I have! Not in person, though I’ve watched several auctions of Palawan hatching eggs go for a lot of money. They’re extremely expensive (most fancy pheasants are fairly expensive anyway) and pheasants are a bit more difficult to keep than a lot of other fowl, but they are gorgeous.
They actually remind me a lot of the Congo peafowl:
I also want to add that these little ones are much smaller than Asiatic peafowl, weighing in at like 3lbs instead of 10. The ones pictured above are adults!
Easter is coming up! And it’s a terrible time for pet store bunnies!
Rabbits are marketed as “easy”, short-lived, starter pets, especially during the Easter holidays, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! A healthy, well cared for bunny can live just as long as the average cat or dog- 10-12 years!
What’s more, they have more complex needs than a cat or a dog. Rabbits are prey animals and do not behave or show affection in the same way as predators like cats and dogs; they don’t deal well with being outside-only animals; they can get sad if they’re on their own and don’t receive enough attention; and if they’re bought as a male and female couple, they can start reproducing from as early as 5-6 months of age, and they can carry multiple litters at the same time!
They have a specialised diet (NOT carrots!), need a specialised living area (unless you want all your things to get chewed up!), and they need specialised vets! Caring for them costs as much as caring for a dog!
Preparing for a T: -Research the species of T you think would be right for you. DO NOT use Google! Go on a forum like arachnoboards.com or tarantulaforum.com. There you can talk experienced T owners and ask for help/advice. Google is full of misinformation and flat out lies.
-Buy an appropriately sized enclosure for the size T you plan on getting. Despite what you might think, tarantulas don’t need loads of space. Too much space is not only a waste (since they tend to stick to one or two spots) but it can also make it harder for them to find prey.
-Make sure to get substrate (I use a mixture of coco-fiber and creature soil).
–DO NOT buy regular potting soil for your Ts! Regular potting soil has pesticides in it.
-Find somewhere near you that sells feeders (the insects you’re going to feed to your T).
-Wash anything you get for the enclosure before putting it in there. I use diluted vinegar and water.
-Make so none of your decorations are sharp or pointy to avoid injuring your T.
-Fill the enclosure up with enough substrate to where your T has space to climb, but not enough space to get injured if they fall.
–DO NOT BUY ENCLOSURES WITH GRATED TOPS! Tarantulas can get their feet stuck in grated tops, which can lead to lost limbs. Buying a simple plastic container and poking some holes in the lid will suffice. Just make sure they have enough depth so that the T can burrow in the substrate.
-DO NOT use heat lamps or heat mats! Direct heat is VERY harmful to Ts!
Buying a T: (I only have expo experience, so I don’t know anything about buying Ts online) -If at an expo, try to avoid buying from herpkeepers (people who sell snakes and reptiles). They often don’t actually know how to care for the T, and can sell you Ts that are in bad conditions.
-ALWAYS. ASK. QUESTIONS. Never be afraid to ask questions. You won’t always get a truthful answer, so take the dealer’s reply with a grain of salt. People at expos will say anything to sell you their specimens.
-Look at the conditions of the Ts before you buy them. If they look sickly (shriveled abdomen/beginning to death curl) DON’T buy from that dealer. If you’re not sure, go with your gut. This also goes for pet stores.
Behaviors: -Climbing: Ts climb for multiple reasons. Including, but not limited to: simply wanting to climb, stress, substrate is too wet, not used to the feeling of new substrate, etc. Climbing is normal behavior for a T.
-Staying in their hide for long periods at a time: Totally normal. Your T will come out every now and then, but they spend 90% of their time in their hide or burrow.
-Webbing (or lack thereof): Some Ts simply don’t web. My G. pulchra doesn’t web at all. Other Ts web A LOT.
-Premolt behavior: Lethargy, fasting, spending lots of time in and around their water dish, a darkened spot on their abdomen, dull colors, are all symptoms of premolt. Your T will not eat during this time.
Molting: -If you suspect your T is in premolt, make sure they have PLENTY of water!
-If you see your tarantula on its back, don’t panic! They’re molting. Leave them alone.
-DO NOT touch, breathe/blow on, or touch the enclosure of a molting T! If you disturb them, they will abort the molt, which will 100% kill them. Simply leave the room for an hour or two, and come back in to check up on them later.
-Some Ts molt upright and will simply rise out of their molt instead of laying on their backs and wiggling out. My G. pulchra does this.
What to do after a molt (step by step): 1. First thing you do is remove the molt. The tarantula does not care about the molt once it’s molted. The molt is trash to them.
2. CHECK FOR THE SUCKING STOMACH!! ALWAYS check for the sucking stomach!
3. DO NOT feed your T until its fangs have hardened! Ts fangs are normally black, but after a molt, their new fangs are white and soft. Their fangs will gradually harden and turn from white, to red, to black. Don’t feed them until their fangs are black.
Feeding: -Feeding your T often boils down to whether or not they want to eat. Fasting is completely normal for tarantulas, and they can live a very long time without food.
-Try to feed them at least two to three times a week.
-NEVER leave live feeders in your T’s enclosure for more than 24 hours! Heck, I wouldn’t even leave them in there for that long! Feeders will hurt your T if they’re in there for too long without being eaten.
-You can prekill a feeder for your T by crushing its head. It will still move, but it will no longer have the capability to hurt your T.
Ailments: -Most afflictions that affect tarantulas are fatal, although, if the damage is exterior, there is a possibility of them molting it out.
-Missing legs: Missing legs aren’t detrimental to Ts. They grow back. Still, it must suck to lose a leg.
-Fecal impaction: Almost always fatal. Impaction occurs when there is a blockage in or around the tarantula’s anus that prevents them from pooping. I have heard only one survival story, when a T molted out the blockage.
-Fall damage: Internal fall damage is 100% fatal, as far as I know. External fall damage has a possibility of being healed through molting.
-Deformation following a bad molt: If your T has a bad molt and comes out deformed, depending on the severity, there are ways you could help it if you’re lucky.
-Failure to molt the sucking stomach: If your T does not molt its sucking stomach, it cannot eat or drink. All you can do is wait until its next molt and hope it survives until then (and there have been cases where Ts who haven’t molted their sucking stomachs molt them out later on).
Helpful facts:
-Tarantulas are cannibalistic, and will try to eat/kill each other if you put them in an enclosure together.
-Your tarantula will NOT drown itself in its water dish. Tarantulas can not only swim, but they can dive as well. The “hairs” on their body trap air, which enables them to spend up to 30 minutes underwater. So don’t worry if you think your T’s water dish is too deep.
-Tarantula’s breathe from their “book lungs” not their mouths or a “nose.” Their book lungs are located on the underside of the abdomen. They’re square and look like, you guessed it, books.
-Ts clean themselves like cats do. They are very clean animals, and don’t usually require a substrate change or a mass cleaning of their enclosure. Spot cleaning is the only kind of cleaning you really need to do. The only time an entire enclosure cleanse would be necessary, is if there is a mite infestation.
-Slings/spiderlings are much more durable than juvenile and adult spiders. My G. pulchra has fallen three times, and she’s been fine each time. I still wouldn’t recommend handling your Ts, though.
-Tarantulas are naturally attracted to heat, like moths are to light.
-Larger Ts often take longer to molt than smaller Ts.
-Females often live much longer than males do.
Other advice:
-Don’t worry about giving your feeders a “balanced diet.” Just throw some fruits and veggies in there for them, just make sure they don’t get moldy.
-Tarantula’s almost never die upside down unless they died in the early stages of the molting process.
-Captive bred Ts are your safest bet. Often times wild caught Ts can come with ailments or parasites (although, this isn’t always the case).
-Experiment with feeders. Some Ts are very picky. My G. pulchra only eats mealworms, for example.
–DO NOT HANDLE YOUR TARANTULAS! It is VERY dangerous to handle them! If you absolutely HAVE to handle them, do it very low to the ground to avoid the risk of a fall. Tarantulas are very fragile and have a tendency to bolt.
-Rehome your Ts on the floor to avoid the risk of a fall.
-Your T will not eat immediately after you rehome it. Try to feed it every now and then, but it can take several days until it’s ready to eat.
-Keep your Ts in dark places.
If I missed anything, am incorrect about something, or if you have anything to add on, please feel free to reply!
ifesbob 