Help for a new Pink toe owner

[Craig Mackay]

Avicularia is the genus Craig, not the sub-family. The family is Theraphosidae, and the sub-family is Aviculariinae

Although I suspect your statement its still true, and I could also have misunderstood your post.

I was referring to the sub family but on recent further reading I've found out that members of the genus ephebopus have urticating hairs on their pedipalps that can be made airborne so i guess I was still wrong

[Jane Mitchell]

Well that pretty much answers the arboreal issue, well done. Certainly not a pink toe and I'd very much doubt a Goliath pink foot (T. apothysis) either. In my opinion I'd say its Salmon Pink Birdeater (Lasiodora parahybana): http://www.thebts.co.uk/gallery_images/eating1.jpg
If so, its terrestrial, it grows to the third largest tarantula, approx 10-11". From Brazil, great eater, will adopt a burrow but will also be on display lots. It will kick quite irritating hairs all over its enclosure and these are airborne so don't get too close, watch your eyes and throat. Its likely to cover its substrate in these so you'll find when you get into the substrate you'll feel the itching sensation. That explains the bald patch, so its probably not been too happy where it came from, but on the next moult it will be back to a full haired abdomen and looking brand spanking new!
I'd suggest, you renew the substrate with a mix of more peat than vermiculite, put in a plant pot or cork bark providing a hide, continue with the water bowl and overflow once a week.
Hopefully someone can confirm or provide a better identification.

Thanks for that Peter. It does look more like Mike. I have to confess I was a bit shocked to see the size it can grow to. I googled it and came up with this clip on Youtube (I hope you can add these links!)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i0IpU-1WEc"]YouTube - Salmon Pink Bird Eater Tarantula ... again[/ame]

We're going to make some changes to the living arrangements this week and change the vermiculite for a peat/vermiculite mix as suggested. We'll probably move the heat mat to the back of the tank as well. We'll definitely be wearing gloves as well - thankfully, we haven't handled him unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for all your help and I'll let you know how he settles in.
Jane

[jason holland]

it can still get bigger than that lol.

[michaelmckinney]

It's amazing how in depth our discussion on urticating hairs in arboreals got, then it turns out to be a L.Parahybana LOL. I think pet shops hear something like pink in the common name and jump to all sorts of conclusions. Decent tarantula retailers always use scientific names to avoid this confusion.

Michael.

[James Box]

that is a great spider, so you hopefully won't regret your choice.
one slight word of warning...these can be a bit psychotic! mine went from docile but slightly nervous youngsters to freaks that pounce and run. quite nervous, really...but fast to feed! they are still young though.
apparently they change personality from moult to moult, and i've witnessed it in my own.
so watch your fingers!
i believe they often calm down at the larger stages (from the ones i've seen)...and some have noticeably docile specimens!
they are subtle and gorgeous as adults too. the pink really stands out against the dark grey/black of a freshly moulted specimen.

[jason holland]

i wish everyone would stop talking good things aobut them!!! cos now i want one... lol

[Peter Lacey]

I think pet shops hear something like pink in the common name and jump to all sorts of conclusions.

Or perhaps the purchaser hears pink in the common name and confuses it with another species

[James Box]

probably Peter

Jason...sorry mate! they're great spiders though!

[Oli Dodds]

My L.Para is lovely, although very very fast for such a large spid. Never been aggressive at all with me, she's a gentle giant (slightly bigger then my hand so still some growing left).
Jason, speak with Mary, people are usually trying to get away from her at shows because you think you have got away, then you find she has deposited 20 L.Para slings in your back pocket lol im sure she will sell you some.

[jason holland]

lol i may have to ask

[michaelmckinney]

Definately should Jason,

They are such big hardy tarantulas, and really bad ass feeders LOL!! I have 2 juvie's and got, what I was told was a B.albopilosum sling but turned out to be another L.parahybana LOL so I have 3 now. So I had to go and order the real mccoy, B.albopilosum sling off the spider shop and a GBB sling always wanted one of those. But definately 25 is the golden number for me that is it (YEAH RITE LOL I don't have any willpower LOL).

Michael.

[jason holland]

lol, well i wanna get a new one soonish. not sure wether to get another arboreal one or a nice big beefy terestrial... a L. parahybana does make me smile more than anything tho

[Jane Mitchell]

The case of the missing crickets

We hope that so far we've done the right things but our main concern at the moment is that he doesn't show any signs of wanting to eat. We've tried him with crickets and left one in for a couple of days and he showed no interest at all. We took it out and since have tried to 'feed' him a cricket by putting it right in front of him on tweezers but again he showed no interest. Do they have a 'settling in' period where he won't eat or is there something we're doing wrong??

Hello again,

Well the changes we've made to the tank seem to have gone down very well with Mike. He's still not particularly active, except yesterday morning when I happened to be up at 4.30am but he has spread lots of thin strands of web (I'm sure there's a very technical name for this but as a newbie, I don't know) around the tank so I hope that's a good sign.

In relation to my previous post. we've tried him with a couple of crickets this week and they've disappeared but we haven't seen him actually catch or eat one. Now, we've changed the substrate to a peat / verm mix, so trying to find a black cricket on a black background it pretty hard. Do crickets burrow or it is that we just haven't been lucky enough to see them caught?? We're concerned that if they're still alive, we should be asking them out if he's not bothered about eating.

[James Box]

being what she is (or our best guess anyway!)...she probably devoured them!
but if she's coming up for a moult or something they may still be around.
i've had crickets get under things in the tank and found them later, so just keep an eye out!
but to be honest, she probably made a mess of them already.
actually, something to look for are food bolas...basically what's left of the crickets in a ball probably somewhere in the corner or in/by the waterdish (if you've got one)...
they'll be hard to spot as they'll be black on black as you say, but with a little time and a torch you may spot them.
i've heard of tarantula's munching food so much there IS no bola, but think they'll usually be a bit of remains. it's good to take them out when you find them because mites, mould, and Phorid flies love them, and they can all be a bit of a nuisance.
also a little bit of a white dried up liquid (poo!) somewhere may be another sign that she has eaten.
glad he/she seems happier! they are a great species.

[Phil Rea]

I agree entirely, you should try and remove any prey bolus as soon as you spot it. Phorid flies are a bit more than a nuisance, as it is suggested that they can carry nematodes from spider to spider, and they can destroy eggsacs (although I'm not sure whether the sac goes bad first and then the flies get to it, or whether the flies damage the sac and cause it to go bad).