# Big Bend Gold (Aphonopelma caniceps)



## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

I bought a Big Bend Gold spiderling from the excellent Spider Shop this week. She is around 3cm long and appears to have settled in well.

I've housed her in a Braplast 185 x 125 x 75 mm plastic tub and placed a nice little piece of bogwood inside it for her to hide under when she so desires. As it happens, she made the bogwood home almost immediately and has dug a small burrow underneath it.

Apart from the brief write-up on the Spider Shop site, I haven't been able to find too much information about this species. Does anyone have any experience of keeping a Big Bend Gold? If so, do you have any tips?

Any pictures would be great too. 

Many thanks.


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## Oldcorn (Jun 26, 2009)

A good choice :2thumb: I looked into getting one of these, they are absolutly beautiful :flrt:. I wouldnt mind seeing what peoples experiences are too...


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## Colosseum (Aug 8, 2008)

Like all Aphonopelmas easy to care for bone dry substrate, water bowl and hide thats it. This genus is extremely slow growing


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## one of a kind (Jul 21, 2009)

I also brought one of these since setting it up now has dug a moat around the side of the pot and built a mound castle on the top.Typical setups really like piper said.


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

How is yours settling in? Mine's quickly become a recluse!

As I mentioned in the opening post, I put a small piece of bogwood that I bought in an aquarium shop in the tub with her. 'Goldie' made straight for it and dug a burrow underneath it. It's been almost a week since she arrived and I've barely seen her!

Nevertheless, she seems happy and healthy enough, and is eating well. I fed her with a small cricket again yesterday. She shot out of the burrow, grabbed it and dragged it straight back into her lair.

This is the first tarantula I've kept that has been reclusive, but I'm guessing she will become a bit bolder and she gets bigger and older.


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## one of a kind (Jul 21, 2009)

mine is fine in pre-moult so just waiting to see when it moults i rarely see mine either,rather slow growing but beautiful anyway.


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## steven_law (Nov 1, 2009)

can these be kept in groups as i have seen pictures on the web of more than one in a tank.


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## steven_law (Nov 1, 2009)

mine was constantly hidden aswell till i put it inside another tank in its tub closer to the heater and then i started seeing her more.


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## MissyBats (Nov 11, 2009)

mine is always out, rears up when i go to go in her cage too! lol
x


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

'Goldie' moulted early last week and the changes in her have been quite dramatic.

She was reclusive and rather drab in terms of her coloration before her moult. Now she is much bolder and appears to have abandoned her burrow beneath the bogwood. Instead, she spends much of her time prowling around the tub looking for food. She has also become very much more colourful following the moult. Her carapace is now a vivid pinky gold (if that makes sense!). She has also grown a fair bit with this moult.

I'll try to get some pictures up within the next couple of days if I get a chance.


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

OK, let's try a couple of pictures. The first is Goldie pre-moult:










And the second is Goldie post-moult. As you can she, her carapace has brightened up considerably and her abdomen is now very much darker than it was. She is also a fair bit bigger following this moult.


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## MissyBats (Nov 11, 2009)

mine looked liek that before and after! she´s well bright now! 
wondering if it will go more gold or bronze like the one in the pic on TSS site (adult pic)
xxx


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## paynestaley (May 28, 2009)

Ooh I like her pinky gold colours and big chunky head! She's lovely.


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

This is the Braplast 185 x 125 x 75 tub she is currently housed in, bought from TSS for the princely sum of 89p. I've found these tubs are perfect for spiders of this size. This picture was taken shortly before she moulted.










And this is the piece of driftwood she burrowed beneath and hid under for her first few weeks with me. Since her moult she has become much bolder, has abandoned the burrow and now spends all her time out in the open. She is an amazingly fast hunter - the speed at which she hurtles across the substrate when there's food around is astonishing!


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## MissyBats (Nov 11, 2009)

they are good! and cheap too!
mine stays out in the open now! lol always at the side! lol
they are cute though! and I can take teh lid off and do routine maintenance and she doesnt even move!
xxx


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

Goldie moulted again yesterday. 

She was purchased on 27th October, moulted on 17th November, and moulted again on 17th December.

Everything I've read about this species suggests they are slow-growing, but mine has just about doubled in size in less than two months!

Interesting spider, too. She has an amusing way of moving around her tub, almost as if she is doing a slow dance. I'm keeping two spiderling pots on top of the tub and occasionally when I move them, she rears up and launches herself at the lid. She's also a very aggressive hunter. However, she seems quite skittish in other respects.

TSS still has this species in stock - spiderlings said to be 3cm to 4cm. At £8 they are well worth a try.


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

I tried to get a good photo this morning during feeding time, but it was difficult as she was racing around her tub. This is the best I could manage:


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## Leeny (Jan 17, 2010)

*Us too!!!!!*

Hi there

We also have a big bend gold from TSS we have had her since the end of feb and she immediatly made herself a burrow and we have barely seen her since. Usually if she is out as soon as move her tub she zooms back into her burrow, I can see her from underneath and I can just make out the leg from a malt in there but unless I destroy her burrow I cant get it out :S But tonight when i misted her tub i couldn't see her underneath so was shocked when I took the lid off that she was just stood there and then casually trundled off into the corner its the first time since we got her that we got a really good look at her and shes a beauty  lovely gold caripace and big black bum hopefully she will be out a bit more now so we might just be able to get a few pics of her. I have also had trouble finding much info out and I was wondering if anyone knows what size shes supposed to get to? I have heard they are supposed to be slow growers but she seems to almost have doubled since we last saw her.


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