Enclosure setup for Phrynus whitei?

[Tarn]

I have a young P. whitei named Little Guy who is currently living in the 32 oz. deli cup that I bought him in. He'll probably be fine living in there for around a year (so I've been told) but I want to start planning out his adult enclosure as soon as possible.

I know generally what he'd need (tall enclosure, good humidity, lots of things to climb and places to hide) but I'm unsure of what size enclosure he'll need as an adult. I'd also like any brand recommendations you might have, and any other things you think a novice arachnid keeper should know.

As a side note, I'd also like to put springtails in his enclosure, if that's even a good idea for amblypygi.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[that1ocelot]

Your variant of P Whitei doesn't grow suuuuper big. Really, something like an 8x8x12 exoterra or something similar would be excellent for a dedicated amblypygi. Even that is bigger than they need though. Many folks use plastic cereal containers or other plastic enclosures for viewing purposes. They don't need much at all - in fact, the smaller it is the more secure they'll feel, as long as they have room to molt.

In terms of the springtails, I've had a good amount of success with them because amblypygi are messy eaters. Saying that, some more experiences folks aren't a fan of springtails.I'd say the decision is yours!

 

[mantisfan101]

you could keep a full grown phrynus whitei in a 32 oz deli for the rest of its life

 

[bjjpokemon910]

Saying that, some more experiences folks aren't a fan of springtails.I'd say the decision is yours!

A lot of people that don’t like springtails from what I notice are either one, just hatin on anything new, or two they they don’t know the benefits of them. You don’t need them for the survival of the animal, but they sure do help.

 

[that1ocelot]

A lot of people that don’t like springtails from what I notice are either one, just hatin on anything new, or two they they don’t know the benefits of them. You don’t need them for the survival of the animal, but they sure do help.

I generally agree with you and love my springtails, but folks much more accomplished than me have mentioned that it can hinder certain parts of breeding in Amblypygi specifically

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I generally agree with you and love my springtails, but folks much more accomplished than me have mentioned that it can hinder certain parts of breeding in Amblypygi specifically

I don’t know about the breeding, but certainly if you’re not planning on breeding, springtails are completely safe to use with amblypygi.

I have the larger variety of Phrynus whitei (without the eyespots) and it was completely satisfied with its plastic cereal container. I only recently moved it into a stupidly oversized glass enclosure because I wanted it to be prettier for me, so naturally now it needs extra hiding places to feel comfortable and I hardly ever see the lady anymore

height is of course an important factor for amblypygi enclosures, so as long as it has plenty of height to moult in and enough space to hunt, it’ll be just fine.
The easiest way to ensure adequate humidity is to restrict the ventilation to a tiny area (I had a single ~1.5” square wire mesh vent in each cereal container) and keep the substrate moist. No fancy hygrometers required. They *really* like styrofoam for moulting off of. You can easily stick some to the roof of your enclosure if you don’t want to look at the stuff. They can moult from a vertical or diagonal surface as well, though - styrofoam and cork are popular choices.

 

[mantisfan101]

I generally agree with you and love my springtails, but folks much more accomplished than me have mentioned that it can hinder certain parts of breeding in Amblypygi specifically

never had an issue with those, I actively introduce them to all my amblypygi enclosures, breeding setups, grow out containers, incubating moms