Ally's Eight-Legged Journey

A bit of a light hearted giggle today... I am subscribed to the TSS weekly newsletter - there are still some species that I would like to add to my collection, and I would be gutted if they came in stock and I missed them. So I scan the newsletter each week to check the latest arrivals. And this week, I found....this: I mean, nothing screams "I'm a spider!!" harder than an orb weaver species. My sister has sent me photos and videos of species similar to these from her holidays in Florida, and I have literally thrown my phone across the room as a result. These are some of the most spidery looking spiders I've ever seen. They are not one that I feel like I could handle right now. But I have to admit, curiosity got the better of me, and I read the page for more information regarding the care of these monsters... Yes, you read that right - these fellas don't need a cage to live in. No. Just give it your conservatory! I don't think I would ever go into th...

This is Ladybug. Ladybug is my third jumping spider, though she is not a Regal jumper like Fred and Wilma are. She is a Widow jumping spider, or Phidippus ardens . I believe this spider is a she, as the males tend to be a vibrant red (hence her name) while she is more of a burned orange on her abdomen. I don't have a particularly imaginative enclosure for her right now - I haven't decided what "theme" to decorate it with. But right now she has been moved into a spare acrylic arboreal enclose I had lying around, has been fed and watered, and has not so helpfully made her hammock and attached it to the front door. Should I ever open her enclosure, I will destroy her house... Fortunately this enclosure has a second feeding hatch, so it's not so critical.... yet.

So, the first critter to be unpacked from my recent mystery box was the Brazilian white knee, or Acanthoscuria geniculata . I was desperate to get this spood out of his tube because he seemed quite large from peering in. As it turns out, I couldn't even see a fraction of the spood, and he was much larger than I had realised. So much so, in fact, that when he came out of his tube, his legs were all crumpled up and tangled over each other. I didn't want to manipulate him too much, because he was already incredibly stressed and was flicking hairs at me while I tried to move him off of his tissue home. I am hoping that with a little bit of time and the space to sdtretch out, that he will be able to right himself without too much hassle. Failing that, he ought to be okay once he molts. As can be seen by this photo, this spood is actually quite a bit larger than any of my other ones. When fully grown he ought to get to be around eight inches across, diagonally. Right now he is...

So after saying that I wouldn't order any more insects, I have ordered more insects. This time, I have ordered a giant dead leaf mantis Deroplatys desiccata , two Mozambique fire millipedes Centrobolus splendidus , and..... another mystery box. As if I didn't learn the first time. This time, I have specifically requested no scorpions (along with no old world T's, and no bitey/stingy things) and explained that I do not have an enclosure large enough for such things. I don't even know why I'm buying them any more. I love them, and they fascinate me - like little tiny mech suits - but I am running out of space. This absolutely has to be my last purchase. And I'm asking people to help hold me to that! When I move house and have a larger space, then I can rethink things. For now though, I must start being a responsible adult (very boring!) Deroplatys desiccata Centrobolus splendidus

I got my replacement female jumping spider today, Phidippus regius . I haven't opened the tube yet to let her out as I am still at work. As such, she doesn't even have a name as yet because I wanted to see her before I named her. Her theoretical name at the moment is Winona - Close enough to Winnie that I still feel that I have my Winnie, but different enough to not be a direct replacement. And obviously, a play on Winona Ryder (Winona Spider). I have also received my Caribena versicolor (also still in it's tube), three braplast tubs to rehouse my original Spood trio (photos to come), and another arboreal sling keeper. All exactly as I expected, no issues here. But.... I also received my first mystery box. I've never ordered a mystery box before, and common sense ought to have deterred me, as a novice. But I was bored, and the devil makes work for idle hands.... So I ordered a £30 mystery box from The Spider Shop. And, well. I don't regret it, that'...

Living where I do, just walking into a shop and buying a spider isn't an easy task. Actual pet shops are few and far between, and in general I don't even like them. With my fish, I prefer to get them from a specialist store - Someone who knows their livestock inside and out, can give me accurate care information, and can help when things go wrong. Why would this be any different for a spider? I have done some looking around, and due to my not being able to drive, my best option for getting my pet spider is mail order. This makes me so anxious. There are a lot of webstores around which will ship out a jumping spider. There are even a lot of independent breeders I could buy from on social media, and then there are those less reputable people who go out into the world and catch the spiders from the wild for a profit. (Fortunately, due to Phiddipus regius being an American species, the number of these latter people in the UK appears to be next to none). Fortunately, whil...