Meet Oscar my new pet

[Catherine]

I have a new pet. He is a little different and he is still quite young.
He is going to be very beautiful. He is a Mexican Fire legged tarantula.


He will be black with red/orange legs and a red/orange spot on his back. He is kind of cute in an odd way. I have held him and his feet are so delicate I could barely feel them.
He is in a small container right now because that is more secure for him. As he grows I will move him into a bigger space that suits his size. He ate a small cricket yesterday so he must be feeling settled.

There is something interesting about spiders and tarantulas are the most beautiful of the arachnid family. I can't resist something beautiful.

[Knight of Albion]

Not an obvious choice as an animal companion.... but like so much of the natural world what at first might seem 'less aesthetically pleasing to the eye' and unappealing, when given time and attention, one finds that it is actually a thing of beauty and wonder.

[Catherine]

Thank-you for understanding. Oscar is beautiful for what he is and truthfully, I find him fascinating. No, I don't understand him and that is what is so special. If I am going to relate to Oscar, it must be on his terms in his world.

I think back to when I had my first Tarantula, Mr Many Legs. I wish I could remember exactly how I said it, but who is to say that some animals are more deserving of our love than others. Why is it that we see one animal as loveable and we hate another. We share our lives with one pet, but reject another creature as unacceptable.
We label some creatures as scary or dangerous with out actually looking at whether they are actually dangerous.

At any rate, Mr Many Legs was a baby tarantula and his whole litter was in a bad situation and were not likely to survive. I found that yes I could have strong maternal feelings for any baby, even when that baby was a baby tarantula. I rescued him and arranged for the rest of the litter to be rescued.

Sadly Mr Many Legs was lost six months later. I did give him six good months, but he should have had much more.

[platy]

Glad someone loves him! How can you tell if they're male or female? Is there sexual dimorphism like in some spider species? What do you do with him? Do these ones rub their back legs to send their hairs flying into eyes of predators like other tarantulas?

[Catherine]

Oscar is too young to be sexed. It could go either way. I think all tarantulas can throw hairs, but I think if they feel secure they don't do it. I have him in a small set up. It is just big enough to meet his needs without intimidating him. I feed him a crickets when he needs it. Really I am just going to watch him grow/shed. Gradually we will become used to each other and I will handle him carefully. I am scared of breaking his legs or upsetting him so I will be very gentle.
Tarantulas are more fragile than people realise.

I love the little guy.

[Tobi]

Greetings Oscar! And welcome!

I used to be scared of spiders. But I once had a Russian friend who helped me overcome that fear, and got me to hold big spiders. He told me that they are actually quite scared of us! And I began to learn that our fears can be a bit silly really, especially when the spiders aren't poisonous. I have never known a Tarantula, but most spiders are very delicate and can be hurt easily by clumsiness.

I bet Oscar will turn out to be a handsome fella when he gets his full colours!

[Libby]

Aww you had been talking about getting another tarantula for a while. Glad you finally got him. Normally aren't males smaller than females? not that you have another to compare size.

[Catherine]

I have been wanting another tarantula. I was just waiting for the right one to come along. I wanted a young one, but not a tiny baby and I wanted a special colour. The Fire Legs are very special. Even the name is fancy!

Oscar is young, but I don't know the exact age so I have no way to know if I have a male or female. You are right, females get bigger. I am going to assume I have a male until I know better.(If I ever know better)

Oscar is getting a hint of orange in his leg hairs so I can see what he will look like. He is going to be beautiful. He is a good eater. He has eaten twice since I brought him home on Saturday. This morning he looked restless so I thought he might be hungry and he was. I need to recognize the signs as he will only eat twice a week and not during a shed.

You are right, Tarantulas are fragile. They can't jump and even a short fall will kill them. They throw their hairs because of fear, not aggression. They are actually timid.

I was seriously phobic of any spider. It was actually embarrassing and it was creating problems for me. Even a picture freaked me out. I did one hypnotherapy session and now I am free of fear of all spiders and I have a fascination with them. What a cure! I love all my house spiders and I just had to have a Tarantula.

[Cibach]

I've only just seen this thread. Well that's a pet I couldn't manage, but I'm so glad someone can!! And of course it would be you, Catherine. You seem to have room for any and every type of "Beastie".
I'm sure he is a fascinating creature and I look forward to seeing and hearing about him........... from afar!!

[Catherine]

I am just beginning to know him. I think I can tell if he is hungry. He has eaten right away every time I have fed him. He gets restless when he wants food. Other than that I don't know too much yet.

I think he has grown a little. I must watch for signs of shedding. I understand they are quite vulnerable and don't eat during a shed.

It is easy to love my tarantula. He has orange legs and I like orange. Of course if he wasn't orange I would still love him.