Spectacular Takedown

I fed the spideys yesterday. I shake them out of the container and size is random. Mustapha's bug was HUGE for him. I decided to sit with him for a few minutes to make sure he wasn't scared of it to the point of me having to fish it out. Ha! He attacked right away. The cricket had some serious fight in it and they wrestled for a good ten minutes with Mustapha, always having the upper hand. He's very bloated atm.

I also noticed that he's grown in to his new suit and is officially BIGGER THAN SMITHY. He's just gorgeous too. He has his black and white stripes and fuzz. I can't believe four months ago he was just this little speck. I'm actually starting to get the feeling that Mustapha is a she. If that's the case I may change her name to Fatima or something similar to keep my middle eastern theme. Don't ask why, he's a Brazilian species.

Smithy had a much smaller cricket and also pounced right away. She carried it around under her arm for a little while, like a toy or blankie and then did her death dance. She can really shake her booty!

Spiders are cool.

Mustapha Molted!

I knew it! I'm getting much better at recognizing the signs now. The fasting, the darker complexion, the lethargy...I noticed yesterday evening that he was pale, BIGGER and still a little folded up.

I have to go in there later. I want his skin! He usually molts in his burrow and I haven't been able to grab one since the very first molt.

I noticed it had happened because I went to feed Smithy. I looked over to him, looked back at her, and she had already caught the bug...D'oh! I wanted to see!

So right now, everything with the spiders is just dandy!

P.S. I think Mustapha is big enough for a water dish now!

Just a T Update

Mustapha has stopped eating. That can only mean one thing, MOLT TIME! It's pretty cool have two spiders because they're molt cycles have been about a month apart and at around one molt every couple of months, I get to see one approximately every thirty days!

Smithy has eaten about 3 times since her molt at the end of October. She's so fast and skittish now! I really hope she chills out. I actually saw her JUMP! Ummm, I didn't think redknees could jump. Then again, she moves so fast that it could have just looked that way. If you blink, you will miss her moving and now she's in this habit of running up the container. I *really* hope she never runs out when I have to go in there.

With her first meal she lunged at it, and like threw the cricket across the container upside down in to her water dish. I had to rescue it from drowning so she could try again.

I did some maintenance last night. Just refilling water dishes and spraying. I think I sprayed Mustapha's home too much because there is still condensation this morning. Actually it's more like droplets. I hope he's not too warm in there!

I also had to take a cricket out of his place because it's been in there a few days. It's being saved for Smithy tomorrow.

I know I keep saying this, but I'll take pics very soon!

Settling In

Smithy ate her first meal since molting. It's actually time to feed her again.

I have noticed that since the molt, she is moving more quickly, and seems kind of skittish. I hope she settles down. We want to play with her again!

Mustapha has also eaten at least once since his big move. I thought it was twice but a cricket got lost in his burrows and died in there. I noticed the dead bug pressed up against the container deep down in his burrow, at the bottom of the container. Now it's going moldy and there's no way to get it out! D'oh!

I still have his little container in there with him, and he seems to prefer it. I was hoping to have taken it out by now but as long as he's happy, I guess!

The last batch of crickets I bought are crap. Most are already dead. Grrr! It's a pain to get those things.

That's all for now!