I hardly ever find cricket remains - maybe a bit of leg and that's about it 
So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?
- Thread starter Lopéz
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Sanchez is mentally troubled, I swear it!
Anyway, I decided to re-house my new arrival today - "Napalm" as she is now called
Using an idea by Martin Huber (www.spiderpix.com - excellent site) I managed to get hold of some cereal containers at Wilkonsons, for £2.99 each. They are 5 litres in size, and have a very tight fitting lid with a veyr handy opening "feeding" flap.
Here's what I did:
Here is the tank - not totally transparent, but translucent enough to see the spider through. "Feeding flap" is very handy indeed.
Drill the ventilation holes, as these things are airtight otherwise!
Fill 2/3 with a moist peat-compost mix, compacting it down hard
Finally, use a broom handle to sink a deep burrow at one end. Pat any loose soil down, and lob in the spider (now THAT was the tricky part! Ever seen a tarantula that honestly thinks it can bite through a pint glass?)
One thoroughly hateful, misanthropic and antisocial Vietnamese Earth Tiger.
Anyway, I decided to re-house my new arrival today - "Napalm" as she is now called
Using an idea by Martin Huber (www.spiderpix.com - excellent site) I managed to get hold of some cereal containers at Wilkonsons, for £2.99 each. They are 5 litres in size, and have a very tight fitting lid with a veyr handy opening "feeding" flap.
Here's what I did:
Here is the tank - not totally transparent, but translucent enough to see the spider through. "Feeding flap" is very handy indeed.
Drill the ventilation holes, as these things are airtight otherwise!
Fill 2/3 with a moist peat-compost mix, compacting it down hard
Finally, use a broom handle to sink a deep burrow at one end. Pat any loose soil down, and lob in the spider (now THAT was the tricky part! Ever seen a tarantula that honestly thinks it can bite through a pint glass?)
One thoroughly hateful, misanthropic and antisocial Vietnamese Earth Tiger.
Haplopelma, Cyriopagopus, Selencosmia and any other Far-Eastern forest species live in extremely deep burrows in tropical Asia. In the wild, these burrows can extend for several feet.
You often see Cobalt Blues for instance, being kept in open plan tanks just like a Chile rose. This is totally wrong, and unfair on the spider. Haplopelmas are a very "stressed out" genus, moreso than any other I have kept - if forced out into the open, they will shrink up into a ball and pull their legs in tightly above their eyes.
Anyone who saw Cobalts for sale at the BTS show will know what I mean about this "hunching up" they do.
This is what we call an "obligate burrower" - quite simply, if you don't let them dig, they will become overly stressed and eventually die.
You can actually see the spiders quite well whenever you open the lid - here is an example of what they generally do when settled in:
You often see Cobalt Blues for instance, being kept in open plan tanks just like a Chile rose. This is totally wrong, and unfair on the spider. Haplopelmas are a very "stressed out" genus, moreso than any other I have kept - if forced out into the open, they will shrink up into a ball and pull their legs in tightly above their eyes.
Anyone who saw Cobalts for sale at the BTS show will know what I mean about this "hunching up" they do.
This is what we call an "obligate burrower" - quite simply, if you don't let them dig, they will become overly stressed and eventually die.
You can actually see the spiders quite well whenever you open the lid - here is an example of what they generally do when settled in:
Re: Humidity
80% is too high for all but the most tropical of species really.
The best way to lower humidity is to increase ventilation - I have found that cutting a large hole from the lid, and replacing it with some form of mesh is most effective at this
80% is too high for all but the most tropical of species really.
Lots to catch up on!
si_sleaf
How are the new Baboons settling in? If your Usambara is anything like mine it will be a webbing machine.
azrael357
Webbing is generally a sign that the T is indeed "settling in"
Some do it, some don't. There's no need to worry.
With regards to feeding, when it gets to that sort of size, stop the food. A distended abdomen can cause problems at moult time. T's can survive on 1 crick a fortnight or several each day - I'd say 3 to 5 a week is a nice balance.
Oh, and blondi's always look like that (bald) They're just generally bitchy and bad tempered.
Repo
That's a nice price for a nice Avic - can't wait until my Pelé gets to that sort of size.
I just wanted to post a couple of nice pics I took last week
First up is Bangkok, my Cobalt Blue. Nicely darkening down now, and should get bluer with every moult. I can't wait, adult females are stunning.
Secondly, I decided to get a few pics of Maz, who is normally pretty secretive, while putting him into a new tank.
Here's another one who gets prettier with each moult.
si_sleaf
How are the new Baboons settling in? If your Usambara is anything like mine it will be a webbing machine.
azrael357
Webbing is generally a sign that the T is indeed "settling in"
Some do it, some don't. There's no need to worry.
With regards to feeding, when it gets to that sort of size, stop the food. A distended abdomen can cause problems at moult time. T's can survive on 1 crick a fortnight or several each day - I'd say 3 to 5 a week is a nice balance.
Oh, and blondi's always look like that (bald) They're just generally bitchy and bad tempered.
Repo
That's a nice price for a nice Avic - can't wait until my Pelé gets to that sort of size.
I just wanted to post a couple of nice pics I took last week
First up is Bangkok, my Cobalt Blue. Nicely darkening down now, and should get bluer with every moult. I can't wait, adult females are stunning.
Secondly, I decided to get a few pics of Maz, who is normally pretty secretive, while putting him into a new tank.
Here's another one who gets prettier with each moult.
For those of you who like hunting vids, check out this movie of a C cyaneopubescens nailing a cricket. Awesome speed!
Right click, Save As
Right click, Save As
Repo, I went out into the garden and collected a load of moss. I then arranged it on a shallow IKEA tray, persuaded the spider out and let it walk across the moss while I took the pictures
If you had a mini-ecosystem tank, with a bit of running water, rocks, multi-levels etc (like they keep tree frogs and things in in zoos) then I'm sure you could happily have moss growing in the tank.
Incidentally, many experienced T keepers (including Rick C West) just use normal garden soil as substrate - no sterilising, no fancy peat, just lob in some dirt.
If you had a mini-ecosystem tank, with a bit of running water, rocks, multi-levels etc (like they keep tree frogs and things in in zoos) then I'm sure you could happily have moss growing in the tank.
Incidentally, many experienced T keepers (including Rick C West) just use normal garden soil as substrate - no sterilising, no fancy peat, just lob in some dirt.
I buy nearly all my T's online, infact I might be getting one shipped from Hong Kong next week!
Adult Cobalt blues are stunning - but Nexus is right, they are an obligate burrower that will get immensely stressed if not given the opportunity to dig.
The only time I see my Cobalt is when I dig her out to change the soil, put her in a bigger tank, or do a photoshoot.
For the rest of the time, this is all I see:
Choice really depends on what sort of T you want.
Do you want a digger? Something big? Something bright? A webbing arboreal?
A personal favourite of mine is the Tiger Rump (Cyclosternum fasciatum)
They are very very nervy but extremely pretty too.
I see mine nearly all the time, it has a webby little cork bark enclosure and feeds voraciously
If you have any specific in mind, let me know and I can ask a few breeders I know Please bear in mind that some stuff just isn't regularly available.
Adult Cobalt blues are stunning - but Nexus is right, they are an obligate burrower that will get immensely stressed if not given the opportunity to dig.
The only time I see my Cobalt is when I dig her out to change the soil, put her in a bigger tank, or do a photoshoot.
For the rest of the time, this is all I see:
Choice really depends on what sort of T you want.
Do you want a digger? Something big? Something bright? A webbing arboreal?
A personal favourite of mine is the Tiger Rump (Cyclosternum fasciatum)
They are very very nervy but extremely pretty too.
I see mine nearly all the time, it has a webby little cork bark enclosure and feeds voraciously
If you have any specific in mind, let me know and I can ask a few breeders I know
Please bear in mind that some stuff just isn't regularly available.
I'm so glad it worked out nicely
A good tip is to pinch hard and pull, certainly helped when I lopped off Idi's leg.
The worst part is making that decision to take your pets life into your own hands - there are no real T vets, so it's all down to us to do the best we can.
On a happier note, she looks bloody gorgeous mate
A good tip is to pinch hard and pull, certainly helped when I lopped off Idi's leg.
The worst part is making that decision to take your pets life into your own hands - there are no real T vets, so it's all down to us to do the best we can.
On a happier note, she looks bloody gorgeous mate
A word to the wise for you new T keepers.
With temperatures in the 80's and even 90's, your T's will be too damn hot with a heatmat.
I've had mine off for the past couple of days, as all the tanks are very warm, and drying out fast.
Keep a closer eye on moisture levels, watch out for your spiders tucking a leg under themselves whilst resting, this is a general sign that the spider is uncomfortable and possibly a bit dehydrated.
With temperatures in the 80's and even 90's, your T's will be too damn hot with a heatmat.
I've had mine off for the past couple of days, as all the tanks are very warm, and drying out fast.
Keep a closer eye on moisture levels, watch out for your spiders tucking a leg under themselves whilst resting, this is a general sign that the spider is uncomfortable and possibly a bit dehydrated.
They sometimes "tuck" when cleaning, but if they are doing it for prolonged periods it generally means exhaustion Winston was doing it this morning.
Winston was doing it this morning.
That's a bit high.
I've seen a 9 month old captive bred Lasiodora parahybana for £30, which was almost 8" across.
I've seen a 9 month old captive bred Lasiodora parahybana for £30, which was almost 8" across.
Feed it enough and it will do the same.
Some people only feed their spiders once a week, I make sure mine are fed daily at least. This way they mature faster and I can breed them sooner
Some people only feed their spiders once a week, I make sure mine are fed daily at least. This way they mature faster and I can breed them sooner
Sorry for the late reply.
Usambaras are fine, unless you intend to poke them about at all - that's when they will catch you out. Far too many people underestimate just how quick these things are, and they can climb very well too, which makes them even more awkward to move between tanks etc.
I would not personally recommend an Usambara to someone who has only kept one tarantula. Having said that, my second spider was an Usambara! It's down to you at the end of the day, but I'm not going to tell you they are a good idea.
As for humidity guages, they're generally crap.
Usambaras are fine, unless you intend to poke them about at all - that's when they will catch you out. Far too many people underestimate just how quick these things are, and they can climb very well too, which makes them even more awkward to move between tanks etc.
I would not personally recommend an Usambara to someone who has only kept one tarantula. Having said that, my second spider was an Usambara! It's down to you at the end of the day, but I'm not going to tell you they are a good idea.
As for humidity guages, they're generally crap.
As it was a sunny day, I decided to dig out Napalm, my Haplopelma sp. "longipedum" and take her outside for some naturalistic pictures.
As the light is good, I decided to shoot a video of her attack posture. This is to show people what we mean by an aggressive or defensive tarantula.
Note how annoyed she gets at the slightest hint of a disturbance.
Right Click Save As, 2.79Mb
After this she stayed in that position for some time, striking aimlessly every time she felt a gust of wind
As the light is good, I decided to shoot a video of her attack posture. This is to show people what we mean by an aggressive or defensive tarantula.
Note how annoyed she gets at the slightest hint of a disturbance.
Right Click Save As, 2.79Mb
After this she stayed in that position for some time, striking aimlessly every time she felt a gust of wind
Seems to be a problem with the DR server, the download slows right down after a while. Very odd - the URL is definitely right
No safety barrier, she was sat just outside the back step.
I scooped her out of the tank into a pint glass, and let her out onto the floor. Luckily Haplopelma don't generally run away as adults, they stand their ground. If she'd done a runner I'd have had to chase her!
I took some pics down in the actual garden too - here they are, 56k beware!
It still amazes me that something so small can have such inner rage and hatred for anything that moves.
I scooped her out of the tank into a pint glass, and let her out onto the floor. Luckily Haplopelma don't generally run away as adults, they stand their ground. If she'd done a runner I'd have had to chase her!
I took some pics down in the actual garden too - here they are, 56k beware!
It still amazes me that something so small can have such inner rage and hatred for anything that moves.
Thought that might be useful
Where are they? Around the jaws etc, or just in the waterbowl and substrate?
There's a good chance they came in on crickets - brown crickets are having a lot of disease and mite infestations lately.
There's a good chance they came in on crickets - brown crickets are having a lot of disease and mite infestations lately.
Mites in the waterbowl/substrate are EASY to sort.
You can either strip each tank, disenfect, rinse and put in new substrate, or do what I do.
Let the soil get dry - no misting at all! Keep a small water bowl in one corner (something like a pop bottle cap) Keep the bowl half full.
Every night, you should see loads of mites congregating on the inner edge of the bowl. Empty the water away, scrub the bowl clean and fill it half way again. Put it back in the tank (don't spill any) and let the same thing happen each night.
Eventually all the mites will find their way to the bowl (they will go to the wettest point in the tank)
You can either strip each tank, disenfect, rinse and put in new substrate, or do what I do.
Let the soil get dry - no misting at all! Keep a small water bowl in one corner (something like a pop bottle cap) Keep the bowl half full.
Every night, you should see loads of mites congregating on the inner edge of the bowl. Empty the water away, scrub the bowl clean and fill it half way again. Put it back in the tank (don't spill any) and let the same thing happen each night.
Eventually all the mites will find their way to the bowl (they will go to the wettest point in the tank)
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