouldn’t walk on this stuff in their native habitats, nor would they ever use it to burrow in. It often contains pieces of plastic and other artificial materials in the mix, and it molds quite easily. So if you want to enrich your tarantula’s life, throw out that Eco Earth. 

I prefer to use Dig-It from Josh’s Frogs or Zilla’s Jungle Mix with my tarantulas. I also highly recommend Terra Aranea from the Bio Dude. All of these substrate mixes are excellent for burrowing, and my tarantulas have built some pretty impressive tunnels since I made the switch. 

Also make sure you give terrestrial and fossorial tarantulas plenty of substrate for burrowing. Some tarantulas may not use it (looking at you, A. geniculata!), but at least they’ll always have the option. 

Add natural hides and decor

Tarantula keepers love cork bark tubes and rounds, and so do tarantulas. Cork is a soft, lightweight wood that won’t injure these fragile invertebrates, and it’s highly resistant to mold. And many tarantulas, particularly arboreals, will gladly make their homes inside a rounded piece of cork. So toss out those plastic and resin hides from the pet store and pick up some cork bark. 

You can also add leaf litter, moss, and other natural decor to make the enclosure look like a slice of the forest. 

Water from the substrate

This one may not work for everyone, and that’s fine. Water dishes are a great way to conserve humidity and ensure tarantulas always have access to water. And they definitely will drink from it when they need to. 

On the other hand, some tarantulas just love taking that clean water dish filled with fresh water and dumping a load of substrate into it. A few of my tarantulas did this so religiously (ahem, T. albopilosum) that I gave up on providing a water dish. Instead, I just wet down the substrate (in a different corner of the enclosure each time) and allow them to drink that way. This means I have to water these tarantulas more often than I would if they had a water dish, but I’m willing to do it if that’s what works best for them. (I mean, it’s just a few extra minutes for creatures that require so little care anyway, right?)

If your tarantula repeatedly buries its water dish, consider taking it out altogether. It may be trying to tell you that it prefers wet substrate instead! 

Feed sparingly

Some tarantulas like to fast, while others seem to have an appetite that’s never satisfied. No matter where your tarantula is on the spectrum, you should never just dump a dozen crickets into the enclosure and call it good. Give them just one or two feeders at a time. 

Too many feeders running loose in the enclosure can stress out tarantulas. Some insects, like crickets and superworms, also have quite a bite and can severely injure your tarantula.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned Spark’s story before (my H. chilensis), but I discovered her in a horrible setup with a bunch of crickets running around inside. Spark was actually in premolt at the time, which the pet store owner failed to notice. The crickets were also too large for her and had driven her into a corner of the enclosure. And they were infected with mites, which spread throughout the enclosure and onto Spark. I’ve had her for three years now, and she is still afraid of crickets and other fast-moving insects -- she’ll only eat small mealworms and dubia. 

Bottom line is, feed a small amount of appropriately-sized insects at a time. Then come back the next day and remove any insects your tarantula didn’t eat.

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Basically, all you have to do to provide a better quality of life for your tarantulas is try to mimic what they would get if they were in the wild. That’s not really asking for a lot, just a comfortable amount of space, some natural substrate and decor, and the right amount of food and water. If you want to go a step further and try out a bioactive setup, try adding some live plants and springtails. If tarantulas were at all personable, I’m sure they would thank you for it. :) 

[fangsandforests]

Find yourself a lizard that looks at you like this. 😊 Leopard geckos are wonderful pets that often don't get the love they deserve! Calcifer came from a rescue situation, where he was housed with a female and didn't get proper supplements and care. The female developed MBD, and Calcifer had stuck shed and infected sores on his body. Both were taken in and separated by our local reptile rescue, and I volunteered to foster Calcifer while he recovered. That was almost a year ago, so you know how that story ended! 😉

[fangsandforests]

My curly girl molted again! It's hard to believe she was just 1/4" when I got her.