Theodora the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula

Hi again,

Guess what I got? Well, I’m sure you’d guess from the title, so just bear with me; A rose hair tarantula! Her name is Theadora and she’s a real sweetie. She walks on my hand without any complaint and is a great eater. If you’re thinking of getting a tarantula I’d definitely recommend getting a rose hair! Here is a care sheet that I wrote to help you out called Tarantulacare.

Heres a picture of Thea:

Isn’t she cute?

Tarantulas are members of the family theraphosoidea. Rose hairs can live for up to 15-20 years, and their habitat is normally in the desert. They have a varied diet consisting of mealworms, grasshoppers, crickets, moths, and sometimes small mice. Tarantulas can have up to 500 eggs in one egg sac, which she makes out of silk. She then stays near the sac without eating for a couple months before hatching. They are normally a rich brown with creamy hairs and a pinky tinge. Unlike true spiders, tarantula jaws strike downward, while true spiders strike sideways. They also have small teeth which help crush the exoskeleton. They, like millipedes, sense sound with their body, and do not possess a trachea. They instead have something called a book lung. Inside the chamber, the lamellae are stacked up in the manner of pages in a book, hence the name.

The molting process is one of the most interesting characteristic of a tarantula. They generally molt four times a year when young and one to two times a year in adulthood. When they molt, the spider spins a sheet web. It gets onto it and flips over on its back. Blood pressure increases, causing the exoskeleton to split at the front edge. The rip gets bigger. The spider then lays on its side and pulls out of it, one leg at a time.

There is a tarantula finishing its molt.

And here is a video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg4jza96lRU

Sadly, one of my tarantulas died while molting. It got stuck in its molt and died. This is a very common happening and is usually caused by the absence of moisture, which helps a tarantula molt.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy tarantulas as much as I do!

My Millipedes

Hello there people,

I just got some new millipedes (Narceus gordaus) and I thought I would share! Here’s some pictures with names!

Winifred

Jocedric

And Thompson

If you’re thinking of keeping millipedes because you are so inspired by the wonderful pictures of my millipedes then here’s a little care sheet I put together called millicare. My millipedes love cucumber, mushrooms, and tomatoes. They ate a whole mushroom down to the root! These little guys can reach lengths of up to eight inches and are the largest millipedes in North America. When they molt, they add new segments to their body, but the other segments stay the same. Their best defense is camouflage but they can also roll into a ball and secrete a substance that is slightly toxic. Mine once oozed onto me and it turned my hand bright red! Millipedes are part of the class Diplopoda. Roly-polies are millipedes, too. Their mouth parts are for nibbling, much like the mouth parts of stick insects. The difference between centipedes and millipedes is: millipedes have two pairs of legs per segment while centipedes have one pair of legs per segment. Also, the millipede is very docile and is vegetarian. The centipede, on the other hand, is aggressive and eats other organisms. Millipedes have mostly the same senses as we do, such as smell, taste, sight, touch, and hearing. They have compound eyes, but don’t have ears. Instead, they feel sound with their bodies. The antennae are used to taste and smell and these senses are very strong.

Millipedes are born out of eggs and the babies look much different from their parents. For one, they are tiny and only have a few legs. They are also normally not the same color as their parents.

Here are some newborn millipedes. Millipedes live on all continents, the exception being Antarctica. They also live in almost all countries. They also come in many colors. For example, the almond millipede has bright yellow spots, and some Philippine millipedes are bright orange.Below is a video showing how a millipede moves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lr5EaiENHg

And here is a photo gallery of my favorite giant millipedes

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy millipedes as much as I do!