IanK-my+pets

This page is dedicated to my Mexican Curlyhair tarantulas(Brachypelma albopilosum), Hunter and Digger, and any other spiders I may acquire over the years. So far, I have my two tarantulas, a Labyrinth spider (Metepeira labyrinthica), a Gray Cross spider (Larinioides sclopetarius), and a Southern House spider (Kukulcania hibernalis). I also have three Triangulate Cobweb spiders (Steatoda triangulosa) in my Captive Breeding Program. We moved, and some of my favorite spiders did not live here, so I am breeding them in captivity and releasing them in our backyard. I also have a Trashline Orb-weaver (Cyclosa turbinata) that I just rescued a few hours ago. I also have a colony of five black ground beetles. Date: December 30, 2009

UPDATES: Jan 3, 2010 Two adult female False Black Widows (Steatoda grossa) have joined my Captive Breeding Program (CPB). I have just gone over to Petsmart to buy my spiders (and beetles :-)) some food. I originally asked for four large crickets and twelve small crickets, but the lady gave me ten small crickets. When I told her, she gave me twelve plus one extra. Hunter and Digger got two large crickets each. My labyrinth spider got one small one. My gray cross spider got two small ones, but she hasn't built a good web so didn't catch them. I moved her and the crickets into a smaller container, hoping she would stumble upon one. I also gave the black hole spider and one of the triangulate cobweb spiders two small ones. I gave the remaining triangulate cobweb spiders one small one each. I wanted to wait for the false black widows to adjust, so I didn't give them any. I gave the remaining four crickets to the ground beetles. They fell upon the crickets with gusto, for they hadn't been fed in weeks. Ah, it's good to have carnivorous pets.

UPDATES: Jan 15, 2010 I have not been updating for a long time, so this will be quite a long one. I have recently acquired some "triops". They were bought in a kit with eggs, food, water conditioner, and insructions. I hatched them on Jan 10. First I washed the container and filled it with one liter of drinking water (two water bottles). Then I let the conditioner sit in the water for four hours before adding the eggs. You're not supposed to feed them for the first 24 hours of life. I was very excited when the first one emerged. It was tiny, about 2 mm long. On the second day, I crushed one green pellet and one brown pellet and added half to the tank. By now there were about a score and a half to twoscore of them (30-40). They ranged in size from the tiny 1-2 mm ones that had hatched in the morning to as big as the first one that hatched, now already 5-6 mm long. On the third day, they had cannibalized each other so much that there was the first one that hatched, now 7-8 mm long, a smaller one, about 5-6 mm long, and about half a score (10) of the little tiny ones. On the fourth day, there were only the first one that hatched, about 1 cm long, the other one, about 7-8 mm, two of the not-so-tiny-now ones, and a brine shrimp. The brine shrimp eggs are accidently put in the package . On the fourth day, I tossed the remaining half of the crushed pellets into the tank. The first one was now 12 mm long, the smaller one 1 cm long, and the brine shrimp survived. The little ones were not so fortunate. On the fifth day (today) I crushed one brown and green pellet and added half to the tank. The first one was 1/2 inch long, the smaller one 12 mm, and the brine shrimp was still there. My ground beetles' burrows collapsed, and I only saw two come last feeding time. However, I caught nine new ones today. Also, on the 12th, my little sister got a pet goldfish. On the seventh day, I removed the nutrient pack and changed the tank water. You're not supposed to do that until the eighth day, but I got mixed up. On the eigth day (today), I put in three green pellets and three brown. The first one was now 3/4 inch, and the smaller one was still trying to catch up. I gave more food than usual because the smaller one got injured during the water change. The accidents don't end there, however. The poor brine shrimp was accidently poured down the drain. I have mixed feelings about this. I had grown fond of the brine shrimp, but I also wasn't comfortable having it in the same tank as my triops. I hope the smaller one recovers.

UPDATES: Jan 18, 2010 On the sixth day, nothing much happened. My triops are still growing.

UPDATES: April 13, 2010 I haven't been writing in an awfully long time. My triops are dead. The smaller one cannibalized the large one, and then died a few days later. My tarantulas are very close to maturing. So far, I have the two Steatoda grossa, three Steatoda triangularis (only one of these is the same one as mentioned in my previous updates), one kukulcania hibernalis (same one), one melanisitic hogna lenta, and my tarantulas.