Heating question for Amblypygi, D. Medius

Blackbird

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
10
Hello there, I have a Damon Medius male. He was sold to me as a D. Variegatus, but he's most definitely a D. Medius.

I've had him for just a little over a year and he molted this summer. He is a quite large specimen, around 4 cm or almost 2 inches in body length with big ass pedipalps, he's a beauty.

Now for my question; I live in sweden, and the vast majority of the year tends to be pretty cold for a tropical species.
The temperature in his tank rarely exceeds 20°c (68°F) and can easily drop to about 18°c or 64°F in the winter months. I tried keeping the heat in by covering his tank with a blanket, but clearly that's not a viable solution.
This year in sweden we had a very warm summer, the temperature in his tank reached around 25°c (77°F) and I immeditaly noticed that he became much more active, alert and had a higher appetite.
Normally he only eats about once a month, which worries me at times, but during these hot summer months he ate once ever other week or more.

I know that they are supposed to be fine in room tempereatures, but I noticed a clear difference in his mood. He can be quite lethargic but this summer he was full of life.
I want to find a good solution before winter hits again in full force, and I've been looking around a bit for heating mats but I'm not sure if that's the best option.

I wanted to ask what kind of heating you would recommend for my little boy, clearly it doesn't have to be something advanced, just enough to keep the temp at a stable level.
Also, should I be concerned about his sporadic eating habits? He's very thin at the moment yet he keeps ignoring the cricket in his tank. This has happened before, but it still worries me a bit.

Any input would be very appreciated, thanks!
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,606
18º is about the lowest these can tolerate, and it's definitely not where you want them to stay for long periods of time. The best option is to heat the room it's in to at least 20º, but if that is not a viable option, there are a few different ways to handle this that are safe for the animal. You can get a heating pad and attach it to a wall or board placed a centimetre or two away from the side of the enclosure. You can put the enclosure inside a cupboard or a large ventilated plastic tub and heat that space with one of the many products designed for vivariums. Regardless of how you decide to tackle this, you definitely want to be careful that the animal cannot come into contact with the heat source, and that if you use a focused heat source like a mat, there is a temperature gradient so that the animal can move away if it becomes too warm. That means you don't want the heat to be concentrated at the bottom (where it will go to cool down on the substrate) or behind the climbing surface. Also keep in mind that adding heating will dry the substrate faster, so you'll want to keep an eye on that, particularly if you have very dry air in winter.
 

Blackbird

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
10
18º is about the lowest these can tolerate, and it's definitely not where you want them to stay for long periods of time. The best option is to heat the room it's in to at least 20º, but if that is not a viable option, there are a few different ways to handle this that are safe for the animal. You can get a heating pad and attach it to a wall or board placed a centimetre or two away from the side of the enclosure. You can put the enclosure inside a cupboard or a large ventilated plastic tub and heat that space with one of the many products designed for vivariums. Regardless of how you decide to tackle this, you definitely want to be careful that the animal cannot come into contact with the heat source, and that if you use a focused heat source like a mat, there is a temperature gradient so that the animal can move away if it becomes too warm. That means you don't want the heat to be concentrated at the bottom (where it will go to cool down on the substrate) or behind the climbing surface. Also keep in mind that adding heating will dry the substrate faster, so you'll want to keep an eye on that, particularly if you have very dry air in winter.
Thank you for this very detailed answer. I bought a small heat mat, 50hz and 8w, it was the "lightest" option I could find, but I haven't attached it to anything yet.

Question; why can't I attach it directlly to the glass, where he couldn't climb anyway and it would be on the side he doesn't really venture to?? (higher up so he couldn't get into contact with it)
 

schmiggle

Arachnoking
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
2,220
Question; why can't I attach it directlly to the glass, where he couldn't climb anyway and it would be on the side he doesn't really venture to??
Not sure if this is the reason, but I cracked a glass terrarium doing this with a heat lamp once. I think heating pads are weaker though.
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
1,606
Not sure if this is the reason, but I cracked a glass terrarium doing this with a heat lamp once. I think heating pads are weaker though.
yeah depending hot how it gets it can damage the enclosure. If you’re confident it’s not capable of getting hot enough to do that, AND there’s no way the animal can be in contact with the hot surface, then you can disregard this precaution - I just prefer to err on the side of caution where my animals are concerned, and I don’t like to recommend anything that may be risky.
 

Blackbird

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
10
yeah depending hot how it gets it can damage the enclosure. If you’re confident it’s not capable of getting hot enough to do that, AND there’s no way the animal can be in contact with the hot surface, then you can disregard this precaution - I just prefer to err on the side of caution where my animals are concerned, and I don’t like to recommend anything that may be risky.
I see, thank you very much for the help!
 

CousinM

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
8
For some of my critters I keep my door shut with a space heater on low in my room. A CHE can be used if you have a mesh top enclosure but then you'll have to mist WAY more because they eat up the humidity. You can also insulate the enclosure with foam or towels.
 
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