First communal Tank?

[Scott C.]

Hey Hardluck,

I'd throw at least 10 slings in a standard 20 gal(secure it thoroughly from go unless you want OBTs running round your house) with substrate caked nearly to the top on the backwall, dropping down to a depth of ~5 inches in the front, and with some good rocks, wood, and dry grasses for furnishings..... I know there's a stigma regarding large tank little t's, but I've never had a problem. These guys can be kept dry, so over feeding a bit to be sure isn't going to have too negative an impact..... and the P. murinus aren't going to top 6" very often in my experience..... I've had one that *may* have pushed a bit over, but ~4.5-5.5 is average for me.

Just what I would do... Hope it helps a bit. Perhaps others will have differing opinions with more communal experience to back it up..... My experience is limited to a sac of ~200 in a medium KK. There were very few losses, but they only spent a couple molts together. They turned the entire enclosure(substrate and available airspace) into a tangle of tunnels, and I noticed no canabalism to speak of.

 

[hardlucktattoo]

Hey Hardluck,

I'd throw at least 10 slings in a standard 20 gal(secure it thoroughly from go unless you want OBTs running round your house) with substrate caked nearly to the top on the backwall, dropping down to a depth of ~5 inches in the front, and with some good rocks, wood, and dry grasses for furnishings..... I know there's a stigma regarding large tank little t's, but I've never had a problem. These guys can be kept dry, so over feeding a bit to be sure isn't going to have too negative an impact..... and the P. murinus aren't going to top 6" very often in my experience..... I've had one that *may* have pushed a bit over, but ~4.5-5.5 is average for me.

Just what I would do... Hope it helps a bit. Perhaps others will have differing opinions with more communal experience to back it up..... My experience is limited to a sac of ~200 in a medium KK. There were very few losses, but they only spent a couple molts together. They turned the entire enclosure(substrate and available airspace) into a tangle of tunnels, and I noticed no canabalism to speak of.

Honestly I wouldnt mind them running around the house but Id have to worry about my 12 foot Burmese Python getting bitten Its the best security system ever And I usually dont have to worry about unexpected guests And if you are wonder no I dont keep it in a cage It has its own room but its free to roam about the house

 

[Scott C.]

That is too cool ..... but your neighbors, and eventually the county, would have something to say about the new OBT population that's bound to develop... Those guys are near indestructable as far as I can tell.

 

[Moltar]

Maybe they cost more over there, but I got my sling for 13$, and later I discovered a breeder who sells them for 10$.

They definitely cost more over here, lol. I'd be pretty psyched to find one for $20. If you're buying 10 though...

 

[hardlucktattoo]

That is too cool ..... but your neighbors, and eventually the county, would have something to say about the new OBT population that's bound to develop... Those guys are near indestructable as far as I can tell.

I know im on a first name basis with the animal control officers

 

[vvx]

I've had two communal groups since approx October. One is 5x P. regalis, the other 5x P. murinus.

Personally the regalis is the clear winner. I'll see 3 or 4 regalis all clumped together in their hide climbing on top of each other. They have a huge cage as well so it's not like they couldn't spread out if they wanted to.

The P. murinus on the other hand are as spread out as they can be. If one approaches another it tends to cause the other to move away. Nobody has died yet so they appear to be somewhat tolerative but nowhere near as communal as the pokies.

 

[Talkenlate04]

I agree, regalis is going very well for me too.

 

[proper_tea]

I just bred my H. incei for a communal set up, so I will hopefully have a sac in a few months. She's already walled herself in, but before she did so, she lived with the male for a number of days.

Half of my slings will go to the owner of the male, who is also doing a communal setup, and who bred her females about a week and a half before I bred mine. We've talked about doing breeding loans with future generations, to very the gene pool, which doesn't seem to be something that is happening with tarcan's group. We'll see how it goes.

I've also got a 5" M/F regalis pair that I'm waiting on to molt to maturity. Their offspring, again, will be kept communally. I believe, but haven't confirmed that I have a M/F A. avic pair that I'm considering trying a communal breeding project with, though from what I hear, Avics generally are more problematic.

I'd love to get my hands on some of the fabled "chicken spiders," but I'd imagine it will be a long time before they are readily available in the hobby.

I've got 2 OBTs living in a 10 gallon tank, and a third that I'm considering introducing... all are largish subadults, and came same dealer... so therefore I'm assuming that they are from the same sac, but who knows. The 2 have tolerated each other just fine, but I wouldn't call them friends.

Anyway, I'm really fascinated by communal/social/sub-social spiders, so please keep us posted as to how your tank goes. There's someone on tarantulas.us who is keeping 4 OBT slings together, and thus far they have clumped together like pokies, rather than separating...

 

[hardlucktattoo]

I just bred my H. incei for a communal set up, so I will hopefully have a sac in a few months. She's already walled herself in, but before she did so, she lived with the male for a number of days.

Half of my slings will go to the owner of the male, who is also doing a communal setup, and who bred her females about a week and a half before I bred mine. We've talked about doing breeding loans with future generations, to very the gene pool, which doesn't seem to be something that is happening with tarcan's group. We'll see how it goes.

I've also got a 5" M/F regalis pair that I'm waiting on to molt to maturity. Their offspring, again, will be kept communally. I believe, but haven't confirmed that I have a M/F A. avic pair that I'm considering trying a communal breeding project with, though from what I hear, Avics generally are more problematic.

I'd love to get my hands on some of the fabled "chicken spiders," but I'd imagine it will be a long time before they are readily available in the hobby.

I've got 2 OBTs living in a 10 gallon tank, and a third that I'm considering introducing... all are largish subadults, and came same dealer... so therefore I'm assuming that they are from the same sac, but who knows. The 2 have tolerated each other just fine, but I wouldn't call them friends.

Anyway, I'm really fascinated by communal/social/sub-social spiders, so please keep us posted as to how your tank goes. There's someone on tarantulas.us who is keeping 4 OBT slings together, and thus far they have clumped together like pokies, rather than separating...

Huh? I keep hearing different things. well either way it should be fun to try

 

[Travis K]

I'd love to get my hands on some of the fabled "chicken spiders," but I'd imagine it will be a long time before they are readily available in the hobby.

You and me both!

My dream setup would be a 55 gal with small tree stump in the middle for the communal borrow with 5-15 spiders

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/spiderman.shtml
click on the sound link at the bottom.

 

[ahas]

Has anyone tried Cyriocosmus elegans communal tank? Is this possible?

Fred

 

[Scott C.]

Huh? I keep hearing different things. well either way it should be fun to try

That's because there are not very many rules etched in stone around this hobby bro.... All the more reason to share your experience when you have one

 

[hardlucktattoo]

That's because there are not very many rules etched in stone around this hobby bro.... All the more reason to share your experience when you have one

yea i am aware of that i was just stating that i have seen and heard of quite different scenarios where they were either huddled together like P. regalis communities or where they were simply tolerant there really was no need to post it as a response other than thinking out loud/in type