RIP Ida the best Tarantula ever...

[Memory]

 

 

I don't know where else to express my feelings on this, so I thought I'd share this here with all of you... last night I came home from a friends birthday meal and found my tarantula Ida, of 17 years, passed away in her vivarium.

In the last 25 years of being a guardian to many creatures, I have had a plethora of arachnids, and specifically 5 tarantulas. Ida was the ony T I've ever raised from a s'ling (spiderling) - all the others were either rescues or adopted from friends etc, but obtained whilst already an adult spider.

Ida however, she was different. Back in 2007 I happened to be at a Reptile Show, there was a booth that had all these tiny little glass vials and in each one was a small little Chilean Rose s'ling - no bigger than a garden orb weaver. I was able to hold one of the s'lings, the tiny little critters ran across the palm of my hand and then stopped dead centre, looking up at me with its shiny little bead eyes - it did the most adorable little aggression stance, it melted my heart so much that I decided to take her home.

I named her Ida, after the main protag in my favorite episode of Masters of Horror - Sick Girl. For the first few years she remained tiny, eating wingless fruitflies, bloodworms and small crickets - as she got older and molted her smaller carapace each 'no pants day' - her diet grew too, her fave foods were mouse pinkies, locusts, giant crickets, Beetles and the occasional Dubia Cockroach. I remember when she had her first pinky, she ate so much of it that she went into a food coma and I was so worried, then realised she was just having a really big molt.

She had so much personality...one weird quirk of hers was that she'd move the substrate in her tank around to 'decorate' her space, often making strange little formations around her vivarium. I'd watch her rearranging the dirt in her tank for hours. She also loved to play with the little plastic skeleton figure that lived near her cave, I'd often see her pulling and pushing it or straight up carrying it around. Sometimes she'd get cranky and make webs around her cave entrance - like a soft, netted door, so she could hide away if she was in a bad mood. I felt like she was really aware of me as this entity that provided safety and a source of food, as she'd acknowledge me when I'd walk by her tank or open the lid to feed her. She definitely felt more 'aware' and conscious than the other T's I had.

I'll miss her being in my life, she became somewhat of a 'constant' entity, always there no matter what - she came with me through three house moves... and now she's gone. She existed for 17 years just living her life being a spider and now her conscious - whatever that was like - has been extinguished.

I didn't want her to leave this world with only myself ever knowing she existed... so I wanted to share her with all of you today, hopefully she will never be forgotten. I will never forget her.

RIP Ida, you were the greatest tarantula friend a goblin could ever have had.

 

[wygolvillage]

Tarantulas are such beautiful creatures, I've always wanted one as a pet.

It looks like Ida led a long and happy life under your care. I'm sure she was grateful for having such a lovely home :)

[Memory]

Tarantulas are such beautiful creatures, I've always wanted one as a pet.

It looks like Ida led a long and happy life under your care. I'm sure she was grateful for having such a lovely home :)

I appreciate that, thanks        I hope she was happy all this time 

Tarantulas definitely do make great pets, they're amazingly beautiful. I find their perfectly symmetrical forms much more interesting than the structure of mammals!

[Paprika]

Now that's awesome pet memories ! Sorry for your loss my friend, she got to live a very comfy and happy life.

[petrichoran]

i'm so sorry that you've lost her! but thank you for sharing, she sounds like she was an amazing pet and i loved reading about her!

hugs you, if you're okay with it!

[Memory]

I'm so sorry to hear that  . from what i can tell Ida had an amazing long life and an amazing caretaker

[Memory]

i'm so sorry that you've lost her! but thank you for sharing, she sounds like she was an amazing pet and i loved reading about her!

hugs you, if you're okay with it!

Now that's awesome pet memories ! Sorry for your loss my friend, she got to live a very comfy and happy life.

I'm so sorry to hear that  . from what i can tell Ida had an amazing long life and an amazing caretaker

It was so nice to see all these lovely comments, thank you!    You're all so kind and it's definitely raised my spirits to know people out there care and have empathy. 

[Melooon]

So long Ida! I hope you had a good tarantula life, I know your minder loved you very much 

[Memory]

So long Ida! I hope you had a good tarantula life, I know your minder loved you very much