Vinegaroon setup question

[MiaPow]

Want to set a an efficient and as healthy environment as possible for vinegaroon would it be beneficial to do a false bottom with hydro balls, mesh screen and then substrate or am I asking for trouble in many ways, such as the vinegaroon burrowing all the way to the false bottom and tearing away at the mesh screen? What’s the best set up if this isn’t good enough to house a vinegaroon? Ive read so many different opinions on what substrate to use.

 

[1Lord Of Ants1]

Sounds far more complicated than what it needs to be. All they need is at least 6” of an appropriate substrate that remains moist closer to the bottom. The substrate top can dry off considerably without worry. I use plain cocofiber and mix in around 25% of pure sand for added texture. Add springtails or isopods if you’re not able to constantly remove boluses. Add a water bowl and keep it topped off.

They don’t need much more in the way of decor, as their burrow will satisfy their hide requirements. Maybe a slab of cork bark or a flat rock just over the burrow entrance.

They’re extremely easy to care for but you will need to familiarize yourself with their molt cycle and be prepared to water a box of dirt for months on end if you’re not getting an adult.

 

[MiaPow]

The vinegaroon is going to be about an inch up to an inch and half not including legs and tail, so it’s probably considered a juvenile. I going to add springtails just worried about mold building up with watering the substrate to keep it moist figure the false bottom could help out with it.

 

[Aquarimax]

The vinegaroon is going to be about an inch up to an inch and half not including legs and tail, so it’s probably considered a juvenile. I going to add springtails just worried about mold building up with watering the substrate to keep it moist figure the false bottom could help out with it.

It’s great you’re thinking about this in advance. I got my vinegaroons when they were about that size several years ago. I agree with @1Lord Of Ants1, deep cocofiber/sand substrate that remains a bit moist in the bottom layers in going to work best. Sand/cocofiber mix would eventually trickle down through a mesh anyway. Definitely add springtails. Good ventilation will also help prevent mold. I haven’t had any mold issues with mine.

 

[1Lord Of Ants1]

If you use an absorbent substrate (which you should be using) like cocofiber you will never have any pooling and subsequent fouling. Just don’t overwater. Mold needs a food source and quality cocofiber/peat moss is fairly clean. Keep the enclosure simple and the vinegaroon will place boluses within easy reach for removing; they’re normally pretty good at keeping their burrows clean.

 

[MiaPow]

Thanks for all the tips and info. I’ll forgo the false bottom type set up and keep it simple.

 

[Schledog]

Yeah, really the best thing to do with them is to keep it simple. Mine is a large critter keeper with coco fibre with a little (maybe a cup?) of sand mixed in so it holds the shape of the burrow better. They need a water dish or as mine thinks of it, a sand box, which can be a bottle cap. Keep it moist but not humid or anything. If the cocofibre looks dry then just put a little water in there. They are a lot easier than they sound, like axolotls. Of course that's a bad analogy but who cares.

 

[mantisfan101]

Simple- large kritter keeper or medium sized tupperware container. Fill about 5-6 inches minimum with substrate. Soak it up occasionally and offer a water bowl. They’ll start digging down in their own.

 

[MiaPow]

A slightly separate question, has anyone successfully housed more then one vinegaroon in a really large enclosure without any cannibalism going on?

 

[mantisfan101]

A slightly separate question, has anyone successfully housed more then one vinegaroon in a really large enclosure without any cannibalism going on?

Don’t. Just don’t. Don’t risk it, these things may act friendly towards each ither but they will kill each other eventually. I wouldn’t even keep them together as babies; you will end up with either one fat vinegaroon or multiple dead ones. Do not keep them communally.

 

[MiaPow]

Update. I have four juvenile Vinegaroons each one is in a clear storage bin thats about 12”x12” with 5” of substrate with two hides one bark and the other moss grass hide. They want nothing to do with the bark but love going hiding under the moss grass hide. The vinegaroons are about an inch long excluding pedipalps and tail except for one which is a little less. Two of the vinegaroons dug some long tunnels and what looks like multiple chambers, it built it right next to the side of the container where I can watch but the other two aren’t doing any tunneling or digging, should I be concerned. They are all kept under the same conditions just in separate bins.

 

[mantisfan101]

They might still be acclimating. To be honest the enclosure sounds really big for them; maybe a 32 oz deli cup filled 2/3 with substrate would be much better.

 

[MiaPow]

The enclosure is too big oh man. Is there anyway to encourage digging? One of them started to dig and then lost interest.

 

[MiaPow]

Yep your right they just needed some time to acclimate all four have excavated tunnels and chambers.

 

[Galapoheros]

They can handle a wide environmental range, they are found in Florida and the desert southwest. I used to drive at night in the desert and catch them on the road. ime adult males get along OK but adult females will try to kill each other. I have several babies but I've never put them together. I'd see snake hunters in w tx along time ago catching rattle snakes, showed them a vinegaroon and they said, "eww, I stay away from those things." They were looking for rattlesnakes but scared of vinegaroons, ..whatever!

 

[Kosal]

I'm picking up this thread again since I have a similar question.
I set up a an exo terra tank for a giant vinegaroon, cocoa fiber/peat + sphagnum moss substrate, water dish, started a burrow, isopods and springtails, all the apparatus.
The temperature is controlled with a heatpad and a termostat and it's a gradient of 27 C° in the hot half to 24-23 C° in the cool part.
However the tank has, as all exo terras, a screen lid and, because of the continuous ventilation, I can't keep the humidity above 60-65%, unless I spray a good amount of water every day. The substrate in the tank has also a fist layer of wet cocoa fiber, stratifying more layers to to dry until the top, where I added also some cypress mulch and dead leaves.

I've never kept one, but I know Vinegaroons thrive in a wide range of conditions, however most of the care sheets I read recommend to keep humidity between 70% to 80%. Should I fix the lid and turning it into a glass one to keep humidity high (I did the same thing for my H. petersii, and the humidity in her tank is easily stable on 75%-80%) or the Vinegaroon will be fine as long as it has humid substrate to burrow into?

 

[Vanisher]

Deep moist substrate and a piece of slightly curved corkbark and a wsterdish. Then you are set

 

[mantisfan101]

Humidity is irrelevant to vinegaroons. If it can form a sturdy burrow out of the substrate, provide it with a small water bowl and you’re all set. During winter when they bunker down, just pour a little bit of water on the substrate to keep it damp.

 

[Kosal]

Thank you both