sadness and joy:

[Nicola Dolby]

Isn't it strange how we can have one of those months where nothing is normal. At the beginning of September I lost a spider to a horrible illness where for some reason it was unable to take down food. Then one of my P. ruflatas damages its leg and despite my concerns pulls through, successfully moults and is now back having fun with its brothers and sisters. Then, having lost another to old age (fair enough) I find that my prize Avic has been stolen by a dodgy character going under the name of Nicky Lee (a few of you have heard of him). Then my adult female P.miranda, whom I only expect to moult yearly, moults for the second time this year, last sunday. She was 16cm legspan before she moulted, now I'm thinking forget the tank, I'll just get her a collar and lead! Then yesterday my Euathlus passes away, on her back! All I can think is that she died on top of her hide and fell off, or she became trapped in her moult, though on closer inspection there is no sign of that. And to cap it all today I find this





A perfect moult! Where's the valium.

[Neil Ashby]

You have just about summed up the highs and lows of owning these beautiful creatures Nicola !

Every time one of my T`s moults successfully i breathe a sigh of relief only knowing too well i will have to go through it all again next time !!

........ but aint they worth it !!!!!!

[Nicola Dolby]

Completely worth it!

[James Box]

definitely! sorry about the losses, but congrats on the good news!
i've had a few moults lately, and lost a couple millipedes (the first passing being the second milli i bought)... also, my Singapore blue died about a month after i got her (probably age, though...or lack of experience with this species).
much joy and sadness, and it's all worth it!

[Nicola Dolby]

I think if I'd bought a Singapore Blue and lost it after a month I'd have been in tears. It was bad enough With my Brachypelma. Got another surprise last night. My P. subfusca has been in pre-moult and taking ages over it, which I took to mean that it was a male maturation moult (like happened with my other pokes when they matured as males. Well its moulted, is (judging by the bit I saw) very big and not very male looking. I'll get pictures when it surfaces properly.

[James Box]

i wasn't pleased!
but to be truthful, she'd not been too active for a while, and didn't seem that interested in food. she seemed to be slowing down and on the way out. just one of the problems of buying adult animals.
same thing with the millipedes, one of them i'd only had for as long as the Singapore, as i bought it the same day.
congrats on the possible female!