# My Hogna Carolinensis - pics and info!



## spider pest (Sep 29, 2009)

I ordered this adult female Hogna Carolinensis from Spider Pharm. She arrived on 9/3/09 and was gravid, which I was not prepared for. Ended up taking the sac away, removing the eggs, then putting it back. She picked it back up but soon discarded it. Anyway, it's been a few weeks since then, and spidey and I are both settling in. I'm learning to give her her space and not to overfeed, hence my username, and she's settling into her (temporary) digs. I'm giving her crickets fed with cucumbers, banana, crushed up cat food and fish flakes.

Here are some pics. Need a better camera with macro setting:





Looking chubby!



















That enclosure is 13" long at the base, a little longer at the top, 7" wide, about 5" deep. She wants out! I'm sure she could do it if I left the lid off. 

I have a 13"x7"x7" tarantulacages.com enclosure on the way...can't wait! 

Some questions...

I know that she's a desert variety of hogna...I should be fine keeping her in sand right? Humidity should be pretty constant with central heat and ac. Her new cage will be well vented.

I guess every spider is different, but what kind of feeding schedule works for these gals? She't fat right now and took a medium cricket last night anyway. Other times she shows no interest. I don't have her figured out like that yet. Might try and wait a good week until the next feeding unless I see her stalking the cage like mad.

I was jokingly calling her "Patty Longlegs" when she arrived.


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## loxoscelesfear (Sep 29, 2009)

That's a gorgeous spider.  It appears as though you are taking good care of her.  A cricket or 2 a week would seem sufficient.  As for sand, I would use cocoa fiber as substrate.  Since they are burrowers you may want to use several inches of cocoa fiber depth -wise.  Tons of spider folks on here and perhaps better tips on _carolinensis_ care will come your way.  That's my 2 cents


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## spider pest (Sep 29, 2009)

I would love to see her burrow, but I'm concerned about humidity since she's from the desert.


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## loxoscelesfear (Sep 29, 2009)

They burrow to get out of the desert heat and away from predators and other hazards.  If she burrows, that's a good thing, you want her to be comfortable.  I would not worry about humidity levels.  Just make sure you use bone-dry cocoa fiber.  I know it stinks to have a spider burrow out of sight and you're left w/ a barren enclosure.  I have a few tarantulas that burrow and I rarely see them; but, so long as they're happy , I'm happy.


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## spider pest (Sep 29, 2009)

Well I meant I thought the substrate would cause humidity. Maybe I'll check out coco fiber when the new enclosure comes. Although, I was considering adding a sculpted foam background with a hide/tunnel incorporated, so we'll see.


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## bluefrogtat2 (Sep 29, 2009)

she will more than likely make a second sac too.
andy


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## spider pest (Sep 29, 2009)

I was wondering about that. She's still awful fat. How long is it usually between sacs considering i destroyed the last one? I feel terrible taking them away and would love to see the slings on momma's back, but I'm not set up to deal with the slings at all. Don't want to wild release them for various reasons plus I don't think they would survive the winter as they're from Arizona. What are my options? Keeping them separate and letting them thin each other out and then feeding the survivors to mom?


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## Widowman10 (Sep 29, 2009)

spider pest said:


> I was wondering about that. She's still awful fat. How long is it usually between sacs considering i destroyed the last one? I feel terrible taking them away and would love to see the slings on momma's back, but I'm not set up to deal with the slings at all. Don't want to wild release them for various reasons plus I don't think they would survive the winter as they're from Arizona. What are my options? Keeping them separate and letting them thin each other out and then feeding the survivors to mom?


you know they range much farther than just arizona, right? if they can survive the winter in _colorado_, i'm sure they'll be fine where you live 

and with the slings, i would keep a few females (and maybe a male), and feed siblings to them.


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## spider pest (Sep 29, 2009)

Chuck from Spider Pharm said: "Sand is great if you don't want her to burrow. Her container should have good aeration and it helps to have fresh water available. Just make sure that the humidity does not get too high and that the container does not become wet or soggy. This is a desert variety of Hogna carolinensis, which cannot tolerate moist conditions for long periods of time.

I know they occur in different areas...I'm just concerned with this one's needs.

If she lays another sac, I'm going to let it go. Really wanna see those babies.

Use a sandy silt soil with some cohesion if you want her to burrow. The soil
should be easy to dig and should hold together so the burrow does not
collapse. The soil can be lightly moistened with water ... just enough to
change color."


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## spider pest (Oct 1, 2009)

Ok so while I wait for my cage to arrive, I have to decide on substrate. I could stay with sand and give her a really good hide/tunnel, go with some kind of sand/peat moss mix, or do with dry coconut fiber. 

if i go with the fiber, since i wont be soaking it, should i just break it up, or should i soak it, let it dry, then break it?

if i go with sand/peat, what do you think is a good ratio? 1 to 1? Or more sand?

I'd like to see her burrow so I'm trying to get away from the sand. However, If i misted the sand and created a top layer, could she burrow?

Thanks guys!
Chris


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## spider pest (Oct 18, 2009)

*New pictures!*

Was able to get some decent macro shots, also her new tarantulacages.com enclosure. Enjoy!


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## loxoscelesfear (Oct 18, 2009)

Much better pics.  Thanks for posting.  She is an awesome spider.  Better order her a boyfriend


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## spider pest (Oct 27, 2009)

*Unhappy wolf?*

Hey all, wanted to keep this thread going instead of starting a million more.

So I moved her to the new enclosure, gave her about 4 inches of dry coco fiber, plenty of fake flowers to climb on (which she seems to like), but she doesn't seem right. 

I should note she had a mild injury when being transferred. She got away from me and was about to run behind a dresser and I panicked and kinda scooped her back towards me with a glass, and it gave her a very very small abrasion on the top of her cephalothorax. It produced a small drop of fluid, which i dabbed with a q-tip, and it seemed to heal up. These are hardy spiders and I'm sure they encounter much worse in the wild. Just thought I should mention it. In the 4th picture of her right above this, you can see the abrasion on the right side.

As far as I can tell, she hasn't eaten in about a week, week and a half or so. She also hasn't burrowed. I tried a starter hole and even coaxed her into it, but nothing. I used the chunky coco...should I have used the stuff that's more like soil? Her abdomen looks pretty swollen. She laid an egg sack on September 12th which I took away because I was unprepared. If another one comes I'm letting it go. What is normal time between sacks?

She is an adult female, but I have no idea how old. Could she be nearing the end?

I know she's not "sad" or thinking, but she just seems to want OUT, which is understandable. However, keeping isn't very fun or nice if the spider doesn't seem comfortable. Any ideas/suggestions? :? 

Thanks guys!


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## loxoscelesfear (Oct 27, 2009)

that looks like a healthy spider.  she may not be hungry or getting ready to molt.  as for the fiber, i would have used the finely ground stuff.  so long as she has a hide, it should be ok.  the set up looks cool.  i have 15 Hogna burrowers on dry finely-ground cocoa fiber and not one of them has burrowed.  they will burrow if they feel the need.


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## spider pest (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks for the reassurance. What are some molting signs to look for? She'll get darker in some areas, correct?


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## loxoscelesfear (Oct 27, 2009)

Loss of appetite is a sign of pre-molt.   I don't know if she is wild-caught or not, but  if you're lucky, maybe she will drop an egg sac.


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## spider pest (Oct 28, 2009)

*Trying something new...*

She hasn't burrowed, hasn't had a really adequate hide, so I decided to make her a little hidey hole with a hole for me to see though. might install some kind of paper flap for daytime privacy/darkness. She seems to like it so far, maybe she'll be more comfortable.







In the tunnel...






We'll see! A molt would be amazing. She's huge now!


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## loxoscelesfear (Oct 28, 2009)

Your spider is spoiled.  I like it.  I finally broke down and ordered a _carolinensis_ today, NOT from spiderpharm though.


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## spider pest (Oct 28, 2009)

Tell you what, since she's not burrowing, I might take out about half of the coco. When she gets up on the flowers, it's way too easy for her to escape.

Think its better to do it NOW before she's too used to the new setup? After it's done it wont be disturbed in the near future. Wanna limit the stress.


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## snappleWhiteTea (Nov 2, 2009)

spider pest said:


> Tell you what, since she's not burrowing, I might take out about half of the coco. When she gets up on the flowers, it's way too easy for her to escape.
> 
> Think its better to do it NOW before she's too used to the new setup? After it's done it wont be disturbed in the near future. Wanna limit the stress.


thats coco? where is that from?


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## spider pest (Nov 2, 2009)

Exo Terra Coca Husk from Pet Smart


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## spider pest (Dec 28, 2009)

*Rip*

Well, she kicked the bucket today. For the past 4-5 days she was very sluggish, and looked dead pretty often. Old age maybe? Poor girl.


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## loxoscelesfear (Dec 28, 2009)

Bummer.  Getting another?


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## spider pest (Dec 28, 2009)

I'd like to, but am wary of dealing with the place this one came from again. Other sources?


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## loxoscelesfear (Dec 28, 2009)

ken the bug guy


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