TechComMike
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2017
- Messages
- 5
Did a replacement of substrate to coco fiber in my S. calceatum and P. striata enclosures (Exo-Terras front doors) yesterday because prior mulchy/soil mix was very dried out. Anyway, though I haven't done an exhaustive search on the site and suspect this may have been suggested in the past, I thought I'd post a Pic of 'equipment' used to collect and stash the T's while I then worked on cleaning and re-substrating before returning them to their homes, especially for the benefit of folk newer to the 'hobby' or those stepping up to swift arboreal Old Worlds with a degree of trepidation. With these basic items, two T's (female calceatum 5.5" and female striata 6.5") that could be considered on the trickier end of the spectrum caused no great anxieties, even if miss calceatum took a few shots at my paintbrush on being asked to return home.
Note the two soda bottles, the bases chopped off and corresponding size deli cups that then insert backwards (so to speak) into the chopped opening once a T is inside.
Once you've carefully cleared cage furniture to make a little space (using tongs if getting close to T), holding the cap end with cap on (and maybe rubber glove for reassurance if first time doing it) you can impound the T, in my case both times using the paintbrush to coax a stray leg or whatever fully inside. I guess if T immediately twisted inside the bottle to come back on you it could get trickier to put deli cup lid in but using this process dozens of times I've never had a T do that (remember: defensive, rarely outright aggressive) as the bottle provides a depth for them to advance into. (Note: Deli cups have one or two air-holes drilled even if T will probably only be in there an hour or so).
While stashing T in bottle during cleaning, make sure to wedge bottle against solid surface OR masking tape a couple of places so deli cup can't pop out (typically only a risk if using bigger bottle with bigger muscly T like a blondi, parahybana or geniculata). I place the bottle out of the way in a shadowy area where the T will be relaxed).
When cleaning done, unscrew cap (quick back-up note here: be totally sure before you commence with a bottle that your T couldn't squeeze through the bottle cap end - some arboreals are quite narrow when they 4-up, 4-down their legs and have a more slender body design) and insert deli cup end into enclosure and then edge the deli cup loose (with fingers once you're fairly confident of the process or tongs for caution). Then insert paintbrush through cap end of bottle and nudge and cajole the T back out the now open end of bottle.
This is the CAUTION moment of the process. If they've turned to face the wide end while you were cleaning, the paintbrush nudging their butt will 99% of the time get them to just casually edge out of the bottle into their new home. If still facing cap-end, edgier T's may well tag the paintbrush several times but we already know they can't get through the cap end so no panic and just keep persuading with the brush and they'll go. The CAUTION factor applies to the very rare occasion where the brush nudging prompts a teleporter arboreal to shoot out and scoot around inside their enclosure but as long as you're prepared, I've personally never had an escapee back out, always able to apply lid or close doors in time.
That's about it and assuming you're calm but alert, your rehousings / cleanings can be pretty no-sweat events.
Just for size gauging, smaller bottle is 1QT size and bigger bottle 2 Liter size. Globe of the World is optional.
Note the two soda bottles, the bases chopped off and corresponding size deli cups that then insert backwards (so to speak) into the chopped opening once a T is inside.
Once you've carefully cleared cage furniture to make a little space (using tongs if getting close to T), holding the cap end with cap on (and maybe rubber glove for reassurance if first time doing it) you can impound the T, in my case both times using the paintbrush to coax a stray leg or whatever fully inside. I guess if T immediately twisted inside the bottle to come back on you it could get trickier to put deli cup lid in but using this process dozens of times I've never had a T do that (remember: defensive, rarely outright aggressive) as the bottle provides a depth for them to advance into. (Note: Deli cups have one or two air-holes drilled even if T will probably only be in there an hour or so).
While stashing T in bottle during cleaning, make sure to wedge bottle against solid surface OR masking tape a couple of places so deli cup can't pop out (typically only a risk if using bigger bottle with bigger muscly T like a blondi, parahybana or geniculata). I place the bottle out of the way in a shadowy area where the T will be relaxed).
When cleaning done, unscrew cap (quick back-up note here: be totally sure before you commence with a bottle that your T couldn't squeeze through the bottle cap end - some arboreals are quite narrow when they 4-up, 4-down their legs and have a more slender body design) and insert deli cup end into enclosure and then edge the deli cup loose (with fingers once you're fairly confident of the process or tongs for caution). Then insert paintbrush through cap end of bottle and nudge and cajole the T back out the now open end of bottle.
This is the CAUTION moment of the process. If they've turned to face the wide end while you were cleaning, the paintbrush nudging their butt will 99% of the time get them to just casually edge out of the bottle into their new home. If still facing cap-end, edgier T's may well tag the paintbrush several times but we already know they can't get through the cap end so no panic and just keep persuading with the brush and they'll go. The CAUTION factor applies to the very rare occasion where the brush nudging prompts a teleporter arboreal to shoot out and scoot around inside their enclosure but as long as you're prepared, I've personally never had an escapee back out, always able to apply lid or close doors in time.
That's about it and assuming you're calm but alert, your rehousings / cleanings can be pretty no-sweat events.
Just for size gauging, smaller bottle is 1QT size and bigger bottle 2 Liter size. Globe of the World is optional.
