Memories Of Mauritius

I'm getting back into the swing of things after my holiday in the sun. The tan is fading but I've got lots of photos to help me remember (see below). I have emailed the Mauritius animal welfare organisation twice now but I haven't received a reply so I guess that's it for rescuing my doggy friend.

I have bought in lots of new stock during the last week, land hermit crabs, scorpions, millipedes, praying mantids etc. I hope my hubby will get time at the weekend to photograph the new millipedes. I have some giant pill millipedes from Madagascar, they are really beautiful. Next week I have more scorpions, millipedes and spiders coming in. I'm pleased to say that I have also sold quite a few things this week, especially spiders.

It is really dawning on me that some spiders are far more popular than others. The most popular pet tarantula is still the Mexican Red Knee. They are beautiful spiders, long lived, docile - yes, it's easy to see why. Some tarantulas are beautiful but extremely aggressive like the Cobalt Blue and others are aggressive and build so much webbing that they are hard to see, like the Golden Starburst Baboon. I intend to be far more selective this year when buying in new spiders. I have been keeping much better records of the spiders that I have sold over the last 18 months or so. I think, large, brightly coloured and fairly docile is what most people seem to want. I have set up a section for clearance spiders this week. I have to admit that the spiders in this section have just not sold and I have spent way too much time and money keeping them. They have been greatly reduced for a quick sale, most have at least 25% off. I cannot bear to discount the Natal Brown or Paulo Fiery Red Rump spiders, I have had them for ages and they are now almost fully grown. I think both species are lovely, although I must admit that the Paulo Fiery Red Rump are certainly 'fiery', they are very aggressive for such a large, heavy tarantula.

The weather seems to have picked up a bit this week. I have ventured out into the garden but I just hate the cold. I was away when there was thick snow but it has certainly flattened my plants and I think quite a few of my less hardy plants probably won't recover. Roll on Spring, I noticed the first frog spawn in my pond this morning!

1) Giant tortoises in the hotel grounds

2) Mauritian hedgehogs (mum & babies)

3) A colony of termites

4) Me & my doggy friend

5) Cocktails in the evening

6) Giant African snail