# are solfugids worth keeping?



## BigBadConrad (Sep 29, 2003)

I've read that solfugids are short-lived and often don't acclimate well in captivity. But they look so cool and interesting I am thinking of getting one or two anyway. I have a few pedes and scorps, so my expectations are realistic. Not expecting a solfugid to be a "pet" that I can interact with or anything, just an interesting specimen to occasionally observe. That said, are they worth bothering with at all? Even if they only live for a few months I think it would be neat to see them do their thing. Looks like there are only a couple of species available in the trade. Which are the best to keep? Any opinions of these guys? If I go ahead with it, has anyone had a good experience with a particular dealer? I know about the "dealer" section of the board, but I mean specifically relating to solfugids. They, and dealers who sell them, don't seem to be too common.

Thx,
John


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## MrDeranged (Sep 29, 2003)

You should be able to go out into the desert in your area and just catch some yourself.  See if you like them before shelling out bucks for foreign species. 

Scott


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## Kugellager (Sep 29, 2003)

Yeah you should be able to find them quite easily in your area.  When we aere at ATS in Carlsbad this past June they were all over the place.

John


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## BigBadConrad (Sep 30, 2003)

Never seen one in my 13 years here, many nights out in the desert. Has anyone kept them, and are any species, native or otherwise, worth the trouble?


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## Wade (Sep 30, 2003)

They're fun to keep, but like mantids, short lived. Unlike mantids, there has been almost no success breeding them in captivity. Most of those sold in the trade are at their largest size and therfore near the end of their life. IMO, they are probably not worth spending much on, unless you're really iterested in breeding, and then you'll be entering unexplored territory.

I've collected some pretty big ones in Rio Rico AZ. I found them under steet lights at the hotel I was staying at, picking off insects that were drwn to the light.  

Wade


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## dementEd1 (Sep 30, 2003)

I found one this summer strolling across the carpet in my girlfriend's apartment. Nasty little stinker. Really cool watchin it eat. Unfortunately it died a few weeks later after a mismolt. I have found scorpions, tarantulas, centipedes, millipedes and just about anything else you can think of to find around here, heck, I even found a California Tiger Salamander living under my grandma's garbage can when I was a kid, but that was the first solfugid I had ever found in my 26 years in this area.

They are neat, and I've contemplated buying a big exotic one too, were it not for their short lifespans and difficulty in breeding.


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## Payson_AZ (Jul 21, 2006)

Conrad, I have lots of these Solfugids in my back-yard in Payson AZ, about 100 miles north of you.  I kill these nasty things every chance I get!!!  I am sure you will not have a problem finding some, just look under any wood pile, they are everywhere!!


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## David_F (Jul 21, 2006)

Payson_AZ said:
			
		

> I kill these nasty things every chance I get!!!


Erm...why kill them?  They're no danger to anyone or anything in your home.


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## Arietans (Jul 21, 2006)

> I kill these nasty things every chance I get!!!


I wonder at the wisdom of posting that on a site overran with arachnid lovers.


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## crashergs (Jul 21, 2006)

im not going to make this an argument for that PAYSON AZ guy, im just going to say DONT KILL THE SOLIFUGIDS, 
PLEASE, i know how aggravating it is for those people reading his post, dont even bother with a contreversial argument....
hes just one of those kids that dont think too much.


i have a solifugid, bought from krazy8's it seems to be doing well with play sand purchased at lowes/home depot, i keep her in the garage, where temps are about 110 degrees, it sleeps for the most part, but once it gets cool at night, it starts to walk around in search of food, many people told me on here, dont over feed it, i kept feeding it since i thought it was hungry, but one states that it cannot determine when it is full and will keep grabbing food.

i notice your an elite poster, id use the search function on here and read every thread you can find on here before buying one, not many people know about solifugids, if you buy one, i dont recommend buying one as entertainment, but as research to understand their living and have your research public domain for the rest of us.


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## themowingmonk (Jul 21, 2006)

yeah i got one from Krazy8's as well, i definatly think they are worth keeping, they are very facinating critters, i especially love watching them dig cause they move their leggs in a cool way to do it.


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## perfidia (Jan 31, 2010)

Payson_AZ said:


> Conrad, I have lots of these Solfugids in my back-yard in Payson AZ, about 100 miles north of you.  I kill these nasty things every chance I get!!!  I am sure you will not have a problem finding some, just look under any wood pile, they are everywhere!!


Solifugids are beneficial to the environment.  If they come into your home, they'll kill pesty bugs, like roaches, crickets, earwigs, etc.  So, like David F asked, why kill them?  When we first moved into our home, months later, in our garage, I found a huge wind scorpion [solifugid], about an 1-1/2" in size, on top of a bag that was filled with newspapers.  It looked really fierce, with it's jaws reared up ready to strike. I had never seen one before. So, I ran into the house to get a can of poison.  When I came back it had split.  I'm so glad it took off and that I didn't kill it.  Since them I keep finding them in our kitchen floor, only they're much smaller.  I catch them and then turn them loose in our backyard.  They pose no real danger, except that they have a nasty bite.


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## perfidia (Jan 31, 2010)

BigBadConrad said:


> Never seen one in my 13 years here, many nights out in the desert. Has anyone kept them, and are any species, native or otherwise, worth the trouble?


That's because you need to look under rocks, bushes, etc., and have a flashlight handy. Sometimes I'll find them on my kitchen floor.  I would never think of killing them.  I catch them in a plastic cup and then set them free in our backyard.  They're small, about 3/4" in length, compared to the one I found in our garage years and years ago -that one was a monster...lol.


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## OxDionysus (Jan 31, 2010)

when I lived in Vegas I saw these things all the time. I caught a huge one and kept it for a couple months and it died. it was around 2" body length. when I would walk in the room it would rear up at me and open its huge jaws and try to intimidate me. funny watching him eat too. Not sure if anyone knows it or not but they do glow a bit under a black light, found that out when I was searching for scorps. No where near as bright as a scorp but enough to notice.


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## ErikWestblom (Feb 1, 2010)

Wow, a second resurrection! Original post is 7 years old


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## perfidia (Apr 8, 2010)

ErikWestblom said:


> Wow, a second resurrection! Original post is 7 years old


* . . . . . so?*


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## Nomadinexile (Apr 8, 2010)

perfidia said:


> * . . . . . so?*


Yes.   Keep them.  But their cycle is short, so you have to breed them.  Otherwise, they aren't worth the time or money invested.   Really cool though.
Little psychopaths really.    


Sorry perfidia, I'm tired and getting goofy, I didn't realize you were replying when i responded, I thought you were waiting for an answer to the op's question.    r


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## cacoseraph (Apr 8, 2010)

anyone cracked hobby breeding them, yet? 


they are hermit crabs, if not :/


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## snappleWhiteTea (Apr 8, 2010)

BigBadConrad said:


> Never seen one in my 13 years here, many nights out in the desert. Has anyone kept them, and are any species, native or otherwise, worth the trouble?


i used to find them a lot when i was a kid. just go to a different kind of desert, look around a little.


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## Nomadinexile (Apr 8, 2010)

cacoseraph said:


> anyone cracked hobby breeding them, yet?
> 
> 
> they are hermit crabs, if not :/


I sent mine out last year.   I'll be darned.  I need a salary and Amex Black if I'm going to breed everything.   da da da da da da, Money, its a gas.... :wall:


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## Widowman10 (Apr 8, 2010)

cacoseraph said:


> anyone cracked hobby breeding them, yet?
> 
> 
> they are hermit crabs, if not :/


i've had minimal luck with our local species. 

doing this now ----> :wall:  for not filming/documenting anything i did dadgumit.

witnessed a couple of matings, one really great one. had a fem or 2 drop eggs. not much else, still pretty cryptic. will work more with them hopefully this summer and sure as heck will film and document this time.


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## Moltar (Apr 8, 2010)

Cool. I'll resurrect this thread in another 3 years to see if there's been any progress... :?


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## cacoseraph (Apr 8, 2010)

dang, all the wall smileys are NOT a good sign


i find large specimens every once in a while... but these are by no means one of the most common things i find.

i will try to snag the ones i find from now on.  they are really awesome animals, shame we can culture them :/



@widow... isn't it horrible the like, growing up we do in the hobby. rather, the hindsights are very annoying =P  i pretty much am trying to document everything i do now.  i could have been the first to have mating vid of Calisoga "published"... but i dropped the ball and then later my hdd crashed


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## Widowman10 (Apr 8, 2010)

cacoseraph said:


> @widow... isn't it horrible the like, growing up we do in the hobby. rather, the hindsights are very annoying =P  i pretty much am trying to document everything i do now.  i could have been the first to have mating vid of Calisoga "published"... but i dropped the ball and then later my hdd crashed


very frustrating. but you live and learn i guess :razz: and hopefully get better stuff than you lost.


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## dopamine (Apr 12, 2010)

Payson_AZ said:


> I kill these nasty things every chance I get!!


Your dumb.


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