Info and Pic's on Cobalt blue Plss!

[alidpayne]

Perhaps I took your tone wrong, if so, sorry.

I do see your point, but I have reasons for keeping the setup the way it is. If I noticed her starting to climb again, I would change it, but like I said it isn't an issue, because she doesn't climb unless I mist her while she is out (which is a very rare event). She has an inch and a half of substrate on the shallow end, and plenty on the other end where her burrow is. She stays in her burrow almost constantly, and when she does come out she doesn't climb unless I am misting and she makes a break for freedom.

She isn't a climber by nature but when she was unhappy with her former substrate she stayed hanging fromt he top of the tank all the time, no falls, she is skilled. It isn't an issue with her. I am not going to force her to live in an enclosure that she isn't happy with on the off chance that she "might fall" She has a way bigger chance of falling if I "correct" her enclosure and she decides to hang from the cieling all the time like she used to.

I am not going to debate this any further. I appreciate your concern, and I hope that we can let it go now. I do everything I can to ensure that my t's have happy safe homes, but if making it "Safe" also makes her miserable, then I just aint gonna do it. She will die alot faster from the stress of hanging from the cieling than she will in that hypothetical fall that could happen on the one day of the month that she comes out of her burrow for a stroll. If, at any time in the future, she decides she wants to be a climber again, well, I will change the setup to suit her mood. I am not going to let her live in conditions that I feel put her in danger.

Ali

 

[MizM]

Another illustration of the point that all individuals in any given species are different: My lividium WILL NOT burrow. She has the setup, has been given hidey-holes, I've pre-burrowed for her, and she just doesn't like to be underground. Go figure!

Ali, my Rosehair also hates anything wet. I have provided her a large, flat rock to sit on when I mist the substrate and she zooms to it at the first sing of moisture. She is a real wuss when it comes to water. Like children, they don't realize that baths are GOOD for them!!

 

[alidpayne]

That sounds exactly like Smurfette. If I mist while she is above ground she usually bolts straight for her burrow. Once in a while she bolts for the exit (like in that pic), but she tries to get anywhere that isnt wet. LOL, I have to mist on the sides of the tank instead of the substrate.

I guess no one ever told her that she was supposed to like humid conditions. Maybe she just missed the memo.

My rosie likes it kinda moist, and doesn't mind getting misted at all, so go figure.

Ali

 

[Godzilla2000]

Luci Personality Profile

Well since we're all talking about the unique personalities of each others' Cobalt Blues, I thought I'd throw my Luci into the mix. *Ahem*

Luci is a very industrious burrower. She can take anything and costruct a burrow out of it, such as twigs, terrarium moss. Her little hideway is place in the far left hand corner of her burrow. But Luci does not prefer to have a deep burrow. She likes to hang halfway inside her burrow. Sometimes she likes to sleep upside down with her rump in the air. She also loves to climb the walls of her pet pal. Especially when she's hunting for crickets. But her most effective hunting pattern is to suspend above her burrow and let the crickets fall into her pit of doom. That is when she dips dips and grabs them. It's like shooting fish in a barrel to her.

 

[MrMatt]

Back to the subject

They are very pretty spiders and each have their own unique tastes. They are usually most comfortable kept in a high humidity environment with a place to burrow.

 

[paolo_28]

=)

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Paolo

 

[MizM]

MrMatt,

What kind of light did you use to capture the blue?

 

[MrMatt]

Originally posted by terridumonte
What kind of light did you use to capture the blue?

Just the flash off the camera and no color editing... She was one the brightest blue Cobalt I had seen. This picture was taken about 8 months after she molted and sadly about three months before she passed.

 

[Steve Nunn]

Re: =)

Hi Paolo,
There are some interesting points in this thread

Firstly, H.lividum IS a burrower and needs lots and lots of substrate. This upsets some folk who'd rather keep their old worlders on 1" substrate where they can see them. I'm NOT saying this was the case as mentioned before, just that many who keep this species, would do so with minimal substrate and even bright light! True, some T's can and will be individuals, but if you mind having a T that you won't see that often, then maybe a H.lividum isn't for you. If you don't mind, then go for it. I would say though that the bottom line is keep a lot of substrate for lividum, as they more often then not will choose to burrow and I would say that every single individual H.lividum will want to burrow at some stage each instar, so they should always have that opportunity. At least 4" is good, you should also consider the height of an enclosure, as KG said, very important. I know another poster mentioned that it hasn't caused problems for him before, but he's just plain lucky, that's all. The height between the substrate and the lid should be just on or about the diagonal legspan of the spider and definately no more!!!

As somone also mentioned before, they mist regularly. Don't bother, it's just a waste of time and annoying to the T.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[MizM]

I say a good rule of thumb is: read THE book! Do what it recommends, and your T will do what it wants. Steve is right, they must have the opportunity to burrow. If they don't, then they have a little personallity! I'm expecting mine to start burrowing just when she has convinced me that she will never do it!! But, she has the materials and opportunity at her disposal!

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Im gonna have to disagree with that last misting comment steve. I agree that excessively doing so for a % of humidity isnt that effective, but for slings it is a primary source of hydration in many cases.

Furthermore, peat tends to dry out relatively quickly if not kept moist, and misting the substrate will let it sink through to the bottom. Haplopelma prefer that moist environment.

I realize youve been keeping T's longer than Ive been alive, but there is more than one reason for misting, so its not the best to discredit something like that with a single sentence.

-V

 

[rob]

How about another...

photo of my Violet. She's a cutie...

 

[LunarFaery]

WOW ROB! She sure is a beauty!! Ive seen lots of pictures before and a few real ones and Ive never seen so much color!!


Im in total awe......

Jen

 

[Steve Nunn]

Re: ><

Originally posted by Vayu Son
Im gonna have to disagree with that last misting comment steve. I agree that excessively doing so for a % of humidity isnt that effective, but for slings it is a primary source of hydration in many cases.
-V

Hi VS,
I appreciate what you're saying (only as far as arboreal slings), but I don't mist my slings either, there's simlpy no need (for me) as I never let the peat in the sling containers dry out. I find just puring the water in more effective and far less stress to the T's. All my adult enclosures are peatmoss, some I have let dry right out, which works for these particular T's. The ones I need to keep humid, I do so by just straight out pouring water directly into the enclosures, burrows and all. With the ones I need to keep humid, I never let them dry out that badly that the peat won't rehydrate. From what I've seen in wild habitat with the T's I keep, they are very used to flooding, indeed, it's part of their lives. Some of my enclosures are flooded past the actual substrate level (although I wouldn't recommend this to anyone).

Misting really does serve no exclusive purpose I can think of. It actually takes a lot longer to do then pouring, it stresses out the T's, it's far less effective then pouring and the list goes on.

I have many strange habits that might not be considered normal for keeping (eg: my personal views on water dishes, who needs 'em!), but this one I honestly feel should apply all across the board.

Cheers,
Steve

.S. I do think water dishes are important, just not to me;P

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Point taken. But pouring and misting may as well be synonymous, since in both the end result is wet substrate and a water source. Misting in that sense has the added benefit of a more gradual and thorough distribution of water over a large terrarium with a large burrow.

-V

 

[Steve Nunn]

Re: ><

Hi VS,
The destinaion is the same, but the route is different. We've all seen how badly misting affects T's and this is what concerns me more then anything.

Steve

 

[Vayu Son]

><

But it doesnt have any immediate affect on a T in a burrow or under shelter such as cork bark or web.

-V

 

[Steve Nunn]

Re: ><

This is true, but if you mist, then at one time or another you may have misted on the T (even accidently). As one of the previous posts in this very thread mentioned, the keeper had sprayed his enclosure only to see his H.lividum bolt for cover. He admitted it was because he was misting. This is what I'm talking about.

I understand that keepers will vary their methods and rightly so too, but every now and then there's a general keeing habit that's questionable at best, this, I feel, is one of them. I've both misted and poured water into my enclosures and I know that the pouring method causes less stress on T's, this is my point and every bit of reasoning I have for pouring. For me personally, it's reason enough. The other benefits from pouring I've already mentioned are just icing on the cake.

Let me ask you a question, why do you mist your enclosure (anyone feel free to answer)? I know for most it will be either because they were told to by someone more experienced, or they read about it in a book. I ask because I'd really love to see just one reason misting is advantageous over pouring.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Vayu Son]

><

I guess I pour, since I use a jetstream that doesnt bother the t's in any noticeable way. So in the end we agree but with different words. No point in arguing over semantics.

-V

 

[invertepet]

Re: Re: ><

Originally posted by Steve Nunn

Misting really does serve no exclusive purpose I can think of. It actually takes a lot longer to do then pouring, it stresses out the T's, it's far less effective then pouring and the list goes on.

I'm going to have to chime in and disagree as well.

There are many species of arboreal spider I've raised that tend to never drink from a dish or anywhere around the substrate. This is likely instinctive behavior, as going 'to ground' is tantamount to exposing its spidery self to predation or bacteria or parasite-filled stagnant water.

These arboreal spiders must be misted. They may react to the water sometimes, but it certainly doesn't hurt or stress them any more than a real-life shower would in their natural habitat (which is rather frequent in many of these spiders' home regions).

An alternative is to provide a shallow and high-mounted water cup. Some arboreals will go for it, some won't. But it's certainly better than expecting a treedweller to seek water on the ground.

As long as proper airflow is provided, misting doesn't really harm anything and provides these spiders with the method of drinking that is most familiar to them -- getting droplets off of leaves and branches.

bill