I want to try something not tarantula but similar, two choices so far, advice?

[Nebs Tarantulas]

So I have been looking at Linothele Sericata and Harmonicon oiapoquea, is there any I should get before the other? Are they any different? What's the difference in attitude? Sorry for so many questions but I really want one of these and I wanna make sure I am prepared before hand and don't do anything that puts the little fellas in danger!

 

[klawfran3]

Their attitudes are basically the same. Shy, reclusive, and will bolt to hide when disturbed. Curtain webs all seem to have relatively similar personalities.
The Harmonicon will probably get a fair bit bigger than the linothele.

Neither can climb smooth surfaces, but both are very fast and will dash into their burrows. This makes it really easy to house them and keep them contained since they won't climb and escape when bolting like a tarantula does.

I have heard that they can be prone to molting issues with the Harmonicon when not kept moist enough, however.

 

[Nebs Tarantulas]

Their attitudes are basically the same. Shy, reclusive, and will bolt to hide when disturbed. Curtain webs all seem to have relatively similar personalities.
The Harmonicon will probably get a fair bit bigger than the linothele.

Neither can climb smooth surfaces, but both are very fast and will dash into their burrows. This makes it really easy to house them and keep them contained since they won't climb and escape when bolting like a tarantula does.

I have heard that they can be prone to molting issues with the Harmonicon when not kept moist enough, however.

Thank you very much for the info!

 

[klawfran3]

Their attitudes are basically the same. Shy, reclusive, and will bolt to hide when disturbed. Curtain webs all seem to have relatively similar personalities.
The Harmonicon will probably get a fair bit bigger than the linothele.

Neither can climb smooth surfaces, but both are very fast and will dash into their burrows. This makes it really easy to house them and keep them contained since they won't climb and escape when bolting like a tarantula does.

I have heard that they can be prone to molting issues with the Harmonicon when not kept moist enough, however.

Just replying to say that mine just passed due to being stuck in a failed molt, so I would confirm that they are prone to molting issues. I am unsure as to why it didn't molt properly, but it got stuck in the molt halfway through.

It was a great spider while it lasted though! Highly recommend still!

 

[darkness975]

If there is any residue on the glass it is possible for them to gain a foothold. Just FYI to anyone reading this.

 

[Kada]

If you are OK with slightly more venomous species, I really love Macrothelle species. gigas gets a decent size.

 

[Denn]

If there is any residue on the glass it is possible for them to gain a foothold. Just FYI to anyone reading this.

I second this.

I also don’t like to keep Dipluridae in any enclosure with a frontwards opening door, used them myself for years and others I know haven’t had a problem, but have had bad experiences with these enclosures with these spiders so stopped using them.


I don’t like too much side ventilation with these spiders anyway, especially with Harmonicon, and these exo’s with the front doors have large vent strips. Have had molting problems previously, they love it damp and I realised a while back now that unlike T’s they seem to flourish with little to no cross vents, and ever since I’ve housed them in enclosures with only minimal top vents, 6-9 reasonable sized holes, I guess it does better to keep the humidity constantly stable and can’t even remember the last time had a molting problem with one.

If you are OK with slightly more venomous species, I really love Macrothelle species. gigas gets a decent size.

Not just the venom… M. gigas can be pretty defensive sometimes, especially compared to any of my Dipluridae sp which I can’t even recall ever getting a threat pose from. M gigas is an amazing spider though! Am kind of a sucker for Dipluridae, Bemmeridae and Macrothele. They for sure are my favourite spider families.

 

[klawfran3]

I second this.

I also don’t like to keep Dipluridae in any enclosure with a frontwards opening door, used them myself for years and others I know haven’t had a problem, but have had bad experiences with these enclosures with these spiders so stopped using them.


I don’t like too much side ventilation with these spiders anyway, especially with Harmonicon, and these exo’s with the front doors have large vent strips. Have had molting problems previously, they love it damp and I realised a while back now that unlike T’s they seem to flourish with little to no cross vents, and ever since I’ve housed them in enclosures with only minimal top vents, 6-9 reasonable sized holes, I guess it does better to keep the humidity constantly stable and can’t even remember the last time had a molting problem with one.



Not just the venom… M. gigas can be pretty defensive sometimes, especially compared to any of my Dipluridae sp which I can’t even recall ever getting a threat pose from. M gigas is an amazing spider though! Am kind of a sucker for Dipluridae, Bemmeridae and Macrothele. They for sure are my favourite spider families.

Good to know, when I try them again I'll keep that in mind. I had barely any cross ventilation though, and I was worried that could be the issue but it's nice to hear I was doing it right.

 

[Denn]

Good to know, when I try them again I'll keep that in mind. I had barely any cross ventilation though, and I was worried that could be the issue but it's nice to hear I was doing it right.

It likely still could have been a moisture issue. When I say they like it damp, I mean literally as damp as it gets without it being waterlogged or "boggy".

Normal misting is not enough in my opinion. You need to give the substrate a good soak through, enough that its holding a nice amount of water, but not too much that its a boggy, sludgy mess.
To achieve this, I turn the nozzle on my spray bottle to about the half way point, so its in an intermediate between a mist and the water jet it creates if the nozzle is fully open, and I go over the entire surface of the substrate with this once, leaving a corner that is a bit drier than the rest of the enclosure.

Where they are located and were discovered, French-Guiana, receives heavy rainfall almost year round as it is in the intertropical convergence zone, and is known for being "oppressively humid". When I was researching these spiders, a lot of the images I come across from the area they were found, you could see very clearly that the ground was indeed very damp, they tend to be found in bushes, close to the ground, with huge sheet webs that lead to a funnel that then leads into a very shallow burrow, as little as 5cm into the ground. Along with the dampness of the topsoil and how close to the surface these burrows are constructed, it lead me to believe these spiders like it as damp as it gets, and ever since I've kept them this way they have done really well. Mine often molt on the dampest part of the substrate, or the dampest part of its sheet web.

 

[The Snark]

French-Guiana, receives heavy rainfall almost year round as it is in the intertropical convergence zone,

I went through there briefly - about a week. Not a question of 'will it rain' but when it rains. Had a chance to chat it up with a local commercial pilot. It's either raining or a sauna or both and the bonus of one season since it's equatorial with two summers and no cooler season. Three types of weather, showers, clearing briefly, and the usual afternoon 'like a cow pissing on a flat rock' downpours.

 

[Denn]

I went through there briefly - about a week. Not a question of 'will it rain' but when it rains. Had a chance to chat it up with a local commercial pilot. It's either raining or a sauna or both and the bonus of one season since it's equatorial with two summers and no cooler season. Three types of weather, showers, clearing briefly, and the usual afternoon 'like a cow pissing on a flat rock' downpours.

Yes! this was the exact impression I gained from my research.

Usually spiders do not do well in conditions with moist, stagnant airflow. They can even drown in these situations if ventilation is not adequate enough as their book lungs cannot effectively remove water from the air it breaths. These spiders flourish in this environment. Other members of the Harmonicon genus have been found in caves in Brazil with poor air quality, 100% humdity, with a permanent sludgy, watery ooze on the cave floor. I imagine parts of the Amazonian rain forests within the French-Guiana region have similar unbearable humidity levels. I assume the genus as a whole has adapted to live in these situations, and this seems to apply to H. oiapoqueae.

 

[The Snark]

Environmental adaptation and natural selection. All living organisms are a product of the past.

 

[Kada]

Not just the venom… M. gigas can be pretty defensive sometimes, especially compared to any of my Dipluridae sp which I can’t even recall ever getting a threat pose from. M gigas is an amazing spider though! Am kind of a sucker for Dipluridae, Bemmeridae and Macrothele. They for sure are my favourite spider families.

Oh dear. I hadn't ever seen those 2 other groups you mentioned. a quick google search search...last thing i need is a new passion haha. Any specific species that you particularly like?


A note on my previous note on Macrothelle gigas. i was just made aware that they have clarified the stance on M. gigas in Taiwan. All my Macrothelle experience is with Taiwanese species only. Before M. gigas was listed as being in Japan and Taiwan but now seems the ones in Taiwan are no longer considered gigas. Currently the Japanese ones are M. gigas and the Taiwanese ones are now called Macrothele hungae and are said to be slightly larger than gigas (i cant confirm).. Sorry for the mistake. I only have minor experience with Macrothele hungae, not gigas.