New member of the family!

[Sarah Willis]

I finally got my much longed for Curly Hair last Thursday. I went to Northampton Reptile Centre and had originally intended to get a grown-on one, but they had sold the last one they had and just had two spiderlings in, so I have a spiderling. He/she is about an inch across including the legs.

Here's a pic, just arrived home still in the original container.


Two more, in his new home made from a lockable topped food container with some holes made in the lid, with bottle top for a water dish and a cave made from half a fish food container. He has since dug a burrow beneath the makeshift cave and blocked up the opening, leaving just a little hole at one side to come in and out.



He's eating well, around 2 small silent crickets a day. I hardly ever see him so he must be quite happy. When I feed him, a couple of legs emerge from his burrow to grab a cricket and that's it. I'm looking forward to watching him grow.

[Matthew Bagley]

Nice B.albop you've got there . Quite grown on too . I wish my slings'd get even close to that size as they're still quite tiny .

[R Thomas]

Well, my tiny little Curly Haired grew to a really fluffy 1" bundle of joy within a few months. Its my Mexican Redknee sling that seems to never change size lol. My Curly Haired has created an underground burrow with 3 exit holes and pops out to say 'hi' when i open the container and then goes back down.

[Christopher Smallman]

He looks super

I re-potted mine last week he seemed quite happy on his block of cork bark

Then when I got home today I thought thats funny its container was the only one with condensation on the inside so got my tourch out to find the little monster has dug all the way down to the bottom of the tub with the excess substrate stacked up against the lid

I always think of Brachypelma smithi and Brachypelma albopilosum together as the perfect pair as first spiders.

Good luck with them both you will always have something going on.

Here is a pic of my old male "Spooks" no longer with me on the look out for a passing cricket lol.


Chris.

[John chambers]

Con grats on your albop.
Mine eats like a pig and loves all food.
They grow fast and I've fed mine ,dubia roach ( smallest ) locust (small ) crickets (small) and small meal worm.
I'm told males grow faster!.
Mine has a copper top and only kicks on first touch of a brush then it walks slow and calm.
Best of luck.
John.

[Sarah Willis]

Chris, that's a great picture of Spooks. I was sorry to hear he passed on, I read about him in your own post a while back.

My little baby is called Comanche. I don't doubt he will grow at a rate of knots, the speed the crickets are disappearing!

[Sarah Willis]

Well, my little Curly Hair has moulted for the first time since I got him, about 10 days ago now. He gave no sign and was eating only the day before, then the next morning I found he had shoved his moult out of the hole to his cave. He seems to have increased in size by getting on for half an inch across. He's much darker in colour now and has a fat, hairy little body! I didn't feed him for a few days afterwards, but now he's back to stuffing his face like there's no tomorrow. I'll get some new pictures as soon as he appears out of his burrow for long enough!

[R Thomas]

Well I have had all of my Curly Hair's moult this week which is odd as they are not from the same batches. They are so pretty after a moult - they seem to almost shine with a red glow in the light.

I have today acquired a number of new additions to my collection and whilst rehousing them from their travelling containers to a more permananent home, a few made a break for freedom lol. I must admit that I thought I had lost my Hapalopus sp. "Colombia" which got the furthest before I recaptured it. Anyone would think it was my birthday (either that or the family is softening me up to give me some other bad or costly news)

[Carole Dallison]

Con grats on your albop.
Mine eats like a pig and loves all food.
They grow fast and I've fed mine ,dubia roach ( smallest ) locust (small ) crickets (small) and small meal worm.
I'm told males grow faster!.
Mine has a copper top and only kicks on first touch of a brush then it walks slow and calm.
Best of luck.
John.

Oooh interesting. I got 2 curly hair slings from the same batch. One is quite bigger than the other. Maybe a male and a female.

[Sarah Willis]

Here are some pictures taken about a week after the moult.

[Carole Dallison]

Lovely little T, Sarah.

[R Thomas]

Looking at those pictures you could be looking at one of mine - I just love Curly Haired (or as I spotted on thespidershop website a 'Curly Wurly'). There is something just so cute about them until they pounce on a cricket and remind you that they are capable of handling themselves.

I have just ordered http://maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=229132 with the hope that I can get some good photographs with the decent lighting. That is if my models will play nicely.

So hopefully a few new pictures will be posted soon. With that in mind can someone that reads this and knows what the size limit is to natively show a picture here let me know please. I always end up with small thumbnails that you have to click to get a larger image whilst some have images a few inches across the page - there must be a limit in pixels but a quick search of the site has not as yet turned up the right information.

Thanks in advance

Richard

[Sarah Willis]

"Curly Wurly" made me chuckle - so appropriate!

Can't help with the photos, I'm afraid, I just upload whatever size my phone produces and hope for the best! )

[jasonbotting]

i would love a curly hair but can i find one?? not a chance

[Sarah Willis]

i would love a curly hair but can i find one?? not a chance

I got mine from Northampton Reptile Centre - I don't know how far that is from you. Curly Hairs are fairly common though, they seem to be available on most online spider shops if you'd be happy getting one delivered, a lot of people recommend various online shops, such as the-t-store and thespidershop. I'm sure some of the members on here who have used them can recommend the best one.