Species Heterothele gabonensis

[fish123]

These little tarantulas are not as popular as bigger ones. T.T:cry:

 

[viper69]

Seem great to me, but Catfish said they are pretty difficult to breed. He also said they were lightning fast relative to other fast OW Ts

How do you like yours and what are they like behavior wise etc

 

[le-thomas]

I've kept a related species, Heterothele villosella. Their speed was impressive, growth rate was fast and adult coloration showed up around .75 inches. Awesome little spider, but not for the faint of heart (like any OW, really). I had some difficulty keeping the slings alive, although I can't remember exactly why. I had a few mature as males and the other few died as slings (I think... my memory is bad).

I've gotta get back into this genus. Their webbing behavior is remarkable.

 

[viper69]

I've kept a related species, Heterothele villosella. Their speed was impressive, growth rate was fast and adult coloration showed up around .75 inches. Awesome little spider, but not for the faint of heart (like any OW, really). I had some difficulty keeping the slings alive, although I can't remember exactly why. I had a few mature as males and the other few died as slings (I think... my memory is bad).

I've gotta get back into this genus. Their webbing behavior is remarkable.

Thanks for the info. Webbing...dense like GBBs or just really intricate?

 

[MikeC]

Great pictures.
I've never understood why dwarf species aren't too popular. These are some of my favorites.

Thanks for the info. Webbing...dense like GBBs or just really intricate?

It's a little wispy compared to GBB webbing, but it's everywhere. Lots of intertwining tunnels, platforms, and burrows. Very cool to watch work.

Also fast as hell. Was one of the compelling reasons I stopped keeping mine communally.

 

[Storm76]

H. villosella are very nice T's. Honestly they're fast, but manageable. I've shown the female I kept during re-doing her cage some here => CLICKY

Extremely great webbers, like it dry with waterdish only, somewhat semi-arboreal tendencies from my obvservations. Which is why I had her cage set up the way I did in the video. She never burrowed although she had plenty of sub before that vid.

 

[viper69]

H. villosella are very nice T's. Honestly they're fast, but manageable. I've shown the female I kept during re-doing her cage some here => CLICKY

Extremely great webbers, like it dry with waterdish only, somewhat semi-arboreal tendencies from my obvservations. Which is why I had her cage set up the way I did in the video. She never burrowed although she had plenty of sub before that vid.

Great video MUCH appreciated. I love the dwarf Ts a lot. Haven't owned a dwarf OW yet, that's about to change.

 

[Storm76]

Great video MUCH appreciated. I love the dwarf Ts a lot. Haven't owned a dwarf OW yet, that's about to change.

Good choice. These and the blueish H. gabonensis both look very nice, but there are rumors their venom ranges on the H.mac side. Can't tell, since my girl never was defensive really and usual rather hid than going confrontational.

 

[viper69]

Good choice. These and the blueish H. gabonensis both look very nice, but there are rumors their venom ranges on the H.mac side. Can't tell, since my girl never was defensive really and usual rather hid than going confrontational.

Oh that is news for me. Such a powerful punch in a little package.

 

[awiec]

I would describe these as a cross between a Lycosid and Parasteatoda as mine are very fast (they can almost keep up with some of the native spiders) and have a large web system that goes all the way to the lid and they will sit in the middle of the cage web looking like a house spider. The issue with these is that the sacs are small and so the young need some more specialized care than species with larger instars. I swore off NW dwarfs after raising an H.sp Columbia to maturity as they are fast, neurotic and they can kick hairs so I figured I'd go with an OW this time around even if I risk a more potent bite.

 

[viper69]

I have 2 H sp Columbia that are just a few milliliters in size. The smallest Ts I'm attempting to raise. I love dwarf Ts myself.

But even at their diminutive size, I dropped in a tiny cricket and they POUNCED like older ones.

 

[Ashmo]

I never see anybody post photos of this tarantula and I think they are gorgeous. Rehoused mine last night and was able to get a photo. Would love to see others.

 

[arachnidgill]

My female is quite reclusive. I bought her as a sling a little over a year ago and pretty much only saw her during rehouses. These are the only two pictures I have:

Heterothele gabonensis adult female

 

[Ashmo]

My female is quite reclusive. I bought her as a sling a little over a year ago and pretty much only saw her during rehouses. These are the only two pictures I have:

Heterothele gabonensis adult female
View attachment 351651
View attachment 351652

I wish i saw mine more because they are gorgeous.

 

[Duke1907]

First of all, I consider myself a noob, having only been in the hobby a year. But I have an H gabonensis I got as about a 1/2" sling. I keep it semi-arboreally ( which seems to be generally recommended) with about 3" of sub. Was hoping that a taller enclosure would discourage webbing atw to the top, but no dice. Webbing is total. As others have stated, they'll web up everything, right to the top. Not exactly a blanket but intricate with lots of tunnels. I keep it a full water dish which I overflow occasionally. I have to destroy some webbing to take the dish out for cleaning, but once I put it back, it just webs to and over it again. Moisture seems to suit it just as drier conditions. Imo, there's no real preference there. It seems ok and able to deal with either extreme. It does hang out close to the dish, so maybe it prefers that moisture more. I also mist about once a month.
Idk if mine is male or female as it seems to hide it's molts
I'm terrible at ventral sexing but I have not seen one molt yet anyway, although I know it is happening. Apparently the molts are being incorporated into the sub or web tunnels.
I provide leaf litter and even sticks which I plant deep in the sub to simulate root systems.

This spider is fast, and I mean fast as heck. Be ready. This thread is over a month old, so you probably know that by now. If you do not, take notice lol.

Also this is one of the fastest growers I've ever seen, even for an OW dwarf, which of course it is. Doesn't eat often, maybe once a month, but does so voraciously and mercilessly. It may literally tear a cricket into shreds and eat the small pieces but at other times it takes the whole thing. If not hungry, it'll either leave the cricket alone (which makes it a pain to fish out) or simply bite it and kill it then deposit the corpse in it's water dish which is nice and gross. I feed bi- weekly. Normally I'd go by abdomen size, but I never see the abdomen, just the front legs at the "hang out" points.
My specimen is about 1 1/2" now (from what I can see) and appears to be quite settled and happy with it's set-up, which is a 4X4X6 that I think I got from Jamie's Tarantulas. It took about 6 months to grow a full inch.
I must confess that I dread rehoming this little one, which will have to happen soon. I've got a new enclosure waiting but It's like Marvel Comics fast. I love this spider. Very skittish and bolts quickly, but seems to allow me to work in it's enclosure without becoming agitated.
Not picky, not prone to deal with what it considers beneath it's attention. It's mentally tough, ( if that phrase applies) and I can't stress enough how fast it is. It's one of my favs of the collection and also one that I'm more cautious of, considering it's speed and the potential for a possibly debilitating bite. Venom is rumored to be pretty strong. In my experience it's a very hardy T.

 

[CEC]

Heterothele gabonensis
Adult Female.

 

[Duke1907]

I never see anybody post photos of this tarantula and I think they are gorgeous. Rehoused mine last night and was able to get a photo. Would love to see others. View attachment 351631

Would really appreciate hearing about your rehousing method. I've got a juvie H gabonensis I'm going to have to rehouse soon and any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I unboxed and homed it as a tiny sling but now it's a 1.5 inch juvie and fast as a mf. Lol. Incendentally, I've never seen webbing as thick or as high. It's crazy. Makes a GBB webbing look like a cream puff.

 

[Gaherp]

Definitely one of my favorite dwarf webbing species. I house my adults in acrylic containers I got from hobby lobby. The size is about perfect for their whole lives. The box dimensions is 8.5"x5.5"x6.5". As for rehousing they can be a bit quick but pretty easy to rehouse. The easiest method would be to put the smaller container into the new setup if it will fit and let the T venture out on its own. Good luck with your rehouse and glad to see more folks keeping this species.

 

[Duke1907]

Definitely one of my favorite dwarf webbing species. I house my adults in acrylic containers I got from hobby lobby. The size is about perfect for their whole lives. The box dimensions is 8.5"x5.5"x6.5". As for rehousing they can be a bit quick but pretty easy to rehouse. The easiest method would be to put the smaller container into the new setup if it will fit and let the T venture out on its own. Good luck with your rehouse and glad to see more folks keeping this species.
View attachment 422426

Yes thank you! I may have to do just that lol. I appreciate the advice!