New Arrivals and a Loss

I recently acquired some more G pulchra. I added 20 .75" spiderlings, one juvenile female and one adult female. At current I  have 3 adult females, 2 sub-adult females, 2 juvenile females, 2 sub-adult males, and 3 juvenile males, and 20 spiderlings; for a total of 32 G pulchra.
The twenty will be raised in four groups of five each under varying temperature and feeding conditions in an effort to study the effects of temperature and food on growth rates. Group 1 will be fed 3 times weekly and kept at 80F, Group 2 will be fed 1 time weekly and kept at 80F, Group 3 will be fed 1 time weekly and kept at 70F, and Group 4 will be fed 3 times weekly and kept at 70F. All other conditions and environmental factors will be ketp the same for each group. I expect to have viable data within the next 3-5 years.

The Twenty

One of The Twenty

Adult Female, she is due for a molt

Juvenile Female

Onyx(009) the mature male I got from Joe (CAK on Arachnoboards) was sent out recently for a breeding loan. He was paired twice with the female and I told he made good insertions both times. Unfortunately, I was informed that she attacked him after the second pairing and he did not survive the night. I will miss him greatly, he was a beautiful specimen and quite large for a male of the species. Now I wait to see if the female will find conditions favorable to produce an egg sac next spring.
He was also paired with Sable(010) three times, all were very successful, and he was paired with Ebony(008), but she molted out. I was expecting to get him back so Icould air him with her again. I am now searching for another mature male to pair with Ebony(008)

Onyx my mature male G pulchra

Dionysus arrived, MM G pulchra

I received a mature male G. pulchra today; thank you Jenn. He was sent to me for the breeding project. He is planned to be paired with Ebony(008). If all goes well, and Ebony is a good mommy, I should have spiderlings by around June of next year.
He is set up in a similar enclosure to Ebony(008), Onyx(009), and Sable(010). A 10 gallon glass tank with about 6" of coconut fiber/pete humus, a water dish in the corner, some silk plants, and a plastic disposable drinking cup with the bottom cut away and a 2" strip cut from the side buried in the corner opposite the water dish.
He has not produced any sperm webs yet, but he has become more active and wanders frequently. Jenn, his previous owner, said he spent much of his time in his hide. So, this is a good sign. As soon as I get confirmation from him that he ready to pair he will be introduced to Ebony(008)

Dionysus' new home, you can see the hide on the left

Top view, the hide is under the silk leaves

Ebony is on the left and Dionysus is on the right

You can see a piece of silk from Ebony(008) I placed in the corner.

Roaming the new home range.

He's a big boy, easily 5.5" (not an easy pose to get)

He's a handsome one

Final Adult Arrived

I received the final of the three adults I purchased this summer, a large female, 010. She is from a shipment the seller got from Germany. She is over 6", very brown (due for a molt soon), and suffers from a few breaks to her legs. Two of the breaks look to be older, one looks fresh (probably from shipping). Her abdomen is very plump, and she was quite lethargic unpackaged. I worry she may be a very old female; perhaps too old to breed for the German stock, so she was sold off.
She has a breaks between the tibia and patella on the right pedipalp; between the patella and femur on right leg 2, which appears to have been mended with cornstarch and super glue, this joint is immobile; between the tarsus and metatarsus on right leg 3, the tarsus hangs limp and is not functional, I suspect she will remove it soon; She also has extensive wear of the bristles on the right chelicera, there is a bald patch on the top. If there is enough time before she molts again the damage to her lags might be repaired with the next molt.
After a few hours to settle in she became more active, and responded to external stimulation. She is housed in a set-up similar to 008 and 009.

Another New Arrival

Today my ~5" male (009) arrived. He was very well packed, and healthy upon arrival. When unpacked he nearly sprang out of his wrappings and ran across the plastic tub used for unpacking and transfers. He developed a small bald spot on his abdomen during transit, but this is nothing to cause concern. He calmed quickly, and was very inquisitive about the new environment. He actively wandered and investigated. He was housed in a similar set-up as the female (008) that arrived yesterday. He is more aprehensive than the 008.
June 11, 2010 update: he has not taken the hide provided. he sits in the far left rear corner just behind the provided hide.

New Arrival

I received the first of two sub-adult females today; 5" Grammostola pulchra (008). She is a stunning specimen, and looks to be very healthy. She was housed in a 10 gallon aquarium with about 17cm of coco fiber substrate (15cm moist & packed, with 2cm dry loose on the surface). There are three synthetic plants, cast resin water dish, and a synthetic hide. The plants are for eye appeal, the tarantula probably does not care if they are present or not. The hide provides a place for her to find shelter and security. I chose a synthetic material for the hides to facilitate in keeping the enclosure free of parasites and pests. The resin cast dish, as opposed to a natural stone, was chosen for the same reason.

Update: Breeding Pair is now Trio

Well, I have closed deals on three large specimen now so, I will have a breeding trio. I have recently, May 27, closed the deal on a second 5" female G pulchra from a third source. the deal on the first female was set on May 18; the male was shortly before that. I worked with three different sources,  and managed to get all three G pulchra for less than the cost of two.  I should be getting all three at the end of the first week of June. Now I just have to wait for the male to mature and my breeding program will be off and running. Based on what I have learned so far, the male could take up to three years to mature; much faster then the 6 years I will have to wait for my young G pulchra to grow and mature.
I will attempt an unpacking video when they arrive, and post it; as well as a photo of the first female when she arrives.

Here is a shot of one of the females. She(008) arrived 8June2010

This species is enchanting.

Breeding Pair

The deal is done. I am going to get a pair of sub-adult Grammostola pulchra. I will be getting a 5" male and a 4-6" female from from two different keepers on Arachnoboards.com. They will be shipped the week of June 7. This will put my breeding program a good 4 years ahead of schedule. I am very excited about this new acquisition, and the potential for beginning my breding program in the next couple years. I can not get a photo of the female, but will post her picture when she arrives.

Here is a photo of the new male(009), isn't he handsome? He(009) arrived 9June2010

A Breeding Pair??

I have just closed an agreement for a 5" male G pulchra, and will complete the transaction in the beginning of June. I have also opened a line of dialog with another breeder whom has several 5-6" females up for sale. If I am able to come to an agreement on a female I may well begin my breeding program about 6 years ahead of schedule. This is very exciting. I should be getting some pictures if the male, and of some of the prospective females soon. I will post them as soon as I get them.

Unplanned Arrivals

Well, I just received four new arrivals; 2 Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens about 1" each, and two Avicularia metallica about 1/4"-1/2" each.
I had  no plans to rear or breed these species, however, they were free. I took part in an event on one of the tarantula forums and the prize was these four specimen; who could possibly turn down four free tarantulas?
I plan to keep the Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens due to their fascinating body patterns and behavior. At this point in time I have no plans or desire to breed this species. Also,  I am not sure I want to keep the Avicularia metallica, as I am not all that interested in the arboreal species at this point in time and I want to focus my energy on the raising, breeding, and behavioral documentation of the Grammostola pulchra species.

GBB001

 GBB002

New Arrivals

Just received 3 new G pulchra today (005, 006, 007). Each has about a 1" leg span. They were all housed in the 24oz deli cup set-up the other 4 were recently moved from. They are Number5, Number6, and Number7 (until names can be found). Number5 suffered a broken leg at about the 4th joint, just above the patella, during shipping, but is healthy otherwise. This batch came from American breeding stock (David Grimm at TheInvertShop.com is the original breeder), where as the first batch came from  German breeding stock. This will give me some genetic diversity when it comes time to breed.
(please read the warning about handling at the top of the page)

Number7 22Feb10