C. Lividus as first OW and fossorial

[Arachnophobphile]

It’s definitely going to be an endeavor and I’d be lying if I said I was experienced enough to keep one although I do my research and everything cautiously. I won’t take this lightly and will gain the experience with this as my first OW. It may not be the best choice, I understand that but I’m prepared for the potential repercussions which in my mind, I have to go into it saying to myself I won’t let that happen. Is this the best idea I’ve ever had? No. Am I willing to step up to the plate though? Absolutely, I’ve made that decision. I didn’t get it to show it off, I mean, I’m fine with it being a pet hole. I have had a recent interest in not only obtaining one OW to start and focus on and I wanted to have one of each branch within terrestrial, arboreal and fossorial so it kills two birds with one stone. My rehousing and maintenance will consist of the enclosure within another large tote inside the bathroom tub, vents and door sealed with a towel and tub plugged with the tub watered down first. I have cats, my wife and three kids so it’s gonna be a big deal for me if we’re being honest. I feel a mixture of excitement and foolishness but nothing like anxiety or fear as I respect the concept of the OW T. I believe this is perfectly doable if treated as such.

That is probably one of the most honest replies I have seen in a very long time, I commend you.

I hope everything works out for you. Please keep us updated with your experience with the C. lividus. I myself am interested on this journey.

 

[Xenocide]

Honestly, you seem like a responsible guy who’s thought it through and is prepared to ‘learn on the job’. You’ve got the knowledge of the Arachnoboards big dogs at your disposal too. I’m behind you. What I would say is plan ahead for all eventualities and check and double check if you’re not sure about anything. In my experience, a person with a thoughtful approach and a cool head will succeed! As @AphonopelmaTX said, there’s this catch 22 where if people aren’t allowed (or are discouraged from) getting something, they can never gain the hands on experience. Now, if you were some total noob saying ‘I’m getting a lividum’ with zero tarantula experience, that might be a step too far - but you’re not!

Hey, I appreciate all that, it means a lot. As I’ve previously mentioned, I don’t have much experience. I raised a G. Rosea to adulthood in high school/my early 20’s and I’ve always wanted to get back into the hobby since and finally pulled the trigger again and I’m 8 slings, soon to be 12 deep. I kinda obsess over them lol. I’m a noob but like you said, I’ve got the big dogs like you guys here and I listen to Tom Moran religiously who I trust and then do my own research and try to read between the lines the best I can. It’s not a one size fits all type of thing, it’s more based on the individual from what I understand and I have faith in myself. That doesn’t mean I won’t make mistakes but there isn’t much room to with OW so I’m just gonna premeditate every move I make with it, like every T.

That is probably one of the most honest replies I have seen in a very long time, I commend you.

I hope everything works out for you. Please keep us updated with your experience with the C. lividus. I myself am interested on this journey.

Thank you! Honesty is key to self growth and actually being fully aware of the situation we are in, so far as I’m concerned. I’ll definitely be keeping you guys posted on the C. Lividum journey. I never expected this wealth of knowledge and feedback between all you and nobodies been toxic in the slightest. What an awesome forum!

 

[VaporRyder]

Back in the day, first time round, I was a snake guy. I got an adult versi, then a sub-adult von wirthi in quick succession. 3rd, not long after, was a P.murinus I raised from a sling. I had heard of its reputation and treated it with the respect it deserved! I was hyper-careful, I had no problems.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Thank you! Honesty is key to self growth and actually being fully aware of the situation we are in, so far as I’m concerned. I’ll definitely be keeping you guys posted on the C. Lividum journey. I never expected this wealth of knowledge and feedback between all you and nobodies been toxic in the slightest. What an awesome forum!

No, the members here never directly attack a person. Never that I have seen. Critique of husbandry is what members do in the form of advice from their own experience and knowledge.

AB does get trolled frequently. I've personally read alot of post from new people that come in and pretend to want help/advice to then turn it around to troll the members.

Most of that trolling seems to stem from handling their tarantula.

So frequent it is that many members including myself get worn out and bitter from it.

So when a new post shows up covering the same topic/s that's been answered 20 million times in the past and it turns out to be just a troll people get irritable with that troll, understanbly.

However for the most part everyone is helpful.

 

[Xenocide]

Back in the day, first time round, I was a snake guy. I got an adult versi, then a sub-adult von wirthi in quick succession. 3rd, not long after, was a P.murinus I raised from a sling. I had heard of its reputation and treated it with the respect it deserves! I was hyper-careful, I had no problems.

It’s funny you mention that as P.murinus was what I was originally leaning towards as my first. The end goal is something from the Poecilotheria genus but I just don’t feel comfortable with that yet as my first arboreal. I’m gonna get some reps in with those beautiful C. Versicolors first that will come shipped with the Lividum. I’ve already told my wife I’m maxed out for now. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen forever . For now, I feel like 12 slings is gonna be a good, hardy baseline to focus on with out overwhelming myself.

No, the members here never directly attack a person. Never that I have seen. Critique of husbandry is what members do in the form of advice from their own experience and knowledge.

AB does get trolled frequently. I've personally read alot of post from new people that come in and pretend to want help/advice to then turn it around to troll the members.

Most of that trolling seems to stem from handling their tarantula.

So frequent it is that many members including myself get worn out and bitter from it.

So when a new post shows up covering the same topic/s that's been answered 20 million times in the past and it turns out to be just a troll people get irritable with that troll, understanbly.

However for the most part everyone is helpful.

That would be annoying, I could see that. Coming from a frequent Reddit user, usually not related to T stuff, this has been refreshing to say the least. Reddit is like the Troll HQ more often than not, in my experience at least.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

That would be annoying, I could see that. Coming from a frequent Reddit user, usually not related to T stuff, this has been refreshing to say the least. Reddit is like the Troll HQ more often than not, in my experience at least.

Yeah that site is not for the faint. I only wound up there when typing a question in Google for non tarantula, (very important I mention that) stuff.

Some of the replies to people that asked questions was ignorant on a nuclear level.

 

[l4nsky]

I like that post you gave a link to. I have always used deep substrate. Thanks for that very helpful.

I don't know, call me crazy but I picture you as having a job working in a secret lab for a secretive branch of the government. I picture you have a professional lab setup at home for your T room, haha.

Just joking of course. I paid attention to the level of scientific professionalism you use.

Lol that's the dream (the T lab, not the government stuff lol) but I just have to make due with my spare bedroom at the moment. I wouldn't call it scientific professionalism lol. Lets just say you won't see me calculating p-values anytime soon (I leave that to my brother, he got his Master's working with Lycosidae sp). I'm just a hobbyist trying to give back to AB as much as it's given me.

100% will be making that catch cup. So simple yet so smart. You should patent one and make a killing of it lol.

Lmao I fear I'm a century or two too late. All I did really was take the ball and string off a child's ball and cup toy and melt a few holes in it lol. The beauty of it is it perfectly fits the mouth of the mainstay enclosures I use for juveniles/subadults. Combined with a prodding stick in the slit at the bottom edge, I can turn it around like a turret to get a coaxing angle on a tarantula anywhere in the enclosure without ever giving it a chance to escape.

 

[Ceymann]

It’s funny you mention that as P.murinus was what I was originally leaning towards as my first. The end goal is something from the Poecilotheria genus but I just don’t feel comfortable with that yet as my first arboreal. I’m gonna get some reps in with those beautiful C. Versicolors first that will come shipped with the Lividum. I’ve already told my wife I’m maxed out for now. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen forever . For now, I feel like 12 slings is gonna be a good, hardy baseline to focus on with out overwhelming myself.

I would actually put poecilotheria below cyriopagopus as far as the "ladder" system goes, sure they maybe fast, but not nearly as inclined to bite as a cyriopagopus
The main reason being husbandry wise pokies are pretty bulletproof compared to more moisture dependent cyriopagopus.

As far as rehousing goes, despite being faster Id much rather deal with a pokie I can see, rather than having to "dig out" a cyriopagopus or chilobrachys, where they can fly out of a clump of substrate like a jack in the box.

Pokies get the bad reputation because of their slightly higher venom potency, reality is getting bit by a cyriopagopus or a pokie is going to be a pretty equally bad time, cyriopagopus hainanum is one I particularly would never want to muck with.

Bottom line- I would have recommended you get a pokie before a cyriopagopus if you are new to OW species

Just my .02

 

[Xenocide]

I would actually put poecilotheria below cyriopagopus as far as the "ladder" system goes, sure they maybe fast, but not nearly as inclined to bite as a cyriopagopus
The main reason being husbandry wise pokies are pretty bulletproof compared to more moisture dependent cyriopagopus.

As far as rehousing goes, despite being faster Id much rather deal with a pokie I can see, rather than having to "dig out" a cyriopagopus or chilobrachys, where they can fly out of a clump of substrate like a jack in the box.

Pokies get the bad reputation because of their slightly higher venom potency, reality is getting bit by a cyriopagopus or a pokie is going to be a pretty equally bad time, cyriopagopus hainanum is one I particularly would never want to muck with.

Bottom line- I would have recommended you get a pokie before a cyriopagopus if you are new to OW species

Just my .02

Oh man, don’t give me any ideas, a pokie would be my dream T. I don’t want to focus on more than one OW to start off with until I get some rehousing reps in. It’s being shipped today so I’m pretty much locked in on the C. Lividus, which I’m looking forward to.

 

[Sambro]

It’s definitely going to be an endeavor and I’d be lying if I said I was experienced enough to keep one although I do my research and everything cautiously. I won’t take this lightly and will gain experience with this as my first OW. It may not be the best choice, I understand that but I’m prepared for the potential repercussions which in my mind, I have to go into it saying to myself I won’t let that happen. Is this the best idea I’ve ever had? No. Am I willing to step up to the plate though? Absolutely, I’ve made that decision. I didn’t get it to show it off, I mean, I’m fine with it being a pet hole. I have had a recent interest in not only obtaining one OW to start and focus on and I wanted to have one of each branch within terrestrial, arboreal and fossorial so it kills two birds with one stone. My rehousing and maintenance will consist of the enclosure within another large tote inside the bathroom tub, vents and door sealed with a towel and tub plugged with the tub watered down first. I have cats, my wife and three kids so it’s gonna be a big deal for me if we’re being honest. I feel a mixture of excitement and foolishness but nothing like anxiety or fear as I respect the concept of the OW T. I believe this is perfectly doable if treated as such.



100% will be making that catch cup. So simple yet so smart. You should patent one and make a killing of it lol.

I thought I'd chime in and offer my experiences as I'm also a new keeper and dropped myself into the deep end when it comes to OW T's.
As others and yourself had stated, research is key to making sure you're prepared in every kind of situation. I would also recommend a sling to raise. I also just had OW slings and are easy to care for and provide the moisture they need with damp substate. - Just need to do your reading - Toms big spiders has always been a great learning tool

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species (And How to Maintain Moist Substrate) Author’s Note: Although tarantula husbandry “care sheets” often make a point of stating “ideal humidity” requireme…

tomsbigspiders.com

To add to this, I also rescued 3 Pokies from another AB member as he was way over his head and didn't feel confident rehoming them due to the speed and potent venom. So I now own 3 Adult Pokies(1 male 2 females), which are my first Adult OW's and gave me that final confidence boost I needed to know I'm able to deal with OW species.
But only YOU will know if you're ready to take on caring for a more defensive species with further moisture dependencies

In terms of the OWs, I can also recommend H.pulcrhipes as they are a pretty laid back T and sits out on display on its webbing throne.
I have 3 C.lividus as all are kept on a moist substrate with a hide, I started with small containers of acrylic enclosures and then moved to a 16oz deli cup to give more substrate to make much larger burrows, which they seem to be thriving really well.

Good luck with your purchase, and feel free to reach out to members to get their experiences and advice!

 

[Ungoliant]

It’s funny you mention that as P.murinus was what I was originally leaning towards as my first. The end goal is something from the Poecilotheria genus but I just don’t feel comfortable with that yet as my first arboreal. I’m gonna get some reps in with those beautiful C. Versicolors first that will come shipped with the Lividum.

If you're looking to get into Poecilotheria, Psalmopoeus are a more relevant experience builder than Caribena versicolor. (Don't get me wrong -- versis are great -- but Psalmos are closer in behavior and care.)

 

[Xenocide]

I thought I'd chime in and offer my experiences as I'm also a new keeper and dropped myself into the deep end when it comes to OW T's.
As others and yourself had stated, research is key to making sure you're prepared in every kind of situation. I would also recommend a sling to raise. I also just had OW slings and are easy to care for and provide the moisture they need with damp substate. - Just need to do your reading - Toms big spiders has always been a great learning tool

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species (And How to Maintain Moist Substrate) Author’s Note: Although tarantula husbandry “care sheets” often make a point of stating “ideal humidity” requireme…

tomsbigspiders.com

To add to this, I also rescued 3 Pokies from another AB member as he was way over his head and didn't feel confident rehoming them due to the speed and potent venom. So I now own 3 Adult Pokies(1 male 2 females), which are my first Adult OW's and gave me that final confidence boost I needed to know I'm able to deal with OW species.
But only YOU will know if you're ready to take on caring for a more defensive species with further moisture dependencies

In terms of the OWs, I can also recommend H.pulcrhipes as they are a pretty laid back T and sits out on display on its webbing throne.
I have 3 C.lividus as all are kept on a moist substrate with a hide, I started with small containers of acrylic enclosures and then moved to a 16oz deli cup to give more substrate to make much larger burrows, which they seem to be thriving really well.

Good luck with your purchase, and feel free to reach out to members to get their experiences and advice!

Thanks man, this is a very reassuring response overall. Will be listening to the podcast version of Tom’s moisture dependent species on my home from work again to brush up on it and I’ll read that version you linked as well. H. Pulchripes is probably the most epic looking baboon in my opinion. I’ll be going straight to a 32 oz deli cup right off the bat is my plan. It may be swimming in a little at first but it surely will have enough substrate this way.

If you're looking to get into Poecilotheria, Psalmopoeus are a more relevant experience builder than Caribena versicolor. (Don't get me wrong -- versis are great -- but Psalmos are closer in behavior and care.)

I could see that. The P. Irminia is definitely on my wish list.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

When it comes to being new to the fast defensive species, such as Cyriopagopus lividus, it helps to try to find a large juvenile and do all feedings, waterings, and rehousings by placing its enclosure inside of a larger container until you get used to its speed. That way if you spook it and it runs out of its enclosure, it won't run across the floor, table, desk, etc. allowing you more time to react with your catch cup.

Cyriopagopus lividus was my first old world tarantula and the first lesson I learned, by trial and error, was that they are less nerve racking when you don't stand in their way and let them run out of their enclosure if they so choose. The only way that can be done safely is by using the extra barrier of a larger container, or even the bathtub, to let them run into. Tarantulas are sprinters, not marathon runners, so the more space they have to run around in, the easier it is to wait until they tire themselves out for easy recapture.

By doing maintenance inside of a larger container, there is no old world tarantula that would be unsafe to start with. Most people worry about bites, but I worry about them running off. Just watch your fingers and you won't get bitten.

 

[Xenocide]

When it comes to being new to the fast defensive species, such as Cyriopagopus lividus, it helps to try to find a large juvenile and do all feedings, waterings, and rehousings by placing its enclosure inside of a larger container until you get used to its speed. That way if you spook it and it runs out of its enclosure, it won't run across the floor, table, desk, etc. allowing you more time to react with your catch cup.

Cyriopagopus lividus was my first old world tarantula and the first lesson I learned, by trial and error, was that they are less nerve racking when you don't stand in their way and let them run out of their enclosure if they so choose. The only way that can be done safely is by using the extra barrier of a larger container, or even the bathtub, to let them run into. Tarantulas are sprinters, not marathon runners, so the more space they have to run around in, the easier it is to wait until they tire themselves out for easy recapture.

By doing maintenance inside of a larger container, there is no old world tarantula that would be unsafe to start with. Most people worry about bites, but I worry about them running off. Just watch your fingers and you won't get bitten.

I know this is lengthy thread but I already mentioned and planned on exactly what you said. Larger sterilite tub within the plugged bathtub. Even for maintenance. I’ve heard to water down the tub beforehand so they can’t climb, thoughts on this?

Secondary question, what are the repercussions of an OW bite as slings/juveniles? Worst comes to worst. It won’t happen but we aren’t gods so I feel the need to know.

C. Lividus starter burrows.

Revised outside of the Super One Foods! Logo. Better packed as well.

 

[Craig73]

My thoughts are if you feel you’re up to it, and of of age, and then go for it. From reading this thread you’ve done the homework.

From personal experience I can say after 14 months of owning an arboreal ow I never did get confident with it and have decided to find it a new home. Certainly no shame if it turns out a T you’re interested is not a good fit for you.

I’ve not been bit [knock on wood] and not offering up any services to test out a wet or dry bite from any of my ow slings. Currently my H. pilchripes is being a nasty little beast in comparison to my P. murinus who’s a total sweetheart.