RIP Big Blue

[Pinkpussycat]

Some of you may remember my post when I got my beautiful Xenesthis Intermedia tarantula aka Giant Blue Bloom. He was a big boy even then, in March 2009, and he grew to an enormous size but he recently passed away. :sad: I found him on the floor of his vivarium shortly after he had died and I took a couple of photos of him on my hand so you could see how magnificent he was. He was quite an aggressive beastie and would regularly bite his water dish or the inside edge of the vivarium glass door which made quite a noise! Males of this species usually only live for about 3 years but Blue must have been at least 4 which was good going but he was quite a character and I miss him. :frown: I have been trying to locate another but they are rare and difficult to source but watch this space!

Alive & Well


Deaded

 

[dollydimple]

I'm sorry to read this. I do remember you posting about getting your boy. The pictures you showed us then frightened the life out of me - I'm not a spidy person, I run a mile when I see one. He obviously had a good life and was well cared for, by the fact he lived longer than normal.
Hope you manage to soon find another spidy boy or girl.

 

[madmax]

I am sorry that he has passed over the rainbow bridge it is always hard when we lose one of our "babies" what ever the species..
I love the pictures of him , he was magnificent.
I hope you can find a new Big Blue to fill the hole he must have left.
Just a quick question are males more aggressive then females?
And if they are is that why they live a lot shorter lives?

 

[Sue.]

Awww sorry hear this Sue. I remember Blue and I also remember you had one called Linda :wink2: Who was the one who lost a leg and it grew back but was a bit shorter? I think it came off when he/she was shedding.

 

[Anna]

Sorry to hear about Big Blue. Have to say though I got a shiver down my spine when I looked at the photos. Hope you find another one - and if you do post photos I will try to look without thinking OMG it's huge and scary.

 

[Pinkpussycat]

I am sorry that he has passed over the rainbow bridge it is always hard when we lose one of our "babies" what ever the species..
I love the pictures of him , he was magnificent.
I hope you can find a new Big Blue to fill the hole he must have left.
Just a quick question are males more aggressive then females?
And if they are is that why they live a lot shorter lives?

Thanks MM. I know they're not everbody's but I like them and respect them as I do all creatures. Male T's live much shorter lives generally, shorter still if they get eaten after mating. :mysmilie_847: Apparently females can live up to 20 years and I've had my female Costa Rica Zebra (Aphonopelma seemanni) for 15 years and I know I'll be very upset when I lose her because she's very docile and a pleasure to keep. As for aggression, I think that is more to do with the particular species rather than gender tbh. Blue was very aggressive and so was my Cobalt Blue and my Orange Baboon which are all known to have attitude lol.

 

[Pinkpussycat]

Awww sorry hear this Sue. I remember Blue and I also remember you had one called Linda :wink2: Who was the one who lost a leg and it grew back but was a bit shorter? I think it came off when he/she was shedding.

Hello you old tart. :happy: Blimey you've got a good memory!! Linda was my Cobalt Blue who was very aggressive and was named after my line manager at the school who was also very aggressive...I told her my spidey was named after her and the reason why. :grin:

The spidey who lost the same leg several times after moulting is Edwin (who should really be renamed Edwina now that I know she's a female) but it was named after my friend's husband Edwin who has a removal company and as this spidey kept moving it's water dish around the vivarium I named it after him! You see there's always a method in my madness...:mysmilie_61:

P.S. Edwin has had a full set of legs for a few years now but on her last shed she appears to have grown an extra one on the top of her body which is most odd :wonder: and a bit creepy tbh. I'll try and take a pic if I can.

P.P.S. Don't sod off again.

 

[Sue.]

Hello you old tart. :happy: Blimey you've got a good memory!! Linda was my Cobalt Blue who was very aggressive and was named after my line manager at the school who was also very aggressive...I told her my spidey was named after her and the reason why. :grin:

The spidey who lost the same leg several times after moulting is Edwin (who should really be renamed Edwina now that I know she's a female) but it was named after my friend's husband Edwin who has a removal company and as this spidey kept moving it's water dish around the vivarium I named it after him! You see there's always a method in my madness...:mysmilie_61:

P.S. Edwin has had a full set of legs for a few years now but on her last shed she appears to have grown an extra one on the top of her body which is most odd :wonder: and a bit creepy tbh. I'll try and take a pic if I can.

P.P.S. Don't sod off again.

It's very strange the things I remember about you Sue!!:happy: I remember Linda very well and who you named her after! :mysmilie_483: I did think about getting one for myself once but as I'm the only one without a spider phobia I decided against it. I settled for stick insects instead which were fascinating and seemed to reproduce amazingly fast!

I have never sodded off completely and would like to see some piccies of your spiders :heart:

 

[madmax]

It's a hard life being a male spider by the sound of things.
I knew that some females ate the males after mating, apparently to provide protein for egg production, but hadn't realised that it was a common thing.
YES to more pictures of your spidery family.

 

[Pick-a-Lily]

Sorry to hear about Bluey, but as he lasted longer than the average life and grew to such a magnificent size, it's obvious he lived a good life with you. I wonder why you are so attracted to the feisty type?!
TC sends love xx

 

[Lucy-loo]

I am so sorry to hear about Blue, I can remember you getting him, hope you manage to find another one, they obviously have the best spider home they could wish for with you.

 

[May]

this is a first for me...feeling sad for a spider...but...he was your baby ..i really am sorry pinkpussycat...your pics are amazing...i hope they will bring you lots of comfort as time moves on ...

 

[Akimbo]

Only just read this Sue, so sorry for you and Blue xx He'd still scare the bejeesus out of DD!