Bought some Avicularia purpureas.

[Streetfighter]

So it's been awhile since I've posted but, just haven't had time. I'm back to ask has anyone had any personal experience with purpureas? Ive seen one complete care sheet on Google but I just don't trust those sometimes. Also are they as delicate as I'm thinking? Or is it the "aviv slings are hard to keep alive" story. I also picked up a diversipes and a juruensis. Im assuming basic avic care for those two? If not let me know. Thanks everyone
The purpueas are 1/2-3/4, the diversipes is 1/2-3/4 and the juruensis is an inch

 

[lalberts9310]

They are all aboreal, so appropriate aboreal enclosures with cork bark and fake plants will do, fake plants gives them anchor points to lay their webbing, they make nice dirt webs, keep the substrate dry with occasional dribbling of water onto the sub (don't overkill), you can mist aprox once a week LIGHTLY onto the webbing for drinking purposes, never mist for humidity, provide a large enough water bowl with clean water, and enough cross-ventilation (vents on the sides).. If the setup is proper you'll be fine.

This is how the setup should look like, with a bit more fake plants:

https://cdn3.volusion.com/dfpuu.bczkw/v/vspfiles/photos/00001-5.jpg?1363177501

http://www.jamiestarantulas.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/cage2.jpg

 

[Joseppi189]

all the avics live in a similar environment. the reason they are "hard to keep" is cause people read care sheets and kill them with humidity that is too high. keep it simple with mostly dry substrate with a small damp spot for drinking/humidity. you need cross ventilation on the sides and some holes on the top. they get most of their water from the small crickets you can give them, you might want to maim or kill the crickets if they have a hard time catching them. put a little twig or some fake leaves in it for webbing anchor points. once they are about 1", put a small bottle cap in there full of water at all times.
i use spice containers you get at any grocery store and just drill small holes into the cap and sides. they are about 2" wide by 5" tall. you only need about 1" of substrate at that size. they prefer more room to climb.
once they are about 1.5-2" id move them into a tall deli cup container about 16oz with dry substrate and a bottle cap for water you could overflow a little. then at 3.5"+ you could move them into a permanent home like lalberts pictured.

 

[Streetfighter]

Ok thanks for the replies. I have been keeping my avics this way but I wasn't for sure on the purpueas, no real reason why lol. I will have to go to the store and get some because at the moment my enclosures I have are way too big. Had extra containers from other tarantulas. I'll have to see what kind of fake plants my LPS has. I'm more a fan of the silk ones instead of plastic. I've been having to tong feed one of my minatrix slings because it seems to be very weak and lethargic since I got it. It's also on the ground more than I'd like so I feel it's heading in the wrong direction. But again thanks guys I'll be sure to put your advice to good use. I'll put pics up when they arrive tomorrow. Also Paul at pet center still has a few purpueas left

 

[Joseppi189]

many slings, even arboreals, like to be on the ground or borrow. avics do climb more than most though. wouldnt worry about it.. like i said, you can squish the head of a cricket and drop it in and theyll get it. my 3/4" P. Metallica barely ever climbs and i usually give her crickets a solid squeeze with the tongs before dropping them in.

 

[lalberts9310]

Yes please avoid the "care sheets" you find on the net, those are junk, if you have any husbandry issues or questions AB is the place to ask and search..

---------- Post added 05-21-2015 at 06:34 PM ----------

all the avics live in a similar environment. the reason they are "hard to keep" is cause people read care sheets and kill them with humidity that is too high. keep it simple with mostly dry substrate with a small damp spot for drinking/humidity. you need cross ventilation on the sides and some holes on the top. they get most of their water from the small crickets you can give them, you might want to maim or kill the crickets if they have a hard time catching them. put a little twig or some fake leaves in it for webbing anchor points. once they are about 1", put a small bottle cap in there full of water at all times.
i use spice containers you get at any grocery store and just drill small holes into the cap and sides. they are about 2" wide by 5" tall. you only need about 1" of substrate at that size. they prefer more room to climb.
once they are about 1.5-2" id move them into a tall deli cup container about 16oz with dry substrate and a bottle cap for water you could overflow a little. then at 3.5"+ you could move them into a permanent home like lalberts pictured.

all my slings have water dishes and they had it since they were about 1/4".. so you can put a small bottle cap in for drinking, I'd personally avoid top ventilation, all my aboreals have cross-ventilation only

---------- Post added 05-21-2015 at 06:35 PM ----------

Ok thanks for the replies. I have been keeping my avics this way but I wasn't for sure on the purpueas, no real reason why lol. I will have to go to the store and get some because at the moment my enclosures I have are way too big. Had extra containers from other tarantulas. I'll have to see what kind of fake plants my LPS has. I'm more a fan of the silk ones instead of plastic. I've been having to tong feed one of my minatrix slings because it seems to be very weak and lethargic since I got it. It's also on the ground more than I'd like so I feel it's heading in the wrong direction. But again thanks guys I'll be sure to put your advice to good use. I'll put pics up when they arrive tomorrow. Also Paul at pet center still has a few purpueas left

I heard plastic is better than silk.. don't know why.. yeah avics on the ground for a prolonged period of time is a bad sign, just make sure its setup is like I mentioned

 

[Joseppi189]

[/COLOR] all my slings have water dishes and they had it since they were about 1/4".. so you can put a small bottle cap in for drinking, I'd personally avoid top ventilation, all my aboreals have cross-ventilation only

mmm, agree to disagree on that one. if its smaller than the bottle cap, its possible for them to drown in it and they will get plenty of hydration from their food and a small damp spot. its a risk, albeit a small one of drowning. especially if its way smaller like 1/4" the risk will go up and it will barely fit in their enclosure (if at all).

 

[lalberts9310]

[/COLOR] all my slings have water dishes and they had it since they were about 1/4".. so you can put a small bottle cap in for drinking, I'd personally avoid top ventilation, all my aboreals have cross-ventilation only

mmm, agree to disagree on that one. if its smaller than the bottle cap, its possible for them to drown in it and they will get plenty of hydration from their food and a small damp spot. its a risk, albeit a small one of drowning. especially if its way smaller like 1/4" the risk will go up and it will barely fit in their enclosure (if at all).

They can't drown, they are covered in water resistant setae.. have you ever heard of H. Gigas? The swimming tarantula? Yeah.. not me nor experienced keepers here that I know of have ever witnessed or experienced a drowning tarantula.. if you have a large enough enclosure, you can add a bottle cap with water.. look in my picture thread, I have a picture of a 1/4" C. Hati hati sling at his water dish.. I have even witnessed them drinking from it.. I'll bet my whole collection that you won't have an issue with a T sling drowning...

And avics needs water bowls.. since they should be kept dry they need a proper source for drinking and humidity, and only a water bowl would provide that.. and OPs slings are plenty big enough for a bottle cap dish..

 

[Poec54]

I heard plastic is better than silk.

Silk plants have dyes in them, and sometimes fragrances. They need to be soaked for a while so they can leach out. I only use plastic plants, Zoo Med vining types, 'Amazon' and Mexican', cut to fit.

---------- Post added 05-21-2015 at 02:39 PM ----------

mmm, agree to disagree on that one. if its smaller than the bottle cap, its possible for them to drown in it and they will get plenty of hydration from their food

And I have to disagree with you. I have 10 species of Avics and have had hundreds of Avic slings over the years. All get a water dish at 2nd instar; the shallow lid from a 16 oz water bowl. None have ever drown.

They will not get the hydration they need from food when they're premolt and post-molt. The most vulnerable time for dehydration is post-molt before they harden off. That's a risky time to be without a water bowl. Why take that risk? It's very easy to lose them then, even in a day, whereas the risk from drowning in a small bowl is miniscule.


To the OP: give purpurea the standard Avic set up (dry sub, water bowl, cross ventilation, and anchor points). They're a small species and mine have been the slowest growing of my Avics.

 

[lalberts9310]

Silk plants have dyes in them, and sometimes fragrances. They need to be soaked for a while so they can leach out. I only use plastic plants, Zoo Med vining types, 'Amazon' and Mexican', cut to fit.

Sorry for hijacking the thread for a teeny moment, but I have some silk plants that I would like to use.. how long give or take should they be soaked for them to be safe? They have no fragrances however..

 

[Arachnomaniac19]

Sorry for hijacking the thread for a teeny moment, but I have some silk plants that I would like to use.. how long give or take should they be soaked for them to be safe? They have no fragrances however..

Since, I'm assuming, you have lots of time, why not just leave them soaking for a week or so? I don't know how long they generally take, but a week gives them plenty of time to dissipate. I'd change the water every so often though (maybe once a day) so that the water doesn't give back any negative qualities.

 

[lalberts9310]

Since, I'm assuming, you have lots of time, why not just leave them soaking for a week or so? I don't know how long they generally take, but a week gives them plenty of time to dissipate. I'd change the water every so often though (maybe once a day) so that the water doesn't give back any negative qualities.

Thanks :biggrin:

 

[CEC]

Great species! The advice given here is spot on. I remember only a few years ago when people on here said they needed higher humidity and higher temps. While, higher temps around 80 are fine but not needed, 65-75 will do. Ventilation and consistently providing drinking water have been the keys to my Avic raising success. Humidity and ventilation plays against each other, so obviously it's hard to have a lot of both. If you have enough ventilation and damp substrate it won't harm your Avic. but if you don't have enough ventilation and damp substrate your Avic sling may have troubles. As you can see it takes experience with Avic slings and the containers your using to accommodate the appropriate air flow to humidity ratio.

The advice above is the safest way to raising Avics. in my experience. I suggest not keeping your slings in vials, unless you drill a good amount of holes around the sides,as well as the top. A bunch of holes on the top lid is usually not enough to keep decent air flow and humidity down. IMO if I'm going to drill a vital, I might as well find something bigger with more space that will have more air flow and give the Avic less rehousings. Plus, if you were to add too much water (which is quite easy to do with a vial) to a vial it can create stuffy, stagnant air that will give your Avic sling a much slimmer chance of survival. Deli cups are the usual and cheapest recommendation but I use clear cubes which is my preference because I can flip the cube upside down so the lid becomes the base and I stick some plants on top for them to have an anchor point for webbing. That's one thing I love about Avics, they are true tree spiders, along with Iridopelma, they're the only genera in the hobby that I know of that an inverted/upside down enclosure could be practically used. I found getting an Avic sling into or back into a upright container can be a pain because they love to climb upwards and don't want to go down in an upright container. This may not annoy you but when you have a bunch of Ts to feed it can get frustrating and time consuming. Of course, as they settle in and spin a good tube web they are far less likely to come crawling out when you open the lid. I have saved some time feeding and doing maintainance while also saving my Avic webs from being destroyed by using an upside down cube. Yes, your Avics will prefer to web at the top and if you break their web enough times opening the upright container lid they will start to figure out where not to web. If you use a water bowl, care is a bit easier too when the water bowl access isn't blocked by your Avic's web, especially, if it isn't an elevated water bowl. Cleaning and removing unwanted crickets, boluses, and even the occasional mold is much simpler in my experience. My way is certainly not needed but it is nice to have an alternative option that works just as well, if not better in my opinion.

When I first joined AB, juruensis were being sold by a few importers and not too long after they were soldout, juruensis became extremely hard to find and in high demand by Avic lovers and hobbyists newer to collecting that missed out on the previous imports. Unfortunately, I was kicking myself for a good year or so for passing on them when they were available. Then one day with many of my fellow friends and hobbyists envy, My brother happened to be looking at the classifieds here just a few minutes after a for sale post of an AF juruensis. Although, I sent my 'want to buy' PM to them just minutes after their for sale ad was posted. I still thought there was a good chance I was too late. Somehow I lucked out and she's still doing great two years later. So I'm glad to see the recent successful U.S. breeding(s) of this gorgeous species. I hope to see many more juruensis breedings so that they are readily available. I paired my girl after finding a rare and stunning MM but it didn't take, she molted out shortly after. Still currently looking for a MM to try again but the way it's looking now, I may have to wait till this recently offered batches of male slings matures and hope my girl is still alive and willing. So...cherish that juruensis and good luck, it could possibly disappear from sales again but I really hope not, they're a must have if you are a serious Avic. collector.

P.S. Adult Avics are much more hardy and forgiving to conditions than slings/juvies.

 

[LythSalicaria]

mmm, agree to disagree on that one. if its smaller than the bottle cap, its possible for them to drown in it and they will get plenty of hydration from their food and a small damp spot. its a risk, albeit a small one of drowning. especially if its way smaller like 1/4" the risk will go up and it will barely fit in their enclosure (if at all).

Yeah I also have to disagree with this...I've given virtually all of my slings bottle caps for water dishes when they were 1/4" and never have I ever lost one to drowning. Heck, I haven't even seen crickets drown themselves yet, and they're supposed to be notorious for it...

 

[vespers]

mmm, agree to disagree on that one. if its smaller than the bottle cap, its possible for them to drown in it and they will get plenty of hydration from their food and a small damp spot. its a risk, albeit a small one of drowning. especially if its way smaller like 1/4" the risk will go up and it will barely fit in their enclosure (if at all).

There isn't a drowning risk...even adult Avics can "walk on water" without breaking the surface tension:

http://www.masterfile.com/stock-pho...on-River-caused-by-runoff-from-the-Andes-Peru

http://www.masterfile.com/stock-pho...(Avicularia-sp)-floating-on-Yarapa-River-Peru

 

[CEC]

A great way to contain a quick, defensive OW arboreal for a photo session is using a "moat"(medieval castle style). For example, a large shallow plastic tub with a rock in the middle filled with water to create a "rock island". Once you place the T on the rock and it feels the edge of water they are usually deterred from going any further. On the flip side, some are "Alcatraz" escape artists that are natural born swimmers that seem to be more afraid of you than taking the getaway plunge. As most would correctly assume, Ts are slower "walking on water" than running on a solid surface which obviously gives the photographer extra time to react and corral the fleeing T.
Implied previously in this thread, slings are more buoyant than their adult counterparts do to being less dense. Therefore, I think it's safe to say slings are able to avoid drowning and climb themselves out of a pool of water. I have seen a few pictures posted over the years of Ts dead in their water bowls with the owners claiming it was a T drowning accident but they were quickly corrected and concluded to be a coincidental placement of death. Ts have been on this earth way too long to have not adapted a way to escape the ever abundant body/puddle of water in their natural habitat safely; or even roughing it through the occasional flooding. Another contributing piece of evidence to our notion of the unlikeliness of death by drowning is the very minuscule amount of air Ts need to survive, I believe it would take a good amount of time for a T completely submerged underwater without air pockets/bubbles to expire.

The majority of rules or guidelines to the survival (based on anatomy) of the more commonly familiar creatures in the animal kingdom do not apply to Ts and are hardly comparable. This is one of the reasons these arachnids are so fascinating to me. A Tarantula's gradual adaptations crafted their long reign of existence on this planet way before mankind and I wouldn't be surprised if they are still here thriving after human exstiction. I understand when people underestimate a T's resiliency, it's remarkable to learn how strong and naturally equipped some of these Ts are. I know I was impressed when I was informed of documentation on the "walk on water" Avic, the "bottom dwellng" pokie and the "underwater fishing" H. gigas.

 

[Poec54]

The majority of rules or guidelines to the survival (based on anatomy) of the more commonly familiar creatures in the animal kingdom do not apply to Ts and are hardly comparable. This is one of the reasons these arachnids are so fascinating to me. A Tarantula's gradual adaptations crafted their long reign of existence on this planet way before mankind and I wouldn't be surprised if they are still here thriving after human extinction.

+1. Many things about spiders is an anomaly in the animal world. I have no idea how they evolved predigesting food before swallowing it, and using their 'hands' for transfer organs for sperm. Totally bizarre. Then their uses for silk and tarantula's highly developed scopula. I've been working with tarantulas for most of my adult life, and after that long they seem 'normal' to me: their shape, movements, behavior, etc. But when you compare them to other animals, they're so different. And for that reason, many things don't apply to them. It's amazing that with so many unusual physical and behavioral characteristics, they've been so successful in so many diverse habitats and climates.

 

[Streetfighter]

Well I got them all today and every one is alive. Only the two purpureas have come out of the vials (just set it in there to let it come on its own). The juruensis is thinking about it, Its legs are outside right now, the diversipes hasn't moved and the free LP I got came to the edge them backed up lol. The purpureas look awesome and are a really nice color. Pictures were on my iPhone so sorry if they aren't that good of quality

 

[lalberts9310]

Looks good so far, does the enclosures have cross-ventilation (ventilation on the sides) or top ventilation (ventilation on the lid?) remember that cross-ventilation is essential for avics to thrive, you can also add a bottle cap water dish in their enclosures (helps keep humidity in check and provides a drinking source)

Edit: ignore the ventilation question, I see the vent holes there lol

 

[Streetfighter]

Yeah there aren't holes on the top but the cross ventilation is good lol. But the Juruensis finally came out so I could get a picture, I like the juruensis a lot. It hasn't even attempted to run when I open the lid or accidentally bump the free standing shelves they are which happens a lot. All my other avics are super skittish.