Communal H. gigas...

Redneck

Arachnoprince
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So I am starting an H. gigas communal project..

Im not asking if its a good idea.. I have read they are communal.. So I am going to try it.. See how they interact with each other & what not...

I think I am going to start with a 2.5 gallon.. With maybe 5-10 slings.. Depending on their size.. They are going to be 2nd-3rd instar..

Anyways.. If y'all were to start an H. gigas communal enclosure.. How many slings would you introduce together, & what size enclosure would you use?
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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I have a shoebox with 10 in there.

I also have a 1-gal rubbermaid with ~300 in there. :}
 

Redneck

Arachnoprince
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Do you have any cork bark or decor in with them or just a heap load of substrate?
 

Redneck

Arachnoprince
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Hey Joe.. Do you have a picture of your 10 gigas community?

I need an idea of how I am going to be setting up these when I get them...
 

billopelma

Arachnolord
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Couple years ago had 8 slings in a maybe 3"x6" with about 4" of sub, they used a lot of the hides/topography as well as burrowing. As they got bigger they mostly just burrowed and covered/buried everything to the point where I stopped bothering putting in anything but sub. If you gave them a lot of space I'm sure you could keep a few items above dirt but also believe they would tend to separate and not interact as much.
Early on had a fairly high dropout rate, don't know why. Found deathcurled bodies but never saw any sign of cannibalism. At this point there's a recently matured male and 2 or three smaller females (3-4") in a 2.5 gal mostly filled with sub. The male has almost always stayed on top and the fems mostly stay burrowed.



Fresh setup (about a year after the previous pic) before they dug everything up...




Bill
 

Redneck

Arachnoprince
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Hey Bill.. Thanks for those pictures & that bit of info..

I guess I am going to go with a shoe box full of substrate.. No decor... No need to go out and buy a 2.5 gallon when I already have an enclosure here... :rolleyes:

Now I cant wait until they get here.. :D Monday needs to hurry!
 

billopelma

Arachnolord
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I'd start off with some bark/leaf litter, as slings they do utilize it and web all over. It's when mine got bigger that I gave up.


Bill
 
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