my pet spiders - min (post-moult #1)

[valkyrie76]

first of all, thank you for the overwhelming encouragement and kind words from everyone! every word is appreciated! here is the link to the first entry for anyone who needs a bit of background info - http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=311566

ok! here are pictures of min, after she'd just moulted for the first time after emerging from her mother's cocoon. i've been told that they moult once before emerging, so technically this is her second moult. but to make things easier, i'm counting it as the first moult i've witnessed.

the bubs typically take one day to recover from moulting and for their exoskeleton to harden, before leaving their hammocks.

baby min scampering


this one is a little blur but too cute not to put up.








she'd grown about 0.5mm with that first moult. at this point, she was about 1.5mm-2mm. still quite manageable on my hand but a little jumpier. had to keep a very close watch on her. after a short while, she stopped running and just sat quietly to look around. the trick is, if you don't panic, they don't panic. best if hand turns to stone.

[vespa_bicolor]

Wonderfully sharp for such a tiny creature. Your camera's macro function is indeed quite good.

[valkyrie76]

thanks john! changing cameras was a good decision!

[sprintist]

i'm surprised they can be so obedient..and not so active jumping and running into corners and holes to hide

[valkyrie76]

i try to expose them to my hand movements by having them near my ibook during the day, as my hand moves constantly. after awhile, they stop being bothered by the movements. i notice that if i have them for a long time on their quiet shelf and paper partitions, they freak out more at the slightest movements (ganchiong spiders!). so i put them there only at bedtime. some of them get to sit by the window, some get to sit by the ibook. rotate shifts.

i only dare to have min on my hand now, because the rest are too fast and too jumpy. min is the quietest, and she doesn't seem to have gotten the hang of jumping well (she jumps too short, like little hops) so it's easier to handle her. even then, she is also getting quite fast. i'm not sure if i will get to document her entire progress into adulthood on my hand. hope i don't have to give up along the way!

if you hold your hand very, very steady, they will treat you as a mountain instead of another living thing.

[reaper3075]

hi..

very cute spider u have there.. really envy that u have it as a pet..

anyway, may i ask.. what is 'moult'?

[valkyrie76]

hi reaper3075!

thank you for the kind words!

to moult is to shed their exoskeleton. spiders have skeletons that are like a hard skin around them. this doesn't grow, so they need to shed it once in awhile to grow bigger. when they reach their maximum size, they stop moulting.

snakes moult too. so do birds, they shed feathers.

[reaper3075]

Originally Posted by valkyrie76 hi reaper3075! thank you for the kind words! to moult is to shed their exoskeleton. spiders have skeletons that are like a hard skin around them. this doesn't grow, so they need to shed it once in awhile to grow bigger. when they reach their maximum size, they stop moulting. snakes moult too. so do birds, they shed feathers.

ic ic.. thanks for explaining

those small lobsters moult too kept them once and managed to salvage 2 of their exoskeleton.

i suppose ur baby's exoskeleton too small to keep?

[valkyrie76]

i've kept them all! haha. abit freakish, i know.

the smallest is about 1.5mm

[SolBadGuy]

yet another beautiful series of documentation. nice macro work!!

u're really starting to convince me to rear some... but i dun have much time!

what if they get toasted on my super hot macbook pro

[valkyrie76]

solbadguy: thank you for the compliments! but... why would you think of putting spiders on top of your macbook?

[SolBadGuy]

accidents do happen...

but alas, i dun have enough space at home! muz try n find space for incoming equipment.. dunno if i will have space for other stuff like the spidey pets...

[raptor1988]

as before, nice pictures.. post some pics of their exoskeletons!

[valkyrie76]

raptor1988: thank you!

here's a hastily taken picture of min's second exoskeleton. hastily taken because it's so featherlight, the slightest air movement sweeps it up and away!

[tchuanye]

Thanks for sharing your pet's pic.

Would be interesting to see how they progress.

Whats their life span?

[valkyrie76]

hi chuan yean!

their lifespan is 2-3 years according to the lab.