old habits die hard

[Nicola Dolby]

Hi, thought I'd mention a strange bit of behaviour from one of my tarantulas last night. Since the BTS show last year I have had the joy of keeping an E. murinus. This spider has always eaten green crickets. Last night a small meal worm decided to wander under his/her nose. This spider is about 10cm in legspan, and the mealworm about 2cm in length. My E. murinus went beserk. She stamped her feet, charged it and eventually threw a full threat posture at it. The mealworm just carried wandering along, couldn't care less. Yet as soon as I threw a big green cricket in there she grabbed it and was gone down her burrow like it was a feast. A lesson in the need for a varied diet!

[alex smith]

I have an E.murinas, bought it as a tiny sling at this year's BTS-has molted three times and now got some of the adult striping colouration.There's something i really like about this species and was very glad to add one to my collection.

[Nicola Dolby]

I know just what you're saying. They seem to have an 'air' about them, only small tarantulas but stunning. I think its the richness of the colour; they've not just got black legs and palps, they're jet black, and the carapace is a deep coffee colour rather than just brown. They look like they've been freshly painted. also the gold hairs on the black abdomen looks brilliant with the gold pinstripes on the legs. A beautiful spider.