Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts Tom Moran

Having just rehoused my juvenile Eresus walckenaeri (Velvet Spider), I figured that it was time to talk a bit about how I care for it.
Also in this episode, is the current Jumping Spider and Velvet Spider social media fad and rampant anthropomorphization leading to decline in overall appropriate husbandry in the spider hobby? I'll discuss what I feel are the realistic pros and cons of the attention these "cute" spiders are currently receiving. 

In this episode, I'll go through all of the types of tarantula enclosures I've used, from cheap to pemium, and share my pros and cons of each.

Last week, I had a few folks contact me a bit upset that there was no episode for Sunday.  And, to be honest, this happens every time I miss a week. Although I completely understand that this podcast has become very important to folks for a myriad of reasons, I thought that it might be a good time to explain why I do the Tom's Big Spiders stuff . In this episode, I'll go through the entire history of TBS from the original blog, to YouTube, and now the podcast. My hopes are that folks will understand my motivations for putting out this information and appreciate that, sometimes, I just need a day off. 

My apologies for spending an entire episode talking about me. Next week, it's back to spiders! 

I've been asked to do this one many times over the years, but there is honestly no way for me to scientifically prove which ones are faster. However, in this episode, I will share the ones that I think are fastest based on my own personal experience. 

What are YOUR fastest spiders? 

First, I read a listener question and talk about last week's episode. Then, I get a lot of emails and comments from panicked keepers who are alarmed to discover that their arboreal slings and juveniles are actually burrowing.  The fact is, MANY arboreal species will do some burrowing as slings and juveniles, and the correct setup should allow for and encourage this behavior. Unfortunately, many folks don't do enough research, and some of the "sling" and "juvenile" tarantula enclosures being sold do not permit for an appropriate setup. In this episode, we discuss how to keep these species correctly, why it's important to have the correct setup, and why this issue has become so prevalent. 

Deaths can really rattle a tarantula keeper and cause them to second guess their tarantula care. In this episode, I speak about a few recent instances I had where my fear of deaths led me to do some pretty stupid things.