Hogna carolinensis

[Ratmosphere]

Is keeping a wolf spider similar to keeping a tarantula? I've been thinking about getting one. The species is a wild caught Hogna carolinensis.

 

[Venom1080]

i used to catch wolf spiders all the time and keep them for pretty long too, i kept them in small kritter keepers with humidity and temp like a rose hair tarantula.

 

[Widow lover]

A water dish is very important with wolfies, they get thirsty. .

I keep all sorts, they like a deep substrate as well for when it's time to lay eggs

 

[14pokies]

I keep mine in spacious enclosures around 6×6 inches because they are athletic hunters (they will be out almost everynight searching for food) i use about 3 inches of slightly moistened sub wich they use to make a shallow burrow.

Give them a shallow water dish and some pieces of bark and a dead leave or two to explore and hide in around and under.. I feed mine 2-3 times a week and they never seem to get overly fat...

They have a wicked feeding responce and will chase down and pounce on water you toss in there..

 

[Ratmosphere]

Do mites or parasites tend to come with this species since it's wild caught?

 

[14pokies]

Do mites or parasites tend to come with this species since it's wild caught?

Its always a possibility.. I don't think they are prone to parasitism more or less than any other species.. Its always good to keep any new bugs away from your main collection for a couple of weeks to make sure it doesn't show any signs of illness.

Really though unless you breed your own feeders the risk of mites and parasites is constant. I wouldn't make myself gray with worry though i been keeping arachnids for over 20yrs and have had virtually no problems with mites and parasites and back then everything was wild caught..

Just inspect the spider well before you buy it if possible and if you cant just give it a thourough look when you unpack it..

 

[Hisserdude]

Ah hey Ratmosphere, you made it here after all! I don't have much experience with Hogna, but I have kept Trochosa sp before, they are easy to keep. I kept mine in a Tupperware with moist coconut fiber as the substrate and a piece of cardboard as a hide. She produced an egg sack and sealed herself off in the cardboard, and a few weeks later there were tons of slings on her back! I don't think many of them come with parasites, but it is always a possibility with WC inverts.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Wow! Thanks guys. How are their temperaments?

 

[14pokies]

Use tonges they think everything in there enclosure is food! Slightly skittish but if your gentle opening there enclosures they usually will stay still watching to see if you are gonna drop some food in.. Rehousing can be fun if they decide to bolt... They're very fast..

 

[Ratmosphere]

Maybe this would be a good opportunity to train for a fast tarantula species. I still have a lot of thinking to do.

 

[ReignofInvertebrates]

H. carolinensis is by far my favorite true spider species. If my females would quit eating their sacs I'd have tons of spiderlings right now lol.. Wolfies are terrestrial, so "training" for arboreal Tarantula management won't help much, but If you mean ground dwelling Ts i would say so. It is a pain to rehouse some of my aggressive specimens. Wish they were a bit more docile, but it's part of why they are so easily receptive of food.

 

[pannaking22]

Most lycosids prefer it a bit more damp than most tarantulas, but there's always variations, especially with a huge family like Lycosidae. Not sure if I would call them a good beginner before tarantulas, especially because they have a very short life span, but they are still a blast to keep and I wholeheartedly recommend them

 

[The Snark]

Your advantage in training with a Lycosid is they can't climb for beans. So you get a durable fast active hunter that is relatively easy to keep contained. Just don't get lulled into a sense of false security or assume that a Sparassid or some Ts will be similarly impaired.

 

[Ratmosphere]

Thanks for the tips.