# Shrooms....????????????



## moose35 (Aug 26, 2007)

hey i was just feeding and watering my t's. i looked in my Lasiodorides striatus cage.
and found these really really yellow shrooms. does anyone know what they are? her cage is pretty much dry except for around her waterdish. they wern't there a couple of days ago.

 first 3 pics are the shrooms last 2 are of the cage inhabitant.


                  moose


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## tin man (Aug 26, 2007)

I have never seen those in any of my tarantula cages:?


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## Aurelia (Aug 26, 2007)

My G. rosea got those by her water dish too. I thoroughly cleaned the area around the water dish of all evidence of fungus and I haven't had a problem since.

You have to be careful about fungus in your spider's tank because the spores can clog up their book lungs.


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## skooma_addict (Aug 26, 2007)

Seriously dude, what's your T been up to? You should put a camera next to the cage at night and find out where she keeps getting mushroom spores from to plant them in the tank.


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## ironmonkey78 (Aug 26, 2007)

*yellow*

ive never seen mushrooms that yellow.  it looks like you sculpted some lil marshmallow peeps.


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## josh_cloud (Aug 26, 2007)

hi, i don't know the name of the shroom, but i often find these in my bonsai when i use an organic soil mixture and the soil stays too wet over time. i.e. rain, overcast for a week or more. the spores most likely came in the substrate you are using.


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## moose35 (Aug 26, 2007)

my sub is coco peat. i've never seen anything like them. and they have since been removed. hopefully someone can come through with some kind of an id.
i'm really curious about what it is.

@ skooma_addict....he's been gretting the spores for the dealer on the corner. 1 gram for $20.   lol


       moose


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## skooma_addict (Aug 26, 2007)

moose35 said:


> my sub is coco peat. i've never seen anything like them. and they have since been removed. hopefully someone can come through with some kind of an id.
> i'm really curious about what it is.
> 
> @ skooma_addict....he's been gretting the spores for the dealer on the corner. 1 gram for $20.   lol
> ...


That's way too much! All I'm sayin is...I know a guy


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## Pennywise (Aug 26, 2007)

Crix and Roaches smothered with mushrooms Yu-m-m-m!

Bright yellow could indicate venemous mushrooms. lol


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## skooma_addict (Aug 27, 2007)

By George I got it! It was the crickets all along! Sacrificing themselves by the dozens to bring in the deadly spore and win the war on T's.   Ever wondered why they poop so much? Fertilizer people! Fertilizer! :?  Those noisy, smelly geniuses.


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## moose35 (Aug 27, 2007)

i did a little research and found that those are _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_.
everything says that they are deadly if eaten.i bet they would make you trip for days if you ate 1.  but i would never try. 
hmm......... i wonder what licking would do? its not technically eating them is it?   brb


                                        moose


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## kellygirl (Aug 27, 2007)

moose35 said:


> i did a little research and found that those are _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_.
> everything says that they are deadly if eaten.i bet they would make you trip for days if you ate 1.  but i would never try.
> hmm......... i wonder what licking would do? its not technically eating them is it?   brb


Well, if he never logs back in, we'll know what happened!  

-Kelly


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## skooma_addict (Aug 27, 2007)

moose35 said:


> i did a little research and found that those are _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_.
> everything says that they are deadly if eaten.i bet they would make you trip for days if you ate 1.  but i would never try.
> hmm......... i wonder what licking would do? its not technically eating them is it?   brb
> 
> ...



I guess I have to be the voice of reason, which is a frightening thought but, here it goes.  Ehemm!



         :drool: DO IT!!! EAT THEM ALL!!! :drool:
 I'm sure nothing will happen.


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## moose35 (Sep 16, 2007)

WOW........don't ever lick the yellow shrooms.


                     moose


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## thedude (Sep 16, 2007)

dude i do it all the time and i never get affected... every one SHHHH... did you see that, i i think it  was a glowing ball of purple


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## jeepinwu2 (Sep 16, 2007)

*shrooms*

I see orange ones everynow and then.


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## WyvernsLair (Sep 16, 2007)

moose35 said:


> my sub is coco peat. i've never seen anything like them. and they have since been removed. hopefully someone can come through with some kind of an id.
> i'm really curious about what it is.
> 
> @ skooma_addict....he's been gretting the spores for the dealer on the corner. 1 gram for $20.   lol
> ...



coco fiber seems to be  notorious for harboring those yellow fungus spores. I gave up using it for my treefrogs... I would have to constantly keep the entire substrate pretty wet to avoid the fungus growing.. but once it started to dry out they would pop up.  I really don't like having to keep a constantly wet cage (because of potential mites blooming) so I stopped using it for that purpose.


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## AneesasMuse (Sep 17, 2007)

Strange... I get COIR from my local hydroponics store ...the organic HUGE brick of it and I've never seen any pretty little mushrooms or anything else growing out of it. I do get some weird little things in the organic peat moss, though.  :?


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## Scourge (Sep 17, 2007)

I've had the odd mushroom from coir. I just picked it out, and increased the ventilation. Never came back:clap: 

Mike


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## xchondrox (Sep 18, 2007)

I had the same kind pop up in my versicolors old terrarium last week. The substrate is a mixture of potting soil/vermiculite/peatmoss/cocofiber, and it was very humid for about a week before they sprouted. When they first came up they were very bright yellow, then they turned into this, now they are deflated. It is a planted terratuim and i hate to have to remove all the soil but it looks like i might have to do so, no animals are in the terraruim right now but i want to use the tank in the future. We'll sheet.


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## Stan Schultz (Sep 18, 2007)

moose35 said:


> i did a little research and found that those are _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_. ...


I beg to differ. Those are still quite immature. If, as they mature, they grow much taller, develop a wide, open cap and shed gray spores, they're a species of _Lepiota_. Harmless to the tarantula and probably to you as well.

Any kind of mushroom growing on peat, potting soil or coconut husks is a dead giveaway that you're keeping the substrate *WAY TOO WET!* You need to re-examine your husbandry practices and goals and adjust them accordingly.

For instance, keeping the substrate damp is not the best way, nor necessarily the only way to maintain a high humidity. Consider keeping the substrate bone dry, but use a larger water dish (or a second one) and cover the top of the cage with plastic food wrap. It's really cheap. It's very effective. It keeps the humidity at a constant level all the time. It actually works.

I will not launch into my anti-misting rant here unless requested by several of you.

BTW, those mushrooms are not hallucinogenic. Sorry.


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## skooma_addict (Sep 19, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> I beg to differ. Those are still quite immature. If, as they mature, they grow much taller, develop a wide, open cap and shed gray spores, they're a species of _Lepiota_. Harmless to the tarantula and probably to you as well.
> 
> Any kind of mushroom growing on peat, potting soil or coconut husks is a dead giveaway that you're keeping the substrate *WAY TOO WET!* You need to re-examine your husbandry practices and goals and adjust them accordingly.
> 
> ...



I don't know how everyone feels but I would love an anti-misting rant right about now.    I didn't know there were drawbacks to misting and would like to here what you have to say.


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## Stan Schultz (Sep 19, 2007)

skooma_addict said:


> I don't know how everyone feels but I would love an anti-misting rant right about now.    I didn't know there were drawbacks to misting and would like to here what you have to say.


Okay, you asked for it. (The others may or may not move on to the next thread, as they wish.)

Beginning of rant ...

If your tarantula's cage is open to the room air and you mist in an effort to raise the cage's humidity, virtually all the added moisture will have evaporated and wafted away into the room almost before you can put the mister away. All you've succeeded in doing is waste your time and annoy your tarantula. And, your tarantula is still living in a bone dry cage 90% of the time.

If you do have an enclosed cage (even as simple and basic as using plastic food wrap over the cover), the air in the cage is already pretty humid because water has been evaporating from the water dish and *NOT* wafting away into the room air. Thus, you haven't accomplished anything of importance because the air was already humid. All you've succeeded in doing is wast your time and annoy your tarantula.

With both scenarios, the down side is that you may *THINK* you've actually accomplished something important, but your tarantula knows better! (And, I hate it when the tarantula is smarter than me!)

End of rant.


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## kupo969 (Sep 19, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> Okay, you asked for it. (The others may or may not move on to the next thread, as they wish.)
> 
> Beginning of rant ...
> 
> ...


Haha . I seran wrap a couple of holes in my avic's gallon tub AND mist. Then I get mold because that's a serious amount of moisture! (yes, I have lots of ventilation)


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## penny'smom (Sep 19, 2007)

Well, I don't have coco fiber in my T's tank, but I do in my hermit crab tank, and I"ve never had a shroom issue there.  They like it between 70 & 80% humidity.

My guinea pig's tank is another story...and no coco fiber there at all.:?


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## moose35 (Sep 30, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> I beg to differ. Those are still quite immature. If, as they mature, they grow much taller, develop a wide, open cap and shed gray spores, they're a species of _Lepiota_. Harmless to the tarantula and probably to you as well..


so if you beg to differ what species are they?



Pikaia said:


> Any kind of mushroom growing on peat, potting soil or coconut husks is a dead giveaway that you're keeping the substrate *WAY TOO WET!* You need to re-examine your husbandry practices and goals and adjust them accordingly.


did you look at the picture? the substrate is bone dry. except for right around the water dish. which i flood maybe once a month. 7 years so far for that 1. plenty more to go.



Pikaia said:


> For instance, keeping the substrate damp is not the best way, nor necessarily the only way to maintain a high humidity. Consider keeping the substrate bone dry, but use a larger water dish (or a second one) and cover the top of the cage with plastic food wrap. It's really cheap. It's very effective. It keeps the humidity at a constant level all the time. It actually works.


are you saying i should seal her in? the press and seal kind should work perfect huh?



Pikaia said:


> I will not launch into my anti-misting rant here unless requested by several of you..


i don't mist. don't know where that came from.



Pikaia said:


> BTW, those mushrooms are not hallucinogenic. Sorry.


ha ha funny funny. get it. a joke.  but the things i read did say they were deadly if eaten.

            have a plesant day
                     moose


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## skooma_addict (Sep 30, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> Okay, you asked for it. (The others may or may not move on to the next thread, as they wish.)
> 
> Beginning of rant ...
> 
> ...


Bravo! I may try it your way and see what happens. Oh yeah by the way, I've yet to see an animal that's not smarter than me. They're all laughing, I know it. By the way Moose, are you really a moose or someone named Moose?


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## Stan Schultz (Oct 5, 2007)

penny'smom said:


> Well, I don't have coco fiber in my T's tank, but I do in my hermit crab tank, and I"ve never had a shroom issue there.  They like it between 70 & 80% humidity. ...


Would your hermit crabs be eating the mushrooms before they get a chance to "blossom?" Hermit crabs will eat just about anything, even tarantulas!


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## cacoseraph (Oct 5, 2007)

why are people assuming the shrooms are coming from the coco?

mushroom spores can waft in the wind. i believe that is their primary dispersal mechanism.  i just kind of assumed that some wafted in from outside or something else.

i kind of picture the process of making cocobricks as quite inimical to pretty much all life (lol, with maybe the exception of those wacky thermoacidophiles)


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## penny'smom (Oct 5, 2007)

Well, my G pig is growing her third set of shrooms, so there are either spores in the cage (a 10 g), or they are coming in with the feed.:? Maybe I just need to lightly bleach the tank with this next cleaning???

The Ts however, are all shroom free. :clap:


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## Stan Schultz (Oct 5, 2007)

moose35 said:


> so if you beg to differ what species are they? ...


I don't remember the species name, only the genus. As I remember the yellow variety is presumed to be a color phase of a common white _Lepiota_. The yellow phase has been known for the last hundred years or more to grow preferentially in potting soil and peat in greenhouses.

All of my mycology books are in storage back in Calgary, so I can't look it up, and a search of the web for 'lepiota yellow site:edu' didn't produce any believable hits in the first 25 or 30 entries.

It is interesting to note that some authorities believe that some of the _Lepiota_ are edible, but other authorities list them as poisonous. I'll stick with shaggy manes, thank you.

They are scenic, though!


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## cacoseraph (Oct 5, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> They are scenic, though!


i always thought the mushrooms added a little panache to my cages


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## Stan Schultz (Oct 5, 2007)

moose35 said:


> ... did you look at the picture? the substrate is bone dry. except for right around the water dish. which i flood maybe once a month ...


It is difficult to tell exactly how moist you're keeping the substrate from a photo because we can't dig down to see what's under the very top layer. Fungi must have damp conditions in which to live. (There are a few cases of fungi that will estivate through hot, dry spells - fungi can be very innovative and resilient, but nothing you're likely to see in a tarantula's cage.) And in order to produce a fruiting body even they have to be moist for some time.

Therefore I assume that somewhere, somehow, there's long term dampness in that cage. I admit it's possible that you have a rare case of a fungus that ordinarily lives in the Arizona desert just coincidentally growing in your tarantula's cage, but if you want me to believe that you'll have to have it identified by a mycologist.


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## Stan Schultz (Oct 5, 2007)

moose35 said:


> ... are you saying i should seal her in? the press and seal kind should work perfect huh? ...


That's a bit of overkill, although it might work. You're not trying to hermetically seal it in its cage. Nothing of danger is going to get in or out.

Simple plastic food wrap across the top of the cage will work just fine. If you begin to see condensation on the cage walls, particularly during the cool of the evening, open a small hole in the wrap to allow a little more ventilation.


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## Stan Schultz (Oct 5, 2007)

moose35 said:


> .. i don't mist. don't know where that came from...


And I didn't actually accuse you of the crime either. 

Neither did I include anything beyond a mention of it.

Having said that, misting is a common practice among hobbyists who merely follow what's propounded on "authoritative" caresheets without trying to understand the mechanisms involved. I'm glad to hear that you don't use the "cookie baking" philosophy when caring for your tarantulas. 

("Cookie baking" philosophy: Following directions blindly without knowing or understanding why we're doing it. When something goes wrong and we end up with hockey pucks instead of cookies, we blame the recipe instead of trying to fix the problem.)

BTW, Marguerite used to make chocolate covered tarantulas, a chocolate confection that used chow mien noodles to resemble tarantula legs. I, as you might have guessed, am a chocoholic.


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## Brian S (Oct 5, 2007)

Hi Stan,


Pikaia said:


> Consider keeping the substrate bone dry, but use a larger water dish (or a second one) and cover the top of the cage with plastic food wrap. It's really cheap. It's very effective. It keeps the humidity at a constant level all the time. It actually works.


After losing several tropical bark scorpions by keeping them your way I decided that I better go back to the moist substrate. Since then, I dont lose no more scorps (except for natural causes such as old age).

When I first tried my hand at breeding tarantulas I tried your method and I failed miserably especially with obligate burrowers such as Haplos, Hystocrates etc etc.. Only after doing it this way was I successful
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1052


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## Stan Schultz (Mar 1, 2008)

One and All -

In these circles it is considered rude to reply to your own posts, but I have to set the record straight. 



moose35 said:


> i did a little research and found that those are _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_. ...





Pikaia said:


> I beg to differ. Those are still quite immature. If, as they mature, they grow much taller, develop a wide, open cap and shed gray spores, they're a species of _Lepiota_. Harmless to the tarantula and probably to you as well. ...


In the course of doing research for the Guide³ I stumbled upon "Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month" page at http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/feb2002.html. It turns out that my _Lepiota_ is really Moose35's _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_. They changed the name when I wasn't looking. Sorry for being such a smart@$$, Moose. 



moose35 said:


> ... everything says that they are deadly if eaten. ...


And, to make matters even worse, in a posting on the ATS Boards, Tabbie Norton reported (http://atshq.org/forum/showpost.php?p=83795&postcount=38) that she had lost two _T. blondi_ when mushrooms (presumably _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_) fell into water dishes and the tarantulas subsequently apparently drank from them. Thus, it appears that _Leucocoprinus birnbaumii_ does indeed possess some toxin that, if ingested, will kill a tarantula. 

So, what do we do about that? If the tarantulas you're keeping do not require a damp cage, maybe drying the cage out would be a good idea.

If your tarantula requires a damp cage (e.g., _T. blondi_ ), it might be a good idea to either switch to some other substrate or start keeping a small colony of isopods with the tarantula as a precaution.

Double whammy of  . Again, sorry for being such a know-it-all smart@$$.

Truth can be such a humbling thing.


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## hairmetalspider (Mar 1, 2008)

Those would be awesome to remove and start a mushroom colony in a different cage.


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## Mushroom Spore (Mar 1, 2008)

I swear I had nothing to do with any of this, officer.


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## moose35 (Mar 1, 2008)

Pikaia said:


> One and All -
> 
> In these circles it is considered rude to reply to your own posts, but I have to set the record straight.
> 
> ...




its all good in the hood.   get the new book out. ;P 



              moose


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## Kris-wIth-a-K (Mar 1, 2008)

*hmmmm*

Id take them ut just to be safe rather than waking up to have a dead T.


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## Niloticus (Mar 1, 2008)

Wow! That's out of this world. Maybe you own some kind of extra terrestrial spider that's invading from another planet. Keep an eye on that guy. Lol.

Niloticus


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## drasar (Apr 4, 2008)

*Safe way to dry a tank?*

I fear my tank has too much moisture in it..is there a safe method to dry a tank that won't kill my G. Rosa?


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## Mushroom Spore (Apr 4, 2008)

drasar said:


> I fear my tank has too much moisture in it..is there a safe method to dry a tank that won't kill my G. Rosa?


Yes. Don't do anything and let it dry out on its own. You're not misting the tank or anything are you? If so, stop doing that.


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## drasar (Apr 4, 2008)

It's my first Tarantula and Tank and I didn't get enough of the water out when I rehydrated the Cocofiber brick I used for substrate..Experience, what a good teacher:?


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## jen650s (Apr 4, 2008)

drasar said:


> I fear my tank has too much moisture in it..is there a safe method to dry a tank that won't kill my G. Rosa?


Try putting some dry pieces of terra cotta pot half buried in the substrate.  The terra cotta will absorb the moisture relatively quickly with out harming the T and can be dried and re-used. The terra cotta will get darker as it absorbs the moisture and can just be removed when it gets fully dark.


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## drasar (Apr 5, 2008)

That was an interesting bit of advice..I'm gonna try that..Thanks


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## Nich (Apr 5, 2008)

It is obvious that when the water dish is filled it is allowed to overflow. The stangnant areas were perfect for the spores to colonize. Its from poor thought and bad luck. If those fungi could get a grip imagine if a bad one was introduced......


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## hairmetalspider (Apr 5, 2008)

Smokeeee on the Watttterrrrrrrr!!!

Dun dun dun. Dun dun...dun dun!


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