The 11th of November was a reason to celebrate with Claudia and Frank in Ludwigshaufen.
For the past ten years both have been running their well-visited, well-outfitted terrarium in Kleinod, Ludwigshafen, where friends of exotic animals and those who are fascinated by colourful insects, reptiles and amphibians are sure to get their money’s worth.
I must admit that I am acquainted with the means and conditions of the transport of such creatures by air, although most of my knowledge stems from photos and specialised literature. So I freely accepted the invitation to the 10th anniversary. And I must say I was quite surprised at how friendly even spiders can be, both in their appearances and in their behaviour. Frank explained to me for example how tarantulas from Asia are known to be quite aggressive, whereas a Grammstola rosea is rather laid back and you can even take him in your hand.
Even my hand!
I (Paul) asked: So you are tarantula breeders? How does one become a tarantula breeder?
Claudia: It has always been Franks dream to have a tarantula as a pet. And once upon a time we had one. I myself had suffered from bad arachnophobia but I overcame it once I started observing the spider and getting to know it better. It was and is still a Lasiodora parahyband. Her name is Maja and she’s still alive today.
Paul: How long do spiders usually live ?
Claudia: Tarantulas can go up to 30 years.
Paul: Wow! And where is Maja now?
Claudia: She lives in the terrarium of course. Spiders can’t be domesticated but its still the only terrarium in our living room. Maja is quite a specimen of a spider and has already had young. That was when she built a cocoon and had some 1500 – 2000 tiny little progeny.
Paul: Those are totally new dimensions for me. Does one know where the name comes from?
Claudia: Yes. Here in Europe this creature got its fame from an etching done by Sibylla Merian. He shows how a Mygall Avicularia devours a colibri. The original is in the hands of Peter Klaus and is almost 300 years old.
Paul: You don’t only have spiders here do you?
Claudia: Not at all. Here alone in this showroom we have over 60 terrariums filled with lizards, frogs, snakes and insects. Most of them come from the tropics. All in all we have about the same amount in two further rooms, which we keep for breeding purposes.
Paul: That’s quite a lot of different terrariums?
Claudia: Yes. It is important to us that every creature is well provided for, whether frog, gecko, snake or spider.Its rather involved, but we enjoy it because we love them and are actually fascinated by these diverse creatures. And they breed here as if they were in their natural surroundings.
Paul: Has your life changed at all since you first began to keep these creatures?
Claudia: (Laughs) Yes. Holidays for example take place in the tropics.Frank usually marches through the jungle with machete and camera and I collect insects here and there that we don’t have yet.
Paul: Aha. These you then send to me in Frankfurt, so that I can prepare them for their arrival, is that right?
Frank: Yes, almost. We have them sent with an exporter after ascertaining their species and what they are called.
Paul: Exactly. You usually send the documentation first and I can check these to confirm that their import to Germany is legal and safe. Tell me; are you always certain about the type of creature?
Frank: if we’ve not been able to find out after studying the creature ourselves and getting all the information we can from specialised books, we usually ask the specialists like Dr. Peter Jaeger from the Museum Senkenberg. He’s a leading international specialist in spiders.
Paul: I see. One last question. What do I have to do if I want to keep one of these cute little geckos you’ve got here at home?
Frank: You mean a Bartagame? That’s a favourite amongst beginners. All you need is a very good UV lighting setup and a big terrarium; otherwise they are really quite easy to keep - they seldom get sick and they hardly ever bite. Without finishing his words, Frank has already opened the terrarium and Claudia takes one onto her hand.
I must say I was quite surprised at how calm the creature was, allowing me to stroke it gently. I even had the feeling he enjoyed it.
