Cyriocosmus chicoi

[bathory]

So I'm a long time youtube and forum lurker but I finally got my very first tarantula! Before today I've only been keeping mantids, I have 8 at the moment, 5 of them being Gongylus gongylodes. Trouble is I can't seem to find that many resources on how to give this spider the best care possible? I'm just going off descriptions of its natural habitat and care sheets for other Cyriocosmus spp. at the moment, but if anyone here has actual experience with these guys I'd greatly appreciate the help! It's currently in a 15x15x15 cm enclosure with a bottle cap as a water dish and buried flower pot as a starter hide and I'm not going to move it anytime soon if ever, this thing is FAST.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

First of all, welcome the the addiction *ahem* I mean "hobby"

Trouble is I can't seem to find that many resources on how to give this spider the best care possible? I'm just going off descriptions of its natural habitat and care sheets for other Cyriocosmus spp.

I imagine that care will be exactly the same as other Cyriocosmus species, it's fairly rare that members of a genus differ in husbandry requirements.

Give them a few inches of substrate so they can burrow, keep the substrate slightly moist (not soaking wet), a few anchor points outside the burrow entrance as I believe Cyriocosmus spp. like to web a bit, room temps are fine (unless you live in a fridge).

buried flower pot as a starter hide

Has it been cut in half or otherwise modified so that the T can make a burrow underneath? Tarantulas aren't massive fans of dead ends as hides.

Could you post a pic of the whole enclosure please? I can't really gauge the height between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure, the gap shouldn't exceed 2x the tarantula's diagonal leg span (ideally it should be roughly 1.5x DLS).

this thing is FAST

Yeah, dwarf Ts are speedy little buggers.

 

[bathory]

Could you post a pic of the whole enclosure please? I can't really gauge the height between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure, the gap shouldn't exceed 2x the tarantula's diagonal leg span (ideally it should be roughly 1.5x DLS).

It looks very steamy right now lol, but that's mostly because the deepest layer is a bit more moist for the springtails, I prefer using cleaners rather than having to mess with my animals because I have to clean their enclosures. Had to put a corner on the heat mat I use for my tropical mantids because I do live in a fridge tbh

At the front the height from the substrate is roughly 2x its legspan, and the distance gets shorter toward the back. I would like it to be closer to the top but I also don't want to move the substrate every time I open the enclosure.

And no, the pot is in one whole piece, I should have thought of that sooner. The little guy did catch a moth and did a bit of a webbing dance though so I think (s)he's feeling ok!

 

[CosbyArt]

So I'm a long time youtube and forum lurker but I finally got my very first tarantula!

Hello lurker and welcome to the arachnid family. You have a great looking T, and dwarfs are great.

I find cleaning T habitats in a empty bathtub the best option, with the bathroom door closed and a towel under the door (so there are less places it can run to in case of a escape). Your likely best off waiting to fix the flower pot until it is cleaning/maintenance time, and in the meantime your dwarf may dig beside the flower pot if it doesn't like it.

 

[boina]

Your enclosure is seriously too wet. Even springtails need much less moisture than that and for a tarantula that can be deadly. Humid, stuffy air (you only have top ventilation) can kill any tarantula, not only Avics. Seriously, let this dry out!

Another potentially deadly mistake is the heat mat UNDER the enclosure. Tarantulas burrow if they feel too hot. It's an instinct because in nature it always gets cooler the deeper they go down. So your tarantula feels too hot and starts to burrow and gets closer and closer to the heat mat and the substrate above traps the heat in the burrow -> cooked tarantula, very dead. For a burrowing species putting a heat mat on the side can end with the same consequences. If they burrow close to the heat mat the heat will be trapped inside the burrow... see above. Find a more indirect way to warm your tarantula up.

Further, for a species that really likes to dig this is definitely not enough substrate. These enclosures can work for terrestrials that don't burrow much but I can't see it working really for your Cyriocosmus. I'd really get something opening from the top. It's much easier for maintenance, too. The only time I use front opening enclosures is for arboreals.

And as for maintenance:

cleaning T habitats in a empty bathtub

What are you talking about? Under normal circumstances there's no reason to ever clean the whole habitat. You spot clean and that's it. Dirt doesn't get dirty. Cleaning the whole habitat is very disruptive for your spider and you end up with a seriously stressed spider every time. Why would you want that?

OP, make the modifications now, before the spider has settled. Once it has made the enclosure it's home every modification destroys all it's hard work and puts it in a whole new environment where it has to start all over again.

 

[CosbyArt]

What are you talking about? Under normal circumstances there's no reason to ever clean the whole habitat. You spot clean and that's it. Dirt doesn't get dirty. Cleaning the whole habitat is very disruptive for your spider and you end up with a seriously stressed spider every time. Why would you want that?

OP, make the modifications now, before the spider has settled. Once it has made the enclosure it's home every modification destroys all it's hard work and puts it in a whole new environment where it has to start all over again.

Exactly. I originally said "cleaning/maintenance" which I am referring to cleaning the water bowl, removing feeder remains, molted exuviae, waste pile, fixing loose decor, and such. I spot clean as needed, but there tends to be a bigger clean needed at times that requires more time and possibly transferring the pet for safety. If the OP nearly had a escape already, and is hesitant too, I thought it best to explain a better setting.

I do agree with your point, and I leave burrows and their dig piles alone unless I have to rehouse in a more appropriate sized container as they grow. Then I transfer what webbing and such I can to the new home so my arachnids feel more at ease.

Speaking of stressing out pets, I see many articles online saying to change their dirt completely every 4-6 months. The last few years I've had my Tarantulas I have never done that, and I find it strange there are people that claim to be experts calling for it.

 

[bathory]

Your enclosure is seriously too wet. Even springtails need much less moisture than that and for a tarantula that can be deadly. Humid, stuffy air (you only have top ventilation) can kill any tarantula, not only Avics. Seriously, let this dry out!

Drying out as we speak! I was considering turning the enclosure on its side so the opening is at the top to allow for more substrate, it's either that or a small faunarium for now. The heat mat was temporary, I used it to speed up the drying process and the enclosure has been moved. But I'm wondering, is Cyriocosmus really such a heavy burrower if given lots of hides? Most descriptions I've found say they also use naturally occuring hides like the roots of trees, and there are even claims that peresmilezi has been seen adopting a semi arboreal lifestyle.

But thank you for your input, like I said in the original post I've only kept mantids and a jumping spider so this is all new territory for mer!

 

[bathory]

I realised a great thing though in case I need to rehouse the little one, since the flower pot is all in one piece and (s)he seems to stay there I may be able to cover the exit and just plop it down into a new enclosure if needed!