Arboreals in Terrestrial Setup?

[cherry]

Hey all, I was wondering the effect of putting an arboreal tarantula (in this case, Avicularia avicularia) in a terrestrial setup. I volunteer at a science museum that keeps four tarantulas (B. smithi/hamorii, A. seemani, G. porteri, and the aforementioned Avic) in awful terrestrial setups. I saw that there was barely an inch of substrate in a maybe 10-15 gallon enclosure for their T's that looked to be sub-adults or adults. The Avic also webbed up the entrances to its hide, so I was wondering if it was stressed because it can't web properly or going through a molt. It really saddened me, especially the Avic, so I will be contacting the museum's life sciences department.

 

[Venom1080]

Definitely a crap set up. Probably a very stressed spider too.

But with food and access to water, and as long as they don't soak the cage, it should survive. Looks plenty dry.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Terrible. More than a set up this seems the work of a wannabe Steampunk artist on crack that lost his job in one of those 'Rust Belt' factories

 

[14pokies]

that lost his job in one of those 'Rust Belt' factories

Hey I live smack dab in the middle of the rust belt..

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Hey I live smack dab in the middle of the rust belt..

No 'fence my man

I love the area, but that kinda tube inside give me the idea of 'Rust Belt' abandoned factory or 'Jeepers Creepers' movie truck, for that matter.

 

[bryverine]

The funny thing is that avics are one of the few who actually need a tall aquarium... i was hoping this was a pokie post...

 

[viper69]

Will it live, sure, will it thrive...NO.

 

[cherry]

Thanks all. I'll be sure to note that the avic would live but not thrive and how awful their terrestrial setups are. They had scorpions in a similar setup (African flat rock, emperor, red claw, and something else? I can't remember...) with the same level of substrate and a small hide out of flat rocks, but I can't comment on them because I know virtually nothing about scorpions.

 

[StampFan]

The enclosure itself looks tall enough (12x12x12?). If so it likely just needs a tall vertical cork bark.

 

[Walker253]

You'd think a science museum would crack a book open at minimum and read about the animals they keep. There is no excuse for those set ups. As a museum or a zoo, you are there to educate people. SMH

 

[cherry]

You'd think a science museum would crack a book open at minimum and read about the animals they keep. There is no excuse for those set ups. As a museum or a zoo, you are there to educate people. SMH

Totally agree, the life sciences manager only seems to specialize in snakes and the signs are awfully outdated. But this is basic tarantula husbandry and I'm surprised no one has caught this mistake yet. Like StampFan said, the Avic enclosure would do a hell of a lot better with a tall piece of cork bark or fake plants.

 

[efmp1987]

Museums keep animals because its part of their job description. People here keep tarantulas because they love them. I'm not surprised at the slightest. Went to a local museum to check on seashells (I'm an avid seashell collector, particularly those endemic to Australia) and the specimens on display are more often than not wrongly identified. Well kudos to OP so doing what he can.

 

[Nephila Edulis]

There's a museum here which keeps a king baboon in a setup that's nearly 3 foot tall and it doesn't even have a hide. You'd think this wouldn't be such a common issue, but it seems even museums and zoos aren't great when it comes to most invertebrates

 

[bryverine]

So lets be honest here. Anyone else want to pay money to look at a hole in the ground? How about go to a pet store/pound to pick up a fish or a dog that you can't see?

These setups suck, but the spider is out for people to gawk at, flash cameras at, and feel the beating of little hands on the glass to get them to move. That's how they make these attractions "worth the money" to customers.

 

[Walker253]

A P muticus doesn't need a hide once it digs.
If I were a zoo or a museum, I'd make the enclosure with the hole and den. With the expertise and technology, a zoo could make a simulated den that a P muticus would thrive in and have a viewing area that would make it easy to see from the outside and provide a proper stress free environment on the inside

 

[miss moxie]

Well there isn't many things I can say I do better than most museums, but housing tarantulas correctly is one of those things.

It's not as if they even mimic their natural habitat to show what sort of environments these tarantulas come from. The "lesson" I see from this display is that all of those tarantulas must come from the same sort of eco systems since they're housed the same exact way-- and we all know that's not remotely true.

 

[Nephila Edulis]

A P muticus doesn't need a hide once it digs.
If I were a zoo or a museum, I'd make the enclosure with the hole and den. With the expertise and technology, a zoo could make a simulated den that a P muticus would thrive in and have a viewing area that would make it easy to see from the outside and provide a proper stress free environment on the inside

No space to dig either. It was hiding in between a tiny fake plant (smaller than the T) and the back of the cage. It also had bright lights at the top of the cage and was at perfect tapping height for little kids. You'd think it'd be cheaper to use smaller setups for the tarantulas and get species that stay out in the open, such as a GBB

 

[bryverine]

A P muticus doesn't need a hide once it digs.
If I were a zoo or a museum, I'd make the enclosure with the hole and den. With the expertise and technology, a zoo could make a simulated den that a P muticus would thrive in and have a viewing area that would make it easy to see from the outside and provide a proper stress free environment on the inside

That's just plain impossible!

Well there isn't many things I can say I do better than most museums, but housing tarantulas correctly is one of those things.

It's not as if they even mimic their natural habitat to show what sort of environments these tarantulas come from. The "lesson" I see from this display is that all of those tarantulas must come from the same sort of eco systems since they're housed the same exact way-- and we all know that's not remotely true.

Unfortunately, you're assuming these people want to teach something.

The way I see it, it's the same as pet stores. Hell, even their fish areas are deceiving. Can you imagine having 25+ fish in a 10 gallon tank with the crappy filters they sell? That's one thing i hated when working at a pet store that most employees don't propagate to customers: it's a temporary setup to hold lager quantities/ catch attention so people buy things.

 

[RemyZee]

I just came across a similar situation at a local big name pet store. A poor juvenile Avic Avic was in a short critter keeper with nothing to climb or hang on to, and sitting on water saturated substrate. Oh, and also under a screaming bright fluorescent light and sitting in a stress curl. I bought it because I couldn't in good conscience leave it there. I'd tried to kindly educate the staff, but I don't think much (if any) got through. They didn't even know she was arboreal.

 

[RemyZee]

That's just plain impossible!
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Unfortunately, you're assuming these people want to teach something.

The way I see it, it's the same as pet stores. Hell, even their fish areas are deceiving. Can you imagine having 25+ fish in a 10 gallon tank with the crappy filters they sell? That's one thing i hated when working at a pet store that most employees don't propagate to customers: it's a temporary setup to hold lager quantities/ catch attention so people buy things.

Yup. Couldn't agree more.