BTS Expo, Our day and what we got!

By the time my alarm clock started (7:30am) i had been awake for nearly 3 hours. Months of research and planning had gone into this day and i was not going to let a lack of sleep ruin it!!!!

Sleep was not a problem for my partner though and we managed to leave the house 15 mins late. we got in the car and started our 2 hour trip to Birmingham. we pulled up at around 10:30 the line was already several hundred people long so we parked up and got into the line as quick as we could.

what followed was 2 hours of mayhem in which my wallet got alot lighter and my arms got alot fuller!

We left the show with the following:

2 Smithi juvies
2 Chaco Golden knee Juviles
1 Indian ornimental Juvie
1 Adult Female Indian ornimental
1 female brazilian whiteknee with a setup
1 male B.smithi(just need a female now)
6 Giant african millipedes

Now i will be doing bios for all our new critters but i just want to say now that the whiteknee is a killing machine and dont relax when trying to rehouse a 7" pokie..... they are fast!

Invert Communities

Hey Guys,

Hope all is well. one thing i keep finding since i got into the hobby is that there is always another critter that you want. Most of the Critters we keep would love nothing more than to be put in an enclosure with another Critter or "Dinner". The problem there is that any Tarantula or mantis left alone with another would love nothing more than to eat its buddy.

So after spending some time researching and getting advice from some people in the hobby i have decided to set up my own Invert community, I am going to start off with my millipede Ziggy and 6 sun beetles. Now the beetles are very short living so i am going to be interested in seeing if they can breed even with Ziggy in the mix.

Im expecting my Beetles to arrive by Friday and they will be in the larvae stage. i will be posting updates of their growth. If this proves a successful experiment i may start to do starter packs. I think it would be a wonderful gift for hobbyists or newcomers alike. Getting to see not only how different types of beetles react to each other but how they get on with millipedes.

I also have some african land snails on the way, these guys are something i have always wanted to keep and breed, they are just amazing, full of personality and dare i say it cute? They are easy to breed easy to keep and a great starter pet.

One thing i will be documenting with the snails is just how fast the reproduce, African land snails have both a male and female sex organ and do need another snail to breed, i have read reports of a snail reproducing with itself but im not sure i believe that. they can still produce fertile eggs a year after being separated from another snail.

Thanks again for reading and if you have any questions please put them in the comments below or find me on twitter @thorney_critter

Future Plan

So, the plan with Thorney Critters is to eventually open up a shop. This may take a while but its what we eventually would like to do. Another idea is to set up shop on our own premises. Meaning we would have out buildings and use that as a shop set-up, either way that's the future plan.

We accept we have a journey to get on yet before we can even start to prepare for that, but we are making tracks. However, most importantly, we want to provide the best of everything to you, our costumers.
For only recently starting out, we have done plenty of mooching around exotic pets shops around the UK of all different sizes. Quite honestly, I can only think of a hand full that have really impressed me. Yet, some we have been in have been a little different and this is where we want to come in and make the difference, set the standard just a little higher.

Our aim is to stock critters because we like and we want them! We also want to be able to tell you all the information you need to know about them, such as caring, handling, habitat and so forth. Well obviously, you may think, you will be working in a critter shop... Ah, but you see this is the point I am making. You will be surprised that some shops are not fully knowledgeable about all their animals, not keen on touching them and quite open by the fact they don't really like them. Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't really fill me with confidence when buying an animal. Our motto here at Thorney Critters is, if we don't feel confident with them, we are not confident to be selling them on, it's just not fair. We want our costumers to have confidence in us and our stock and the only way we can show that is to love and know everything about every critter we have. We don't want to be scared of  our Critters, we don't see the point!

Another problem we are coming across is pricing! Its shocking how pricing of all kind of Critters is so sporadic from place to place and it doesn't really make any sense! So we will have honest and correct pricing for our Critters.

Our shop will be welcoming, vibrant and a interesting place to visit, it's always awkward when you walk into a silent sweaty shoe box sized shop. Thorney Critters aim is to be family friendly, knowledgeable and fun! This is where you, our costumers come in! We want your comments, thoughts and even your experiences  good or bad on what you expect to see in a Critter shop.

• What kind of Critters would you like to see?
• Would you want to hold a Critter?
• Would you want a points reward system of some kind?
• How would you create a vibrant, funky environment?
• What are your thoughts and experiences?

Thank you
Sam.

Your First Night With Your New Critter

So after weeks of research(not just seeing a Tarantula in a pet store i hope) you have picked out your first T.

Here is what you will expect.

You have set up an amazing vivarium for your critter, there is a slide a merry-go-round and even a basketball court. There is a very expensive hide, a stone looking water bowl and you find yourself standing over the vivarium with the plastic cricked box they shoved the tarantula in.

You have one last look at your little buddy, slowly you open one corner.... the Tarantula jumps, you jump, then calm. you realize it is still in the cricket box, you have not been bitten yet and the top is still closed.

Finally you pick up the courage to open the lid and you find yourself adding the entire cricket holder into the vivarium. Now what you expect to see is your critter to run around the cage pulling defense poses and riding on the tea cups.

What happens in reality is the tarantula is scared and will pause for a moment in the cricket container. It will then take a slow walk around the cage before settling in the corner. If you throw in a cricket the Tarantula is more likely to run from it than pounce.

The tarantula will need a few days being left alone before they will truly relax and be themselves. That is when the real fun and enjoyment will begin.

The message in this blog? your tarantula will take time to adjust to its new home, by all means watch it. But try and resist bothering it until it feels safe, they are amazing creatures and if you let it relax when they are first added to their vivarium, they will be much more interesting pets alot quicker. Also you will learn very quickly that all the decorations you paid alot of money for are not there for the Tarantula sake, they dont need or want them.

Lloyd

5 Questions to ask yourself before you buy your first Tarantula

Hey Guys,

Here is a list of 5 questions you need to ask yourself before buying a Tarantula.

1) You have to take into consideration that most female tarantulas can live over 20 years. so they are a long term commitment. If it is not something you stick with how will you find a new home?

2) What are you looking for in a pet? do you want something can sit on your lap and that you can stroke? If so i would advise against a Tarantula, Some tarantulas flick hairs when they feel threatened, some have venomous bites and others have fangs nearly 2" long that can cause mechanical damage to a hand if they bite. A Tarantula should be looked at but never held, not only is it dangerous for the owner but if a tarantula is dropped it can die very easily.

3)Where are you buying your tarantula from? Are they captive bred or have they been taken from the wild? Breeders in the uk and around the world are doing their best to breed as many types in captivity as they can. this will reduce the effect of "lazy sellers" who capture grown up tarantulas from the wild(this is something i am strongly against).

4)Can you deal with the ethical issue of feeding your "pet" live food. All of the tarantulas i keep live off crickets and i do not have a problem feeding them to my tarantulas. Some types like Bird Eaters need bigger pray, sometimes even as large as mice. I have never done this myself and to be honest i am not sure if i will.

5)Have you done your research? this is the most important question. How big will your tarantula grow? what humidity is needed? how do you tell if you are buying a male or female? How do you tell if it is in premolt?

I know i say this alot but READ AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. They are beautiful and interesting critters but you dont want to buy an OBT or a T blondi as your first Tarantula. do the research find what is right for you and enjoy.

As always thanks for reading. If you get the time follow me on twitter @thorney_critter

What i have learnt so far

Hi Guys,

One more quick blog to finish off the night.

While tending to the spiderlings I started to think about all the things I have learnt so far. The number one rule I have learnt is do your research before going to the store to pick up a Tarantula. I cant speak for all of the uk, but the 2 different stores I have been to diddnt have the best knowledge.

I got my male and female from the same store both times the staff were too afraid of the spiders to get them out of their vivariums so that was left to me(no problem). Now when I asked for a mature male as I planned on breeding I was given a sub adult and the store owner told me that he could see the hooks.

Filled with excitement  we raced home to get him housed. Now here is where do you research kicks in. It turns out Austin is not a mature male yet and if I hadn't double checked he would have turned into a very very expensive meal for our female gandalf!

What should be the first thing i buy? the Vivarium? the Tarantula? the substrate? the answer is no. The first thing you should buy(and I wish I did) is the Tarantula keepers guide, its about £8 on amazon and should be read cover to cover.

Strange things I have learnt:

The Chilean rose hair, of which I have two. is not the best tarantula to start with. They fast for long periods with no reason at all. They also have a nick name that isnt used in pet shops, they are referred to in the hobby as "pet rocks" they tend to just sit and do nothing at all.

The second thing, YOU DO NOT NEED HEAT MATS!!!!! you dont need heat mats at all, if you are ok with the temp without having to put a coat on, so is the Tarantula.


Thanks for reading guys, dont forget to check out our Twitter @thorney_critter

My plans for the BTS EXPO

Hello Everyone,

As you may or may not know i am in the process of starting my own tarantula and reptile breeding program. we currently have a very small stock list. My main goal when going to the BTS is to get a few breeding pairs of Tarantulas.

Here is a list of things i plan to buy:

Mature:

1) A breeding pair of Brachypelma Smithi (Mexican Red Knee). These are a beautiful colored Tarantula, they do flick hairs but are a good starting Tarantula.

2) A Female Grammostola pulchripes (Chaco Gold Knee). Again another beautiful and docile Tarantula. i am not sure if i will breed these but they are a species i have always wanted to own.

Juveniles:

1) A Female Theraphose Blondi (Goliath Bird Eater) am amazing spider, not sure Sam would be to happy about this so may have to wait a few years.

2) I may be tempted to pick up a Brachypelma emilia to go with my spiderling.

Spiderlings:

I would love to pick up some P.metilica slings. I plan on buying anywhere between 10-20 spiderlings. These will in turn mature over the next few years giving me breeding stock.

One thing about tarantulas is that most of them are very pricey. My plan is to breed my own and sell them on to hobbyists at a fair price. Not only will this help people get into the hobby but if there are breeders out there who do not mind selling for a fair price it will drastically cut down the amount of wild Tarantulas being taken from their homes, not only does this stress the Tarantula but it also effects the ecosystem.


Please tell me what you think. Have i missed an interesting breed off my list? what would you like to see more of in the hobby?

Lloyd Wharton

Terrified? I don’t think so…

I’ve actually only just realised that Thorney Critters started long before I knew it even had, in Lloyd’s head anyway…

 Suddenly one day he wanted a Tarantula, naturally I was like almost any other woman, and said ‘no way!’. Why on earth would I want a bigger, hairier, scarier spider sitting looking at me in a box, the thought of having a Tarantula quite literally terrified me! I was not interested in the idea at all, literally not one bit. I hated them, the look of them, their movement and just everything about them.

After weeks and weeks of Tarantula being the last word of every sentence Lloyd said, I thought sod it, so I gave in. Looking around the reptile shop, I was obviously way more interested in the amazing coloured chameleons and geckos whereas Lloyd had already picked out which Tarantula he wanted and amazingly he knew the names of every single one! It’s almost as if he had been researching them for weeks…

So we got our first Critter home and this was when my opinion drastically began to change. I was fascinated by this big fuzzy pretty coloured 8 legged Tarantula. All my fears just evaporated and all I wanted to do was take pictures of this Critter. I loved how calm they actually were, I began to come more and more confident and secretly taking more and more pictures but still insisting to Lloyd that I didn’t really like them. However, I must admit I wasn’t too impressed by the fact that they shoot hairs at you if they get annoyed. Something I did not know, and beings though I had been sticking my head into the cage for the best part of a week, I considered myself rather lucky to have not of been caught. Ever since, a little bit of fear has returned and I do now hesitate to get too close, especially whilst filming and taking pictures.

So that was how Thorney Critters came about. I wanted to fully support Lloyd in his decision as that’s what I’m here to do! So I jumped on the band wagon and got excited about all the media side of it as that’s what I love and do as job and it has taken off from there. I am super excited to learn and see much more Critters.

But I really must emphasise that the fears of spiders and all Critters is really not needed! Yes, they do look pretty creepy but it’s just an image of a big bad scary spider that has been drilled into our heads, when infact they are highly intelligent and truly interesting little creatures.  Especially their webbing, it helps create a really cool looking picture! :D I now find myself not completely freaking out when I see a house spider scattering along the floor, infact I take a little look at it! It’s crazy to say but they really aren’t all terrifying at all. Obviously they are not the most award winning pet compared to a cat or dog but I can see why people do want to have them, they are a truly fascinating critter to watch grow. The more I learn about them the more I am amazed.

For me though, I much prefer reptiles. I love Geckos and tortoise’s and I hope someday soon these will be added to our Critter collection! Also, I do love Ziggy our Giant African Millipede. He’s a funny little thing that just wonders around on your hand, he’ll then take a break stand up, have a little look around and then carry on trotting along. He’s a cool Critter.

Sam. 

Tarantulas, Breeding and why I started Thorney critters

If you are one of my many(22) followers, you might know that i am attempting to start my own business breeding tarantulas and reptiles. I am fairly new to the hobby but have always had pets of some kind growing up(snakes, iguanas, geckos, dogs, cats, hamsters and even a rat).

Now i for one am against capturing wild animals of any kind and putting the in cages. The problem i see in the tarantula industry its alot easier for people to catch wild tarantulas and sell them on. This means you skip the risky spiderling stage. you don't have to have lots and lots of mini pots to raise them and did i mention that you don't have to bother to look after them while they grow.

Not only is this cruel but it must have some kind of effect on the natural cycles of the areas where these Tarantulas are taken from. Can you imagen living for 6 or 7 years in the wild. hunting, finding mates and building burrows, all of a sudden you find yourself in a 14 year olds bedroom who has nothing better to do than poke you to see what happens.

I do understand that to start with they must be taken from the wild but surly now after they have been collected for 30+ years we must do more to have captive bred Tarantulas.

I feel more should be done to educate people on tarantulas to make them realize they are not monsters that live in the shadows(well most of them arnt, im looking at you OBT!!!).

Another thing i love about the hobby is how friendly and helpful people have been. if you get a spare moment add @safariphils , i have not met a more helpful human being and nice guy.

So to summarise, Every Tarantula/Reptile we sell will be bred by us!

Thank you for reading,

Lloyd Wharton

@thorney_critter