Introducing myself

[Starlight_kitsune]

Good morning,
My name's Ashton. I've been keeping tarantulas and other exotic invertebrates for over ten years now but started dating someone into tortoises and turtles about two years ago. He owns 11 total, and after a discussion on what would happen to my spiders in the event something happened to me and he needed to care for them in my absence, or me for his torts in his absence, it was decided we should each learn more about each other's animals. I've been on other animal husbandry forums off and on for the last five years, so I figured it would be a good bet to add one for our shell babies as well. I know basic care for his animals, but I'm eager to lurk here and absorb more knowledge about the species he keeps. Here are a few pictures of some of ours, please excuse the photo quality I am definitely not a great photographer.

 

[Eadie]

Good morning,
My name's Ashton. I've been keeping tarantulas and other exotic invertebrates for over ten years now but started dating someone into tortoises and turtles about two years ago. He owns 11 total, and after a discussion on what would happen to my spiders in the event something happened to me and he needed to care for them in my absence, or me for his torts in his absence, it was decided we should each learn more about each other's animals. I've been on other animal husbandry forums off and on for the last five years, so I figured it would be a good bet to add one for our shell babies as well. I know basic care for his animals, but I'm eager to lurk here and absorb more knowledge about the species he keeps. Here are a few pictures of some of ours, please excuse the photo quality I am definitely not a great photographer.

Welcome starlight

 

[Jacqui]

Hi! *waves* What kind of spiders?

 

[Karen(pebbles)]

Hi and welcome

 

[Starlight_kitsune]

Hi! *waves* What kind of spiders?

I have a bunch, haha. I currently keep 17 spiders across 14 species, and someday when we have more room, I hope to add about ten more! I had 18 until yesterday but sadly we lost the very smallest baby spiderling to a molting issue.

The species of spider I'm keeping right now are:
Aphonopelma seemanni / Costa Rican striped kneed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #2 (formerly braunshauseni) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #6 (formerly metallica) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia minatrix / red slate pink toed tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii / Mexican red kneed tarantula
Caribena versicolor / antilles pink toed tarantula
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens / green bottle blue tarantula
Grammostola rosea / rose hair tarantula
Grammostola iheringi / entre rios tarantula
Hapolopus sp. Colombia large / pumpkin patch tarantula
Lasiodora parahybana x2 / I don't remember the common name at the moment. I normally just call them an LP
Neoholotheli incei / Trinidad olive "gold."
Poecilitheria regalis / Indian ornamental
Psalmopoeus irminia / Venezuelan sun tiger
Tliltocatcl albopilosus x2 / curly hair tarantula

Hi and welcome

Welcome starlight

Thank you!

 

[Eadie]

I have a bunch, haha. I currently keep 17 spiders across 14 species, and someday when we have more room, I hope to add about ten more! I had 18 until yesterday but sadly we lost the very smallest baby spiderling to a molting issue.

The species of spider I'm keeping right now are:
Aphonopelma seemanni / Costa Rican striped kneed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #2 (formerly braunshauseni) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #6 (formerly metallica) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia minatrix / red slate pink toed tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii / Mexican red kneed tarantula
Caribena versicolor / antilles pink toed tarantula
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens / green bottle blue tarantula
Grammostola rosea / rose hair tarantula
Grammostola iheringi / entre rios tarantula
Hapolopus sp. Colombia large / pumpkin patch tarantula
Lasiodora parahybana x2 / I don't remember the common name at the moment. I normally just call them an LP
Neoholotheli incei / Trinidad olive "gold."
Poecilitheria regalis / Indian ornamental
Psalmopoeus irminia / Venezuelan sun tiger
Tliltocatcl albopilosus x2 / curly hair tarantula



Thank you!

Omg your very brave spiders are definitely not my thing I'll think I'll stick to tortoise's 🤣🤣

 

[Thomas tortoise]

Wow! You have quite a pack of tarantula's. Btw welcome!

 

[Jacqui]

I have a bunch, haha. I currently keep 17 spiders across 14 species, and someday when we have more room, I hope to add about ten more! I had 18 until yesterday but sadly we lost the very smallest baby spiderling to a molting issue.

The species of spider I'm keeping right now are:
Aphonopelma seemanni / Costa Rican striped kneed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #2 (formerly braunshauseni) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #6 (formerly metallica) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia minatrix / red slate pink toed tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii / Mexican red kneed tarantula
Caribena versicolor / antilles pink toed tarantula
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens / green bottle blue tarantula
Grammostola rosea / rose hair tarantula
Grammostola iheringi / entre rios tarantula
Hapolopus sp. Colombia large / pumpkin patch tarantula
Lasiodora parahybana x2 / I don't remember the common name at the moment. I normally just call them an LP
Neoholotheli incei / Trinidad olive "gold."
Poecilitheria regalis / Indian ornamental
Psalmopoeus irminia / Venezuelan sun tiger
Tliltocatcl albopilosus x2 / curly hair tarantula



Thank you!

I once had a spider. Actually it was my son's. I knew nothing about spiders, nor that they mounted. Imaging seeing her "shell" laying there. Thought I had killed the poor thing.

 

[Starlight_kitsune]

Omg your very brave spiders are definitely not my thing I'll think I'll stick to tortoise's 🤣🤣

I like them both, but for very different reasons. The tarantulas are definitely a lot easier and less complex to care for than the tortoises! But at the same time none of them are going to come over to say hi or be curious what I'm up to when I open their enclosures!

Wow! You have quite a pack of tarantula's. Btw welcome!

Thank you!

I once had a spider. Actually it was my son's. I knew nothing about spiders, nor that they mounted. Imaging seeing her "shell" laying there. Thought I had killed the poor thing.

That happens a lot actually! People often think "omg its dead" during or after a molt! Even knowing what it is I won't lie, its alarming sometimes to come in and it suddenly looks like I have two spiders, one alive and one dead, in an enclosure! I've had to do a double take more than once!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Welcome, nice crew of torts
What kind is the first pic?

 

[Paula Hu]

I have a bunch, haha. I currently keep 17 spiders across 14 species, and someday when we have more room, I hope to add about ten more! I had 18 until yesterday but sadly we lost the very smallest baby spiderling to a molting issue.

The species of spider I'm keeping right now are:
Aphonopelma seemanni / Costa Rican striped kneed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #2 (formerly braunshauseni) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #6 (formerly metallica) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia minatrix / red slate pink toed tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii / Mexican red kneed tarantula
Caribena versicolor / antilles pink toed tarantula
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens / green bottle blue tarantula
Grammostola rosea / rose hair tarantula
Grammostola iheringi / entre rios tarantula
Hapolopus sp. Colombia large / pumpkin patch tarantula
Lasiodora parahybana x2 / I don't remember the common name at the moment. I normally just call them an LP
Neoholotheli incei / Trinidad olive "gold."
Poecilitheria regalis / Indian ornamental
Psalmopoeus irminia / Venezuelan sun tiger
Tliltocatcl albopilosus x2 / curly hair tarantula



Thank you!

Wooowowowww That's impressive! and a lot of spiders! aww sorry about the spiderling.😖😖😖

 

[Starlight_kitsune]

Welcome, nice crew of torts
What kind is the first pic?

Thank you! That's Wilford, he's my partner's male ornate box turtle who likes to come over to say hi. That pic is their first enclosure that's since been retired in favor of a better one so that he can't climb up to his door anymore like that. We also have two females but they're kept separately.

Wooowowowww That's impressive! and a lot of spiders! aww sorry about the spiderling.😖😖😖

Appreciate it, its one of those things that happens at that age sometimes but still stinks.

 

[Tom]

I have a bunch, haha. I currently keep 17 spiders across 14 species, and someday when we have more room, I hope to add about ten more! I had 18 until yesterday but sadly we lost the very smallest baby spiderling to a molting issue.

The species of spider I'm keeping right now are:
Aphonopelma seemanni / Costa Rican striped kneed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #2 (formerly braunshauseni) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia avicularia morphotype #6 (formerly metallica) / pink toed tarantula
Avicularia minatrix / red slate pink toed tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii / Mexican red kneed tarantula
Caribena versicolor / antilles pink toed tarantula
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens / green bottle blue tarantula
Grammostola rosea / rose hair tarantula
Grammostola iheringi / entre rios tarantula
Hapolopus sp. Colombia large / pumpkin patch tarantula
Lasiodora parahybana x2 / I don't remember the common name at the moment. I normally just call them an LP
Neoholotheli incei / Trinidad olive "gold."
Poecilitheria regalis / Indian ornamental
Psalmopoeus irminia / Venezuelan sun tiger
Tliltocatcl albopilosus x2 / curly hair tarantula



Thank you!

Thats a nice variety. A good mix of canopy dwellers and earthbound Ts. I'ave had most of those and still have a few. I bred my GBBs a couple of years ago. Got 182 babies. I had a nice G. iheringi for a while and had trouble finding another. When it matured into a male, I quickly sold it to a guy with a female.

LP = Salmon pink bird eater. I have one.

Welcome to the forum. Are there tortoise species that interest you yet? Other than the ones you already have, I mean?

 

[Starlight_kitsune]

Thats a nice variety. A good mix of canopy dwellers and earthbound Ts. I'ave had most of those and still have a few. I bred my GBBs a couple of years ago. Got 182 babies. I had a nice G. iheringi for a while and had trouble finding another. When it matured into a male, I quickly sold it to a guy with a female.

LP = Salmon pink bird eater. I have one.

Welcome to the forum. Are there tortoise species that interest you yet? Other than the ones you already have, I mean?

Thank you, I knew it was something pink but it was totally escaping me! I've heard GBBs are kind of difficult to breed so that's awesome! The entre rios was definitely the hardest find in my collection, I got lucky and found them at a reptile show.

I honestly really love my partners Sulcata, russian tortoises and the ornate box turtles. The sulcata, bridger, can't stand me though. That love is definitely one sided. At the moment I'm mostly interested in learning more about them and improving anything that could use improvement, and preparing for when our yearling sulcata is bigger.

 

[Tom]

Thank you, I knew it was something pink but it was totally escaping me! I've heard GBBs are kind of difficult to breed so that's awesome! The entre rios was definitely the hardest find in my collection, I got lucky and found them at a reptile show.

The GBB were easy to breed. I just put them together and they did all the work. Then the female went into her cave for a while ad next thing I knew there were 182 slings all over the enclosure with mom in the middle of them. Apparently the females don't usually eat the males. I even left them overnight on the advice of an experienced T breeder.


The babies look like reverse pink toes:



Not so easy with the G. pulchra. I was right there hovering over them with the rubber spatula and a chopstick, the male was drumming and everything look kosher, and then WHAM! Out of nowhere she pulls a karate move, swept his legs and plunged her giant fangs right into him. Nothing I could do. Sadly, he had not yet completed his mission.

I honestly really love my partners Sulcata, russian tortoises and the ornate box turtles. The sulcata, bridger, can't stand me though. That love is definitely one sided. At the moment I'm mostly interested in learning more about them and improving anything that could use improvement, and preparing for when our yearling sulcata is bigger.

Tortoises are awesome. Enjoy the forum. So much to read here. Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Ashton!

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Greeting's and welcome. It's good your proactively researching the tort's for possible later care.
I'm not a spider person, but don't fear them either. In The SF Bay area, there are wild Tarantulas that roam Mt. Diablo, and have seen them "crossing the road". I'll pull over and watch for a time. . . just fascinating creatures.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome to the forum