Damon medius housing

[entomologic]

Planning on getting a couple damon medius soon but was hoping for critique on my planned setup beforehand.

I have a spare fluval spec aquarium I was hoping to use, with a screen across the middle hole:

Was going to glue styrofoam to the back (with hot glue), and also split it in half with styrofoam (turning it into 2 chambers). This would result in a an 11" tall, 8" wide, and 6" deep area for each whip spider. For moisture I was thinking of using 0.25" layer of perlite kept completely damp. Any concerns with this setup? My main concern is mold and using the perlite. Would it would be better to get eco earth and smaller isopods to keep things clean?

Also some general questions I couldn't quite find clear answers to in the other threads:
> Is it better if the backing is sloped? Or is completely vertical fine?
> Do they need a hide? When I see them on videos they often go behind the styrofoam or corkbark being used.
> Ideal humidity levels? I've seen 70-80%

 

[basin79]

Planning on getting a couple damon medius soon but was hoping for critique on my planned setup beforehand.

I have a spare fluval spec aquarium I was hoping to use, with a screen across the middle hole:
View attachment 378737
Was going to glue styrofoam to the back (with hot glue), and also split it in half with styrofoam (turning it into 2 chambers). This would result in a an 11" tall, 8" wide, and 6" deep area for each whip spider. For moisture I was thinking of using 0.25" layer of perlite kept completely damp. Any concerns with this setup? My main concern is mold and using the perlite. Would it would be better to get eco earth and smaller isopods to keep things clean?

Also some general questions I couldn't quite find clear answers to in the other threads:
> Is it better if the backing is sloped? Or is completely vertical fine?
> Do they need a hide? When I see them on videos they often go behind the styrofoam or corkbark being used.
> Ideal humidity levels? I've seen 70-80%

I currently keep mine in a exo terra nano tall. Which is 12" tall x 8 x 8. Since I've had him/her I've had 2 moults and a lot of growth. There's a good chance I'll need to provide a larger enclosure.

They absolutely need somewhere to hide away as they're nocturnal. Cork bark slabs work well. Also angling the cork bark will give them somewhere to moult too.

Ditch the pearlite. Moss peat or similar and keep it very damp. You want obviously want to make sure fresh air is getting in but you also want condensation on the lid. Don't bother with humidity gauges. They're useless. Just keep the substrate damp by pouting water onto it.

This is the first and only Damon medius or any tail-less whip scorpion I've ever kept.

 

[GhostOoOoOo]

I only have one D. diadema so I'm not super experienced but have done a lot of research. I used styrofoam for the backing, coco-fiber for substrate (Its mainly there just to retain moisture as they'll rarely be stepping on it), and a leaning piece of cork bark that I whittled to have both a vertical surface to hide behind and then a slight curve at the top for when it molts, but a "flat" piece of cork bark leaning at an angle seems to be generally what people do, I'm just weird. As long as the bark is slanted at a 60-80 degree angle and they can hang somewhat upside down to molt, it should be fine. I keep mine at around the 70-80% humidity range, and usually mist once a week if needed. Having a shallow water dish to maintain humidity also helps. From what I've heard, D. medius aren't supposed to be housed communally unless they are from the same egg sac, but I've also heard of people housing a male and female communally with minimal issue, though you may end up with a load of babies .

Good luck with your endeavor! tailless whips are fascinating creatures.

 

[entomologic]

Thanks for responses! I was mainly going based on this older thread: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/a...ypygids-enclosures.280900/page-2#post-2444657 in trying to figure out the setup. Was trying to recreate this style since I liked how visible the whip spider was, but don't want to stress them just for display purposes:

Ditch the pearlite. Moss peat or similar and keep it very damp

Yeah, I don't see anyone using perlite, although Dave's Beasties uses clay aggregate which is a similar concept (Although he has soil on top of that). I use it for ant colonies and plant culturing and it works well, but will likely stick with peat moss to be safe. Probably add spring tails for cleanup, unless there is a concern there.

There's a good chance I'll need to provide a larger enclosure.

How do you decide when to rehouse? Just the leg length seeming too big? I couldn't find a clear rule-of-thumb on when to rehouse or enclosure size.

D. medius aren't supposed to be housed communally unless they are from the same egg sac

I think my wording was misleading. I plan to have a divider between the two, essentially creating 2 enclosures. Mainly worried it will be too small for them, or if there was any particular concerns about mold/disease spread.

I whittled to have both a vertical surface to hide behind and then a slight curve at the top for when it molts

Interesting, do they normally spend time in the vertical hide unless they are molting?

Also another general question, is there any way to know if they seem stressed at all? Like how Ts tend to bolt/threat posture if upset, curl if not feeling well, or wander if they are uncomfortable. I know if they are on the substrate it's likely not moist enough, but I've not seen much else on amblypygi behavior.

 

[Edan bandoot]

Also another general question, is there any way to know if they seem stressed at all? Like how Ts tend to bolt/threat posture if upset, curl if not feeling well, or wander if they are uncomfortable. I know if they are on the substrate it's likely not moist enough, but I've not seen much else on amblypygi behavior.

If they're comfortable in the daytime they're not moving at all. They like the dark and will actively scuttle towards it.

They become active at night when they're comfortable and roam around/hunt.

When they are on the ground its because the enclosure is too dry.

A happy amblypygid doesn't move much at all during the day.

 

[GhostOoOoOo]

Interesting, do they normally spend time in the vertical hide unless they are molting?

Also another general question, is there any way to know if they seem stressed at all? Like how Ts tend to bolt/threat posture if upset, curl if not feeling well, or wander if they are uncomfortable. I know if they are on the substrate it's likely not moist enough, but I've not seen much else on amblypygi behavior.

Mine spends 99% of its time between the vertical cork bark and styrofoam. Its there right now, actually. Regardless you'll want an enclosure that is taller than it is wider, as these guys spend most of their time sideways. I used to have a bit of cheesecloth between the lid and enclosure and it would spend a lot of time at night just hangin' out upside down, but I have since removed that for fear of it getting a leg stuck. Also yeah, I misunderstood and thought you were planning on housing them in the same enclosure.

Made a quick crappy drawing in paint from the side (left) and front (right) to show how the bark is positioned. I'd take a picture but I don't want to bug the lil guy right now lol.

 

[entomologic]

A happy amblypygid doesn't move much at all during the day.

Appreciate the behavior breakdown. Seems simple enough to check on.

Made a quick crappy drawing in paint from the side

Thanks that helps, will plan to recreate something similar with the styrofoam I have.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Thanks for responses! I was mainly going based on this older thread: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/a...ypygids-enclosures.280900/page-2#post-2444657 in trying to figure out the setup. Was trying to recreate this style since I liked how visible the whip spider was, but don't want to stress them just for display purposes:
View attachment 378771


Also another general question, is there any way to know if they seem stressed at all? Like how Ts tend to bolt/threat posture if upset, curl if not feeling well, or wander if they are uncomfortable. I know if they are on the substrate it's likely not moist enough, but I've not seen much else on amblypygi behavior.

I think that's one of @wizentrop's enclosures in that photo, yeah? That's exactly how I keep my amblypygi, and none of them have ever shown any signs of stress. Most have completely vertical backing - I only do an angled backing if the amblypygi is a bit too small for the enclosure, because it effectively gives them a bit less space (but still more than enough room for moulting), which is less stressful for them. My Acanthophrynus coronatus now also has a horizontal foam piece adhered to the top of her (front-opening) enclosure because she has shown a preference for moulting from a completely horizontal surface. I'll likely do the same for my Damon diadema when she gets a bit bigger.

As @Edan bandoot said, a calm amblypygi hangs out much like the one in Gil's photo 99% of the time - just spread out and relaxing. A stressed amblypygi will try to compress itself into a corner, make itself small and hide as well as it can.

 

[entomologic]

I think that's one of @wizentrop's enclosures in that photo, yeah?

Yep, and it looked like the styrofoam was vertical on @wizentrop's too. It sounds like a hide may not be needed then if they seem comfortable. Will try without and add one like @GhostOoOoOo mentioned if they show signs of stress.

My Acanthophrynus coronatus now also has a horizontal foam piece adhered to the top of her (front-opening) enclosure because she has shown a preference for moulting from a completely horizontal surface

Interesting, will have to keep that in mind as they get bigger. Since I'm starting with a top loading enclosure that would be tricky to do, although I'm assuming I'll want to rehouse at some point.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Yep, and it looked like the styrofoam was vertical on @wizentrop's too. It sounds like a hide may not be needed then if they seem comfortable. Will try without and add one like @GhostOoOoOo mentioned if they show signs of stress.



Interesting, will have to keep that in mind as they get bigger. Since I'm starting with a top loading enclosure that would be tricky to do, although I'm assuming I'll want to rehouse at some point.

A hide can be useful if your depth is excessive - most enclosures give far more depth than these prefer, and not as much height. Both Gil and I tend to use tall food storage containers for this reason (a trick I picked up from him) because you can get things that are tall and wide but only a few inches deep. Since they don’t see well, they rely on their whips to tell them how far away the opposite wall is, and they really prefer it if that distance isn’t too great. Like a crevice rather than a cavern. If what you have is more cavern-like, they’ll appreciate having a crevice-like hide so they can go someplace that feels safer.

 

[Matts inverts]

You should have a ten gallon for one with humidity and they should have tons of climbing space.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

You should have a ten gallon for one with humidity and they should have tons of climbing space.

A 5 gallon vertically oriented would be tons of space for an adult. 10 gallons is like saying a single person needs a 3 bedroom detached house.

 

[entomologic]

Since they don’t see well, they rely on their whips to tell them how far away the opposite wall is, and they really prefer it if that distance isn’t too great.

That makes sense. The fluval aquarium I plan to use is pretty thin, 5.5" after I put in the styrofoam backing. I worry a bit about the height (just under 12"), although the whip spiders I'm thinking of getting will be juveniles so I should have time to make something bigger before needing to rehouse.

Also curious what you use for substrate? Peat moss was mentioned, which seems fine. I have some eco earth sitting around too I was considering.

a single person needs a 3 bedroom detached house.

Where else are they going to keep their invert collection?

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

That makes sense. The fluval aquarium I plan to use is pretty thin, 5.5" after I put in the styrofoam backing. I worry a bit about the height (just under 12"), although the whip spiders I'm thinking of getting will be juveniles so I should have time to make something bigger before needing to rehouse.

Also curious what you use for substrate? Peat moss was mentioned, which seems fine. I have some eco earth sitting around too I was considering.



Where else are they going to keep their invert collection?

12” height will be fine for a good while. You will need to upgrade eventually, but you’ll have sometime to figure that out.
I just use about 1.5” of packed moist coco coir. You can use less but I find the less you have, the faster it dries out. They don’t care what it is because they basically never hang out on it, so it just needs to hold moisture well and not be actively dangerous for them. Peat, soil, whatever you have lying around that’s safe for inverts will be fine for them.