I know this is about the tarantula but shout out to my phone, it was on 10% battery and was recording for an hour into 5%, what a chad, thing was HOT.
Glad your phone didn't explode to get this video! I love watching spiders molt though, what a process. Wish I could do that. Please tell them they're beautiful now! And also they were before. And will always be in the future.
Aphonopelma Seemanni (Costa Rican Zebra, or more well known as the stripe-knee tarantula) - this poor kid (I think it might be a female) was all scrunched up on her back in the cup she was shipped in and freaked out as I unpacked her into her new house. I’ve left her alone all day, and she’s finally starting to look a little more relaxed.
She washed her face earlier on, it was adorable.
The mantis is, as you can see, hierodula majuscula, the giant australian mantis (or chazwozza mantis, apparently) - wayyyy smaller than I thought he’d be, so now I have to wait a couple of days for the taller cups to come so I can make him a more suitable enclosure than the large sweet jar I DID have set up for him.
Sad news, my Phiddipus Regis/Isla Juventus jumping spider, escaped from the MicroZilla habitat almost as soon as he got in and now he’s lst somewhere in my room. I saw him on the corner of my TV, but was too slow to catch him - I suspect he’s inside the TV. I’m hoping he’ll reappear at some point, I’m just so sad - he’s beautiful, he has a ridiculously blue mouth.
I’ve left catch cups lying around so that I can - hopefully - drop one on him when I find him again.
In other new baby news, the Ybyrapora diversipes (Amazon Sapphire Pinktoe) sling is gorgeous, and a little bigger than I anticipated, which is good in this instance.
The Avicularia Metallica is the spit of my previous Avicularia Avicularia, and I don’t know if it’s just my head telling me it’s so, but it actually does look more metallic.
The neischnocolus sp panama is maybe the teeniest tiniest sling I’ve got.
She's discovered the lean-to and I think she's starting excavation? I really, really hope she digs there because it's at eye level for me to do a flashlight test on. If she picks somewhere else I may have to reposition her enclosure.
The bug room was busy in other ways last night as well! First I caught a brief glimpse of GigaChad the First with a female under his wings when I came into the room to drop temps for the night.
Then I came in this morning to turn the sun on and the heat up for the day and I found GigaChad the Second in a fresh new outfit!
Look at those squishy white body plates. Mans is looking FRESH