Longest Time you haven't seen your T?

[Uial]

The Last time I fed my G. pulchripes was 02.12.18. Two days later I came home to this:





And I haven't seen her since then. I know that she's probably fine and just fasting and that they can survive for months without food, but I'm still scared that maybe she's not. And I'm itching to dig her out, but I know that's a big no-no. So, to calm down, I thought I ask you all to tell me the longest time that one of your T's vanished, and them emerged just fine later. Maybe we can crown the most patient keeper here, since I already know it's not me, because I'm panicking royally after only two months^^

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Ah ah, what's in the enclosure, in the right?

Btw, a couple of things:

1) Edit (remove) a certain word you typed in the post. Doesn't bother me at all, but trust me.

2) More than four months (without issues). The specimen was (well, is) a 0.1 H.gigas.

3) Don't 'dig' nothing.

 

[Uial]

Ah ah, what's in the enclosure, in the right?

Btw, a couple of things:

1) Edit (remove) a certain word you typed in the post. Doesn't bother me at all, but trust me.

2) More than four months (without issues). The specimen was (well, is) a 0.1 H.gigas.

3) Don't 'dig' nothing.

In the enclosure to the right is a plastic plant and a water dish.

1) Removed. I apologize, it slipped through.

2) Thats nice, and also like congratz on not going crazy.

3) I won't dig nothing.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

In the enclosure to the right is a plastic plant and a water dish.

Uhm, no, doesn't look like a plastic plant or a water dish at all what I was referring to, it's the object near the hide, reminds to me a Christmas, sorta, decor

1) Removed. I apologize, it slipped through.

Oh, no need for that. I wasn't bothered at all by that, I was talking for your benefit only

2) Thats nice, and also like congratz on not going crazy.

With obligate burrowers and 'pet hole' is the rule. Lately I'm not seeing my S.subspinipes since two months, but I'm used at... she's a dieharder pet hole, then, one day, all of a sudden she will remain out, in the open, for 20 days, 'threatening' me

3) I won't dig nothing.

Brava. Often NW T's feel the need to burrow/hide a bit. Don't worry. A dead Theraphosidae is easy to pinpoint: the smell, that stench.

 

[Uial]

Uhm, no, doesn't look like a plastic plant or a water dish at all what I was referring to, it's the object near the hide, reminds to me a Christmas, sorta, decor

Oh, it's like one of these snow globe thingies with water inside that you can shake and then it seems like it's snowing. My mum gave it to me especially for the enclosure, so the T can get into the Christmas spirit^^

With obligate burrowers and 'pet hole' is the rule. Lately, I'm not seeing my S.subspinipes since two months, but I'm used at... she's a dieharder pet hole, then, one day, all of a sudden she will remain out, in the open, for 20 days, 'threatening' me

By now I swear that G. pulchripes is a pet hole as well. I see her legs when she's hungry, normally, and then when I've fed her, she runs back into the hide and vanishes for another week, until she's hungry again. Even when she is hungry, she will vanish when I walk by her enclosure. She has been out in the open on the first day I got her and then never again^^

I ordered a B albipolosum and a D pentaloris that will arrive as soon as temperatures allow it and I hope that one of those two will be a bit braver and actually utilize the rest of the enclosure^^

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Oh, it's like one of these snow globe thingies with water inside that you can shake and then it seems like it's snowing. My mum gave it to me especially for the enclosure, so the T can get into the Christmas spirit^^

Ah ah, I guessed that

Just that I had no idea about how the English proper name for those was

By now I swear that G. pulchripes is a pet hole as well. I see her legs when she's hungry, normally, and then when I've fed her, she runs back into the hide and vanishes for another week, until she's hungry again. Even when she is hungry, she will vanish when I walk by her enclosure. She has been out in the open on the first day I got her and then never again^^

I ordered a B albipolosum and a D pentaloris that will arrive as soon as temperatures allow it and I hope that one of those two will be a bit braver and actually utilize the rest of the enclosure^^

They often love to 'barricade' themselves that way, especially when the pre molt time is near. That time lapse can vary, there isn't a rule that could be 'ok' for everyone. In my opinion that's lovely... I love to see all of that dirt in front of the hide

Nice specimens. B.albopilosum are an always good classic, D. pentaloris are an interesting 'variation' to the 'GBB'. If you want a Theraphosidae that 99 out of 100 is always visible, opt for A.geniculata... they almost never use the hide.

 

[Uial]

They often love to 'barricade' themselves that way, especially when the pre-molt time is near. That time lapse can vary, there isn't a rule that could be 'ok' for everyone. In my opinion, that's lovely... I love to see all of that dirt in front of the hide

I didn't even think that premolt was a possibility here. She is nine years old, and even though the guy that sold her couldn't tell me when the last molt was, I just assumed that it would take a while because the molting process slows so much when they are older. I just hope she has enough space to molt in there without bending too much if it comes to that. But since she must have dug out every bit of substrate from inside to build that mountain, I'll assume she will be fine, space-wise.

The process of her building that hill was one of the coolest things I ever saw though, I made a video, I was so amazed. Before she built that monument, she made a few test hills, one of which I was lucky enough to whitness.

A dead Theraphosidae is easy to pinpoint: the smell, that stench.

I stuck my nose in there, it smells like coco fibre, but nothing else, so thats good news

Nice specimens. B.albopilosum are an always good classic, D. pentaloris are an interesting 'variation' to the 'GBB'. If you want a Theraphosidae that 99 out of 100 is always visible, opt for A.geniculata... they almost never use the hide.

I would love to get a A. geniculata, they are beautiful. Unfortunately, my space is severely limited. I already rearranged my shelfes (and to my shame I must admit, I banned some books to the cellar to make room for spiders^^) I have room for one more dwarf, one more terrestrial and a teeny tiny arboreal at the most, and I'm still hoping to get an E. campestratus one day, though they are rarer then gold in Germany

 

[Crone Returns]

Oh, it's like one of these snow globe thingies with water inside that you can shake and then it seems like it's snowing. My mum gave it to me especially for the enclosure, so the T can get into the Christmas spirit^^



By now I swear that G. pulchripes is a pet hole as well. I see her legs when she's hungry, normally, and then when I've fed her, she runs back into the hide and vanishes for another week, until she's hungry again. Even when she is hungry, she will vanish when I walk by her enclosure. She has been out in the open on the first day I got her and then never again^^

I ordered a B albipolosum and a D pentaloris that will arrive as soon as temperatures allow it and I hope that one of those two will be a bit braver and actually utilize the rest of the enclosure^^

Put at least 4" of substrate in there after T emerges. They like to play in the dirt .

 

[SonsofArachne]

And I haven't seen her since then.

I'm going through the same with my Haplocosmia himalayana, only it has been a least 3 months, maybe 4 since she buried herself. I'm starting to get a little concerned. But my Encyocratella olivacea buried herself the day after I got her (she was pre-molt) then emerged 2 months later just fine.

 

[Crone Returns]

My AF Aphonopelma chalcodes. 3 months now

 

[Uial]

Put at least 4" of substrate in there after T emerges. They like to play in the dirt .

Will do, I planned on switching the coco fibre to a mixture of soil and coco anyway, so it keeps shape a bit better.

 

[Greasylake]

I didn't see one of my centipedes for like 6 months.

 

[Ungoliant]

Longest Time you haven't seen your T?

Miss Hissypants, my Ceratogyrus marshalli, is a pet hole. For a year, the most I would see of her was a blurry glimpse into her burrow.

I did finally see her top-side in December.

Dat Horn (♀ Ceratogyrus marshalli)

• Ungoliant
• Dec 26, 2018
• 9
• ceratogyrus ceratogyrus cornuatus ceratogyrus marshalli female marshalli mature female miss hissypants straighthorned tarantula

This is the only time I've been able to take pictures of my pet hole since I got her in October...

 

[Thekla]

When I got my B. albo (2" sling) it ate the next day and the day after that it disappeared and left a huge pile of dirt.



Two whole months I guarded and cared for that pile of dirt without knowing what was going inside.

I have Ts that hid/hide much longer (*looking at you, Donna!*), but with them I can see inside their burrows/webs, so, I know they're fine.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

H. gigas, I don't think I've seen more than the tips of its toes for over 5 months.

I had a P. cambridgei that I basically saw about half a dozen times over the year that I had it. That thing made me look sociable.

 

[Jordan1998]

The Last time I fed my G. pulchripes was 02.12.18. Two days later I came home to this:

View attachment 299217

View attachment 299216

And I haven't seen her since then. I know that she's probably fine and just fasting and that they can survive for months without food, but I'm still scared that maybe she's not. And I'm itching to dig her out, but I know that's a big no-no. So, to calm down, I thought I ask you all to tell me the longest time that one of your T's vanished, and them emerged just fine later. Maybe we can crown the most patient keeper here, since I already know it's not me, because I'm panicking royally after only two months^^

I just got my first 5 T’s 5 days ago so I can’t really compete but Since the first time I let them enter their enclosure I haven’t seen one of them. A P.Lugardi. My other 4 (Theraposa blondi, Pterinochilus murinus umv, Hysterocrates gigas, Lampropelma violaceopes) already made holes and ambush crickets if they come near. btw, I decided to look for it and i found a dirt ball sown together with webb. I decided to make i tiny opening to see if it was in there and in bolted out. It still refuses to eat live crickets not dead ones. No why idea why it doesnt make a borrow and what that dirtball was, but yeah, 5 days and I was already scared hehe

 

[Thekla]

I just got my first 5 T’s 5 days ago so I can’t really compete but Since the first time I let them enter their enclosure I haven’t seen one of them. A P.Lugardi. My other 4 (Theraposa blondi, Pterinochilus murinus umv, Hysterocrates gigas, Lampropelma violaceopes) already made holes and ambush crickets if they come near. btw, I decided to look for it and i found a dirt ball sown together with webb. I decided to make i tiny opening to see if it was in there and in bolted out. It still refuses to eat live crickets not dead ones. No why idea why it doesnt make a borrow and what that dirtball was, but yeah, 5 days and I was already scared hehe

Wow, these are some... well, let's say 'interesting' choices for a beginner.

Just let your P. lugardi settle in. If you're constantly trying to feed it or/and opening whatever it's built, it will never settle in and start burrowing. Leave it alone and try feeding it in a week by leaving a prekilled cricket overnight. If it's not been eaten the next day, remove it and try again a week later. Keep the water dish full. Otherwise just be patient.

 

[Minty]

My Chilobrachys sp. 'Vietnam blue' hid in her burrow for nearly 5 months. When she moulted, the difference in colour made me wonder if it was a different tarantula. As a bonus, since that moult, she's out at least once a day.

I haven't seen my Poecilotheria striata since November.

 

[Jordan1998]

Wow, these are some... well, let's say 'interesting' choices for a beginner.

Just let your P. lugardi settle in. If you're constantly trying to feed it or/and opening whatever it's built, it will never settle in and start burrowing. Leave it alone and try feeding it in a week by leaving a prekilled cricket overnight. If it's not been eaten the next day, remove it and try again a week later. Keep the water dish full. Otherwise just be patient.

Hehehe yeah you’re like the 20th person to make a remark about my first choices, but apart from the urticating hairs and their venom, speed and agressiveness, I haven’t heard any other thing that makes them harder than beginner species and honestly I have no problem with those characteristics. Hehehe for now everything seems fine apart from that one sling. I also have another thread where I already asked advice for these species. I think my time to panic will come soon when they stop eating for pre molt and Im starting to panick that there’s something wrong. I also have 3 scorpions and 40 other animals but the only animal i’ve seen shed is my chameleon so yeah, that’s gonna be scary

 

[Thekla]

Hehehe yeah you’re like the 20th person to make a remark about my first choices

I wonder why that is...

apart from the urticating hairs and their venom, speed and agressiveness, I haven’t heard any other thing that makes them harder than beginner species

:wideyed: And that's not enough to tell you that these species aren't for beginners? :wideyed:
Well, I could add that husbandry for Theraphosas is much more advanced than for any real beginner species.

I think my time to panic will come soon when they stop eating for pre molt and Im starting to panick that there’s something wrong. I also have 3 scorpions and 40 other animals but the only animal i’ve seen shed is my chameleon so yeah, that’s gonna be scary

You already know what will happen, so, just don't panic. Leave them be, don't dig them up (even if they're gone for months), keep the water dish full and wait patiently for your "new" spider.