Would a Ephebopus murinus make a good 2nd T?

[snowbud97]

Hello all,

I purchased a 2in G. pulchra sling In October of last year (he is doing very well), and lately, I've been thinking about getting a second T. I've been doing some research seeing what species are available, and I've come across a few that I really like. At the top of my list is the Ephebopus murinus. Everything about them seems really cool, the common name, the appearance, the burrowing/webbing they do, the fact that they have urticating hairs on their pedipalps rather than their abdomens. Despite liking them so much, I am a bit hesitant to take the plunge because I've read that they can be defensive and speedy, and they require damp substrate. On top of all that, if I got one, I'd likely be getting a 1in sling, and I know that sling care can come with it's own complications. Due to those reasons, I'm wondering if they'd make a better 3rd or 4th T rather than a 2nd. What do you guys think?

Also, if you agree that the Ephebopus murinus probably wouldn't make a great 2nd T, do you have any recommendations for a T that might be a good stepping stone/bridge to it?

 

[Marcostaco]

They're basically like an old world species disguised as a new world. But with proper preparation and research, along with if you're comfortable rehousing and interacting(if needed) with a possibility defensive specimen then I'd say you can.

Honestly, the answer depends on yourself. You know yourself better.

 

[Brewser]

N. Incei is a great & readily available, affordable "stepping stone".

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I love mine, but I personally don’t think it’s a good second T. Gauging soil “dampness” takes some practice and you wont see it often, which can be nerve racking. Check out l@nsky’s post on setting up moisture dependent slings. It has been invaluable to me. I lost my first E murinus sling about a week after her first molt with me. My second is now around 2.5” and has just transformed her home from arboreal to fossorial. Definitely get one, but maybe try a little more bold terrestrial without moisture requirements first. Have you considered Acanthoscurria geniculata?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Lasiodora parahybana
Nhandu coloratovillosus

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• Ultum4Spiderz
• May 25, 2023
• 7

Help I’d around 5” dls

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• Ultum4Spiderz
• May 25, 2023
• 1

Pic 3 help id around 5” dls

 

[Charliemum]

They are fast sometimes defensive like humidity and they burrow which means there is a very high chance you will only see your t's front legs once a month.... unless you are @IntermittentSygnal then you get to see them everyday...so lucky! But with lots of research and knowledge on what to expect anything can be achieved. As said in previous posts its down to the individual and how confident they are with their t's .

If you are open to it n your looking for something with tude that you can see maybe a gbb would be better, they can be moody but are generally out all the time web like crazy hammer their food and like it dry so there is alot less that can go wrong then with a humidity loving sp . Or if it's the stripes you specifically like maybe a Grammostola pulchripes? Their golden bone pattern on the legs is quite amazing and they are alot more chill then ephebopus or the gbb. They dig like it dry and hardly ever refuse food. Maybe a better choice then the previous 2 as your second t

 

[viper69]

No
N incei
GBB- hardy- if you kill one of these you’ll need to leave the hobby

During his lecture about the "morphology and evolution of urticating hairs in theraphosid spiders" in Stuttgart Saturday 04th October 2003, Dr. Rogerio Bertani told that Ephebopus do also launch them in the air

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

unless you are @IntermittentSygnal then you get to see them everyday...so lucky!

Not at first. I think I’ve seen her more now as she was in a transitional phase, completely reorganizing her home. She has her burrow dug out now, and while I often can see her at the entrance, she bolts down if I speak or move quickly too close to her enclosure. She’ll only have one more molt there before I’ll need to rehouse her to something bigger.

 

[Mustafa67]

Hello all,

I purchased a 2in G. pulchra sling In October of last year (he is doing very well), and lately, I've been thinking about getting a second T. I've been doing some research seeing what species are available, and I've come across a few that I really like. At the top of my list is the Ephebopus murinus. Everything about them seems really cool, the common name, the appearance, the burrowing/webbing they do, the fact that they have urticating hairs on their pedipalps rather than their abdomens. Despite liking them so much, I am a bit hesitant to take the plunge because I've read that they can be defensive and speedy, and they require damp substrate. On top of all that, if I got one, I'd likely be getting a 1in sling, and I know that sling care can come with it's own complications. Due to those reasons, I'm wondering if they'd make a better 3rd or 4th T rather than a 2nd. What do you guys think?

Also, if you agree that the Ephebopus murinus probably wouldn't make a great 2nd T, do you have any recommendations for a T that might be a good stepping stone/bridge to it?

No I suggest A Genic, Vitalius Chromatus, an LP or a Pampho

They’re all big, beautiful, great eaters, grow fast and MUCH more interesting than a G Pulchra. Defo a step up

GBB and N Incei meet your requirements

 

[fcat]

Re: Ephebopus This will be long because it is one of my favorites.

I have read that they are sensitive to mold which is believed to be harmless to other Ts. So you have to juggle moisture requirements with decent ventilation and springtails. A good trial run would be keeping a springtail culture alive on the same enclosure and substrate you'd use for your T.

Because they are so reclusive you will have a near impossible time determining their molt status (and in turn inadvertently feeding your tarantula to the feeders). I can't tell you how many times I've done a smell test on these guys (where you smell the enclosure to see if your T started decomposing without you knowing). It will be hard to determine their size and when it's time for a rehouse as well.

And then the intricacies. All mine inevitably attach their turret to the ceiling of their enclosures, so you will have a hard time doing husbandry without destroying their homes. How you design their enclosures, anticipating where they will set up shop, and still leaving yourself access to the water dish to clean it out...I've built hundreds of new enclosures now and I'm still doing it better than the last time. In fact I just realized last week that I need to anticipate how ill safely destroy the old habitat to get the T out for the next rehouse, as I am building it. The last Ephebopus I rehoused the only thing left in the old enclosure was the T inside of her turret, and by some stroke of luck she was being shy that day. Everything else was removed slowly with a paintbrush, and I already had the luxury of knowing exactly where she was. This is how most fossorial rehouses go though. If you aren't breaking a sweat after 30 mins of dusting dirt while waiting for your tarantula to come barreling out faster than you can blink you aren't being careful enough

Are they worth it? Oh heck yeah

FWIW my 2nd T and first sling I raised was a Pamphobeteus, and no one in their right mind would've recommended that to me. But it's what I wanted so I did a ton of research beforehand. Things that reassured me: being great eaters and visibility. But good Lord has that poor girl been through a lot of learning curves

Some people advocate for a "ladder system" where you work your way up to more advanced species. I'd throw a Psalmopoeus in there before Ephebopus. They build dirt curtains or web up the entire enclosure so you can't see much, they are reclusive, fast, someone you don't want to meet in a dark alley bite wise, but are excellent eaters and IME very tolerant of drought or moist conditions as long as you have the ventilation to support it. That said, most people keep most species dry, but how do you make something drink that won't use a water dish, webs over it so it can't reach it, or webs somewhat into it allowing it all to wick out into the substrate? My Ephebopus cyanognathus built her water dish into her turret one day (hint: good sign it's time for a rehouse when they have collected every last bit of debris for turret expansion, your clue that they are intermolt and need to eat is that they are expanding their turret...)

May I suggest a Tliltocatl. They aren't going to build a turret but they are going to dig, dig, dig and bury, bury, bury their water dish. I always keep the lower levels of the substrate moist and flood their water dishes (where they are believed to be anyway ). I've mastered the weight of properly moisturized substrate, the deceiving dark color it can take on and still be done dry, and if I over water my Ts will move to the surface level. They turn over the substrate with all the digging since it loosens it up, and will give you a good idea how often you need to water in your environment. They are also great eaters and grow pretty fast. I treat mine like they are fossorial. As much substrate as I can give them. I treat all my terrestrial Ts like that.

The next suggestion would be Aphonopelma seemanni. This one is true fossorial. Also appreciates lower level moist substrate (look where they are from, it's not the desert variety) and they need a lot of substrate just like any fossorial. This is good practice for developing reassurance that it's fine your T is barricaded and/or not eating and knowing it's fine. Allegedly they can be more defensive or skittish but I would guess that's due to years of people not keeping them correctly (NOT ENOUGH SUBSTRATE). Mine has been curious. She only uses her burrow to molt or when it's gotten too hot or dry. She tells me when it's time to do a deep watering. All that substrate can hold moisture for a very long time.

Let us know what you decide to do. I hope I didn't dissuade you from Ephebopus, just want you to have nothing but a good time.

 

[Glorfindel]

Chromatoplelma Cyaneopubescens