All go!

All go! What a busy week, sadly not with orders (moan, moan, I spent all that money on new stock, a new updated website and hardly an order in sight) but with housing up all the new stock, feeding, cleaning, sorting out the family (daughter returned from Lanzarote and is now in the New Forest, leaving me all her washing/ironing). We have decorators in the house (well one decorator, a friend of mine but the house stinks of paint). I have had customers popping in this week, which is always good. I think I need to stop talking about it and get on with sorting out the 'notes to visitors' on my website. Perhaps we will have a Halloween day where people can come in the evening and have a look at all my spiders and scorpions, out and about in the dark. Actually I bought a little ultraviolet torch from the recent exhibition, ideal for viewing the iridescent colours of scorpions. Many scorpions glow green, blue or purple when viewed by ultraviolet light (no, I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, it is still sitting on my desk). I have now added all the new bugs to the website. I am really hoping that some of the wild caught stock is pregnant. I think there is a good chance with some of the scorpions and true spiders. The Fishing spiders are beautiful, I wish I had got more of them.

Let me know if you would be interested in coming along to a 'Halloween evening' (not on the actual Saturday), I need feedback or I won't bother! I am working really hard behind the scenes with my new website and organising advertising. The only problem is, the one that I continually have, lack of time. I need to organise my time better, my hubby is always saying that I don't prioritise and I know he is right. I try to do everything and to the best of my ability but I really should do the most important things first. I know that but it is not easy, I feel compelled to look after all the animals regardless of how much they are worth (male tarantulas frequently live and die with me - don't we all want females only), I can't bear to ignore emails, Facebook messages, texts etc, even when they are asking about things that are nothing to do with me and I have to look after everyone. Perhaps I should tell the family that I'm not doing anything unless I'm getting paid for it? No more washing, cooking, cleaning, taking mother in-law to medical appointments, walking the dog (next on my list when I have finished this blog). That's enough dreaming, back to the bugs.

Things seem to be going pretty well with the creepy crawlies, the weather has turned cooler so the heating is on a lot more, most things in my bug room are on a thermostat. I have had to move cages around quite a bit this week due to all the new animals. I wish I could heat the entire room rather than using so many heat mats but I just don't have the space for heaters on the walls. I am looking at better insulation but two of the sides are outer walls so there is no easy answer. I have decided that I don't need the row of windows on the outer wall so my hubby has plans to block them up and seal around them. It's great to have natural light but I have to use blinds most of the time anyway as sunlight on glass or plastic cages is not good, the bugs would overheat in a short time without the blinds. I know I say it almost every week but I just wish the bug room were twice the size and then it would be perfect!

Must get a move on so a quick update. My rotten Costa Rican Chevron spider ate her egg sac, well I assume she ate it as it had vanished when it came to feeding day. My mated Tanzanian Blonde has webbed up under a coconut shell but she was looking pretty tatty so I am worried that she may be moulting rather than laying an egg sac, time will tell? My lovely Flat Rock scorpion (photo on Facebook) still has lots of little babies on her back (they look like they will be moulting and leaving her soon). I am now inundated with baby Katydids, having thought I had killed off all the eggs. The babies grow incredibly fast, I have never bred them before. The new snails are all looking good, eating cucumbers by the dozen (ok a slight exaggeration). Eek, I have just looked at the time, I must walk Teddi and I could do with some breakfast as well. I'm sure I had loads more to say but it will have to wait until next week. Did I say that I got some more Giant Australian Rhinoceros cockroaches to go with my all time favourite pet cockroach "Brutus"? Well they are looking very happy together but I strongly suspect that Brutus is a female, if so I may need to rename 'her' any suggestions?