Spider Shoppe

Leachianus hatchling, eggs found May 19th! :)

Ashlyn's contributions to Spider Shoppe have been invaluable. If you've ordered from us, you would have worked with her to arrange shipping. In our first "Meet the Staff", hear from Ashlyn about her work at the Shoppe.

Meet the Staff: Ashlyn, Shipping Coordinator Ashlyn shares a bit about what it's like working with Spider Shoppe.

Uroplatus ebenaui (Spearpoint Leaf Tail) hatched out at Spider Shoppe!!

We began our move today - starting w approximately 10,000 spiderlings seen here. I'm excited about the new organization system we implement tomorrow!

Sometimes, it takes one of us nearly two hours just to find and pull all our spiders for shipping. We have kept them alphabetically, but that gets hard when stock is always changing. These particular bins have been helpful, but we're tired of needing to pull stacks down to reach inside. All our new bins are open face!

The opportunity to see deficits and implement ways to further our efficiency is exciting to me. There's always room for improvement!

AARPE put on such a good show in Loveland, CO, that I had to take the opportunity to vend with them again - this time in Charlotte, NC!

Catch Spider Shoppe this weekend there with an assortment of tarantula and acrylic.

https://www.allamericanreptileplantexpo.com/

Our first official transaction as a business took place in April, 2021.

Today, we surpassed 25,000 transactions! Here's some other interesting all-time figures.

-133k crickets sold
-6.2k oz (390lbs) cork bark sold
-1.1 million website visits
-9,700 different customers
-389 mystery boxes sold
-Our #1 search is "female", followed by "Brazilian black" and "poecilotheria"

😁😁😁

in his natural habitat, Toronto CRBE

It's all relative I guess, lol

Don't forget to take your daily dose

I've been spending lots of time prepping the new Shoppe. I took these photos minutes apart after getting in my truck to leave. It's certainly getting lots of attention. I'm excited about the move!! Opening October 1st!

Topping out at a 1.5-2.0 inch leg span (4-5cm), the Trinidad Dwarf Tarantula, Cyriocosmus elegans Simon is a unique tiny theraphosid native to Trinidad, Tobago and Venezuela. Having a unique, mocha colored heart-shaped pattern on the dorsal surface of its abdomen, and being built like a tubby tick (or teddybear?) this spider is the closest living thing on Earth to a CareBear. While it seems unthinkable that anyone could not gushingly love this spider, arachnophobia unfortunately still exists.

That said, C. elegans is also quite a handsome little devil too. They sport a gorgeous orange coppery carapace sharply interrupted by a black triangle that fans out to encapsulate the eye turret and anterior (front) portion of the carapace– a pattern with striking resemblance to Brachypelma emilia. The abdomen, femurs and chelicerae are mostly velveteen and black, contrasting sharply with ivory-colored bone-like patterns that look brush stroked onto the surface of each leg from the patella to tarsi.

C. elegans start life as ridiculously tiny spiderlings and grow rapidly, reaching adulthood within one to two years. Their genus, Cyriocosmus, occupies a wide range of habitats straddling the Andes from low to higher elevations, so this spider comes from a highly adaptable lineage that is plastic in its habitat requirements. Since these spiders can burrow or act semi-arboreally, they can be raised in a variety of cage orientations– terrestrial, arboreal or something that is the best of both worlds.

C. elegans thrive in small enclosures that are filled up to 50% with substrate and love to dig and climb, so provide plenty of substrate and some items that can be used as hides, like cork bark and they will turn their cage into a little construction zone in no time. Spiderlings should have moist substrate and larger juveniles to adults can have their substrate be maintained as somewhat moist through periodic misting in a corner of the enclosure.

This species has a very strong feeding response, but are cautious yet curious when the threat of a human hand approaches their cage. C. elegans are docile but skittish and so can be handled with care. They are not known for throwing threat postures or flicking urticating hairs, but are fast and can make a quick escape. All in all, if you are looking for a unique, beautiful, yet ultra-cute tarantula to win the hearts and minds of any friends or loved ones afflicted with die-hard arachnophobia, C. elegans is your spider.

Came upon $60 rd trip tickets to AZ and had to go

Another unforgettable day in Peru. Featuring Hapalotremus sp Inca Gold, Urupelma veronicae, and Linothele uniformis 👏👏

Finding GOLD SPIDERS & Eating GUINEA PIGS! We found so many GOLD SPIDERS during day 7 of our tarantula expedition in Peru! We were outside Urubamba finding Hapalotremus, Urupelma, Ischnocolinae, Linot...

The GreenBottle Blue Tarantula, Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens Strand is a brilliant hobby classic and a fantastic first tarantula for those that are spider-curious. This semi-arboreal species occurs in sandy arid habitats in the Paraguaná Peninsula of northern Venezuela, where they often build extended hammock-like webs with funnel-like entrances through thorn scrub and under woody debris, sometimes at the base of towering cacti. These tarantulas are tough as nails, have a gentle disposition, dashingly good looks, and are therefore an excellent beginner species if their habitat preferences are met.

C. cyaneopubescens is among the most wildly colored desert tarantulas with two major color phases over the course of their lifecycle, so you get to enjoy two gorgeous color combinations in one spider. Juveniles develop a stunning orange and black, tiger-striped abdomen paired with a golden starburst on a black carapace along with metallic emerald to turquoise femurs and progressively zebra striped legs from the patella to their tarsi. At maturity, however, these spiders develop a fabulously vivid, metallic turquoise blue carapace and chelicerae, royal blue legs with fiery orange setae, and orange setae over a black abdomen. These spiders reach 4.5-6 inch leg span at maturity.

Although semi-arboreal, C. cyaneopubescens are also opportunistic burrowers and thrive in very dry conditions. So this spider can do just about anything a spider can do. They are easily maintained in a well-ventilated vertical or terrestrial enclosure with plenty of substrate. Provide cork hides and or branches and dead leaves for C. cyaneopubescens to incorporate as anchor points in its copious webbing. Being desert dwellers with sparse opportunities in the wild to snag a meal, this species has an impressively strong feeding response and actively pursues prey. Keep their substrate dry, provide a water bowl for larger specimens, and only occasionally mist a corner of the cage and these jewels will do fantastically well.

Fun trivia: a male C. cyaneopubescens named “Cooli” became something of a tarantula star as the beloved pet of Billie Eilish starting with a cameo on the Late Late Show with James Corden. However, despite social media posts of folks pushing the limits of docile tarantula handling, please do not attempt placing these [or any tarantulas for that matter] anywhere near your face as a flick of urticating hairs in the eyes or up one’s nose would beckon a trip for medical attention.

Although this species is quite docile and handleable, be sure to only handle if necessary and in a safe space for the tarantula as they are quite skittish and can bolt quickly if spooked. Males also do not hesitate to flick urticating hairs if they feel uncomfortable. For many, if you could have one tarantula in the world, the Greenbottle Blue Tarantula is a steadfast hobby classic that has so much to love.

Luthela yuncheng, my favorite new addition

Qiongthela jianfeng

What a fascinating creature here. Even more interesting in the fact that this genus, Cyclocosmia, can be found in China and also in the Southeastern USA. They use this hardened, round abdomen to plug their burrows.

While unpacking these, one of them sprayed their acid on my thumb near my fingernail. While that area may be sensitive, it certainly caused a burning sensation. I think these old world vinegaroons may match their tarantula counterparts in terms of old world attitude. Typopeltis spp, China

Eupalaestrus campestratus, also known as the Pink Zebra Knee. Well-started at 1"+

Bonnetina tanzeri, aka Michoacan Red Rump

Macrothele spp, China

Thrixopelma cyaneolum juvenile

Stegodyphus from Xinjiang, China

Scolopendra dehaani 'China'