Cobalt Blue Help....

[Gex the Gecko]

Im not exactly new to the trade of arachnid collecting, as a kid i had around 8 or so tarantulas and recently (im 18) purchased a emperor scorpion. Im intrested in a cobalt blue tarntula ive seen a at a pet shop. its a juvenile and is quite healthy. i want to purchase him.

I know this particular species is quite a handful and beyond. Very aggressive and VERY fast, like if-it-hits-your-floor-and-doesnt-die-your-screwed-fast. Im more or less intrested in hearing any stories or helpful hints to get a better understanding b4 i purchase him. Here are some questions i could use being anserewed if possible.

1.does this thing really rear up and show its fangs if i just open the cage?

2.Will it attack me even if im just cleaning out its cage?

3.Can it stick to glass or is it only claws?

4.exactly how cool is it to watch this thing eat? :)

thank you and i really appreciate your anserews.

[Botar]

1. Yes and no. If it is out of it's burrow and feels threatened by you, it will give you a threat display. If it doesn't feel threatened by you, it won't pay much attention to you.

2. No and yes. If you are just picking out cricket remains or a shed skin, it won't bother you as long as you don't bother it in it's burrow. If you try to remove it from it's burrow, or don't have it set up in a large enough container with deep enough substrate, then it may very well attack if it feels threatened.

3. Just plain yes. They can all climb glass. Some better than others.

4. It is pretty cool to watch them come shooting out of their burrow and snatch their food. But as far as that goes, I think they are all fun to watch.

In regards to the speed and fear factors, they aren't out to kill you and they'll never win in a sprint against you. They will make your heart beat 90 mph if you aren't used to dealing with them though. I have well over 2,000 tarantulas in stock and I've never been bitten. Not to say it won't happen eventually, but in most cases it is avoidable.

Botar

[Critterfarm]

One thing Botar didn't comment on, and may be of interest to you.

If you keep this spider healthy and happy, you'll likely never see it. They stay in their burrows more than 90% of the time, and when they are out they usually scoot back into the burrow if you even think hard about them. ;)

OTOH, if a tank of mud with a hole in it appeals to you (As it does me), then go for it.

[John Apple]

Originally posted by Critterfarm
One thing Botar didn't comment on, and may be of interest to you.

If you keep this spider healthy and happy, you'll likely never see it. They stay in their burrows more than 90% of the time, and when they are out they usually scoot back into the burrow if you even think hard about them. ;)

OTOH, if a tank of mud with a hole in it appeals to you (As it does me), then go for it.


A tank of mud ...yup that about sums it up on these guys, I have 11 of different sizes in a 20 long filled about a foot with loamy dirt.
The only time I see them is when they shoot at crickets.
This is kind of an experiment on communal living with this species and so far I have not lost one [in a year and two months time]
I started with 12 and one shed out to be a male so he was removed and used for breeding purposes.

Anything out there done like this with other species except avics and pterinochilus species???

[Botar]

Holley Thompson (Immortal Sin) on Arachnoboards has done this with P. regalis. She started with 10 slings she got from me and had, at last I heard, 6 left. I'd link you to the thread, but it is late and I'm too tired to wait for my dial up to find it. If you are interested, contact her. I'm sure she'll tell you where to find the thread.

Botar

[John Apple]

Yes I have kept two to three pokies way back when I lived Florida, must've drawn a blank on the 'ol' memory banks.

I am gonna try this with L. cristatus and C. fasciatus and quite possibly B. vagans when I collect a few more gravid females this summer, The former two I have sacs of.