Creepy Crawly Companions

It’s a……… GIRL! 🎀 My favorite tarantula, Liz, is officially a 100% confirmed female! Here’s to 15+ more years with my cutie pie! 🩷

Imagine my surprise when I looked into Liz’s enclosure and there were TWO tarantulas! Liz’s former family was told she was a female by the rescue that they adopted her from, but I’m so happy I got to confirm it for myself and update them!

Examining a tarantula’s molt is the most accurate way to s*x them. That “crescent” shape within the pink circle below is called the spermatheca and indicates that a tarantula is female!

Liz is resting up! Molting takes a lot of energy!

This summer I had the privilege of visiting Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby’s Animal Explorer summer camp again! This year marked my **SIXTH** year bringing critters for the kiddos and it was, of course, a blast as always!

I’ve attended HSMSC’s summer camp every year since 2019, except 2020 because of Covid. It’s so crazy to think of how much growing up I’ve done over these summers! In 2019, I had just finished my sophomore year of college and only had a few pet cockroaches. I also had minimal public speaking/child interaction skills… HSMSC is where I got my start, now look where I am!

Can’t wait for year 7! 💛

Apologies for the unannounced hiatus this late summer/entire fall! For those who don’t know, my husband and I eloped last summer, and this October we had a little delayed reception to celebrate with our family! Things were quite busy and stressful so I opted to lay low for a bit. I hate that I missed out on a fun spooky season, but spending time with my family took priority. I hope to pick things back up when it warms up in the spring and hopefully restock my collection throughout the winter!

Did you know tarantulas need to drink water just like us and our furry mammalian pets?💧
It's true! While some tarantulas enjoy a water bowl more than others, there’s no denying that hydration is essential to survive. Pet tarantulas can get some of their hydration from food and enclosure misting, but having extra water available is beneficial. In the wild, they’d utilize water drops and puddles they come across. Shirley, my curly hair tarantula, was quite a thirsty girl tonight! Her bowl is a little condiment cup, for size reference. She even dipped her feetsies in (hence the dirt). Liz, my Chilean rose hair tarantula, also loves her water dish.

May 23rd is Taxonomy Appreciation Day! Today is all about bringing awareness to the importance of taxonomy (identifying, classifying, and naming living things) and showing gratitude to those who specialize in it. Taxonomy is super important with insects, for example, as different geographical areas/cultures call different insects different names. When you hear “June bug”, what bug do you think of? Chances are, many of you have a different visual in your head! Do you say firefly or lightning bug? I often hear people in the south call cockroaches “water bugs”! This is why scientific names are so important— they perfectly and exactly narrow organisms’ identities down!


Aphonopelma seemanni

I thought my Striped-knee tarantula/Costa Rican zebra tarantula looked ADORABLE with their little footsie on the glass. This species is facing habitat destruction but does not currently have a conservation status.

Happy World Bee Day! 🐝 From their incredible coloration, to their adorable fuzzy booties, to all the ecosystem services they provide, what's not to love about bees?! We have several native species of bees here in Tennessee (no, the honey bee is NOT native) that deserve our utmost love and recognition. You can see their photos below! We must all do our part to protect these species and educate others about their role and importance.

Here are some things you can do today to celebrate World Bee Day! 💛
1. Learn all about bees! Bonus points if you learn specifically about our native friends.
2. Make a bee-themed craft (a mason bee hotel or bee bath would be so fun!)
3. Plant/purchase native flowers for your garden.
4. Participate in citizen science: head outdoors and see what bees you can find and record!

Meet Creepy Crawly Companions’ newest additions! A huge thank you to Excelsior Exotics for selling me these 6 beautiful Giant African Millipedes! The owner, Jack, was such a big help in ensuring my enclosure was adequately set up to ensure proper husbandry and answering the billion random questions I had. I have admired and wanted this species for a long time, but was a bit nervous and hesitant as they are quite expensive. Excelsior Exotics really set me up for success and I look forward to introducing these into my educational program!

Despite their name, did you know that millipedes don't actually have 1,000 legs? They only have 300-400 legs!

See the comments for my uncut unboxing video!

Look who came out of her hidey hole the other night! Getting to lay eyes on my beautiful Venezuelan Suntiger (VST) is a rather rare occurrence that I really look forward to. I finally got her to grab a cricket off the tongs for the first time, and she was so polite! I love this sassy girl, but this species is definitely not for the faint of heart… she scares me a bit but we have a mutual respect. This tarantula gives my husband nightmares in which she escapes and bites his feet. When I see her appear at night and excitedly tell him she's out, I always have to follow up with "in her enclosure" just so he knows there isn't an escapee emergency...

Here is some information about this species:
- This species was not described until 1994!
- VSTs lack urticating hairs as a defense mechanism, which means they rely heavily on their super speed, defensive posture, and even their potent venom. This species is not recommended for beginners due to their more aggressive nature.
- Because they call the rainforest their home, VSTs enjoy higher humidity and warmer temperatures. They are arboreal!
- Females live 12-15 years, males live 3-4 years.
- VSTs are known to be shy and reclusive, but that's what makes seeing them exploring so special! I did not see my VST for months after getting her; I joked that my friend gifted me an empty enclosure.
- Males and females of this species exhibit s*xual dimorphism (you can easily determine s*x based on physical characteristics).

Another year of HSMSC’s summer camp! It’s always a fun time! I’ve attended several years of Animal Explorer Camp that I’m not even sure what number year this is!

It's never too early to make summer plans for your kiddos! If you have a child aged 8-12, sign them up for Animal Explorer Camp, where they'll learn about animal welfare and compassion through fun, hands-on activities with Humane Society dogs and cats.

Learn more and register today at https://heyor.ca/zmXdAh.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the M.R Davis Library this past Friday to support my friend Alex! I knew that Heimdall would make a slithery appearance, but I didn’t know there would be a fluffy surprise too! What a bonus!!!

Alex is a dog trainer here in the Memphis area with Memphis Dog Trainers: Off Leash K9 Training! This adorable pup got to go on a field trip to the library as part of her training experience. Being able to settle around a lot of kids and handle a lot of unique distractions is a great skill for dogs to have! I’m not sure how many other dogs can say they’ve been trained around cockroaches and a tarantula… I like to imagine the critters listening to the training session and soaking up some knowledge. Do you think Liz learned anything from her sleepover at Alex’s house?

Swipe to the last photo to see a blep!

Come join us at M.R. Davis Public Library for National Library Week! My good friend, Alex, will be filling in for me at this event while I visit my grandparents out of town. I have been told that there may be a sssssspecial guest...