# Rezonant's guide to funnelwebs: care, venom and other info



## RezonantVoid (Apr 20, 2019)

The Australian funnelweb spiders are arguably some of the most iconic spiders around the globe, famed for owning what's believed to be some of the most toxic venom to humans of any known spider group. I am making this thread to answer any questions people may have about them, and hopefully dispell a few misconceptions about them. I also believe it's important to have a care guide for any Australian individuals interested in keeping and studying such spiders, as these are what I would class as advanced keeper only species. I will split this thread into several sections;
1- General Information
2- Venom potency/medical significance/bite records
3- What to do if you encounter one in your home
4- Care Information

Disclaimer: the following information is gathered from various internet sources and personal experience with keeping them. I am not a professional arachnologist, just a successful hobbyist.


1. *GENERAL INFORMATION
*
Funnelweb spiders belong to 3 genus: Hadronyche, Atrax and Illawarra, with 35 species in total. All of these are classed under the family Atracidae. All species are endemic to the east coast of Australia with 2 being located in Tasmania (H.Pulvinator and H.Venenata). The most famous of all these is undoubtedly Atrax Robustus, the Sydney funnelweb, which is located exclusively in a 160km radius around Sydney.
The size of Atracidae species varies from roughly 10-20mm body length to larger species with almost 40mm body lengths. The largest on record was a male Sydney Funnelweb handed into the Australian reptile park with a 100mm DLS. All species have a glossy hairless black/dark brown carapace with a black/dark purple-grey abdomen sparsely covered in hairs. The legs are always shiny black with short spiky hairs. The fangs are very large and noticeable with a patch of bright red hairs underneath them around the mouth which is visible when the spider performs a threat posture





Atrax sp.

The majority of Atracidae prefer to burrow in moist, sheltered rainforest areas. However, encroaching residential development means that several species often end up in suburban gardens. They will very rarely appear in open lawns or yards, most often choosing to setup camp in garden beds or next to a pond if one is in a backyard.
Funnelwebs are very often confused with trapdoor spiders because many Australian trapdoors don't actually build lids. The way to differentiate the 2 quickly is very easy:

Trapdoor- round, open hole with or without a thick white lining of silk. Little to no exterior silk or triplines. Can appear in lawns in large compact colonies.

Funnelweb- an often concealed burrow with 1 to 3 funnel shaped entrances leading to a central shaft usually under a rock or log or in a retaining wall. The burrow is surrounded in very noticeable, jagged, linear triplines radiating outward from each entrance which may have a false flap lid covered in a thin layer of soil. The burrows are nearly always dug horizontally into the side of a creekbed, embankment or exposed stretch of vertical soil, and sometimes surrounded by many other burrows.
Heres an example of some triplines and a false lid.





Hadronyche Cerberea, burrow is under the log.






Unidentified Atrax sp. or H.Lamingtonensis with a false lid slightly ajar. It is actually the ceiling of the burrow pulled downwards.

There are 2 species that prefer to live in rough barked trees, H.Cerberea and H.Formidabilis. The burrow entrance is the same as ground dwelling species, except on the side of a tree.





H.Cerberea newly rehoused.

When prey walks over these triplines, the spider rushes out and grabs it before returning to the burrow.





H.Macquariensis

The most commonly encountered species are probably A.Robustus, A.Sutherlandi, H.Valida, H.Infensa, and H.Versuta.
A.Robustus males normally mature during late spring to summer (November to February). They will wander around looking for females, particularly after rain and often fall into swimming pools during the night, where they can survive submerged for several hours. If you find a large black spider at the bottom of your pool, NEVER remove it by hand while swimming. The males of A.Robustus are thought to be 6x more potent than the females through lab testing, and will sometimes take shelter inside shoes during the day.





Female A.Robustus.

Males of most species have mating spurs on the front legs, which is a key identifyer with A.Robustus males. Here's an example of H.Infensa which is one of the few that dont. The male emboli with the red bulbs are clearly visible.







2. *VENOM POTENCY/MEDICAL SIGNIFICANCE/BITE RECORDS

*
Each species has varying toxins in their venom, but collectively they are known as Atracotoxins  (*δ-ACTX-Ar1, belonging to A.Robustus). *This neurotoxin is an ion channel inhibitor that causes rapid, potentially fatal reactions in primates and humans. If a severe envenomation occurs, autonomic symptoms can occur in 10 minutes, including:
Hypertension followed by prolonged hypotension and circulatory failure. Dyspnea (shortness of breath, caused by inflammation of the airways and furthered by pulmonary oedema) and respiratory failure shortly follow, with muscle spasms, salivation, agitated/teary eyes, profuse sweating, and intense nausea and vomiting. If left untreated, a bite will likely result in death in less than 30 minutes. By comparison, Phonuetria sp. venom on average takes 30 minutes to produce symptoms. There are some very in depth and well sourced Wikipedia articles about how Delta-Atracotoxin works and it's molecular structure, if you are interested I reccomend simply searching it and reading up.
Antivenom has been available since 1980 and since then, no recorded deaths have occurred after envenomation by Atracine species. One dosage of antivenom requires 70 milking sessions of a male A.Robustus specimen, and for a serious envenomation between 4 and 12 doses are often required. Immobilisation and pressure bandages can also significantly delay symptoms until medical help arrives.

The venom of several different Atracidae species is being researched to find cures for Melanoma skin cancer and after-stroke brain damage. I will link an article discussing each.

Melanoma:
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.abc.net.au/article/10344588
Brain damage:
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.abc.net.au/article/10959032

The lethal dose of venom from A.Robustus males for humans is not truely known, but the average venom yield per milking is 176mg, and the lethal dose for adult _Macaca fascicularis  _is 0.2mg/kg. The venom has the same effect as on humans so it's safe to assume that the ratio is probably similar, if not even lower. 14 deaths have occurred as a result of Atracidae bites between 1927 and 1981, and records show that 42% of severe envenomation occurred with children, and at least one case is recorded of a child dying in only 15 minutes after being bitten. In all death records where the sex of the spider was expertly confirmed, it was a male.

Out of all 35 species, only 6 have caused severe envenomations. Together with their envenomation rates, they are
- Hadronyche Cerberea (75%)
- Hadronyche Formidabilis (63%)
- Atrax Robustus (17%)
- Hadronyche Macquariensis (17%)
- Hadronyche Infensa (14%)
- Hadronyche Versuta (11%)

Lab testing has shown the venom of H.Infensa from both sexes is marginally more potent than a male A.Robustus and becomes more toxic in summer after they fast over winter, and H.Formidabilis is even more potent again than H.Infensa. This places the Northern Tree Funnelweb as the current deadliest spider in the world.
Surprisingly, Atracotoxins have little effect on most other animals aside from mice and guinea pigs.

3. *WHAT TO DO IF YOU ENCOUNTER A FUNNELWEB IN YOUR HOME
*
Despite the menacing facts above, funnelwebs are actually not out there to kill you. Some rumours I have heard are that they will deliberately launch out of trees and bite your neck (most likely stemming from a single instance of a H.Cerberea or Formidabilis being blown out of a tree during strong wind), they can jump almost 4" high (no idea where that sprung from because they physically cannot jump) and that the babies are 10x deadlier than the adults (honestly I think that's just Australian humour that got taken way too seriously).
You need not fear because none of those are true. If you see a large black spider in your home, do your best to get as detailed photos as you can so it can be correctly identified either online or by hospital staff if you have been bitten (always try and bring the spider, dead or preferably alive to the hospital you are being treated at for correct identification). Once you have done so, get a sheet of smooth printer paper and a plastic container several millimetres thick, place it over the spider and slide the paper under the container. If it is rearing up in a threat posture, this is actually preferable because It is unlikely to start running away and will generally sit still. Once on the paper, flip the container the right way up and the spider will plop off and you just need to put the lid on. Funnelwebs and nearly all spiders with a similar appearance CANNOT climb glass or plastic, so you do not need to fear it quickly climbing out and running up your arm. Once captured, you can decide to either send it to the Australian Museum or release it. But please, even if you are morbidly fearful of spiders, do not simply murder it with a fly swap or RAID. As mentioned, such spiders are helping researchers potentially fix currently incurable conditions, so show a little mercy and simply release it in the nearest bushland if you don't know what to do with it. Or if it's a male Sydney Funnelweb, the Australian Reptile Park can use it for important venom milking.


4. *CARE INFORMATION
*
If you are reading this section you are likely one of those genuinely interested in caring for and studying these amazing spiders personally. If that is the case, you need to be aware of one single rule that you're going to have to drive into your head very hard-
Complacency is death.
These spiders are not like a tarantula or a trapdoor where slip ups are simply a learning experience. If you get tagged by a funnelweb during a rehouse, chances are you might not be alive to learn from that mistake. Never assume that you know exactly how they behave because you have observed YouTube videos and have kept a few for a little while. They are fast, strong jawed and often have venom dripping from their fangs while wandering. They are not out on a murder mission, nor do they wish harm on humans, but you need to respect the fact that you will literally be keeping a biological weapon, and treat them accordingly.

Care for most Atracidae is fairly easy. I keep 3 A.Robustus, 2 H.Macquariensis, H.Valida, H.Cerberea and 2 of another unidentified species thought to be a new Atrax member, and all 9 have been reasonably problem free to keep with enough caution.

For housing I strongly reccomend using SISTEMA brand containers. The plastic is clear, durable, easy to drill ventilation holes in without the plastic melting over the drill bits, and most importantly, is several millimetres thick so the spiders can't bite through it and each container has an airtight clip on lid which is quite strong. This is how I set mine up.






For ventilation I drill the following in the lids with a 2.5 mm drill bit:
- 3 holes in each corner.
- 3 holes along each side between the corners.
- 5 in the centre in the pattern you see on dice.
- swap to a 5mm bit and widen 2 corner holes so you can drop crickets in without taking the lid off.

For substrate I use Lithuanian cocopeat which you can buy online, it's already prepped and ready to go straight into the containers. You can also use Bunnings peat bricks but they are incredibly frustrating to break apart, require half an hour to soak up water and a good 10 minutes of squeezing out the water as hard as you can, and often the spiders don't like the feeling of it. If you are an experienced spider hobbyist, whatever substrate you have found successful so far will likely work just fine. I would pack the substrate down reasonably firm to around 10-12cm. I like to slightly angle the substrate to somewhat mimic natural conditions and make a starter burrow with my finger reaching almost to the base of the container. It's good to sprinkle a tiny amount of loose substrate into the starter hole as it appears to encourage them to start digging. After you have shaped the substrate how you would like it, it's time to decorate. I always think it wise to add a bundle of spagnum moss that should be kept damp in case they need some moisture. In general they get their hydration from the damp soil they live in but if it becomes too dry they may come and seek out the moss. After that you can add some pieces of washed and sun dried bark/wood or flat rocks. For finishing touches I like to use small pieces of birch tree bark and uncrunched birch leaves on the surface, the bark is mold resistant and the leaves produce tiny green mold tufts that don't spread which springtails absolutely love to eat, so if you want any food ideas for your springs then there you go.





H.Infensa immature male, happy in his new container.






H.Cerberea newly housed with just some random garden plant I found.

For arboreal ones like Cerberea and Formidabilis I reccomend just leaning a chunk of wood almost up to the top of the container and giving them about 5cm of substrate. Put a starter burrow in one corner underneath the wood and they should make a web column from the burrow up to the wood. If you want to, you can add a few 3mm ventilation holes to the sides of the container before adding substrate so they get some cross ventilation that mimics a treetop breeze, but not too many otherwise the substrate will dry out quickly.
A good rule of thumb is if you see a light film of condensation on the sides of the substrate in the container each morning, the moisture is good. If it looks dry just give it a heavy misting with a spray bottle, and use a skewer to poke into the corners of the substrate to let the water soak down evenly.
Being opportunistic feeders, they will take food almost as regularly as you offer it to them. Crickets are best and pretty cheap, for a small 2cm specimen I'd give 1 small cricket every 4-5 days, and larger specimens you can give a medium/large cricket every 5 days with any small escaped ones you find in between. Mist the container lightly at least once a week, and don't bother with a water dish as they will simply ignore it or fill it with dirt.

For starter species, I would probably reccomend a confirmed female Atrax Robustus or Hadronyche Valida as both of them are known to be less toxic than the majority of the others. Valida is a burrowing species native to south-east Queensland rainforests and is one of the largest funnelwebs with an adult body length of 37-40mm and around 60mm DLS. This is a species that prefers rocky forest floors and will often reside in small retaining walls along bushwalks.





H.Valida rehoused.

As for breeding, Ive never successfully done it as males die in only a few weeks after maturing so it's pretty difficult to get one in time, but should you end up with a pair I'd say it's as simple as adding the male in with an established female and let them do their thing. Spiderlings should probably be housed individually in seperate tiny containers or released where the mother was collected from if it's a wild caught specimen.



Thank you all for reading this, it took 5 hours to write on my phone so I really appreciate any feedback or questions that anyone might have. I hope this guide will help any would-be funnelweb keepers to take the plunge or answer any questions.

Reactions: Like 8 | Thanks 1 | Agree 1 | Informative 10 | Helpful 2 | Love 2 | Award 10


----------



## Rhino1 (Apr 20, 2019)

Awesome man, you've just written the most detailed care guide for funnel webs that's available online.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## Ungoliant (Apr 20, 2019)

If there is interest, I may make a non-tarantula spider reference thread similar to the one I made for tarantulas and link threads like this under care information.

Reactions: Like 5


----------



## mantisfan101 (Apr 20, 2019)

Awesome, awesome work Rezonantvoid! Any chanc for this to become stickied/pinned?

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Ungoliant (Apr 20, 2019)

mantisfan101 said:


> Awesome, awesome work Rezonantvoid! Any chanc for this to become stickied/pinned?


Rather than pinning lots of different care threads, which can quickly overwhelm the board, I will likely make a sticky with links to care threads.



Ungoliant said:


> If there is interest, I may make a non-tarantula spider reference thread similar to the one I made for tarantulas and link threads like this under care information.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## CJJon (Apr 20, 2019)

"it took 5 hours to write *on my phone*"

I thought you might be a little nuts with your keeping of these super hot spiders in your bedroom, but this confirms it!

Joking aside, thanks for putting this together. It is excellent and a great addition to the AB knowledge base. Bravo!

Reactions: Funny 1


----------



## mantisfan101 (Apr 20, 2019)

Ungoliant said:


> Rather than pinning lots of different care threads, which can quickly overwhelm the board, I will likely make a sticky with links to care threads.


Ah, didn’t see that! Thanks and yes that’d be an awesome idea!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## EtienneN (Apr 20, 2019)

I just love looking at your spiders! They are so unique and fascinating!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (Apr 20, 2019)

@Ungoliant yea that's fine. I do think there are a few redundant sticky threads pinned in true spiders, eg Latrodectus pics and True spider pics, and then 2 solifuge articles, so I'm down for a cleanup.
Thx so much for the replies they mean alot. Given the potency of these guys I think it's good to now have a detailed care guide for them online as I couldn't find any before


----------



## Chris LXXIX (Apr 20, 2019)

You are a lucky man, for that you have an amazing 0.1 specimen of _Selenotypus_ sp. Champagne Robustus: she is basically the *Goddess** of Australia.

I genuinely envy you and this is a thing I've never said here 

*0.1 _Pelinobius muticus_ PBUH (Peace Be Upon Her).

Reactions: Funny 2


----------



## Ungoliant (Apr 22, 2019)

RezonantVoid said:


> @Ungoliant yea that's fine. I do think there are a few redundant sticky threads pinned in true spiders, eg Latrodectus pics and True spider pics, and then 2 solifuge articles, so I'm down for a cleanup.


I'm thinking of removing the individual picture stickies and making one sticky of image threads for true spiders and other arachnids.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Ungoliant (Apr 22, 2019)

Ungoliant said:


> I'm thinking of removing the individual picture stickies and making one sticky of image threads for true spiders and other arachnids.


Done: Photos of True Spiders and Other Arachnids

Reactions: Winner 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (Apr 22, 2019)

Chris LXXIX said:


> You are a lucky man, for that you have an amazing 0.1 specimen of _Selenotypus_ sp. Champagne Robustus: she is basically the *Goddess** of Australia.
> 
> I genuinely envy you and this is a thing I've never said here
> 
> *0.1 _Pelinobius muticus_ PBUH (Peace Be Upon Her).


Do you mean my girl Flinger? 






Also, thx @Ungoliant . I'm sure I'm not the only one who will appreciate the tidy up

Reactions: Like 1 | Love 2


----------



## Vanisher (Apr 22, 2019)

Nice, very intresting to read this. I really like the looks of those spiders, and the mouse siders of cause!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RTTB (Apr 22, 2019)

Well done and very informative.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (Apr 22, 2019)

Vanisher said:


> Nice, very intresting to read this. I really like the looks of those spiders, and the mouse siders of cause!


Yea haha I'll put a few up for people to see some they look similar





Female M.Bradleyi






Male M.Bradleyi

It's interesting to note that A Robustus antivenom is used to treat the bites of these guys even though they are seperate genus and behave so differently

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Vanisher (Apr 23, 2019)

Yes that is strange! Similair venom apperantly!

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Mydknight (Apr 24, 2019)

RezonantVoid said:


> honestly I think that's just Australian humour that got taken way too seriously


Yeah, we Aussies really love to push the whole "Everything in Australia wants to kill you." Shtick. Keeps the tourists on their toes.
Just gotta watch out for them drop-bears.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (Apr 24, 2019)

Mydknight said:


> Yeah, we Aussies really love to push the whole "Everything in Australia wants to kill you." Shtick. Keeps the tourists on their toes.
> Just gotta watch out for them drop-bears.


Nah the most dangerous animals here are definitely the women

Also welcome to the site mate

Reactions: Funny 4


----------



## The Snark (Apr 24, 2019)

RezonantVoid said:


> Nah the most dangerous animals here are definitely the women


Well, if the guys would quit exploiting them. Topless car washes? Full front page news articles of violent sexual assaults? Dang!

But back on the subject, the study as in this post would really benefit from cross referencing with photos and some scientific nomenclature. Turn this from an interesting info bit into a go to reference source.


----------



## RezonantVoid (Apr 25, 2019)

The Snark said:


> Well, if the guys would quit exploiting them. Topless car washes? Full front page news articles of violent sexual assaults? Dang!
> 
> But back on the subject, the study as in this post would really benefit from cross referencing with photos and some scientific nomenclature. Turn this from an interesting info bit into a go to reference source.


As for the first part, can't say I really hear too much about either of those 2 happening here, maybe the latter occasionally on the news (not good at all).
As for referencing, I'm not sure what I can and can't link on Arachnoboards but I'm happy to provide a few links to the sources. Apart from the baseless rumours about Atracidae, since that's just what I've regularly heard from people in the past

Reactions: Helpful 1


----------



## The Snark (Apr 25, 2019)

RezonantVoid said:


> As for referencing, I'm not sure what I can and can't link on Arachnoboards but I'm happy to provide a few links to the sources.


From what you have posted on this thread you have the makings of a published authoritative report that could be fleshed out into a mini journal.

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


----------



## Oompoofishy (May 25, 2019)

Extremely late to this party but I was snooping around and this is the most amazing, most detailed report I've read. All the info I needed is here. You're awesome! Do you have one of these for Aussie Ts?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (May 25, 2019)

Oompoofishy said:


> Extremely late to this party but I was snooping around and this is the most amazing, most detailed report I've read. All the info I needed is here. You're awesome! Do you have one of these for Aussie Ts?


Thank you so much! Not yet, think I made a small thread on how to quickly ID the genus of Aussie T's but not sure if there's been any updated care threads. That said, @Rhino1 has alot more T's than me so he is probably better suited to making one

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Oompoofishy (May 25, 2019)

RezonantVoid said:


> Thank you so much! Not yet, think I made a small thread on how to quickly ID the genus of Aussie T's but not sure if there's been any updated care threads. That said, @Rhino1 has alot more T's than me so he is probably better suited to making one


Yes, I've seen that one too! Thanks so much, it really helps to educate newbies like me! How does the mouse spiders differ from the funnel webs? I saw the pictures of the mouse spiders you posted on this thread and the look really similar. I love their giant chelicerae


----------



## RezonantVoid (May 25, 2019)

Oompoofishy said:


> Yes, I've seen that one too! Thanks so much, it really helps to educate newbies like me! How does the mouse spiders differ from the funnel webs? I saw the pictures of the mouse spiders you posted on this thread and the look really similar. I love their giant chelicerae


So the mousies are in a whole seperate family called Actinopodae and basically just alot of physical differences, they actually behave very similarly apart from that they have a completely concealed burrow and ballooning slings. They are extremely clumsy and as expected, VERY strong. The males also seem to live much longer than male funnelwebs and they will wander for females during the day


----------



## Oompoofishy (May 25, 2019)

RezonantVoid said:


> So the mousies are in a whole seperate family called Actinopodae and basically just alot of physical differences, they actually behave very similarly apart from that they have a completely concealed burrow and ballooning slings. They are extremely clumsy and as expected, VERY strong. The males also seem to live much longer than male funnelwebs and they will wander for females during the day


Interesting! I shall take some time to think about which one I want...(or both?) Do you know anyone who might have them?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (May 25, 2019)

Oompoofishy said:


> Interesting! I shall take some time to think about which one I want...(or both?) Do you know anyone who might have them?


Tbh I'm the only keeper I know right now who keeps them. I've got 2 gravid females though currently and hoping to be the first person to successfully captive breed them, so if all goes well I should have a heap of M.Bradleyi slings available soon

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Oompoofishy (May 25, 2019)

RezonantVoid said:


> Tbh I'm the only keeper I know right now who keeps them. I've got 2 gravid females though currently and hoping to be the first person to successfully captive breed them, so if all goes well I should have a heap of M.Bradleyi slings available soon


That’s cool as! Please let me know when you do!!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Rhino1 (May 25, 2019)

X2 this has been a great thread, I've been able to email links to this for the keepers, scientists and field researchers that I deal with off of these pages. It's received good support all round, our local funnel webs are booming here atm, two nights ago I brought in fire wood in the dark and looked down to see a mid size spider crawl over my g shock and onto my hand, I knew instantly what it was but took a split second to register that a male f.w was on my bare skin, I flicked my hand and it went straight under the couch, I've never emptied an entire room of furniture so quick haha


RezonantVoid said:


> That said, @Rhino1 has alot more T's than me so he is probably better suited to making one


It's not rocket science and both of you are very competent, although I know what it's like to be so hungry for information and how frustrating it can be when it's both limited and conflicting. I am pressed for time atm, even had to take on a third job working Sundays to fund my crazy ideas lol.
On my laptop theres around 12 months worth of work with around 500 pics in trying to make an entire list of Aus T species with range, preferred habitat and soil types etc etc the further I got with it the more conflicting it became until it became too difficult to go on with, I have showed this to some researchers for editing and it's agreed that it can't be published for public use as it's too specific.
On this forum is a full comprehensive list of Aus Ts in a thread somewhere, if anyone comes across this I would love a link to compare my notes to.
Soz for getting sidetracked too.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (May 25, 2019)

Rhino1 said:


> X2 this has been a great thread, I've been able to email links to this for the keepers, scientists and field researchers that I deal with off of these pages. It's received good support all round, our local funnel webs are booming here atm, two nights ago I brought in fire wood in the dark and looked down to see a mid size spider crawl over my g shock and onto my hand, I knew instantly what it was but took a split second to register that a male f.w was on my bare skin, I flicked my hand and it went straight under the couch, I've never emptied an entire room of furniture so quick haha
> 
> It's not rocket science and both of you are very competent, although I know what it's like to be so hungry for information and how frustrating it can be when it's both limited and conflicting. I am pressed for time atm, even had to take on a third job working Sundays to fund my crazy ideas lol.
> On my laptop theres around 12 months worth of work with around 500 pics in trying to make an entire list of Aus T species with range, preferred habitat and soil types etc etc the further I got with it the more conflicting it became until it became too difficult to go on with, I have showed this to some researchers for editing and it's agreed that it can't be published for public use as it's too specific.
> ...


We appreciate the work for sure. It's good to know there's hobbyists out there with your mentality. I'll try and make a brief forum for keeping some of our main ones in my spare time.
Awesome news about the funnelwebs (not the couch part haha), have noticed there's not as many for sale on gumtree these days so hopefully that should pick up again soon. Both the ones you sent me have been doing great, especially since the big one had those molt troubles. Let's hope the population stays as healthy as it is now for a while

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Jack Mccormack (Feb 12, 2020)

T


RezonantVoid said:


> The Australian funnelweb spiders are arguably some of the most iconic spiders around the globe, famed for owning what's believed to be some of the most toxic venom to humans of any known spider group. I am making this thread to answer any questions people may have about them, and hopefully dispell a few misconceptions about them. I also believe it's important to have a care guide for any Australian individuals interested in keeping and studying such spiders, as these are what I would class as advanced keeper only species. I will split this thread into several sections;
> 1- General Information
> 2- Venom potency/medical significance/bite records
> 3- What to do if you encounter one in your home
> ...


this is the most incredible care guide I have ever read. Thank you so much @RezonantVoid this has helped me greatly

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (Feb 12, 2020)

Jack Mccormack said:


> T
> 
> this is the most incredible care guide I have ever read. Thank you so much @RezonantVoid this has helped me greatly


Glad i could help


----------



## Jack Mccormack (Feb 12, 2020)

Could you possibly send through a link to purchase Lithuanian cocopeat 


RezonantVoid said:


> The Australian funnelweb spiders are arguably some of the most iconic spiders around the globe, famed for owning what's believed to be some of the most toxic venom to humans of any known spider group. I am making this thread to answer any questions people may have about them, and hopefully dispell a few misconceptions about them. I also believe it's important to have a care guide for any Australian individuals interested in keeping and studying such spiders, as these are what I would class as advanced keeper only species. I will split this thread into several sections;
> 1- General Information
> 2- Venom potency/medical significance/bite records
> 3- What to do if you encounter one in your home
> ...


----------



## Wal1980 (Feb 25, 2020)

Thank you...  
I really enjoyed reading this post 

Kind regards

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


----------



## Licespray (Aug 17, 2020)

@RezonantVoid 

What’s it mean when an Atrax or Hadronyche webs over its burrow?

And how is Peat Moss for a substrate?


----------



## RezonantVoid (Aug 17, 2020)

Licespray said:


> @RezonantVoid
> 
> What’s it mean when an Atrax or Hadronyche webs over its burrow?
> 
> And how is Peat Moss for a substrate?


If the burrow has been sealed off, its either not hungry or about to molt. Similar to a T.

Yea that should be fine, id mix a handful of clean sand in too to give it some natural sediment content as well. Just dont let the sub dry out too much

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## hspa (Sep 19, 2020)

I captured how mine eats a mealworm in pictures and as video:













Net before capturing a mealworm



__ hspa
__ Sep 19, 2020
__
atrax robustus




						Sydney Funnel-Web Spider (Atrax robustus)
					
















Capturing a mealworm



__ hspa
__ Sep 19, 2020
__
atrax robustus




						Sydney Funnel-Web Spider (Atrax robustus)
					
















Capturing a mealworm



__ hspa
__ Sep 19, 2020
__
atrax robustus




						Sydney Funnel-Web Spider (Atrax robustus)
					
















Net after capturing a mealworm



__ hspa
__ Sep 19, 2020
__
atrax robustus




						Sydney Funnel-Web Spider (Atrax robustus)

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (Sep 19, 2020)

hspa said:


> I captured how mine eats a mealworm in pictures and as video:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Excellent footage mate, well done! The other week I gave my monstrous Hadronyche Infensa a superworm, when it grabbed it the worm started spinning and just wrapped itself in webbing like sleeping bag lol

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## hspa (Sep 25, 2020)

Sydney Funnel-Web Spider (Atrax robustus) unsuccessfully trying to capture a Roly-poly (Porcellio scaber, Isopod).

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## ChaosSphere (Nov 13, 2021)

Hey @RezonantVoid do you by chance have any source material regarding H. formidabilis being more potent than A. robustus? Otherwise LOVED the post and thread!


----------



## RezonantVoid (Nov 13, 2021)

ChaosSphere said:


> Hey @RezonantVoid do you by chance have any source material regarding H. formidabilis being more potent than A. robustus? Otherwise LOVED the post and thread!


Everything in this thread, from husbandry to source material, needs overhauling, the husbandry quoted is the awefully barebones simplified method used for the majority of tarantulas and I have found far better solutions that suit both spiders and aesthetics, I will be making a megathread for all Australian mygalomorphae care along with  source material.

You'll have to take my word for it for now, but it's not just formi that are more potent than A.robustus. Hadronyche as a whole have different venom structure and both sexes share equal levels of toxicity as opposed to Atrax where the males are the ones with elevated potency. This is also the reason why Hadronyche cannot be used for antivenom milking, and only compounds from Atrax venom can be used instead


----------



## ChaosSphere (Nov 13, 2021)

@RezonantVoid Yeah it figures. I remember you've talked about different substrates and such in you mygalomorph picture thread - it's fantastic that you're sharing it all. 

Yeah, that's what I've read too, but I've been unable to find any actual studies that prove it. I'm not disbelieving it, I take it in light of not knowing how to find it. 
I don't get why Hadronyche species cannot be used for milking - in spite of the differing venom composition, the anti-venom is used for Atrax is also used for Hadronyche? 
But it's interesting that Atrax robustus seems to be regarded as the world most venomous spider, while it appears to be commonly known - at least in some circles - that Hadronyche is more potent. Especially with H. having equally potent males and females. 

I'll look forward to your updated thread, whenever you do it.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## RezonantVoid (Nov 13, 2021)

ChaosSphere said:


> @RezonantVoid Yeah it figures. I remember you've talked about different substrates and such in you mygalomorph picture thread - it's fantastic that you're sharing it all.
> 
> Yeah, that's what I've read too, but I've been unable to find any actual studies that prove it. I'm not disbelieving it, I take it in light of not knowing how to find it.
> I don't get why Hadronyche species cannot be used for milking - in spite of the differing venom composition, the anti-venom is used for Atrax is also used for Hadronyche?
> ...


It's puzzled me too, but I think one thing they beat Hadronyche in is being the most _dangerous_ funnelweb. Formidabilis and infensa may have higher toxicity and cerberea might have higher envenomation rates, but Atrax robustus location puts it in regular contact with humans, meaning a bite from them is more likely to occur than let's say a formidabilis that normally live 30m up trees in less populated areas. So I could agree that robustus can be considered more dangerous regarding likelihood of a bite, but definitely not the most potent. Some Phoneutria overseas could have even stronger venom than all of these, studies on which I'm extremely keen to read


----------

