Wednesday: Feed Your Insect

Two blog entries in one day? Selfish bastard! I know that's what you're thinking! Well, I could have put them into one blog, but my extreme pedanticness means that I simply won't allow myself to do that. *Sigh*

Anyways, Wednesday was dedicated to feeding my new, pint-size (if that) friend, Shelly! I had googled the day before to see what spiders eat, which is usually other spiders and flies I think (I have a memory like a sieve, sorry). Well, there were no other spiders or flies around to feed my friend with, and I'd have to be looking for dead spiders, in case the intended prey became the predator. For breakfast I had tasty Raisin Oats And More (stupid name, yes, but oh, so delicious). I put a bit of all the various components (one nut cluster, one oat flake, one raisin) of this complex cereal into Shelly's home to see what she'd like. The results? None of them I think. Okay, so if she did nibble on them it would be barely viewable to the human eye, considering how tiny she is, but still. I tried actively feeding her by putting them closer to her, but I don't think she dug Raisin Oats Or More. Shame, it's delicious!

For lunch, I had Morrison's chicken noodle soup with Italian style sauce (so, so good!), with bread and butter. Mmmmm. I don't know if spiders can handle liquids or not, so I didn't feed her any of the soup. But I thought that a piece of bread and butter wouldn't go amiss! So I put a chunk into her house for her to enjoy.

Later, I got rid of the chunk (I expected the whole thing gone, but no! Shelly's a picky eater) and played with her a bit. She's quite fun, but kind of limited, and conversation is sparse, to say the least. I was scared she didn't like her home, but she always crawled back into it when I left it there for her. I was also scared that she hadn't eaten, and that I was starving her by feeding her the wrong foods. I remember reading, however, that spiders are meat eaters, and so far I'd fed her stuff which distinctly wasn't meat. So, I tore off a small piece of ham and placed it in her house.

But then, things started to all get like a quadruple-speed Marley And Me, with a spider instead of a dog (how Marley And Me should have been if you ask me...). I was preparing to go to Jay and Kate's, and bring Shelly along with me (as mentioned in my previous blog entry). But she seemed to be walking funny. Kind of hobbling around, like there was something wrong with her leg, or legs. But, I knew that Jay and Meech knew first aid, which I'm sure could quite easily be applied to a spider. So, off I went, Shelly in tow.

Tragedy struck. Sadly, on the way to Jay and Kate's, at roughly 5:30pm, Shelly died. Cause of death, unknown. Could have been the cold from being outside, but spiders are always outside, so that's blatantly not it. Did her gammy leg kill her? Quite possibly. Progressive lung cancer from living inside a cigarette box? Do spiders even have lungs? Or was it what I feared the most, lack of food? I was hoping maybe she found some snacky delights on her house excursion the previous day. But only she (and whatever she ate, if she did eat) will ever know.

I considered an autopsy, but I figured things were just best left as they were. I mean, what if she was injecting hard drugs and had died from an overdose? I didn't want my view of lovely Shelly tainted, so things were best left alone.

The saddest part is, she never even got to meet my friends. All they saw was her corpse. But Shelly was excited to see them, and I like to think she died happy.

Fortunately, my friends are amazing, and consoled me in this time of heartbreak with an awesome night. We had battered sausage and chips (comfort eating for me), made stuff (well, Jay, Meech and Chris did), talked about everything, and had a nice chill night. I even tried to convert my friends to the Benrik cult by showing them my Diary. Chris seemed very interested. I didn't even think about poor Shelly for the night, instead I just laughed, loved and lived with my friends. It's what Shelly would have wanted. Thank you Jay, Kate, Meech, Chris, Emily, Anabelle, Dani, and Lisa for all contributing to one awesome night!

The only thing I questioned is, what now? Do I find a new friend, a replacement? Or do I say goodbye to insect befriendin' week, and move on to pastures new? Whatever I do... I did it for you Shelly.

R.I.P. Shelly, 2009-2009
The greatest pet spider I've ever owned.