Haplopelma lividum substrate help.

[ragnarok]

I got my T about 5 months ago I enjoy her very much, I had a cage set up by the pet store 20gallon glass with screen on top.Recently I just changed the substrate with coco fiber I put a hole in the soil but she wont burrow.What is the best to use?I heard of peat moss and vermiculite blend I dont know what that is or where to get it? I looked and looked can someone tell me the brand name of each they used with picture would really help Thanks.

 

[Jsav209]

too much space?

Im just a nooB myself, but i think maybe 20 gal is a bit too much, Ive got my 4" H Lividum "Skitz" in a 5 gal with coco fiber and it only comes out of its burrow at nights if at all. I made his/her burrow out of a half cone shaped cardboard cut out, put a curve in it buried it and placed a small piece of bark at the entrance kind of like a door step if you will. It did a little more burrowing itself but i think she loves it. as you can see Skitz buried the bark and webbed up the entrance, im glad "shes" not too terribly shy, but like most very skittish.

Any guesses on the sex?

 

[Rob1985]

well... first of all, how big is your T? Hit up Lowes, they have Organic Peat Moss. Make 100% sure that it is Organic! It comes in a big brick form. I fill up a bread mold and then put it in the oven at 250°F for 10-15 minutes to kill off any bugs and what not. I let it cool down and then put in the enclosures, etc.

I have never used vermiculite and probably never will.

---------- Post added at 03:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:18 AM ----------

Im just a nooB myself, but i think maybe 20 gal is a bit too much, Ive got my 4" H Lividum "Skitz" in a 5 gal with coco fiber and it only comes out of its burrow at nights if at all. I made his/her burrow out of a half cone shaped cardboard cut out, put a curve in it buried it and placed a small piece of bark at the entrance kind of like a door step if you will. It did a little more burrowing itself but i think she loves it. as you can see Skitz buried the bark and webbed up the entrance, im glad "shes" not too terribly shy, but like most very skittish.

Any guesses on the sex?

do you have any molts?

 

[Jsav209]

[/COLOR] do you have any molts?

Not yet, ive only had it for about two months now hopefully soon...

 

[sircris0328]

I used coco peat & i even provide hide with my 6" female Lividum and here it is now

talk about useless hides & substrate!!!

 

[Rob1985]

I used coco peat & i even provide hide with my 6" female Lividum and here it is now

talk about useless hides & substrate!!!

she's in rare form... mine was inside her "hole" most of the time. It was rare to see her.

 

[Royal_T's]

IMO 20 gallon is far to large for her... I would suggest putting her into a 5 gallon (10 gallon at the most). I have a 3.5 inch female and I keep her in a medium Kritter Keeper filled 2/3 with substrate. I rescued her from LPS in florida I took her home and set her up and she started burrowing that night. I didn't put anything else in there with her, they are obligate burrowers and will make their own hide. I plan to put her in a 5 gallon soon but that is as big as I will go (even into adulthood). As far as substrate... I only use Eco-Earth (coco substrate) I have recently tried potting soil but coco is better (IMO).

 

[Spidershane1]

I got my T about 5 months ago I enjoy her very much, I had a cage set up by the pet store 20gallon glass with screen on top.Recently I just changed the substrate with coco fiber I put a hole in the soil but she wont burrow.What is the best to use?I heard of peat moss and vermiculite blend I dont know what that is or where to get it? I looked and looked can someone tell me the brand name of each they used with picture would really help Thanks.

As others have said, 20gal is more than you need. It certainly won't hurt or "stress" your T, but she will realistically only use maybe 10% of all that space. I got mine in a 5gal 'tall', and she uses only a fraction of the corner for a burrow. You can also use a big plastic jar, like the one cheeze poofs come in at Costco, or some other stoage container like that. As long its at least 10-12in tall and maybe 8in diameter, it will be fine.
But if you dont mind buying all the subtrate to fill a 20 gal with 10in, and all the wasted space of the big aquarium in your house, then the 20gal will work.

As far as substrate, coco fiber is fine. Thats what I use for my girl, as do many others. Peat/vermiculite blend will work too, but if you already have coco in there then there's no need to change it. Changing the type of substrate won't encourage her to burrow any more than the coco fiber that you're using. Just have at least 8in of substrate or more & nothing in there except a water dish and the T. You don't even need to start a burrow for her, she knows what to do and will burrow when she is ready.

Also keep the tank in a fairly dark place, because H lividum is super shy and you want her to be comfortable until she decides to burrow. If your room is bright during the day, just throw a t-shirt over half the tank. Mine took maybe 3-4 days to make her burrow, but its not unheard of to take a few weeks.

---------- Post added at 12:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:56 AM ----------

Im just a nooB myself, but i think maybe 20 gal is a bit too much, Ive got my 4" H Lividum "Skitz" in a 5 gal with coco fiber and it only comes out of its burrow at nights if at all. I made his/her burrow out of a half cone shaped cardboard cut out, put a curve in it buried it and placed a small piece of bark at the entrance kind of like a door step if you will. It did a little more burrowing itself but i think she loves it. as you can see Skitz buried the bark and webbed up the entrance, im glad "shes" not too terribly shy, but like most very skittish.

Any guesses on the sex?

I would definetly take out the cardboard because it will eventually start to mold, especially when its wedged under the substrate like that. The high humidity that a H lividum needs to be kept in will only speed up the molding as well. The mold will cause problems for the T, and the cardboard will eventually turn to mush anyway.
You can get a plastic flower pot for $1 and just cut that in half, or even cut a big styrofoam cup in half or an old peice od tupperware.
Or better yet, if you have deep enough subtrate, just take out the hide and let her burrow on her own.

Also, it looks female-ish to me as far as body structure goes, but at only 4in it's hard to tell the difference as they both can look similar as juvis/subadults.

 

[sircris0328]

she's in rare form... mine was inside her "hole" most of the time. It was rare to see her.

I think its because i did'nt put her in direct sunlight.. her enclo is inside my cabinet & i seldom peek at her. your welcome to try to do what i did & see if same result.

 

[sircris0328]

she's in rare form... mine was inside her "hole" most of the time. It was rare to see her.

I think maybe its because i did'nt put her in direct light. her enclo is inside my T cabinet. Your welcome to try if same works for you..

 

[phoenixxavierre]

I got my T about 5 months ago I enjoy her very much, I had a cage set up by the pet store 20gallon glass with screen on top.Recently I just changed the substrate with coco fiber I put a hole in the soil but she wont burrow.What is the best to use?I heard of peat moss and vermiculite blend I dont know what that is or where to get it? I looked and looked can someone tell me the brand name of each they used with picture would really help Thanks.

I've kept and bred H. lividum and have kept them in a mix of peat and potting soil, and have had them in both burrowing setups and arboreal setups. As was mentioned, you want something with no chemicals in it, so plain old peat with no additives, along with PLAIN potting soil, no added fertilizers or chemicals. It will say on the bag if there's some type of fertilizer in it. But I gotta warn you that you won't see much of her once she burrows, except late at night when the light are out, but then I suppose they all have different personalities, and by that I mean some prefer to be in an arboreal setup while other like to burrow. The setup size is entirely your choice. I think a 10 to 20 gallon tank is fine for any but the largest t's, which could even go in a 30 gallon. You just gotta make sure it's escape proof of course.

 

[BigJ999]

I use a mix of eco earth and pottting soil for mine and it seems to really like it.

 

[Jsav209]

I would definetly take out the cardboard because it will eventually start to mold, especially when its wedged under the substrate like that. The high humidity that a H lividum needs to be kept in will only speed up the molding as well. The mold will cause problems for the T, and the cardboard will eventually turn to mush anyway.
You can get a plastic flower pot for $1 and just cut that in half, or even cut a big styrofoam cup in half or an old peice od tupperware.
Or better yet, if you have deep enough subtrate, just take out the hide and let her burrow on her own.

Also, it looks female-ish to me as far as body structure goes, but at only 4in it's hard to tell the difference as they both can look similar as juvis/subadults.

I guess i didnt think about that, I will hook her up this weekend. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[ragnarok]

my T is pissed ;P

 

[ragnarok]

Im just a nooB myself, but i think maybe 20 gal is a bit too much, Ive got my 4" H Lividum "Skitz" in a 5 gal with coco fiber and it only comes out of its burrow at nights if at all. I made his/her burrow out of a half cone shaped cardboard cut out, put a curve in it buried it and placed a small piece of bark at the entrance kind of like a door step if you will. It did a little more burrowing itself but i think she loves it. as you can see Skitz buried the bark and webbed up the entrance, im glad "shes" not too terribly shy, but like most very skittish.

Any guesses on the sex?

Im not sure I think its a she...