Skin Crawling

Hey ya'll 

The sight of large, hairy, eight legged creatures often makes most people's skin crawl! But for some of us, there is nothing more fascinating and riveting than watching one of our Arachnid friends crawl out of their skins! Especially when said arachnid is a tarantula! A tarantula molting is a sign that its about to get a bit bigger, and I'm sure all tarantula enthusiasts will agree with me when I say that it is always an exciting moment to know that your little baby is on its way to becoming a majestic and iconic creature!!! Anyway, as I am well aware, not many people share that passion and some who are somewhat interested, may not be ready to actually come face to face with the real thing and so, as always, I feel a need to make this blog a "safe" place where some of the more daring entomophobes/arachnophobes can come by and slowly explore these rather beautiful aspects of their fears. I mean a tarantula, when one thinks about it, is often a ferocious and rather angry looking creature. But when it is molting, it seemingly transforms into a creature quite different from its usual self. Soft, and pink, and vulnerable. Kind of like a baby!

I would also like to give my dearest sister credit for overcoming her fears and witnessing the event live when it happened! You go girl! I suppose prolonged exposure (however indirect) to me and my lifestyle gradually removes all fear of invertebrates from most people ^^

Cheers,
Cyren.

Hibernation in Tarantulas

Hey ya'll

I've been noticing some weird behavior with our spiders lately and that is a sudden increase in lethargic behavior. Normally this wouldn't be so alarming with tarantulas but it has gone on for several months now. They appear to exhibit all signs of pre-molting behavior (not eating, curling up in the corner etc.) but nothing, not even a quick misting of the cage seems to prompt any molt whatsoever. What's even more alarming is that this behavior seems to be afflicting only two out of my three spiders, the Honduran Curly Hair and the Mexican Red-Knee. My first spider, Keric (Grammastolosa rosea) appears to be in extremely good condition, is eating on a regular basis and has molted once in the same time it has been since the other two exhibited such behavior. Indeed, though it started off as one of the smaller in size, it has quickly grown to surpass even the Honduran Curly Hair (which is often touted by enthusiasts as a "fast-growing" species). Needless to say, this has gotten my quite worried although, a "talk" with some online friends of mine allayed my fears somewhat by offering the possibility that they may

1. Be going through a period of fasting, a behavior that is typical to most tarantula species
2. In a state of torpor (temporary hibernation) due to the low temperature of my room. 

I have since moved the spiders out and into a warmer location so I suppose only time will tell how they are really doing. In the meantime, a more recent measurement of Keric's body length has revealed her/him to be almost an inch long! Although, quite regrettably, she/he seems to be loosing much of that brilliant red coloration she/she had as a baby. This, however, I'm taking as a sign that Keric is in fact a female. (females tend to be duller in color compared to males). 

In the meantime, I'm still looking for possibly explanations regarding my other two babies' strange behavior. Just some information on each, the Mexican Red-Knee is about 1cm in length, while the Honduran Curly Hair is just a little above half an inch. Once again, I put my faith in the intellectual capabilities of the online community. Hope to hear from you soon!

Cheers,
Cyren

Change of Pace

Hey ya'll 

Qing just went back to New Zealand (did I mention that my twin was back from New Zealand for the past three weeks? Well, she was back for the past three weeks) so that means I am the temporary "only child" again!!! Wonderful!!! Although, a part of me can't help but feel as if I wish the roles were changed and it was me who was the one going there... well, anywhere really. But I guess I can't. Too many things here worth holding on to, too many people (and animals!) counting on me. So I guess we'll just have to make the best of the whole situation!!! In the meantime, what's a guy to do but sit by the phone waiting for audition callbacks while I meticulously complete my daily missions in DC Universe Online, at the same time tending to my ever-demanding (but delightful) menagerie of little creatures! Oh I can't wait for semester to start again! It feels good to have SOME work to do. (SOME! But not too much!). And speaking of menagerie, I suppose it's about high time I updated on our little arachnid friends but until a couple of days ago, there really wasn't much to update at all. Still, Keric's (Grammatolosa rosea) molted quite beautifully and is so much larger now. 

I feel like doing things, actually... maybe making a trip back to the Ampang Forest... but it is so difficult with Ray studying hard for his semester finals and no one else to make the trip with me. Honestly speaking, going into the forest is not HALF as fun as it is going with a group. Also on the rare chance you meet an animal you can't take on, it's nice to have the added insurance of extra bodies present to push before starving tigers while you make a quick getaway! I need a change of pace!!! Suggestions, anyone? 

Cheers,
Cyren

The Web pt. 1 ~ Losses, Gains and New Friends

Hey ya'll 

It has been quite awhile since my last update, hasn't it? And while the Fraser's Hills' butterflies continue to spread and dry on their styrofoam boards (I really can't wait to take them out to show you) I must say that a lot has been happening here regarding our eight legged arachnid friends as well!!! The orb spiders that I brought back from Fraser's Hill, for instance, seemed to coexist rather peaceably within the same enclosure for the better part of the week. That is, until I noticed the smaller spider tying up the larger one with swathes, and pulling it up into it's magnificent orb web. Whether it was the sudden change of temperature or the nauseating drive down (I'm sorry dad, your car IS very difficult to sit in), the larger of the pair did not seem to adapt well to her new home and stayed only on the lower levels of the enclosure. The smaller spider continues to display good health, I'm happy to report, but I can't help but wonder in retrospect if better management of the living arrangements could have helped us to avoid the unfortunate loss. 

And speaking about losses, we in fact experienced the misfortune of not one but two arachnid deaths this week when the Honduran curly hair (Brachypelma albopilosum) that Michelle was kind enough to send to me as a contribution to my growing collection arrived dead in the mail. As you can imagine, it was quite a downer for all of us. 

My poor Curly Sue... rest in peace. 

Bad all this sadness aside, I do have some rather exciting new arrivals to report and they are three ALIVE and kicking beautiful tarantulas that have come into our home just today! For some reason or other, I had always imagined that I would be raising Keric to full maturity before attempting any more arachnids, but it seems as if these little creatures have sunk their fangs into my heart and given me the Spider Fever!!! As such our current role call of eight legged critters are: 

Name: Keric
Species: Chilean rose  (Grammostola rosea)

Name: Thalia
Species: Honduran curly-hair (Brachypelma albopilosum)

Name: Aurea
Species: Mexican red-knee (Brachypelma smithi)

Name: Pasithea
Species: Brazilian black and white (Nhandu coloratovillosus)

As you can see, they are really quite small individuals for the time being, but (or so I have been told by experienced breeders) the two species B. albopilosum and N. coloratovillosus are rather fast growing so I suppose it won't be too long before new accommodations are required!!! Am severely excited (I love landscaping terrariums!!!) In the meantime, though, I will admit that the one I am most looking forward to raising to adulthood is the Mexican red-knee (B. smithi) as it is probably the most "colorful" spider I've attempted to raise yet!!! In the meantime, I suppose the addition of so many new arachnids into my collections marks the end of the "Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid" series. Instead, do look out for our future eight-legged updates through The Web!!! 

Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 9 ~ Sexing Spiders

Hey ya'll!

With regards to the matter above, I need your help!!! And NO!!! I do not want you to have sex with my tarantula (you perverts!!!). Rather, I need help determining its biological sex! I know some of you have written in to tell me that this is still too young an age to determine anything but others have told me that experts can tell nonetheless. So I'm just testing my luck here to see if any of you kind, and learned persons on the internet know a thing or two about determining the biological sex of arachnids.

I think you can enlarge the picture by clicking on it. 

Thanks in advance for the help!

Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 9 ~ Sharp and Daper

Hey ya'll 

Just a quick shout out before lunch. 

I started photographing Keric again (my little model!) as he recovered from his recent molt and I must say that tarantulas are the BEST to photograph during this period when their exoskeleton starts its hardening process again... their colors seem extra bright and vibrant somehow! I've been looking at Keric's molts until my eyes turn red with magnifying glasses and all other sorts of equipment in an attempt to "sex" him (I'm still hoping I got it wrong with the gender and that he will in fact turn out to be a "she") but considering the size of the molt... this is proving to be a most daunting task!!! But regardless of Keric's actual gender, raising spiders is still quite a rewarding process and who knows, I might be expanding my retinue in the near future!!! Stay tuned for updates. The other thing I wish to report is that my woodlice have seemed to start breeding. Already!!! I transferred the toadlets and their tankmates/meals on legs into a new container today, one that would retain moisture more effectively than the mesh-top tank and discovered (underneath the water bowl) a mother wood lice and her brood of white colored, minuscule offspring surrounding her. I tried my best not to disturb them as I transferred the soil over but they scattered into the new dirt once I did. No pictures though, as they were really too small to be photographed. In the meantime, take a look at Keric, handsome devil that he is. 

Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 8 ~ Voyeurism

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 8 ~ Voyeurism


Hey ya'll!!!

I really feel like such a Peeping Tom these days, and it really does not have anything to do with my sneaking glances at people in compromising situations (how inappropriate!) but rather my current preoccupation with watching my animals step out (all pink and naked) out of their old skins! As you know, we have been anticipating Keric's molt for quite some time now. As you may have gathered (from some of my latest posts) Keric has been fasting for about two to three weeks now and frankly, I was beginning to get worried! Turns out Keric chose tonight to make the change and it was by a good stroke of luck that I came home in time to witness the process!!! And voyeurism or not, it was definitely worth the wait!!! (I love watching invertebrates molt!! The process of them easing out of their old skins, a metaphor perhaps for a "former life" seems to be to be most fascinating!)

I suppose you can deduce that the process is an extremely interesting one, but also one that was quite slow!!! I had originally thought of filming it and then replaying it in fast-forward but the camera that I used to film the process (while these pictures were being taken with my phone) died halfway and didn't have enough memory space for a high definition video of one hour. Suppose in the future I shall transfer out all of my old pictures and videos before starting. In other news, Keric is doing fine right now and is resting from what I believe must be quite serious exertions (molting doesn't look easy!!!) and spent about an hour in the upside-down position before finally flipping back over. It will now be a week before I start feeding which gives me time to pick up a fresh batch of worms and start power feeding them with a nutritious, well-balanced meal of dried dog food pellets!!! Should be amazing as the benefits of nutrient transfer from such a diet has shown promising results in both my newts and hissing roaches!!! 

Also, and this is the last thing I have to say before signing off, I have set up a trap in the garden, in several "strategic" locations, in an attempt to capture (among other secretive animals in the undergrowth) more woodlice for my personal culture. The toadlets seem to enjoy eating them very much, and the lice themselves did a great favor cleaning up the bedding of the roach tank! Because I have live plants growing in there as well, I suppose those too may benefit from the presence of the crustaceans. Will check the trap and update you guys on the bounty tomorrow. 

In the meantime, hope you all had an awesome and austere Earth Hour, and will soon have, an auspicious and boisterous April Fool's Day. 

Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 7 ~ Fangs Bared

Hey ya'll 

Keric finally took the initiative to hunt for his meal today and while I am quite excited at having witnessed him take down his first prey, it all happened by accident really. Normally when it is time to feed Keric, I would prepare the worms pretty much in the same way I prepare them to feed Dian Dian (our giant asian mantis), i.e cut, gutted and served! Today, however, I noticed that Keric's cage was a little bit dirty and somewhat messy (he has taken to digging up piles of dirt recently). As such I attempted to do some spot cleaning and remove some of the worm carcasses from his previous meal. Keric was really quite agreeable throughout the entire process and didn't even protest when I used a soft paintbrush to get him out of the way and so I decided to leave the container top open (under my supervision of course!) as I started preparing similar but larger sized worms for Dian Dian. It was when I was doing so that one of the smaller worms began to object violently to being beheaded and attempted to make an escape! Indeed the poor thing wriggled with such intensity that I inadvertently dropped it. Now, if it should have landed on the table I might have been moved by sympathy to return it to my worm cage where it may live to fight another day, but such as it were, where should the poor creature land but smack in the middle of Keric's container. Now I was under the impression really that Keric had finally gone into pre-molt behavior (the signs were all there! Darkening of the toes, inactivity...) but what do you think he did? Well, he quite literally took a second to take stock of the vibration created by the steadily burrowing worm before making a quick dash and catching it with his powerful pedipalps. Slowly, he raised his hangs and delivered two bites, one presumably to paralyze his prey (the worm stopped moving shortly after this first bite) and the other to deliver his digestive fluids into the worm's hard carapace so that he might suck the innards up like a kind of pre-digested soup. 

Keric in hunter mode strikes a fearsome pose! Reminds me of nothing so much as one of those spider monsters from World of Warcraft! 

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 6 ~ Self-Grooming

Hey ya'll

If I told you that spiders are rather clean animals I suppose some of you might never believe me, but here at my little menagerie, our resident arachnid Keric, makes it a point to groom himself regularly. These sessions, which can last up to an hour at times, are extremely amusing to watch and while some days he may focus almost entirely on the front portion of his body, most days are spent smoothing and polishing the hairs that decorate his rather large and bulbous abdomen. It is really quite a sight and I caught him again in the act earlier this evening. Fortunately for me I had my phone nearby but though I sat and filmed for almost an hour, he did not treat me with the sight of him cleaning up his hind quarters. Here's a short clip of the video I took which might give you a bit of an idea what these sessions are like.




Personally I would say that it reminds me of nothing more than a cat licking behind its ears, although I'm sure a rather large number of feline admirers (who might also, incidentally, be arachnophobes) might object to this statement heartily. Oh well, to each his/her own I suppose! And on that note, I shall leave you with the last post for this weekend! Next week promises to be the busiest yet, what with me taking over several classes for Caryn and my performance gig right after that!!! Phew! 
Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 5 ~ Getting to know each other

Hey ya'll 

when someone talks about getting a pet spider, well... I'll be honest, it's really not all as exciting as it sounds. Take Keric, for example, for pretty much all of the day he just sits there. In the evening, he might stretch out his eight legs for a bit, maybe take a stroll around the container, and then he returns to his usual spot. Sitting, legs curled up like the fingers of a pianist. Occasionally, and this is only once every 4 days or so, his usual routine would be interrupted by feeding time, the "excitement" of which simply consists me dropping a beheaded worm into his cage and him taking his own sweet time to devour it. The longest so far is still the first feeding which took the better part of 12-13 hours! Having said all that, however, Keric is extremely endearing when he wants to be. For instance there was a particular day this week that he seemed particularly restless and so, I went out on a limb and took a big step by allowing him to explore the contours of my palm. I'll admit, it was not as nerve wracking as I thought it might be (I have this fear that I will squash him by accident) and I found that once the both of us were used to it, he could sit there contentedly for hours, licking his legs and then using them to groom the little brown hairs that cover the rest of his body. 

One thing though, there's still much I have to learn about this particular species. Their molting cycles for instance, and the appropriate levels of humidity. Right now I'm pretty much experimenting and taking note of any changes in behavior... but still these things can be so unreliable sometimes. Take 2 days ago, for instance. I thought Keric was about to molt as he was less active than usual (no nightly stroll around his cage). Also he was spinning webs in a particular corner of the cage and refusing any number of beheaded worms I offered to him. Surely he was about to molt! But I suppose this wasn't so because the very night I decided to experimentally offer him one more worm... well, he ate it! With much gusto! Pretty soon after this, the nightly excursions resumed as usual. If you consider my previous post about long-lived invertebrates and how their lifespans give me a chance to really try to understand their behavior, I suppose we can be thankful that Keric's species generally have incredibly long lifespans (I hear females live for up to 20 years * I HOPE KERIC TURNS OUT TO BE A LADY!!!) because that simply means we will have a long time to get to know each other. 

Keric's feeding on the 1st of March 2012.

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. 

Down came the rain and washed the spider out!

Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 4: Keric's First Meal

Hey ya'll 

It's been about two days since little Keric had his molt and I finally managed to get a hand on some worms so I thought, why not try my "luck" with feeding? I must admit, I was not expecting much to happen because Keric has been known to refuse food. But lo' and behold, I had barely lowered the worm into his cage when he quite literally pounced upon it, fangs bared! I must say it gave me quite a fright but I fortunately did not manage to do much other than drop the worm upon which it was greedily picked up by Keric and brought to a tiny little corner where he could macerate it at his own pace.

Keric's first meal!!! 

Almost 6 hours later and he's still not letting go!!!

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 3: Our FIRST molt!!!

Hey ya'll 

I came back from Pahang today (more on that later) just in time to witness my first momentous milestone with my darling Keric: his first molt!!!  Tarantula enthusiasts are always talking about molting as one of the most exciting and best times to photograph their arachnid companions but they never do seem to tell you just how fast the process actually is. Truth be told, I missed the actual process of the molt because I pretty much figured he might take as long as some of the praying mantises I've raised before (some take a better part of one hour just to crawl out of their skins!) and left him alone to do, among other things, wash my clothes and charge up the camera for my phone. So you can imagine the disappointment I had when I got back to find him already out of his exuvia, in the corner of his cage looking quite satisfied with himself. Still, the disappointment was not enough to dampen the excitement and sense of accomplishment I felt at having raised him successfully past his first molt. 

Keric, looking much "brighter" and larger after his molt!!! Seems he's gotten slightly more cranky too! It was such a hassle, trying to remove the cast of skin (exuvia) as he would insist on raising his front legs in a "bad attitude" pose and, upon realizing that that still failed to deter me, would start trying to flick those urticating hairs at me! Poor baby, I think he's still feeling a little bit vulnerable since the exoskeleton is yet to harden. Still, this means no need for feeding for the next 4 days or so (they need the time for their fangs to strengthen) which will give me more time to settle things at work AND find those worms he's so fond of. 

In the meantime, I did also manage to retrieve the exuvia with as little stress to poor Keric as possible and I think I will hold  on to it, and other future exuvia, as a sort of marker of Keric's growth and progress! 

I am told, that you can tell the gender of Tarantulas from these cast-off things,  but I've yet to learn how. Either way I think this is a little too small an exuvia (and my camera a little too low-tech) for me to send a photograph of the molt's interior to a specialist for sexing.

I must say that this weekend has come to a rather exciting stop! I wonder how long it will be until Keric's next molt. From what I've read, the Chilean rose hair is a slow-growing and long-lived species. That being said, juveniles do tend to molt more frequently than the adults. Stay tuned!!!! 

Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid pt. 2 : week 1 and still not feeding

Hey ya'll 

It's been about one week since I've gotten Keric, and although he/she seems to be adjusting fine to his/her news home and climate, I'm afraid that I've not been having much luck with feeding. Online, as well as other personal sources tell me that I should not be overly worried about this (G. Rosea spiders are notorious for their tendencies to fast over long periods of time) but the paranoid parent in me can't help but fret slightly and wonder if it's because he/she is not partial to the pinhead crickets I've been attempting to feed him/her. I really wish I could try my luck with the meal worms but I'm afraid the fish shop aren't carrying any appropriate sized ones in stock just yet. Perhaps I'll have better luck when I call them next week. In the meantime I've noticed a slight change with Keric and that is his/her toes have started to turn darker in color! Natural process of aging, or perhaps he/she is picking up some of the dirt from the container's substrate? also there's that patch on his/her bum that I never noticed was there before. 

Keric, one week after moving in with us. ps. I moved him into a ear-cotton container, filled almost to the brim with eco-dirt (to prevent him from climbing up the sides and falling from that terrible height) with larger holes drilled into the top of the container. I think he wasn't getting enough ventilation in the pudding cup as it was always getting fogged over.

Anyway I will be going away again for the weekend (I seem to be traveling so much this month!), this time to Pahang, so stay tuned cause I'm about 80% positive that this trip will yield more creepy crawly results than my short excursion to the Genting Highlands. 

Cheers,
Cyren

Anthologies of Keric the Arachnid. pt. 1 ~ Introducing Keric!!!

Hey ya'll!!! 

I finally did it! I finally got myself a baby tarantula! Now I've been fascinated by these arachnids for some time now but for a myriad of reasons, usually pertaining to the care of such creatures and the potential objection on behalf of the family at sharing the humble abode with yet ANOTHER creepy crawly creature (that it is also a poisonous one is not much help either!) has thus far stayed my hand from obtaining one. But when I first laid eyes on my beautiful Keric it was like love at first sight! The rest, as they say, is history. Needless to say, I'm as nervous as a mother holding her child for the first time, and although I have read up on my fair share of Tarantula care literature (I am not, nor have I ever been in the habit of obtaining, whether through purchase or otherwise, an animal on impulse without first studying about it) I must say... nothing has quite prepared me for the real deal. Feeding for instance, seems quite a chore as little Keric is refusing the pin-head crickets I've been laying out for him the past few days. Meal worms would have been more ideal, of course (that being his staple diet prior to this) but in a most unfortunate stroke of bad luck, all the pet shops seem to be out of meal worms currently and the only one that carries it only offers specimens that are already as large as my pinkie! Way too big for a spiderling that's barely the size of a ten-cent coin. Anyway, tomorrow is THE day and I'll be getting up in about 7 hours or so to catch the first buss up to the mountains. Hoping to find tons of insects there, in particular moths. I'll probably not have any internet to update so, expect to hear from me only on Tuesday (which, incidentally, is also Valentine's Day). In the meantime, here's a picture of dear Keric, who is kept in an empty pudding container for now until he grows larger.

So this is Keric in his little tank of a home.
His species is a chilean rose tarantula (grammostola rosea) and they are supposedly one of the hardiest and easiest tarantulas to rear in captivity... well, time to live up to your name Keric!

Cheers,

Cyren

ps. Thanks to the Malaysian Tarantula Society, Lee Chia How, Ryo and William Wong for all the help they have provided in terms of advice and anecdotes from personal experiences thus far. 

pps. I only use the term "he" very loosely here as I am unsure if Keric is really a male or female. I'm hoping for female because they usually grow much larger and lead significantly longer lives!!!