How many Ts can I/you keep communaly

[DapperT]

I was looking at Arachnophilliacs and saw that they were selling 10 1 1/2" - 2" M. balfouri slings. I don't have the space for them but I did want to know if this is too many spiders or if this is a normal amount.

 

[vancwa]

I would not risk it. Why waste money through cannibalization. T's are solitary.

 

[kingshockey]

you can keep them all if you keep the singly stacked/lined like a prison teir

 

[Tarantuland]

I was looking at Arachnophilliacs and saw that they were selling 10 1 1/2" - 2" M. balfouri slings. I don't have the space for them but I did want to know if this is too many spiders or if this is a normal amount.

If you keep them together, you can do as few or as many as you want. There is always a risk of cannibalism though. Balfouri seem to do better communally than any other species, but people here are going to discourage you from doing a communal.

 

[HeartBum]

"Can" and "should" are two totally different matters. Breeders have jumped on the communal bandwagon because it's a good excuse for them to bulk-sell T's. The optimum number is one.

 

[greeneyedelle]

As many as you'd like the reigning champion to conquer before s/he can be titled *shrug*

I jest, but in all seriousness, is it really worth running the risk of cannibalism?

 

[Matt Man]

none.

 

[vicareux]

I keep and always have kept my 1 M.balfouri solitary, and she acts like any other T in my collection. I have a feeling people get the wrong idea by sellers that M.balfouris HAVE to be kept together . If you don't have space, just get one and keep it that way.

The other thing that would put me off of M.balfouri communals, other than cannibalism, the thing that no one mentions, would be uncontrolled breeding. Imagine raising 5-10 balfouris to adulthood, only to find your enclosure filled with tiny slings one morning. I would not want to deal with that

 

[DaveM]

You can try to keep as many as you want together, but then it's no longer completely under your control how many will still be in there.

 

[Matt Man]

somebody with a large empty garage: Please build a GIANT M. Balfouri Communal. I am thinking 15 feet by 18 feet for many half a dozen adults. This, I am guessing would perhaps work without any cannibalism.

Edit: FTR 'communal sling sales' are more about reducing inventory than they are about the long term heath and existence of the Ts

 

[Tarantuland]

I keep and always have kept my 1 M.balfouri solitary, and she acts like any other T in my collection. I have a feeling people get the wrong idea by sellers that M.balfouris HAVE to be kept together . If you don't have space, just get one and keep it that way.

The other thing that would put me off of M.balfouri communals, other than cannibalism, the thing that no one mentions, would be uncontrolled breeding. Imagine raising 5-10 balfouris to adulthood, only to find your enclosure filled with tiny slings one morning. I would not want to deal with that

I mean the males would mature faster than the females, and they have small hammock style sacks, so it’s not like you’d have 200 without noticing. But I’ve seen pictures of multiple generations with slings in it and it does look overwhelming to deal with lol

 

[Wolfram1]

They do cannibalise each other but its rare. They can also breed in a communal but most sacks are eaten.

 

[DaveM]

somebody with a large empty garage: Please build a GIANT M. Balfouri Communal. I am thinking 15 feet by 18 feet for many half a dozen adults. This, I am guessing would perhaps work without any cannibalism.

Some believe that restricting the space, so that the spiders are always in proximity and always aware of each other, that this reduces cannibalism over giving lots of space where there could be surprise encounters.

However, I prefer your idea. Then go bragging all over the place that you keep a Bentley in your garage with the key in the ignition, and you don't even feel the need to lock your garage due to how low the crime is in your area. Of course, you take an Uber to work and to your girlfriend's place each night so not to rack up miles on your Bentley. Yes, you're hardly ever home.
Then one of these nights some criminal will sneak into the horror film of his nightmares. Be sure to catch this with night vision cameras and post videos for us on AB

 

[chanda]

Some believe that restricting the space, so that the spiders are always in proximity and always aware of each other, that this reduces cannibalism over giving lots of space where there could be surprise encounters.

However, I prefer your idea. Then go bragging all over the place that you keep a Bentley in your garage with the key in the ignition, and you don't even feel the need to lock your garage due to how low the crime is in your area. Of course, you take an Uber to work and to your girlfriend's place each night so not to rack up miles on your Bentley. Yes, you're hardly ever home.
Then one of these nights some criminal will sneak into the horror film of his nightmares. Be sure to catch this with night vision cameras and post videos for us on AB

If you really want to make it a nightmare scenario for a potential thief, you can't go wrong with Trichonephila. Lots and lots of Trichonephila. Those big webs in the face would be much more effective than fossorial spiders like balfouri that will just run down their burrows and hide.

 

[moricollins]

They do cannibalise each other but its rare. They can also breed in a communal but most sacks are eaten.

I think you and I have different definitions of the word "rare".

 

[Wolfram1]

I think you and I have different definitions of the word "rare".

we can debate it all you like, i am not necessarily a fan of M. balfouri communals myself but i have a friend who keeps a communal, who i have been asking holes into
experiences are more valuable than opinions

over the years he mixed-into and separated-out a second communal for another friend who spent half a year abroad, the spiders were all larger juveniles then, NO LOSSES
since he can't be sure he gave back the exact ones the current group is probably still a mix of the 2
they matured and he gave a few MM away, 1 male died of natural causes 2 are still in there as well as 8 females, no losses

found a sack, hatched it, found a second sack, left it
sack in the group got eaten a few days later

cannibalism was intense in L3, no cases in N1, a few cases of cannibalism in N2
they are now in N2 and N3 and started burrowing so its impossible to follow along but there will most likely be some minor cannibalism

 

[Matt Man]

Some believe that restricting the space, so that the spiders are always in proximity and always aware of each other, that this reduces cannibalism over giving lots of space where there could be surprise encounters.

However, I prefer your idea. Then go bragging all over the place that you keep a Bentley in your garage with the key in the ignition, and you don't even feel the need to lock your garage due to how low the crime is in your area. Of course, you take an Uber to work and to your girlfriend's place each night so not to rack up miles on your Bentley. Yes, you're hardly ever home.
Then one of these nights some criminal will sneak into the horror film of his nightmares. Be sure to catch this with night vision cameras and post videos for us on AB

restricting space means territorial conflict over resources which typically results in cannibalism.
keeping them in close proximity I am guessing is in denial of their basic biology, which is why the close quarters experiments fail. I've yet to see one work long term with adults with results. That's why someone needs to do an experiment with a large enclosure.
If someone wants to send me to Socotra Island I will go do the research and find an average spacing for in the wild species

 

[jrh3]

"Can" and "should" are two totally different matters. Breeders have jumped on the communal bandwagon because it's a good excuse for them to bulk-sell T's. The optimum number is one.

its not an excuse to sell them in bulk, there has been enough evidence and successful balfouri communal setup to suggest they do fine together. No in the wild it has not been found but I have witnessed myself as well as people keeping successful for over 3 generations of offspring with 100% success. I can’t say this for any other species.

 

[moricollins]

But there will most likely some be minor cannibalism

So it's NOT RARE then. "Minor" cannibalism is still cannibalism

 

[Wolfram1]

Agreed, anyone telling you there is none doesn't know what they are talking about
did you ever wonder why Dave (Youtube) just pulled, i think 9 or 10 slings out of his communal? They lay up to 100 eggs.

It is strange however that at the later stages in life there seems to be almost none, there is probably still a chance but it is rare

edit: i am not trying to advocate for communals, i think you got that mixed up somehow