Phormictopus and pamphobeteus care

[cold blood]

Just wondering, is the care for the Xenethis species pretty much the same as the Pamphos?

Yes, it is.

 

[Poec54]

Just wondering, is the care for the Xenethis species pretty much the same as the Pamphos?

As is the care for most low/medium elevation tropicals from wet climates. There's only a handful of variables in captivity; they all need substrate, fresh air, and a retreat. Water bowls are highly recommended. These are the things to adjust based on the spider's natural habitat:

- substrate moisture and depth
- amount of ventilation
- cage size & height
- room temp and humidity

 

[BobBarley]

Alright thanks one of my long term goals is to get a Xenethis species and I was just a bit curious.

 

[Poec54]

Alright thanks one of my long term goals is to get a Xenethis species and I was just a bit curious.

Save your money, they've always been rare and expensive.

 

[BobBarley]

Save your money, they've always been rare and expensive.

Yup they are on my wish list.

 

[cold blood]

They've been at the top of my list for 15 years:laugh:

 

[Angel Minkov]

You can just throw in Pamphs and Xenesthis in a jar of moist dirt with good ventilation and you're good to go for slings.

 

[shawno821]

I own multiples of Xenethis,Pamphos,and Phormicticus,both adults and juvies.I live in a dry northern climate,as well.I put an inch of wet long fibered spaghnum moss on the bottom to hold moisture,then 3 inches of coco fiber
which has a half-round of cork bark buried in it.I keep the front third of the cage moist and use a water bowl.I seldom let it dry out.I use a humidifier in the T room,and keep the room at 65% humidity.
They spend nearly all their time on the moist end.I've gotten 3 Xenethis egg sacs,a Phormictius sp.purple sac,and am pretty sure I have a P.platyomma sac coming,so it seems to be working.Of course if you're not interested in breeding,you don't need to go to these lengths.

 

[Poec54]

Why not keep most of the cage moist?

 

[shawno821]

Why not keep most of the cage moist?

I already use quite a bit of water to keep the front third damp,and don't forget,my T's are in a room kept near their preferred humidity range.I wouldn't want to dump 3 gals.or so a day to
keep it all damp.I like for them to have access to water,moist substrate,and dry substrate,and go where they feel comfortable.They do use the dry side,esp to dump boluses,so I do want to keep it.

 

[Sam_Peanuts]

Just wanted to add that P. cancerides are indeed very hardy and can do fine on bone dry substrate even in the northern parts of the world.

I think they will adapt to their environment and eventually be fine in whatever they're in from what I've seen.
I've got two adult females, one that I've had for over a decade(got her at around the 2-3" mark I think) and one I got a few years back at around 4-5".

The one I got over a decade ago as always been kept dry with a water dish since I didn't know much about them(it was my 3rd one after a G. rosea NCF and an OBT, both very dry species) and I didn't frequent forums back then. Now, whether her enclosure is completely dry or half of it is moist, it doesn't seem to make the slightest difference to her.

The one I got a few years back does prefer things on the moist side though. I kept her the same way as my other one at first but she was clearly always hanging out where there was the most moisture. I didn't really think about it until not too long ago, just thought she was odd since I was following my previous experience, but I gave her what she wanted anyway.

I'm assuming the older one got used to being kept dry since I couldn't see the signs back then if she required more moisture. My point being that humidity is not something to be concerned about with them, but it's a good idea to give it to them.


I'm pretty sure my older one is a bit over 7"(maybe 7.5-8"), I'll have to actually measure her properly and show the pic to poec54 if she indeed is since I doubt she'll grow much more than what she already is.
Fully stretched(aka not how you'd measure them), I estimated her at just below 9" since the day I learned screen top were really bad, she had one leg stuck on it and she was barely not touching the ground below which was about 9" from the top.

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

That's awesome I love the P. Cancerides, or at least what ive seen of it as I obviously don't own one. Definitely going to consider it. A big, beautiful spider 9males especially) with my favorite part, an attitude and a willingness to eat EVERYTHING I put In there (probably, I heard they eat like no other).

 

[Poec54]

There are a number of tarantulas that are eating machines. Phormictopus is one of many.

 

[Jake J]

P. antininous is the bolivian steely blue....one of the pamphs with the most attitude. With as fast as they grow and as much of a joy it is to rasise them, I would strongly suggest getting slings....you could get a few, or at least 2 shipped, for $150.

As for humidity, I feel like I say this 3 times a day, but beware anyone or any care sheet that tells you that any t requires a number specific humidity to be maintained....beware of care-sheets altogether actually. This kind of info simply over-complicates things all around. Keep a decent sized water dish full and keep the sub moist (not wet), only letting it dry completely for short periods of time as they are prone to dehydration...while you will hear of many keeping them bone dry, its certainly not what I would suggest for either of the genus's you mentioned.

Probably two of the hungriest genus's you will ever come across....prey barely has a chance to hit the ground.

The males may be more colorful, but keep in mind that this is ONLY after they mature, prior to maturity the male will look basically the same. Once they get that amazing color, you'll probably be packing him to send to a female.

I promise I don't follow you around (purposely) from post to post--I searched for "Pamphobeteus care," found this thread, and here you are. Full disclosure, I've come to respect your knowledge and advice above all here on AB, but if I'm becoming a nuisance let me know and I'll find a way to ask you EVEN MORE questions. Just joking.

A few questions: I get that handling the more docile T's is a hotly debated topic, and of all mine, I really only feel comfortable handling my B. albopilosum and B. smithi (rarely with the latter-it's more skittish than what appears to be average, but it's a juvie, so maybe that has something to do with it). Where do you stand on the debate? Just curious, as I'm on the fence about it myself.

Also, how do you address the issue with water dishes when some spp. insist on burrowing underneath them? Do you use the glue-it-to-the-wall method, or make sure it's sitting on the bottom of the enclosure so the T can make sure and bury it in sub? And last question: what do you use to fill water dishes/dampen sub when you're dealing with a flighty sp.? The irminia we've talked about is taking to her taller, narrower home nicely I think, but she hasn't discovered her cork bark tube yet so clings to the side. So it's probably more stressful on both the T and myself when I'm using a turkey baster w/plastic-tipped syringe, lid off the enclosure, during refills & sub dampening. She hasn't made a break for it yet but I don't want to assume she never will.

If I do indeed ask for too much advice, let me know, but my rationale here is that you seem to genuinely care for T's and their well-being when being kept by hobbyists, so I hope that overrides any annoyance you may feel from incessant questioning by an inquisitive intermediate such as myself.

Have a good one, brother.

 

[cold blood]

A few questions: I get that handling the more docile T's is a hotly debated topic, and of all mine, I really only feel comfortable handling my B. albopilosum and B. smithi (rarely with the latter-it's more skittish than what appears to be average, but it's a juvie, so maybe that has something to do with it). Where do you stand on the debate? Just curious, as I'm on the fence about it myself.

Also, how do you address the issue with water dishes when some spp. insist on burrowing underneath them? Do you use the glue-it-to-the-wall method, or make sure it's sitting on the bottom of the enclosure so the T can make sure and bury it in sub? And last question: what do you use to fill water dishes/dampen sub when you're dealing with a flighty sp.? The irminia we've talked about is taking to her taller, narrower home nicely I think, but she hasn't discovered her cork bark tube yet so clings to the side. So it's probably more stressful on both the T and myself when I'm using a turkey baster w/plastic-tipped syringe, lid off the enclosure, during refills & sub dampening. She hasn't made a break for it yet but I don't want to assume she never will.

If I do indeed ask for too much advice, let me know, but my rationale here is that you seem to genuinely care for T's and their well-being when being kept by hobbyists, so I hope that overrides any annoyance you may feel from incessant questioning by an inquisitive intermediate such as myself.

Have a good one, brother.

Annoyance??? Hey dude, that's what the forum is here for...people asking questions are hardly an annoyance....that's left to the argumentative people.

I don't handle...ever. I treat ts like I did the fish I kept....and just like those fish, there's NO benefit to handling these animals either....in fact I'd probably be more inclined to handle one of the fish. Now an inadvertent t walking across you or onto you when re-housing or packing ts is NOT what I consider handling, that's going to happen from time to time if you have enough ts. But I never ever open an enclosure with the notion of getting the t onto me....never.

When a dish gets buried I simply pull it out and clean and re-fill it. If its buried good, I simply add another water dish. Often when I re-house I excavate a half dozen to a dozen water dishes. I've never glued a water dish anywhere, doing so makes removing and cleaning impossible. People that do this often stack condiment cups so the top one can easily be removed....but I don't do this...I just see it as added work for the keeper without any real benefit to the animal...I'm not trying to increase my workload. I never glue anything in place.

People, especially those new to the hobby, typically worry too much about "stress", this isn't really something I ever even think about.....handling is probably the only stressor I'd really worry about, and I don't do that.

When I fill dishes, my methods vary depending on the enclosure. Some I fill with a syringe, others I fill with a spray bottle, but with adults, I just pour water in....when sub gets too dry, I also pour water directly onto the substrate until I get the desired amount/effect. A baster should work just fine.

Adding to the "stress" and handling...I go a step further, I ventilate by drilling holes (I use sterilite), because of this, I can feed and water most of the time without even opening cages, I just go right through the nearest vent holes.....no spooking the t this way and I can observe a more natural acting tarantula....which generally means more food aggressive.

 

[Jake J]

Annoyance??? Hey dude, that's what the forum is here for...people asking questions are hardly an annoyance....that's left to the argumentative people.

I don't handle...ever. I treat ts like I did the fish I kept....and just like those fish, there's NO benefit to handling these animals either....in fact I'd probably be more inclined to handle one of the fish. Now an inadvertent t walking across you or onto you when re-housing or packing ts is NOT what I consider handling, that's going to happen from time to time if you have enough ts. But I never ever open an enclosure with the notion of getting the t onto me....never.

When a dish gets buried I simply pull it out and clean and re-fill it. If its buried good, I simply add another water dish. Often when I re-house I excavate a half dozen to a dozen water dishes. I've never glued a water dish anywhere, doing so makes removing and cleaning impossible. People that do this often stack condiment cups so the top one can easily be removed....but I don't do this...I just see it as added work for the keeper without any real benefit to the animal...I'm not trying to increase my workload. I never glue anything in place.

People, especially those new to the hobby, typically worry too much about "stress", this isn't really something I ever even think about.....handling is probably the only stressor I'd really worry about, and I don't do that.

When I fill dishes, my methods vary depending on the enclosure. Some I fill with a syringe, others I fill with a spray bottle, but with adults, I just pour water in....when sub gets too dry, I also pour water directly onto the substrate until I get the desired amount/effect. A baster should work just fine.

Adding to the "stress" and handling...I go a step further, I ventilate by drilling holes (I use sterilite), because of this, I can feed and water most of the time without even opening cages, I just go right through the nearest vent holes.....no spooking the t this way and I can observe a more natural acting tarantula....which generally means more food aggressive.

This is exactly why I come to you for advice! And while I have to say I've seen one or two elitists on AB that seem more about stroking their egos than answering questions, for the most part people here seem to concur with you that this forum is a place for asking questions and starting discussions. Glad you feel that way.

It was already getting harder to legitimize handling, especially seeing the preponderance of the more knowledgeable folks being opposed to it. I guess the only reasons I had to handle those that I did were that I liked how they felt walking on my hands, I felt kinda cool doing it, and I was pretty sure it impressed (and maybe swayed the opinions of) people observing me. And those are admittedly terrible reasons, especially when you take into account the potential risks. So, add a tally to the anti-handling campaign, because now that I'm listing these stupid reasons and reading them over, I see the flawed logic in handling. They're not dogs or cats, after all.

So drilling a large enough hole for watering/feeding sounds like a great solution, and it sounds like I have some renovation to do. Thank ya again, sir.

 

[Andrea82]

i think lots of people starting out handle at first. I did. There's just this incredible curiosity to know what it feels like, to let a spider, or any new or exotic animal, walk on your hands. Fortunately for me, the Dutch forum is against handling as well, so i got corrected real quick. I smacked my head wondering what in hell was i doing, jeopardizing my animal like that...
Since then, the only one who gets handled is me, by my E.sp.Red