Getting a Psalmopoeus irminia (Venezuelan Sun Tiger)

[skar]

I'm not sure what you mean. You mean I'm over thinking it because I go looking for it in the woods? I do that to save money because coco fiber is expensive when you're using as much of it as I do with all of my amphibians. I wasn't really questioning it's safety until Chris said it might not be good.

If that happens my girlfriend will DEFINITELY leave me XD She already says she won't sleep here after I get the suntiger, but I am calling her bluff

Like I said if it works for you cool . I don't think it would be harmful ... alltho I tried the getting wood from outside thing, and got mold aft about a day so .. idk.
The getting 20 spiders thing is just what seems to happen once you get 1 ... just sayin !!!!

 

[SamuraiSid]

Like I said if it works for you cool . I don't think it would be harmful ... alltho I tried the getting wood from outside thing, and got mold aft about a day so .. idk.

I've done this a bunch of times too. Never tried store bought before. Sometimes I get mold, sometimes I dont. isopods are on my list of things to try.

 

[Arachninja]

Bro just from my first eight P. irminias I have(which are two and a quarter inch slings I have noticed anything other than pure coco grows mold, and I mean everything even inoculated bamboo, wood, and soil. I dont know why the coco husk just does not support the mold spores ever preasent in our air. also peat and vermiculite do not as well as a mixture of all three. Inoculated mulch, compost and wild soil all however have allways produced mold for me, at least around the base of the medium where the soil line is. But you may be better off with a 3", good luck and to that irminia GOOD HUNTING, they are called "Suntiger" for a reason.

 

[NoSBoH]

I have one that recently molted, and is pushing 3 in. I see mine out all the time. It is also the fastest T I've owned, mind boggling. So far, very easy to keep, and very entertaining.

 

[Storm76]

This will be my first T. I had a group of slings two years ago, but the heat went out that winter while I was away from home and they did not survive the chill. They were still very small, maybe 1/2" each. I'm just now getting around to giving this another try.

Just see that you are prepared as much as possible...they -are- fast and can be a handful, though both of mine seem to be mellow compared with my cambridgei female.

My 3” P. irminia is kept at room temperature – usually around 72-75 degrees – I wet her substrate/moss once a week – the majority of her humidity is provided via a water bowl - I don't shoot for specific temperatures or humidity ranges . She prefers to burrow rather than climb/web – this seems to be the case with all my arboreal spiders - with the exception of my Avic. I won’t speak for the entire species, but my girl is very reclusive – she’ll take the occasional stroll – and her legs are often visible at the entrance of her burrow, but otherwise, I don’t see her very often. As you’ve probably heard, they can move extremely fast – from zero to teleport pretty much instantly. I’ve held mine on several occasions, but as she’s grown, she’s become a bit more defensive – so, I think my handling days are over (at least intentional handling).

They are absolutely gorgeous – congrats on the acquisition.

Mine are kept pretty much the same, though my 5" female is hiding for over a months now...they are very secretive and are known to hide most of the time, but strolling around their enclosures at night.


IMO, great choice. I started with a P. irminia and a B. smithi - never encountered a problem with them. Gorgeous looking T's for sure, one of the best looking in the hobby IMO. Post pics

 

[KingCam]

Like I said if it works for you cool . I don't think it would be harmful ... alltho I tried the getting wood from outside thing, and got mold aft about a day so .. idk.

I've done this a bunch of times too. Never tried store bought before. Sometimes I get mold, sometimes I dont. isopods are on my list of things to try.

Bro just from my first eight P. irminias I have(which are two and a quarter inch slings I have noticed anything other than pure coco grows mold, and I mean everything even inoculated bamboo, wood, and soil. I dont know why the coco husk just does not support the mold spores ever preasent in our air. also peat and vermiculite do not as well as a mixture of all three. Inoculated mulch, compost and wild soil all however have allways produced mold for me, at least around the base of the medium where the soil line is.

I culture temperate springtails which are excellent at controlling mold growth. I also culture sow bugs which eat fungi and other organic matter, including droppings. I'm hoping between these two tank janitors I won't have an issue with mold. I imagine the sow bugs will get eaten regularly by my tiger, but they are easily replaced. The springtails will be far too small for the t to hunt. I guess if mold does become a problem I'll just have to put the spider on pure coco fiber and admit I was wrong.

The getting 20 spiders thing is just what seems to happen once you get 1 ... just sayin !!!!

That must be true, because you're not the first person to say something like that to me. Kinda like getting your first tattoo right? Gotta keep getting more after that. (This is why I don't have a tattoo yet, haha)

But you may be better off with a 3", good luck and to that irminia GOOD HUNTING, they are called "Suntiger" for a reason.

Thank you! I am more excited to get her than I can express in written word XD

I have one that recently molted, and is pushing 3 in. I see mine out all the time. It is also the fastest T I've owned, mind boggling. So far, very easy to keep, and very entertaining.

Just see that you are prepared as much as possible...they -are- fast and can be a handful, though both of mine seem to be mellow compared with my cambridgei female.

I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for how fast she is gonna be, because everyone keeps warning me about that. Keep your fingers crossed for me, lol. Regardless, I am very excited to get her!

IMO, great choice. I started with a P. irminia and a B. smithi - never encountered a problem with them. Gorgeous looking T's for sure, one of the best looking in the hobby IMO. Post pics

Thank you. I'm quite pleased with my decision, and I haven't even received her yet, haha! I agree, they are beautiful. There are only a few species I like in appearance more that I've seen.



Thanks for all of the helpful advice, guys!

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

If you keep the substrate dry, you won't have to worry about mold.

 

[jen650s]

IMHO if you loose a girlfriend over a spider she probably wasn't worth keeping anyway...(unless she is truely arachnophobic) it's not like you are asking her to sleep with it. :laugh: Interfering with your SO's passions and interests in never good relationship material unless it is to learn more about it your self...

Back on topic, I am with the don't paint the aquarium backdrop crowd. Most hexagonal aquariums I've seen are acrylic and the carriers in some spray paints can damage the acrylic, plus if you don't put a bunch of time and energy into preping the tank it will flake off relatively fast even if you never touch it.

Oh I will, thanks!

haha, me too. I'm gonna feel really stupid if I lose a girlfriend over a spider XD

 

[KingCam]

IMHO if you loose a girlfriend over a spider she probably wasn't worth keeping anyway...(unless she is truely arachnophobic) it's not like you are asking her to sleep with it. :laugh: Interfering with your SO's passions and interests in never good relationship material unless it is to learn more about it your self...

I think she'll be fine with it. She did get bit by a spider a while back which led to some weird complications. The thing bit her on the arm, but the venom pooled up in a lymphnode on her shoulder blade/lower neck area. You can feel the knot that's still there from it. Since then she gets a fair amount of neck pain and stuff. Needless to say, she is not a fan of spiders.

Back on topic, I am with the don't paint the aquarium backdrop crowd. Most hexagonal aquariums I've seen are acrylic and the carriers in some spray paints can damage the acrylic, plus if you don't put a bunch of time and energy into preping the tank it will flake off relatively fast even if you never touch it.

This is an oldschool hex tank. It's glass, sadly three of the panels are cracked, but they are all next to each other, so I consider it the back. I will take your advice though, and not paint it.

 

[KingCam]

She arrived today I used sphagnum peat in the bottom, chunks of baked wood from the woods, and dry oak leaves all in one of those giant (3 gallon?) cheese puff jars. The lid is window screen with a heavy duty rubberband.

I am in love. She's gorgeous!!! (My GF disagrees, I think she's jealous XD)

EDIT: I am going to add live plants tomorrow. Forgot about them until after I put the spider in and I don't want to stress her out anymore tonight.

 

[Storm76]

Congrats You can slowly adjust that T to a more dry enviroment if you like. A nicely sized waterdish instead of misting will do the trick.