As if I didn't already have enough pets...but I just couldn't resist this little guy. He remained a fixture on the hood of my Mercedes all the way from Walmart in Oakwood to my driveway in Flowery Branch. A good 15 miles...I figured he was just hanging on for dear life or recognized a luxury ride when he saw one. It was actually hard to keep my eyes on the road all the way home...half expecting (and dreading) seeing the little guy blow away into oblivion. I admired his tenacity and strength...and promised myself that if he should hang tight to our destination I would take him into the fold.
As soon as the car was parked, I congratulated him on his perseverence and ran into the house to find something with which to contain him. By the time I got back outside he was rediscovering his legs (all eight of them). I had no doubt he was in recovery mode from the stress of the last twenty minutes. Then, he JUMPED from the hood to the side-view mirror...quite a talent, I must say. I began to think that catching this creature might be trickier than expected, but with a little coaxing he jumped right into my Tupperware trap. Then, it was straight to the internet...how does one maintain and feed a quarter inch long arachnid...surely it wouldn't be as easy as, let's say, maintaining the hermit crabs, the betta fish or the African Dwarf frog? I began to worry about having to catch live prey for this little spidey...something that he could inject his poisonous venom into and then suck the life-sustaining juices out of. I even started eyeing the fruit flies that have been plaguing our kitchen (thanks to the backyard apple tree). Regardless, I hurried about the house gathering up a small plastic aquarium, mixing potting soil and sand for a comfortable substrate, and then carefully and artfully arranging twigs, driftwood and a sports drink lid filled with water to create his new digs.
Rider spent all of 24 hours in his new abode. This evening I put my strongest spectacles on and couldn't find a trace of him. Quite obviously he has escaped and I - his brief captor - half expect that he is planning his revenge...to sneak up and bite me on the you-know-what. I only wish he knew that my heart was in the right place...that I was only wanting to reward his determination with the safety, serenity, and opportunity to become spoiled-rotten that I offer all of the other creatures that inhabit my home. Hopefully Rider will find his way out of this house and into the wild before our next pest control visit...that I won't have to revisit him as a carcass swept up by my dusting cloth on a good cleaning day. Now, as the sound track to "Born Free" plays in my brain, I have to admit: Rider the Spider should have remained an Outsider.
Rider spent all of 24 hours in his new abode. This evening I put my strongest spectacles on and couldn't find a trace of him. Quite obviously he has escaped and I - his brief captor - half expect that he is planning his revenge...to sneak up and bite me on the you-know-what. I only wish he knew that my heart was in the right place...that I was only wanting to reward his determination with the safety, serenity, and opportunity to become spoiled-rotten that I offer all of the other creatures that inhabit my home. Hopefully Rider will find his way out of this house and into the wild before our next pest control visit...that I won't have to revisit him as a carcass swept up by my dusting cloth on a good cleaning day. Now, as the sound track to "Born Free" plays in my brain, I have to admit: Rider the Spider should have remained an Outsider.
