It's amazing how my collection has disappeared. I just got finished cleaning the spider room, which is being reclaimed as an office/den, and it's shocking how much is gone. When Mark was here, with wife Kim and daughter Brandon about four months ago, my party goers got to see the rebuilt-a-breeding-spider-collection-in-two-years at its peak. I was proud of how I had gone from zero to thousands in two short years and produced a good number of egg sacs including a heaping handful of American firsts. I imported, I sold, I bred. I first hatched the bromeliad dwellers Pachistopelma rufonigrum and P. bromelicola. An Avicularia hirschii sac that didn't hatch was produced. ;) I first hatched Harpactira pulchripes, Avicularia sp. Colombia, Tapinauchenius sp. Colombia., etc. I hatched five sacs of Iridopelma hirsutum 'Recife' and FINALLY am down to only about 60 left to find homes for (party attendees may take freebies with them as party favors).
But, as much as I have downsized my rapidly created breeding operation, I continue to pair species that I am working with for a bit longer. I have two H. pulchripes, two H. chrysogaster and one H. marksi paired, plus a Monocentropus lambertoni. I'm kinda starting to give up on the marksi and only mated the chrysogaster one time each, but I'm hopeful for more Harpactira. I've hatched more M. balfouri (I've hatched three sacs in last five months), but they have small sacs and the spiderlings sell very quickly. These African species are the focus of what I am continuing working with over the next year. But I'm also hoping to produce the US first Avicularia sooretama.
I still love my Poecs though and P. subfusca and P. rufilata have recently hatched. I have another P. rufilata sac still with mom (I RARELY pull sacs) and I just hatched Poecilotheria smithi, naturally in the terrarium, as well. So, I suppose there will be - MORE SPIDERS - babies to feed until I cease all operations. No worries. I can take care of everything in a half a day now. It's very chill. You haven't been rid of me yet ... MJ
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