Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts

First, we talk a bit about the perception that C. versicolor is a fragile spider. Then, we discuss why tarantula prices are so high in the United States. 

In this episode, we discuss whether or not children should have tarantulas as pets and whether or not these amazing arachnids pose any threat to the little ones in your home. 

In this episode, we talk about hazards in our home that could prove dangerous or lethal to our spiders. 

Well, I'm back to school and prepping for my new classes, which has me in full teacher mode. While taking a break, I thought that it would be fun to design an assessment for all the tarantula hobbyists listening. In this episode, I present The Tarantula Care 101 Exam, a test with 33 tarantula care specific questions. Can you get an A?  

As luck would have it, the day after posting my podcast featuring some communal updates, I caught an amazing interaction in my M. balfouri communal enclosure. In this podcast, we discuss the significance of this behavior. Also, I talk about the care for O. violaceopes .

In this episode, I share some updates on the M. balfouris , the P. metallicas , and my O. violoceopes . 

Over the years, I've heard some crazy stories from people about their tarantulas and tarantula care. In this episode, I go through some of the strangest things I've heard from other keepers. 

Recently, I did an unboxing video for an order from Swift's Inverts, and the two spiders I bought gave Billie and I quite the hard time during the rehousing. In this podcast, I talk about my awesome experience buying from Swift's and then critique what went wrong during the rehouse. 

To kick it off, we'll talk a bit about misinformation surrounding feeder insects. Then, we answer a listener's question about if it's a bad thing to have no fear of OW tarantulas. 

After Googling some tarantula topics the other day, it dawned on my why what I believe is a very simple hobby appears to be so darned complicate at times. 

To kick this one off, I talk a bit about the passing of my adult  H. chilensis . Then, it's off to the main topic in which we discuss some of the measurements of my "giant" tarantula species and how they compare to supposed max size numbers. 

Well, Phormictopus species seem to be the new "it" tarantulas, which should be awesome. However, in this episode, I discuss my mixed feelings about their newfound popularity. Also, in this episode I share the story of my P. formosa's terrible molt. 

And the FINAL part of this marathon discussion!  

In the second part of this feature, I discuss the spiders in my collection G-0 (yes, there will be a part 3!).

With the collection tour video now live, the only real criticism that I've received on it is that people missed my commentary. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like I could do any of the spiders justice in the short time I had for each clip, so I went with soothing ambient music instead. However, I thought that it would be fun to supply my "director's commentary" in the form o...

First, I talk a bit about the full collection video I'm putting together. Then, it's on to the main topic in which we discuss the controversy around beginner lists or people jumping in with old worlds. 

In this episode, we'll revisit the topic of substrate and review some of the popular choices as well as discuss some additives and mixtures. 

After attempting to make a video featuring my top 5 favorite old world tarantulas back in 2017, I figured that it would be fun to revisit the topic again now that I've added more to my collection. As always, this is just a list of some of MY favorites, and not a list of ones I think are the "best." Enjoy! 

What do you do when you suddenly feel like you're second-guessing your ability to care for your animals? In this episode, we discuss some scenarios that lead to folks losing their confidence in their ability to care for their tarantulas as well as some ways to avoid these situations. 

Well, after years of admiring them, I finally picked up a couple Linothele species from Eresus Spider Shop. My first impressions? I'm enamored with them. In this episode, I talk about how I set them up and my early observations. Eresus Spider Shop:

In this episode, we talk about the care for a  hobby staple...the "Singapore Blue".

In this episode, we look at some of the hobby activities that come with risks and talk about how people decide which ones are worth the potential "reward." 

UGH. Hot on the heels of the last podcast about being an informed hobbyist and hobby responsibility, I got sucked into this little discussion. Since recording this, I've been approached by two other keepers asking if I saw it and by one asking me if it was now legal for the Sri Lankan species to be sold across state lines.  It sounds like someone has thought of a "clever" way to get...

In this episode, Luis Roque ( creator of the Arácnido Facebook group ) and I discuss a myriad of topics  that center around the theme of being a more informed hobbyist.  Luis has not only been a friend of mine for years, but he has been an invaluable resource for me when it comes to taxonomical changes and getting a hold of new spider-related papers. Covered in this podcast are such topics as the...

Who needs Godzilla vs. Kong when we have another age-old battle to settle? Seriously, though, I get a lot of folks who argue that one group of tarantulas is better than the other, so I thought that it would be fun to break down the arguments.