Husbandry Workstations

[l4nsky]

Hola,

So, I've always used a safety tote when I work with the animals in my collection, whether it's a rehouse or just simply filling the water bowl. Some enclosures are too heavy to move, but for the most part, if an enclosure is opened, it's opened in the tote. Over the years, the safety tote has evolved into a full work station as I've dialed in my efficiency during husbandry and here it is currently:


I have a trash can to my left, lateralis colony to my right, sorting bowls I use to grab feeders from the colony underneath, a roll of paper towels mounted to the wall, and a light behind the table/tote so I can have a well lit workspace. On the back right, I have a variety of 12" and 15" tongs hanging on the edge of the tote and a small water sprayer. On the back left, I have two wire hangers that hold a 15" hemostat and a 15" pair of aquascaping scissors on the outside of the tote and a tape measure on the inside. Inside the tote, I have a catchcup in the back left corner, various small cups for grabbing feeders from the sorting bowls in the back right corner, and a medium piece of tupperware in the front left corner that's used as a small trashcan (I keep the big trashcan closed during husbandry because I don't want to try and find an escapee in the garbage lol). On the table in front of the tote, I have a few odds and ends like a piece of cardboard for slipping under a catchcup, various paintbrushes and prodding sticks, as well as some masking tape and markers for writing small notes on enclosures. One improvement I plan on making in the near future is upgrading my watering ability. I have a lot of moisture dependent species and I'll usually have to refill my water sprayer once when I'm taking care of every enclosure. What I'm thinking of doing is getting a 1-2 gallon garden sprayer, placing it on a shelf behind the work station, and attaching the spray wand to a retractable leash suspended from the ceiling so it's out of the way and accessible all at once.

Anyone else have a dedicated workspace and how do you have it setup?

 

[Finikan]

I feel so humbled. All my Ts are on an old heavy Starbucks display and I just use a simple large tote on the kitchen floor during rehouses and maintenance. It's nothing extravagant. I'm going to rethink some things now.

Beautiful setup!

 

[l4nsky]

I feel so humbled. All my Ts are on an old heavy Starbucks display and I just use a simple large tote on the kitchen floor during rehouses and maintenance. It's nothing extravagant. I'm going to rethink some things now.

Beautiful setup!

That's how I started as well, just a big tote. It doesn't have to be extravagant, it just has to work for you . I'm a big fan of efficiency and as my collection has grown over the years, I've been looking of ways to streamline my husbandry and this is the result. Give it a few years and yours will likely naturally evolve just like mine.

 

[Finikan]

Give it a few years and yours will likely naturally evolve just like mine.

I already have a nice big room picked out for them when they outgrow my kitchen display.

 

[USNGunner]

I love that. Very jealous. While I do essentially the same thing on my stainless steel prep table, we have to set it up each time. Ah, one day...............................

 

[Chris LXXIX]

One thing I can say without doubts after watching a nice amount of pics you posted, is that I really appreciate how organized and neat you seem to be. I hate messy places, mess in general

 

[YungRasputin]

I have something real similar - i use an old coffee table with a large tub on top, and the tub itself fits neatly within the top of the table which has raised edges however i usually keep my tools in an open space on my bookshelf that houses enclosures and then when I need them I place them to the side of the tub - i primarily use it with my OW’s (feeding, maintenance, rehousing, etc) or if i’m rehousing new worlds

the tools i use are paintbrushes, tongs, catch cups, mask, and watering systems - i will soon be adding puncture proof gloves that police wear during searches to the mix as well

 

[viper69]

That's how I started as well, just a big tote. It doesn't have to be extravagant, it just has to work for you . I'm a big fan of efficiency and as my collection has grown over the years, I've been looking of ways to streamline my husbandry and this is the result. Give it a few years and yours will likely naturally evolve just like mine.

Why does the catch up have a central handle? Easier for you?

 

[l4nsky]

Why does the catch up have a central handle? Easier for you?

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/reinventing-the-catch-cup.320788/

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/reinventing-the-catch-cup.320788/post-2944223

I use Mainstay enclosures almost exclusively for my collection and 32 oz deli's are a perfect fit for the openings on both half gallon and gallon mainstays. By having a handle on it, I keep a clear view into the enclosure from the top down and I can rotate the whole catchcup like a tank turret, so I can get a prodding stick through the slot near the opening of the catchcup and get an angle on the tarantula anywhere in the enclosure without giving them an option to escape. Also, when I'm dealing with larger specimens in Sterilite enclosures, it keeps my fingers a bit farther away from them when I cup them and my hand isn't in the way so I have a clear visual as I go for the capture.

 

[LucN]

Wow ! Now that's what I call organized. I'm nowhere that good. I just use my bed to do whatever maintenance I need to get done. Got one pair of long tongs to fish out boluses, old molts, uneaten prey items, the water dish for cleaning, etc... I have a spray bottle for giving water, now before anybody panics, I don't use the spray mechanism, I just remove it and pour water into the dish. My Ts are quite settled in what should be their final enclosures, so no need for rehousing unless an enclosure gets broken (I use Kritter Keepers, so not likely) in some way or other. Junk is placed into what I use as the cricket container and is dumped into the toilet. Of course, that container gets rinsed with hot water afterwards.

For the time being, my collection remains modest, thus maintenance is quick and easy.

 

[l4nsky]

I have a spray bottle for giving water, now before anybody panics, I don't use the spray mechanism, I just remove it and pour water into the dish.

I do. I use it with the nozzle on stream to fill water bowls and add water to the substrate. I use the mist setting to spray webbing and enclosure walls for slings kept without water bowls. What you don't want to use it for is adding moisture to the substrate via misting. The mist doesn't penetrate into the soil and won't adequately ensure a stable, consistent humidity level.

 

[LucN]

I do. I use it with the nozzle on stream to fill water bowls and add water to the substrate. I use the mist setting to spray webbing and enclosure walls for slings kept without water bowls. What you don't want to use it for is adding moisture to the substrate via misting. The mist doesn't penetrate into the soil and won't adequately ensure a stable, consistent humidity level.

Well, I currently have no slings nor Arboreal species that would probably drink droplets off the wall, only Arid terrestrials, therefore there is really no need for misting. However, in those circumstances, I can see the use.

 

[Edan bandoot]

I have a 2ft long shallow plastic crate that I do all my sling maintenance in.

I keep 2 catch cups, a water cup, a water dropper, a straw, half a water bottle and 2 different size cardboard pieces in there. (for rehouses)

I also have 2 different size tweezers and a spray bottle, but I keep those up in the spider room.

 

[Finikan]

My modest tarantula zone. Most of my slings are kept on the top of the display case, tote for rehousing and maintenance, catch cups are usually extra enclosures according to the spiders size. Paintbrushes for rehousing are long handled artists brushes that I don't use for painting. As these grow, I'll be building shelves and having a more permanent work station in the back bedroom.

 

[l4nsky]

Upgrades. Added a dubia colony, wall mounted UV bug trap, Rubbermaid Fasttrack modular shelving system on the wall, a 1.85 gallon pressure sprayer with the wand attached to a tool balancer suspended from the ceiling, and some smaller roach enclosures on the shelf that I put lateralis ootheca in from the colony (so I have pinhead lateralis in reach for slings).

 

[Westicles]

View attachment 408480
Upgrades. Added a dubia colony, wall mounted UV bug trap, Rubbermaid Fasttrack modular shelving system on the wall, a 1.85 gallon pressure sprayer with the wand attached to a tool balancer suspended from the ceiling, and some smaller roach enclosures on the shelf that I put lateralis ootheca in from the colony (so I have pinhead lateralis in reach for slings).

Your pics and ingenuity never cease to amaze! Thanks again for sharing!

 

[l4nsky]

Sneak peek of v3, now condensed and on wheels. Still have a few things on order, a few things still to be found, and a few things still to build. I'll get into the nitty gritty once I'm completely satisfied with the project, but I'm already seeing significant improvements in the time it takes for weekly husbandry rounds .

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

View attachment 469571
Sneak peek of v3, now condensed and on wheels. Still have a few things on order, a few things still to be found, and a few things still to build. I'll get into the nitty gritty once I'm completely satisfied with the project, but I'm already seeing significant improvements in the time it takes for weekly husbandry rounds .

What type of containers are those ? I haven’t seen any at Walmart or target here. Very nice station best I can do is use a bin a catch cup and tweezers if needed. I’ll probably be sticking to slower species until I move out .

 

[l4nsky]

What type of containers are those ? I haven’t seen any at Walmart or target here. Very nice station best I can do is use a bin a catch cup and tweezers if needed. I’ll probably be sticking to slower species until I move out .

The roach colonies? They're 103 qt. Black Weathertight Totes with Wheels from The Container Store, SKU 10077444. A tote, catch cup, and some tongs is where I started out too .