Where to start?

Well tonite I decided it would be a good idea to learn the pin on Ermac. I thought it was good to know, it initially started with my Fiancee ticking me off, and they are left defenseless yet I know ticked in this position. Its good for picking it up without getting bit right? Well I just couldn't do it because her legs were everywhere and I didn't want to hurt her. My Fiancee and I did hold her though.

I also had this itching female urge to rub her butt! Its so big and soft and fuzzy! My Fiancee says theres a nerve in their butt that when stimulated will loosen their hairs?? She didn't bite, totally docile and didn't try to urificate hairs at me but I did accidentally rubed them off her butt. I will never do that again! That was the first time this has happened since we've had her. It feels like a really bad case of the chicken pox all over again!! I got it on my hands, wrists and neck. UGH!! Jeff says they make itching powder out of this stuff and I believe it! This is even stupider after last night....

Jeff went to the Pet Store without me and just happened to see a Blue Cobalt on the 28th without me. Hhmmmmm...well, he bought her. We named this one Rasta after Rastafarian. (If thats how its spelled?) I got home from work first and hadn't seen her yet. I took off the lid and lifted the log to see this Juvenile Cobalt and she is BEAUTIFUL! Dark blue all over except for a couple rows of bands on her legs that are electric blue. Her top segment? The "head" is grayish and she has black strips and spots on her butt. I wonder how beautiful she'll be after a molt?! Thats yet another thing Jeff is excited about because Ermac has never molted for us.

I thought stupidly and brushed her with a paint brush and she FLEW over the side and over! Faster then any race car, like point 00000001 of a second. The chair I was sitting in was low, so when she landed on the carpet she didn't get hurt. No explosions, no ooze coming out of her, she was AOk just scared and same here! I jumped so hard my leg was cramped for a day and the critter keeper flew in the air out of my arms. Once she hit that spot on the floor though she didn't move or flinch once. I called my Fiancee home from work two hours early so he could come catch her so I could catch my breath. Ermac was never like this or did anything like this. She made me really nervous. I know, I was the stupid one though. Needless to say I am never changing her water, thats all Jeff and I'm never removing her lid.

Jeff spent $30.00 bucks on her. I am wondering though and am kind of irritated with him. I know he reads and researches these all time and he couldn't resist but I wonder if we were ready. He already read the care sheet and I had to reread it. Hummm, just things like we've never had a molt, never been through one, and heat and humidity?? Why ARE these critters advanced? Is it because they are nervous, fast, flighty and aggressive? Is it because their husbandry is harder? Right now shes on thick layered coconut mulch that has dried out. I bought it for my Ball and didn't like all the moisture retention at first but it sat in the closet for month and is dried out enough now but can still be misted to up humidity. She has a log shes already webbed the entrances to and a shallow water dish.

Rasta is in the room with everybody else, separate cage but I keep that room warm. I would say in the 80's because we keep the house Thermostat at 70, have plastic over every window, and there is a space heater in there. Rasta shares a shelf with my Green Anole but with a divider in between them so they can't see eachother. The Anole has a light which I figure keeps that shelf a bit warmer but the light is not on the Spider.

Lets just make this easy. How do you guys have your Cobalt Blues home set up?? I don't know if we are qualified to have her but I feel secure enough in knowledge. I am just worried about her molting. Can you mist them when they molt? Can you mist the coconut mulch or just the walls? For me personally I 'm used to Snakes. I'm the major Snake chick and hes the big Spider guy. I love all animals but I guess we all have our preferences. Snakes were first for me. I just don't like it when they freakin jump. Freaks me out. I told Jeff I would NEVER hurt any of our beautiful babies but if I wake up to a Cobalt, Goliath or anything with eight legs on me I'm flinging and he can't hate me. Thats just how it goes, no surprises. Well thats all my news for this Zoo lately. Thanks for reading and any advice is appreciated! Shes mostly this color. Beautiful!

Kristin,

They are advanced due to their aggressiveness and speed. It appears you have experienced the speed part. Generally, if you touch them the spring they seem to have in their butts shoots them away from you very quickly.

I mist the sides and a portion of the bedding for mine to aid in molting. Then again I have mine in lidded tubs with little ventilation which help retain the moisture..

BTW, you do have the correct spelling for Rastafarian.

I keep my cobalt blue in 6 to 8 inches of deep coccanut coir in a kritter keeper. She has built a deep almost U shaped burrow, and rarely comes out (which is the way it should be). Cobalt blues are considered to be an obligate burrower species. Unforunately that means you rarely see them. They can die of stress very easily if not kept in proper conditions.

I keep a water dish and I occasionally overfill the water dish to provide more humidity. However the rest of the substrate is dry all the time. She has molted successfully for me a couple of times.

As tarantulas reach adult size they may molt once a year or depending on the species once every 2 or 3 years.

It is generally good practice to wash your hands (and if you wish, up to the elbow) after you have worked with or handled your tarantulas.

I wash my hands like I have obsessive compluslive disorder.

Does anybody provide extra heat like a small hermit crab heat mat or anything? Also, what is coconut coir? I've heard of fiber and mulch to, are they all the same??

I am proud of my itching experience, like I've earned brownie points or something. Now when and if people ask what its like to get urificated on I can say "Its like a bad case of the chicken pox!" Thank you for the tip on the level of substrate to. I read that they borrow and that these borrows can resemble ant borrows almost. She only has a few inches now but I will fill her up immediately! I wasn't to sure on how much was enough. I like how you do your humidity to. I don't believe I will have a problem there.

Our friend from work is a Mexican guy named Rudy and hes going to Arizona next month and sneaking us back a RedKnee from there! We will soon own THREE beautiful babies! If there is anything else I should know about the Cobalt please feel free to chim in.

Oh, just thought of another one. Can you even mist them or open the lid when they are on their backs or is that to much and it will make them to nervous, and how do you know when they are about to molt?? Thank You!

Schlyne also, are you the Schlyne on the Arachnoboards? My Fiancee and I have been going there and hes registered there. Seems like a really kool Spider site with a ton of people.

Your cobalt will be VERY happy being a pet hole...meaning give it about 6" of substrate and it will shed , eat and do everything from it's home.
Humidity need not be a worry as long as the substrate is moist. Your CB will burrow down to the deepest layers and hollow out a cavity for all its needs.

Just a word of caution here it is illegal to smuggle back ANY livestock from Mexico across the border into the U.S.A.. If he is caught the fines will be heavy and the hassle not worth it.
There are many breeders out there that have captive bred smithi out there for a reasonable price

John hes going to Arizona. We did not tell him to do this and don't mind either way. We told him we can get a RedKnee for like $15.00 down here. He had this idea on his own. We will talk with him some more about this. Thank You for the advice though. I am glad to hear that we can handle this Cobalt to. I just wanted to make sure. Thank You guys SO much!

Originally Posted by Leighanne

Schlyne also, are you the Schlyne on the Arachnoboards? My Fiancee and I have been going there and hes registered there. Seems like a really kool Spider site with a ton of people.

Yup, that's me.

Originally Posted by Leighanne

John hes going to Arizona. We did not tell him to do this and don't mind either way. We told him we can get a RedKnee for like $15.00 down here. He had this idea on his own. We will talk with him some more about this. Thank You for the advice though. I am glad to hear that we can handle this Cobalt to. I just wanted to make sure. Thank You guys SO much!

I hope you didn't mean 'handle' as in hold and you meant 'handle' as in maintain. These guys are rather tempermental

Originally Posted by John Apple

I hope you didn't mean 'handle' as in hold and you meant 'handle' as in maintain. These guys are rather tempermental

In other words...

If you touch the Cobalt...

You WILL get bitten.