H. gigas question

[baconmushroom]

I bought an h. gigas together with a 2" a. versicolor, by the way the gigas is at around 3"..so went home with my new T, put some vermi-coco peat mix on the critter keeper..kept it as clean and as neat as possible..haha! next morning when i woke up my gigas borrowed and the crit keeper was a mess!

so question is, will I ever see my T again on top of the substrate with all its glory?

number 2 question is when it borrows, how long will it be down there, and should fix the substrate again??

last question is how many times shoud I mist the substrate.


replies would be appreciated..:drool:

 

[jonnyquong]

These are questions that should probably been asked before the purchase, :wall: but since they weren't...

...so question is, will I ever see my T again on top of the substrate with all its glory?

Probably not... maybe at night.

number 2 question is when it borrows, how long will it be down there, and should fix the substrate again??

It will remain in it's burrow nearly all the time, although it will come out at night to feed. Also, once a male matures, it will leave the burrow in search of a female. I've given up on trying to make all my enclosures look the way I want them, instead allowing the occupants to redecorate as they see fit.

last question is how many times shoud I mist the substrate.

This is a swamp spider, like T blondi, and likes the substrate moist. Some keepers provide a "swimming bowl", large enough for the spider to immerse itself entirely.

Best of luck with your new kids!

 

[baconmushroom]

thanks for the quick reply very informative..I'm planning to rehouse it in a 20gl tank when it comes biggger though, put a lil swimming pool for the fella!!

I've also read they make elaborate tunnels,how many inches of substrate should you recommend for a 3 incher?

 

[jbm150]

Nice pickups, I just got my first H. gigas yesterday as well. Chances are, it'll have burrows running throughout it's enclosure so you should at least be able to see parts of it periodically. As for whether you'll see it out at the surface, well, if you do, cherish the moments

Most of my pet holes spend some time at the surface at night, its just a matter of catching them out. Try to be as unobtrusive as possible to make it feel comfortable and maybe yours will be more display-worthy.

At the very least, you'll see it during rehousings.

 

[baconmushroom]

yeah, i only took two pictures of him (assuming its a male from what i saw) before he borrowed to the netherworld. i can only see his underside at the bottom part of the crit keeper.

do this sp. have sex dimorphism as well? i saw one of the threads here, the "she" is like black and the "he" is brownish..is that correct?:?

 

[jbm150]

I'm not entirely sure. I think upon maturing, the male has the usual dimorphism.

H. gigas changes color around molts. Post molt, they're a rich black color but after a period of time, they become a brown or burnt red color. From what I understand, H. crassipes doesn't have this color change and is diagnostic of the species (gigas). Thats probably the color difference you've seen, differences in molt stage.

 

[baconmushroom]

that's explains alot..thank you so much for the information. very helpful..I'll have to feed him when I get home soon..thank you so much!

Good luck on your H. gigas as well!! hoping the best for you and your T's!

 

[archieph]

love this genus!!

been going crazy over this genus as of late.. would be nice if u post a pic

 

[baconmushroom]

I will in a couple of days...hopefully I can have a decent picture of this young bloke. but as i've said in the previous post, I can only see the underside since his at the bottom chillin' and doing his thing..:}

 

[jonnyquong]

I've also read they make elaborate tunnels,how many inches of substrate should you recommend for a 3 incher?

I filled Stabby's (my H. gigas) enclosure so there was just enough room on the surface (between the lid and the substrate) for him to molt, just in case that's where he decided to do it. ( I don't recall him ever molting on the surface, though.) Since he loves to burrow, no point in wasting space or providing possible conditions for a fall!

 

[baconmushroom]

I filled Stabby's (my H. gigas) enclosure so there was just enough room on the surface (between the lid and the substrate) for him to molt, just in case that's where he decided to do it. ( I don't recall him ever molting on the surface, though.) Since he loves to burrow, no point in wasting space or providing possible conditions for a fall!

So basically all things they do is done underground...I just need to fill up the crit keeper with more substrate then, but not to the point thats its all filled up, just to be clear on that.

So it doesn't need a bottle cap in the enclosure then? cause all Hades (H. gigas, sorry very much into greek mythology) did was cover the cap with dirt.:clap:

 

[jbm150]

I'd still work to keep the dish cleared. You may wait until its finished excavating, then put it in away from any burrow entrances, if possible. If it comes out looking for water, especially before molting, it'd be good if it had it.


Love the name Hades for a gigas, I might have to steal that myself

 

[jonnyquong]

So it doesn't need a bottle cap in the enclosure then? cause all Hades (H. gigas, sorry very much into greek mythology) did was cover the cap with dirt.:clap:

I gave up on the cap after a while, opting to mist as needed to keep the humidity up and provide some surface moisture for drinking. It seemed to be less disturbing to the spider than digging through the substrate to find the cap!

 

[archieph]

my hysterocrates swimming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AjtbhAjWlg

 

[KoriTamashii]

I filled Stabby's (my H. gigas) enclosure so there was just enough room on the surface (between the lid and the substrate) for him to molt, just in case that's where he decided to do it. ( I don't recall him ever molting on the surface, though.) Since he loves to burrow, no point in wasting space or providing possible conditions for a fall!

Stabby? How did he earn THAT name?

 

[jonnyquong]

Stabby? How did he earn THAT name?

He didn't really earn his name, he may have told me what it was, or I made it up one night after too much 151 rum. (...or both! )

 

[KoriTamashii]

He didn't really earn his name, he may have told me what it was, or I made it up one night after too much 151 rum. (...or both! )

151 is WICKED stuff. My friends and I liken it to swallowing a flaming cactus.

Anyhow, back on topic...

As it's been said, you're really only likely to see the H. gigas at night. Mine's almost always out at night, chillin' by her water dish. Or sometimes in it.

 

[baconmushroom]

I'd still work to keep the dish cleared. You may wait until its finished excavating, then put it in away from any burrow entrances, if possible. If it comes out looking for water, especially before molting, it'd be good if it had it.

Will do good sir..thanks for all your advices!! much appreciated!!!


cheers!

 

[billopelma]

Don't fill the container too full with substrate, leave some room as they'll excavate a lot of it from the bottom and fill some of the top in.
Not likely indicative for all but I have a 1:2 communal and the both females are very skittish and always underground while the male is less nervous and always out on top. The male is now mature but it's been this way pretty much since they were slings.
Also seems like the females stay a little darker than the males.


Bill

 

[baconmushroom]

well noted bill, thanks! do you have any further suggestions with regards to the bottle cap dillema?