Actually it might have been N. chromatus that I almost got. I confess that I tend to mix those two species up, but I like them both! I’ve heard all the Nhandus have an awesome feeding response. Definitely a genus I want to get into at some point.
Alas, so many spiders, so little space. 
EXACTLY!! There are so many I want. Guess I need a dedicated tarantula/spider room.
A friend of mine breeds these guys and he is going to give me one……
P Rufilata I think? I should have it Tuesday.
THAT’S MY FAVOURITE POKIE!! 
Lucky you, I’m jealous! Really need one of those guys some day soon. My P. reduncus is my “training” to get ready for wrangling that species.
Got a couple more of the leggy kids.
P. reduncus, who did not get fed tonight for obvious reasons. 
A. purperea, skulking in the background waiting for a cricket to pass within her kill zone. Such an adorable little fuzzy predator.
She is so pretty Jennifer! You are creating a great collection! The little lurking fuzzy is so cute just waiting patiently for its dinner!
My friend said this guy is going to be a spiderling but it will grow fast. He said if it gets too big I can trade it for something else so we will see. Should be interesting! 
That’s a great pokie to get. I want that one as well!
I have two or three that I need to rehouse as the moment. Been too lazy. Need to get the old enclosures cleaned out and set up first.
I’m excited for you! P. rufilata is honestly one of my favourite tarantulas in the hobby. The greens are so gorgeous, and I love the Poecilotheria pattern.
Though do be prepared, Poecilotheria get quite large. They’re one of if not the largest arboreal tarantula. Females can easily get over 9" in legspan. Males don’t get quite so large though, so whether or not it gets bigger than you want might depend on what sex it turns out to be.
Thank you Jennifer! Yeah Tyler said that if it turns out to be female I might want to trade it for something else. Tyler breeds the most interesting animals! I will see what kind of photo I can come up with….
Yeah, I’m thinking P. rufilata might need to be my next T. They are very, VERY fast, which always makes me a little nervous, so that’s why I got the P. reduncus, to get some experience working with a fast, potentially defensive arboreal before taking the plunge into the Poecilotheria genus.
Poecilotheria have also been reported to have some of the most potent venom of any tarantula. I’ll be honest, the venom doesn’t concern me too much (my black widow packs a much bigger punch than any tarantula), but the speed does make me a little anxious. My biggest fear with keeping inverts is losing them, so the faster a species is, the more I worry about that, especially for rehousings and the like.
Rehousings can be a little scary, but I always use a catch cup. I use a 20 oz soda bottle with the bottom cut off. But I also have a couple of larger ones as well. The hardest part, sometimes, is getting them back out of it. I know that some people, like YouTubers, use the poke and prey method. I find that kinda scary.
I have watched some videos on rehousing these guys and it does look a little unsettling. But I have an advantage because I can always have Tyler do it for me! . But I am kinda excited about this spiderling.
On a sadder note, my very first T curly hair passed away a very days ago. It was a male and I was warned when I bought him that his age was not known. I had him a couple of years I think? I saved his sweet little body and Tyler is going to commemorate him somehow……
Yeah, I always use a catch cup, and I always work inside a larger bin for rehousings. I’ve also found that the spiders seem to be a lot calmer if, rather than poking them with the paintbrush/stick, you instead touch them gently and maintain that gentle contact as you sort of push them in the direction you want them to go. Seems to be less startling to them, I’d imagine it feels less predatory. Sort of like how nervously poking at a snake from above puts them on edge, but coming in with a confident scoop from underneath makes them calmer.
But fast spiders still make me nervous. 
Oh no, I’m so sorry about your curly hair. Sadly males just don’t live super long.
Probably the easiest way to preserve him is as a wet specimen, where you just submerge him in a jar of isopropyl alcohol. But there are other options, just depends on how much time and effort you and your friend want to put into it.
Thank you sweetheart! I knew he was going down a bit because he wasn’t acting like himself so I kinda thought he was going to leave me one day soon. I was going to bury him next to my pink toe but Tyler offered to preserve him so we will see……
Thanks again Jennifer! 
So sorry about your loss. I lost my male M balfouri a few weeks back. It’s always sad when you discover they are male and won’t have a long time with us. He was about to go to a friend for breeding but didn’t last long enough.
Hopefully I won’t have to worry about it for years, but when my big girls go, I want to try to dessicate them and mount them in a framed shadow box or something similar. I’ve watched a few videos on it and it doesn’t seem too difficult. Hardest part is dealing with the abdomen, since you have to drain it and stuff it with cotton or something similar if you want it to look plump and lifelike.
I thought about trying to do that with Tala the wolf spider, but since she was a local native, I liked the idea of returning her body to “the wild.”
I agree that you certainly did the right thing with little Tala’s body. She was such a beautiful fighter and momma!
Thanks David. I was attached to my little Curly boy. I never thought I would have gotten attached to a T but yup it happened!
I bet you are glad you didn’t get a chance to send your boy out in case you would have blamed yourself if he had died out of your hands…… just a thought.
Thanks again David! 
