The Spider Conservatory

The Spider Conservatory Where fear becomes curiosity

Tarantulas, Invertebrates, Plants! No gate keeping, No judgement, Beginners welcome!

09/08/2026

Tiny Tarantula Tuesday!
Featuring… Cyriocosmus elegans!

commonly known as the Trinidad Dwarf Tarantula is famous for a distinct heart-shaped pattern on its abdomen. Plus, it only grows to be 1.5-2.5 inches!

Who wouldn’t love a tiny little tarantula with a heart on its b***y!

09/08/2026

The babies are officially on the move! 🕷️

These tiny Hogna maderiana (also known as Madeira or Porto Santo wolf spiders) have started leaving mom’s back and exploring her enclosure. That means it’s time for their very first feeding: a cloud of tiny fruit flies!

Wolf spider mothers carry their newly hatched babies on their backs, protecting them until they’re ready to venture off on their own. Now the enclosure is absolutely crawling with miniature hunters.

Would you be excited… or terrified, to see this many baby spiders running around?

Who’s looking forward to the rehousing? 🤣

Just a few of the plants I’ll be bringing to the next Cold Blooded Expos in West Des Moines on Sept 27th
09/08/2026

Just a few of the plants I’ll be bringing to the next Cold Blooded Expos in West Des Moines on Sept 27th

I think my Alocasia venom corms were a success…😂
09/07/2026

I think my Alocasia venom corms were a success…

😂


09/07/2026

Wolf spider mommy has finally come out… and she definitely didn’t come out alone! 🕷️

Our Hogna maderiana is carrying her babies on her back while a few adventurous little ones have already started exploring. Wolf spiders are the only spiders known to carry their newly hatched spiderlings this way.

Be honest: does seeing her care for her babies make wolf spiders more fascinating… or more terrifying?

09/05/2026

Update on the Baby Monocentropus balfouri communal…

Looks like they’re doing well after being separated from mom.

Would you keep this enclosure of 40+ spiderlings?

About to do some rearranging and cleaning up to start doing some lives soon.. got quite the mess to clean up.What would ...
09/04/2026

About to do some rearranging and cleaning up to start doing some lives soon.. got quite the mess to clean up.

What would people like to see rehousings, feedings, eggsac pulls, plants, spiders, centipedes.. give me some ideas so I just don’t sit there scared to death 😅

09/04/2026

So many people wanted to compare our tarantula egg sacs to food… so I thought we’d make a game out of it.

Egg sac or snack? 👀

Tarantula egg sacs can look surprisingly like food before they’re opened, and I guess they technically could be 😅

What was your guess BEFORE the reveal?

And more importantly… what food does it look like to you?

09/03/2026

They call them “Orange Bitey Things” and we have to separate an entire container full of them. 😅

The OBT (Pterinochilus murinus) is an incredibly fast, defensive Old World tarantula with potent venom and a reputation that demands respect. These babies are finally second instar, which means it’s time to move every tiny one into its own enclosure.

How many do you think are hiding beneath all that silk… and would you volunteer to help?

09/02/2026

I’ve been waiting almost a year for this.

These five Tityus smithii have been growing up separately while I waited for them to become established and closer in size. Now they’re finally ready for the setup I’ve been planning from the beginning… one communal enclosure.

Tityus smithii is a venomous scorpion in the family Buthidae. The genus Tityus includes some medically significant scorpions with potent neurotoxic venoms, but there appears to be very little published research specifically characterizing the venom or medical significance of T. smithii. So while these are absolutely treated as a look-but-don’t-touch species, I’m not going to exaggerate what we actually know about their venom.

They can also show enough tolerance of one another to make communal keeping possible, but communal never means risk-free. I’ll be watching these five closely as they settle in.

Would you keep five venomous scorpions together?

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