We had some mixed feelings within the practice that day especially our veterinary nurse Caitriona. She has had a fear of spiders since she was a little girl. As you can see from the photo she was very brave and overcame her fear as she held Pinky in her hands.

Some interesting facts about Pinky:

-Her leg span lenght can grow to 3-4″
-Her lifespan is 15-20 years
-Pinky is a carnivore and likes to eat 2-3 crickets per week!
-Her ideal temperature is 25-28 degrees celsius

Interesting facts about Tarantula’s:
-Tarantulas have 8 eyes, their eyesight is actually very bad and they rely on the bristles on their bodies to sense the things around them!
- Like cats, tarantulas also have retractable claws on each leg which they use when climbing.
- Tarantulas don’t spin webs – but they do produce silk.
-Tarantulas can regenerate legs
-Tarantulas can only “drink” their food!
-They liquify their food with the help of venom and suck it up like a straw.
-Tarantulas grow by “moulting.”
-Contrary to belief, no one has ever been reported to have died as a result of a tarantula bite.

Our vet Susan got to mark something off her bucket list by holding Pinky and even letting her walk along her head!

There’s never a dull moment in Anicare’s Palmerstown Veterinary Hospital!

His owner had asked us to give him a quick groom so while he was under anaesthetic, so we started grooming and this is what we ended up with………