Species: Chile Rose Grammostola
rosea, Mexican fire leg Brachypelma boehmei, Brazilian Black Grammostola
pulchra
Expected lifespan: 10-30 years
DOB: unknown
Here
at Bug's we have around 20 tarantulas though only a few are
used in shows. We have Buffy the
Chile Rose, Storm the Goliath Bird Eater, Whisper the Brazilian
Black and Ruce the Mexican Fire leg.
Buffy
Buffy the Chile Rose tarantula was the first tarantula we
took on here at Bug's. Unfortunately she was most likely wild
caught as many Chile Rose's are and efforts are being made
to breed more in captivity. Sadly they are not the easiest
tarantulas to breed though we are on the lookout for a nice
boyfriend for Buffy and the other Chile Roses we have here
at Bug's.
Ruce
Fantastic colours and a fiery nature mean Ruce is very much
a look but don't touch tarantula. The bright colours act as
a warning to other animals that she packs a punch though the
venom does not affect humans too badly. Ruce can be a nasty
hair-flicker and so the rubber gloves are usually dusted down
for her cleaning day.
Whisper
Our big girl Whisper is an excellent tarantula to use to let
you see just how big a tarantula can get. The Brazil Blacks
are no where near one of the largest tarantulas in the world
but an adult female is an impressive looking animal with its
jet black fur. Despite their intimidating appearence these
tarantulas are normally very docile though they do like their
food.
The
best enclosures we find are plastic tanks with vented lids.
In winter our tarantulas are given additional heat by means
of a large heat cable threaded throughout the shelving unit
where their tanks are placed. We use sterile choir substrate with a half buried flower pot to act as a hide. Tarantulas are very easy to
keep overall though some carry more of a punch than our 5
show spiders. All of our tarantulas are fed on crickets, locusts,
cockroaches and the occassional defrosted mouse.
Tarantulas
at the vet
None of our tarantulas have had to visit a vet and hopefully
never will.
