Latest Tomsbigspiders Podcast Episodes
Not What I Expected - 7 Tarantula Species That Defied Expectation
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - July 14, 2024 15:00 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsIn this episode, I will talk about seven tarantula species that defied the expectations that I had for them after I did my research.
The "Spectrum" of Tarantula Terrestrial, Fossorial, and Arboreal Enclosure Setups
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - July 07, 2024 15:00 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsRecently, I did a podcast about some of my terrestrial spiders that appreciated room to dig as adults. Since then, I've received questions about fossorial spiders that seem to want to live terrestrially, and even arboreal spiders that prefer to burrow a bit. Is this behavior cause for worry? In ...
Common Tarantula Keeper Mistakes Part 2
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - June 30, 2024 15:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsI first covered this topic back in December of 2021. However, as the years have passed, I have encountered some new issues troubling hobbyists. In this episode, I'll break down ten of them.
Tips for Raising Huntsman Spiders
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - June 23, 2024 14:00 - 41 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsA few years ago, I started keeping several Heteropoda (Huntsman) species, and it was quite the learning curve in many ways. In this episode, I'll discuss the care, as well as tips, for raising huntsman spiders.
Tarantula Setups - Real vs. Fake Plants
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - June 16, 2024 14:00 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsWhen setting up a tarantula habitat, there are usually four main "ingredients": substrate, a hide, a water dish, and plants. However, when putting plants in an enclosure, is it better to use real or fake plants? In this episode, I break down the pros and cons of both types. For those intereste...
A Rainbow of Spiders 2 - Some of the Most Colorful Spiders I've Kept
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - June 09, 2024 15:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsAfter doing a video featuring a rainbow of different spiders, I thought that it might be fun to do an "extended commentary" in which I cover even more species. My hope is that people might listen to this list and discover some colorful spiders they weren't initially aware of.
Terrestrial Tarantulas That Burrow (or Rethinking How We Keep Terrestrials)
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - June 02, 2024 14:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsFor years, tarantulas designated as "terrestrial" were given a couple inches of substrate and a hide for a setup. Now, although this isn't necessarily wrong, I've found that many of my so-called "terrestrial" species will continue to burrow right on through adulthood if given the substrate depth...
Tityus stigmurus or the "Brazilian Yellow Scorpion" Care
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - May 19, 2024 14:00 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsIn this episode, we break away from talking about spiders for a bit and instead discuss the care for T. stigmurus. This amazing little scorpion can produce asexually and can be kept communally. I started with only one specimen back in October of 2016, and have kept dozens since!
The Most Heavily Webbing Spiders I Keep
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - May 12, 2024 15:00 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsFirst, we discuss some listener feedback from last episode. Then, I've had a bunch of folks ask me to cover this over the years, and I honestly thought that I had already done so! In this episode, I go over a dozen species of spiders I keep that love blanketing their enclosures in webbing. Hap...
D. Pentaloris "The Tiger Rump" vs. H. formosus "The Pumpkin Patch"
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - May 05, 2024 15:00 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsFirst off, we discuss last week's episode and some of the feedback I received (a HUGE thank you to all who took the time to comment!). Then, it's the battle of the orangey/black dwarfs as Davus pentaloris "The Tiger Rump" takes on Hapalopus formosus "The Pumpkin Patch"!
The Future of the Podcast and Signs Your Old Tarantula Is Dying
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - April 28, 2024 15:00 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsIf someone would have told me back in early 2018 that this podcast experiment would continue for over 300 episodes, I would have laughed. But here we are, in our seventh year, still churning out shows. That said, I always worry that the program will eventually jump the shark and overstay its wel...
The Best Tarantula Species for Folks Raising up Their First Slings
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - April 21, 2024 15:00 - 53 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsAs I've spent more time keeping tarantulas, I've realized that questions "what is a good beginner species?" and "what is a good species to raise as a first time sling? have two very different answers. Just because a species is easier to care for as an adult does not always make it an easy one t...
The Importance of Establishing Routines with Growing Tarantula Collections
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - April 15, 2024 15:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsHow do you know when you’re getting too many tarantulas? How can you tell when you’re reaching what should be your limit? In this episode, we’ll discuss the importance of establishing routines and setting boundaries early on to avoid having your collection turn into a hoard.
Tarantula Max Lifespans - A Realistic Discussion
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - April 07, 2024 15:00 - 52 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsI've encountered this scenario many times...an upset keeper emails me to ask what he did wrong because his adult female didn't make it to the supposed max life expectancy. In many cases, it sounds like the animal died of natural causes, but the thought that it should have lived longer can eat a...
The Goliath Birdeaters - Theraphosa Genus Review
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - March 24, 2024 15:00 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsIn this episode, I talk about my experiences with the three Theraphosa species: Theraphosa stirmi (the Burgundy Goliath Birdeater), Theraphosa blondi (the Goliath Birdeater), and Theraphosa apophysis (Pinkfoot Goliath Birdeater).
Dos and Don'ts When Ordering Tarantulas Online
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - March 17, 2024 15:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsTo start this one off, I share some of the feedback I got from last week's episode and respond to a couple comments. Then, at 21:25, it's been five years to the day when I last covered some tips for ordering tarantulas online. In this episode, we will review the dos and don't as well as discus...
The "Domestication" of Tarantulas - Why our Pets Are Far from Wild Animals
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - March 10, 2024 16:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsA couple of years ago, I stumbled on an article about the "inadvertent domestication" of animals raised for the sole purpose of being released back into the wild. This is when, despite our best efforts, captive animals were becoming inadvertently domesticated by temporarily or even permanently a...
The "Domestication" of Tarantulas - Why our Pets Are Not Quite Wild Animals
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - March 10, 2024 16:00 - 57 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsA couple of years ago, I stumbled on an article about the "inadvertent domestication" of animals raised for the sole purpose of being released back into the wild. This is when, despite our best efforts, captive animals were becoming inadvertently domesticated by temporarily or even permanently a...
Why Bother Asking? When Keepers Ask Questions and Ignore the Answers
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - March 03, 2024 15:00 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsI've been doing this a while now, and there is one occurrence that I will never understand...when keepers ask for advice and then ignore it. Luckily, it doesn't happen often, but when it does, the results can be quite tragic. In this episode, we'll discuss a few of the more egregious experience...
Tarantula Substrate - Some Inexpensive Mixes
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - February 25, 2024 16:00 - 42 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsOver the years, I've continued to constantly switch up what I use for substrate when it comes to housing my tarantulas. In this episode, I review what I've used in the past and share an inexpensive "recipe" I'm currently using that yields a LOT of substrate for very little money.
Tarantula Collection Killers
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - February 19, 2024 15:00 - 46 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsIn this episode, we discuss some instances where folks have lost large parts or all of their collection due to mishap or an overlooked environmental hazard.
I Want a Tarantula - Where Do I Start?
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - February 11, 2024 16:00 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsWithin the past couple weeks, I spoke with two teenagers who were interested in getting their first tarantula. Both had many questions about where they should start and what they should prepare for. In this episode, I lay out several things anyone thinking about getting a tarantula should do...a...
How I've Tweaked My Fossorial Tarantula Setups
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - February 04, 2024 16:00 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsFirst, we discuss the "controversy" a recent episode caused. Then, I field a question from a long-time YouTube subscriber about changes that I've made in how I set up fossorial tarantula enclosures.
Pamphobeteus vs. Phormictopus! The Battle of Two Giant Tarantula Genera
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - January 28, 2024 16:00 - 51 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsWell, it had to be done! In this episode, two popular genera of giant tarantulas will duke it out for hobby superiority! Okay, that's a bit dramatic; in reality, we will compare the two genera and talk about the similarities and differences.
The One Issue in the Tarantula Hobby I Will Never Overcome
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - January 14, 2024 16:00 - 55 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsTo start this one off, we'll discuss some feedback to last week's episode. Then, after reflecting on 10 years of doing the TBS stuff, I realized that there is one major issue that I will never overcome.
Tarantula Feeding Schedules and Fat Ts
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - January 07, 2024 16:00 - 56 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsRecently, I've received some comments on my YouTube videos with folks saying that my tarantulas are "skinny" or "underfed", which left me a bit confused. However, after speaking with a hobby friend, I realized that, through social media, many folks new to the hobby may be exposed to photos of ch...
Do Tarantulas Have "Personalities"?
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - December 31, 2023 16:00 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsHappy New Year! In this episode, I give my take on whether or not it's appropriate to say that tarantulas have "personalities." We will also discuss whether tarantulas need enrichment to avoid boredom.
The A. geniculata vs. The N. chromatus - Two Classic Tarantulas
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - December 17, 2023 15:00 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsIn this episode, we compare two very similar species: the A. geniculata or "Brazilian Black and White" and the N. chromatus or "Brazilian Red and White." Both are awesome species and, in my opinion, hobby staples. But which has more to offer?
The GBB vs. The Brazilian Blue Beauty
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - December 10, 2023 15:00 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsFirst, I have an important message from the US Tarantula Sustainment Project. Then, we're going to have a little fun. In this episode, we'll compare and break down two species that are often confused for each other, the C. cyaneopubescens (GBB) and the D. diamantinensis (Brazilian Blue Beauty)....
Tarantula Species That Need it Drier As Slings
Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts - December 03, 2023 15:00 - 47 minutes ★★★★★ - 191 ratingsIn this episode, I'll talk a bit about the tarantula species that I've raised that buck the old "keep 'em moist" rule for slings.
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