Feeding a Socotra Island Blue Baboon tarantula
Early in the evening I noticed that the juvenile female Monocentropus balfouri, which arrived last week, was out of hiding. So I decided to attempt to feed her.
The common name of this spider is Socotra Island Blue Baboon tarantula. In the above photo the blue legs are not really visible. Maybe because the spider is going to molt soon, maybe because she is still young.
When I dropped a pre-killed morio worm, a larva of Zophobas atratus (darkling beetle), the tarantula showed a threat display: it quickly reared up on her hind legs, exposed her fangs, and spread her front legs wide open. I pre-kill morio worms by crushing their heads with tweezers to prevent them from burrowing into the substrate and ending up as large black beetles.
In both photos webbing can be clearly seen. In my experience this species is a prolific webber and will create a very dense silk mat.
Later in the evening, when I checked on the tarantula, she had still not eaten the larva and was resting in a corner. I'll check again tomorrow and will remove the larva the day after if its still left over.
For more information on this species, check out the Monocentropus balfouri care sheet by Tarantula Collective.