Grammostola

[Nicola Dolby]

I know this might be a stupid question but.... I've never kept Grammostola before and was thinking of getting a sling or two. The question is are they communal? Apart from one Avic species and 7 Poecilotheria sp. I'm unaware of any communal tarantulas. Can anyone advise me please?

[Kate Arbon]

As far as I am aware Grammostola are not communal. Never heard of it happening and I personally wouldn't want to be the one to try it.

[Louise~Nichols]

Hiya Nicola,
Well...I don't think there are any communal Grammostola around...although new things get tried all of the time...maybe one day a new species of Grammy will appear that likes to hang out in gangs. For what I have in captivity of this group: Pulchra, Rosea, Mollicoma, Sp.Northern Gold, Aureostriata, Sp.Formosa...none of these are communal dwellers.

However, I've got an ongoing experiment with Psalmopoeus Cambridgei...and they are co-habiting. The group relationship is changing as they grow up, but nontheless so far there is no sign of attacks or cannibalism.

[Nicola Dolby]

Thanks! Thats another idea gone then. I was going to get 10 rosea RCF's but I can't have 10 seperate tanks for them. Oh well, on with the next cunning plan!

[Louise~Nichols]

Thanks! Thats another idea gone then. I was going to get 10 rosea RCF's but I can't have 10 seperate tanks for them. Oh well, on with the next cunning plan!

Heheheh...Nicola, yup...that one gets shelved along with communal T.Blondi and communal C.Crawshayi...but wouldn't it be lovely if they had been sociable?! lol
I notice a real difference in temperament between my colony Pokies and my single specimens. The colony types are less hassled by my cleaning and poking around them, they simply stay where they are and watch me, whereas my single specimens of the same species seem to get more rattled by my routine clean and tidy-ups and will run to hide as fast as they can if I have got too close to where they're sitting.

[Nicola Dolby]

I know its strange. maybe its a "safety in numbers" thing. The males have just matured in my rufilata colony and are really jumpy, but the females are so chilled they're almost comatose. Even when the males are drumming round the tanks and making sperm webs the female atitude is "I'm not ready, so he ain't coming near me." To be fair I don't know how the males know (back to that pheramone thing again), but they don't go near them! I call it self-preservation, myself.

[Louise~Nichols]

I know its strange. maybe its a "safety in numbers" thing.

You know, that's exactly my thoughts too!! But aren't the pokies just fabulous? Such an interesting study to have and observe...I love the observations on your male and female Rufilata, they must be so funny to see!
Do you have a few colonies...and which are you enjoying most?

[Nicola Dolby]

No I only have the one at the mo. That's one of the main reasons for me going to the show next month really. I wanted a second Pokie colony and was going to get either fasciata or pederseni. I know fasciatas are the type species but when the females are grown they are BIG. So I'll go with pederseni if I can get them. I could really do with a colony of about 11, to match the rufilata colony I have now.How about yourself, do you have many colonies?

[Louise~Nichols]

WOOOO!!! So I'll get to say hiya to you at the BTS too! Excellent, it'll be great to meet you.

I've got Formosa and Fasciata colonies, and then my single-dwelling specimens which are the 8 Mirandas, 2 Subfuscas, and my Metallica...I want to increase the number of Subfusca that I have, and I'll be looking for a Rufilata colony!! Ahhh, we're going to have fun in May!!

[Nicola Dolby]

A serious Poecilotheria fan! aren't they great. I bought 3 formosas from Ray Gabriel a ouple of years ago and they're superb creatures. Sad thing is I seperated them although now that maybe wasn't a bad idea as they're all female and I don't have to worry about separating them for breeding. The two large ones moulted last week and the fangs on the shed skins were 1cm long each. Again I'm VERY glad I don't have to separate them! I also keep miranda, subfusca, and I have a male striata somewhere in Leicester. I used to have a male metallica (my first spid) but he got dyskenetic syndrome whilst out on breeding. Had an ornata too, but he used to sit on the edge of his tank washing all the time and I never got to find him a female!

[Louise~Nichols]

Fabulous collection you have there Nicola. And like you say...the size of those fangs is quite amazing!! My Formosa colony are 1 female and 2 males... And I've heard wonderful stories of how the male Formosa will help the female care for the eggsac, so I can't wait to see this happen myself. The Fasciatas are just so funny...usually in the evening they have *mad hour*...and for no apparent reason they start running about and batting each other across the rumps with their front legs!! I've not figured out if this is an attempt at Pokie Leapfrog or *tag you're It*! lol

I'm so sorry to hear you lost your Metallica to Dyskinetic Syndrome that must have been soul destroying. Keep your fingers crossed for me Nicola...I have a Metallica eggsac at this moment, still with it's mother...which is against my paranoid instinct to snatch it and run! LOL But anyway...maybe we can help heal that loss you had if all goes well, eh?

[Nicola Dolby]

You lucky thing! If I had a metallica eggsac I'd have CCTV, alarms and everything! As for your idea about the "replacement", its been a year so I'm more than ready again to say yes to that. P. fasciatas, they sound so much fun. My miranda has a funny 5 minutes when she thinks its all quiet. Then when the lights go on she sits there looking all sheepish! Still, if I could I'd have a colony of all the communal Pokies. Funny though, no one ever mentions tigranawesseli. Anybody reading this keep them?

[Louise~Nichols]

hehehe...we do indeed have alarms and CCTV here!! But more because of the valuable snake stock we keep/kept. My collection of ball pythons previously included Mojave, Woma, Bumblebee, Super Pastel, etc. Those were sold on...but there are other snakes here that I'd rather not lose!

Your Miranda sounds as batty as mine...the minute lights are on, they automatically assume the *it wasn't me* pose!!

Tigrinawesselli...I've not looked into colonies of these at all, but I'm sure it must be do-able; I suppose it's a case of getting hold of them in the first place...hardly ever see them around!!

[Nicola Dolby]

You're brave! I've never kept snakes myself, I cured myself of arachnophobia but anacondas and Black Mambas are step too far. One thing about snakes though, I heard of a type of cobra once called the Hooded Lady. I looked everywhere on the net but couldn't find anything. Do they exist at all or was someone pulling my leg? I think its meant to be a type of cobra.
All the best

[Louise~Nichols]

LOL Nicola...you've just done the regular phobic thing there...a mention of snakes and you're thinking hugely oversized or venomous straightaway!! Teasing aside, there are no enormous or venomous snake species here, we keep and breed varying constrictor types (death by coils), all of a very harmless nature if they were to bite.

I grew up surrounded by plenty of critters, so for me they're not scary monsters...I think my eternally effeminate Mr Dibley (one of my favourite snake-mates) could soften the *terror factor*. He's one of our phobia therapy team, very gentle, and pink and white...c'mon...could you honestly not laugh at the thought of a pink and white snake? He looks like a wriggling marshmallow!! hehehe

As far as the cobras...I've not heard of a Hooded Lady, so I can't help you there...all that came to mind was Painted Lady...but that's a butterfly!! LOL