The All New Tex
"Tex" just endured his second molt in 54 days after a 30 day "power feeding" binge consisting of 36 crickets, two large leaf-footet bugs, and a huge mealworm. He would normally thrive on 6 - 8 crickets per month. Texas Browns routinely reach maturity in 8 to 12 years depending on environmental conditions. Having been caught in the wild I'm assuming Tex is about 10 years old. This is the beginning of the end for my little eight-legged friend. It is time to pack his bag and go out in search of his soul mate. He will soon lay out his sperm web, fill his pedipalps with sperm and have nowhere to go to fulfill his mission. He will probably die of "old age" within a year. The sad part is, once you remove a tarantula from the wild you can never put them back into the wild. At least he will be comfy here with me. Female longevity is about 35 years. Now, I ask you, how unfair is that??
Copperas Cove, Texas
25 August 2009
Uploaded on August 30, 2009