Blue Fang Care Sheet

[Tapahtyn]

this is great info guys! I've had my blue fang now since xmas and I keep the eco earth pretty moist. He's done really well and is getting ready to molt again since I've gotten him. He's got a beautiful burrow! What a fantastic species to have

 

[Kathy]

Oh, that's pretty cool with the leaves, I am going to do that. Mine has molted twice since I got him as a 1/4"sling, growing fast and is so pretty - well I assume since I never really see him much! Thanks for the pics and video!

 

[Moltar]

Try this mate keeps it simple and what i used anyway
http://www.care-sheet.com/index/Ephebopus_cyanognathus

Care sheets are hit-or-miss (usually miss) but that one was pretty good. :clap:

 

[skittle]

Venom

Hey I have a sling blue fang and it is lovely, really tame and doesnt panic when i hold it but i was wandering how strong their venom is. Would it be slightly stronger than a bee sting or would it hospitalise people?? i cant seem to find too much on the net :/ and want to know what i am in for before i get bitten!! lol these are amazing tarantulas!!!!

thanks

 

[Tarac]

Hey I have a sling blue fang and it is lovely, really tame and doesnt panic when i hold it but i was wandering how strong their venom is. Would it be slightly stronger than a bee sting or would it hospitalise people?? i cant seem to find too much on the net :/ and want to know what i am in for before i get bitten!! lol these are amazing tarantulas!!!!

thanks

Hard to say. Review the bite reports perhaps? Not much has been done to characterize the venom of each tarantula, just a select few. I posted an article here somewhere that I can't find at the moment but that group basically analyzed venom from both OW and NW species and found that they were extremely similar in content (this was specifically Psalmopoeus if I remember correctly, for the NW specimens) so no explanation yet as to why OW are generally assumed to have worse bites, only that we know that they do from bite reports. May be amount delivered or concentration, may be some component not yet identified or some subtle difference in the way the assorted peptides are conformed (i.e. which active sites are exposed on the molecules- can be detectably the same peptide just folded differently and have very different effects as a result- this kind of information is part of what we are missing when discussing T venom).

Always note that bites vary from individual to individual (person and spider) and can vary from bite to bite in terms of intensity. Everyone's physiology is different so how you react to a bite, even from a "mild" bite, could be much much worse or better than the next unlucky bite victim. In general we recommend not handling as a community simply because to a tarantula you are just molesting it, causing it undue stress. And risking a bite and therefor also risking injuring the tarantula if you don't respond as you expect/hope and accidentally drop it or fling it across the room. With this species in particular, which are known to be defensive, this is of particular relevance. If you chose to handle it still, be very careful. My guess is that you won't be able to soon anyway as it will shortly become a pet hole that may only come out to catch a feeder (a very bad time to try to handle a T anyway of course).

I'm surprised that your's is so calm. Mine is a fast little bugger and mean as can be albeit hidden almost all the time except her toes. She is a very very aggressive feeder, a whirlwind of legs comes flying out of her burrow to attack anything that seems like prey to her. This is a fairly old thread but in reviewing it, apparently they can be somewhat arboreal as slings which was not the case with mine at all. Mine made tubular, webbed burrows straight into the substrate from day 1 as a 2nd instar. In fact she recently squeezed herself into a tiny older burrow she had abandoned since growing while chasing a feeder down it and was apparently stuck for some time. Ultimately she emerged from a new opening and has since incorporated the old tunnel into her newer burrow. Quite industrious little diggers. Good luck with your little excavation expert!

 

[skittle]

Hey thanks yer i am surprised too!! I am just very slow around it and encourage it to walk on me rather than just diving in there!! I gave mine an artificial hide which it loves and it also has a second web at the other side of the tub I am keeping it in which it alternates between!! I just encourage it to come out and it seems to be ok with it at the mo!! I am attempting to make it one of the more "friendly" T's by holding it almost every day so it can be used to being gently moved if i get bitten, i get bitten, i was just wandering!! hehe not too worried about it! lol maybe i got one of the rare few which are tolerable!! although it is only a few cms!! lol so bright and colourful

Thanks for the help x

 

[Storm76]

I think he means that Psalmopeus and the Ephebopus genuses lacks the urticating hairs on the abdomen.

On a sidenote they don't have any on their abdomen, yes, BUT they DO have them on their pedipalps and CAN kick them from there!

 

[StampFan]

Just bumping this forward as its a gem of a thread. Would be interesting to document how different folks are keeping these now compared to 2012, and if anyone has any new research since the two papers posted.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Just bumping this forward as its a gem of a thread. Would be interesting to document how different folks are keeping these now compared to 2012, and if anyone has any new research since the two papers posted.

Deep/moist substrate, hide with anchor points outside the entrance, springtails on cleaning duty, I crumble some dried moss on top of the sub for them to incorporate into the web funnel they build at the entrance of their burrow. They don't seem to dig as deep as other fossorials IME (their burrows are rather short compared to those built by Chilobrachys/Ornithoctonus/Hysterocrates spp.)

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