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| Official weblog of the world's cutest Chaco Golden Knee tarantula |
A Moment in History: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2023 | POSTED BY MICAH GARTMAN |
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Merry Christmas Eve! I hope that each of you is healthy and happy this holiday season and that Santa brings you all the presents you asked for. After a long, slow summer, the end of 2023 has been very exciting for Sydney Sue. On December 6th he turned 10 years old! We celebrated his birthday with a tasty cricket followed by a well-deserved nap. Molt Watch: Sydney Sue isn't showing any signs of being in "pre-molt." It has been 1,295 days since he last shed his skin. We offer him a tasty cricket every five weeks and he devours it with gusto. Spiders in pre-molt usually refuse food until after they've recuperated from molting. I'm beginning to think he may never molt again. |
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In the nine years that Sydney Sue has been a part of our family, he has shown us that he's extremely smart. I doubt he will be acccepted to MIT this fall but he has learned the days of the week. And Saturday is his favorite day of all! The reason is that Saturday is when Water From Heaven is magically delivered by The Giant Tweezers In The Sky. As soon as I walk into his room on Saturday morning, he starts "zooming" around his house in anticipation of our water ritual. I first fill a new bowl with filtered water. Then I carefully open the lid to his house. As soon as the hinges begin to squeak, he runs over to the water bowl to officiate the ceremony and ensure it is executed with absolute precision. I carefully remove the old bowl being extra cautious to not drop it on Sydney Sue's head. I know this sounds ludicrous—how can a spider know what day of the week it is? I, too, do not understand how he does it. In what may be the first documented case of tarantula water bowl excitement in the history of the universe, I present to you: The Changing of the Water Bowl |
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Is that not the wackiest thing you've ever seen?! I love the way he pushed the tweezers out of the way—no water for you, Giant Tweezers! Afterwards, he stood guard over his water bowl for several hours to ensure that no one sneaked in and took a sip. Once the sun went down, he stuck each of his paws in the water to determine if it was the perfect temperature to drink. |
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Diane and I hope you have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and a Peaceful Bodhi Day. Please take care of each other and remember: Be nice to spiders :) |
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But Wait—There's More! You can now follow the hijinx of your favorite fuzzy spider on Instagram! His handle is @sydney.sue.tarantula. Feel free to stop by and say "Hi!" |
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Sydney Sue Has A New Car Sydney Sue is very difficult to shop for. He has very bespoke tastes that far exceed my financial means. He asked for a Ferrari 458 for his birthday but we compromised with this: a 2007 Nissan 350Z Touring Edition in Daytona Blue Metallic with black leather interior and more buttons than all the Space Shuttles combined. As Ferris Bueller said, "it is so choice." If you're driving around Houston and see a blue streak go flying past you, it's just Sydney Sue. VROOM!!! |
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| PREVIOUS Micah Versus the 7-Legged Karate Spider |
INTRODUCTION
Meet Sydney the Tarantula |
Spiders
need love, too. |