My T tries to escape all day....check it out - but why?

[TheDon]

My seemani hasnt burrowed yet either and I have had her for awhile. But she does spend alot of time underneath the log shelter that I dug a little hole for her so maybe she decided that is deep enough. Also I was at a guys house who has about 100 T's and all his does is dig out the corner of the cage and fill the water dish which mine did too one day. I wouldnt worry too much. If they have shelter that is good enough as long as they have the option.


peace

TheDon

oh and about the paperback book thing. I have a couple rocks sitting on my Rose cage holding it down and on a couple others i have pretty heavy magazines holding the screen down. And I have watched one try to move it and it couldnt. I do have the clamps but they piss me off so I dont use them. But make sure they are pretty heavy and do so at your own risk.

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

thanks for the advice, i went out and got some c clamps this afternoon. if they don't keep him in there i don't know what will

 

[Cerbera]

Escaping Seemanni's... the houdini Queens... and what to do about them...

I love Ginnevra, my clever, inventive, crafty little Costa Rican Zebra T...

She's never aggressive, hardly ever flicks hairs, and is a joy to watch doing her thing...

Having said that - she is invariably saving her aggression for 4 am, or whenever she thinks I'm not looking, so she can leg it up the back of the glass, and get her fangs into the vent mesh for another hefty ripping session.

Let me settle any doubts anyone may have - this spider can blatantly break metal - I've watched her do it, she hooks in with both fangs, braces all 8 legs against it and pulls / crushes - you can hear the mesh creaking - its awesome power to behold - and more than a little unnerving the first time you hear it, and see those 1 1/2cm fangs poking through the mesh

And while I'm here - I've noticed something else - she does remember. It used to be systematic corner to corner exploration of the cage, but now its straight to the back, straight up the mesh, and... teeth - very impressive.

Lastly - here's a tip for how to put a (temporary) stop to these vent destruction campaigns... I always found it very effective to breathe out slowly but heavily on the mesh just in front of her when the fangs were out. To start with, this makes her abandon her plans and teleport back to her burrow, but she gets used to it after a while, and now no longer panics, but slowly disengages the fangs and walks calmly back down again...

However, little does she know, I have been observing her freedom-related antics for a while now, and have craftily (over the last week) been building THE ULTIMATE houdini spider-proof home - one where she'll have all the substrate she needs to burrow in (at least 4 inches of it), the right humidity (80%), and not enough vertical room to climb and fall, nor anywhere she can get her claws caught. I am fully confident she's gonna be one very happy, stress free spider when I transfer her tomorrow. And not only that, but if she gets out of this, I'll personally eat the tank...

I bring you....The JW A.seemanni 'happy spider' escape prevention system...


Don't get me wrong - its not revolutionary or anything, and most of the ideas certainhly arn't my own, but after months of research, and asking hundreds of seemani owners everywhere - this is very much the way to go, and another person showing you their version can't hurt, can it ?

It works on the following principles:

A)I'm going to make Spidey happy enough (by giving her room to do what she wants to do (burrow, chill, hide, bask, wander etc), and by getting its conditions perfect (thats MOIST subtrate like in a tropical Costa rican rainforest) that it doesn't feel the need to escape all the time.

B) Whether it wants to escape or not, its gonna have to get through 3 layers of plexiglass, steel glavanised pressed grid work, AND a plastic lid first. simply put - it ain't gonna happen ;P


1. Take a large critter cage (with the plastic tops), laugh at their feeble construction and at just how easily your crazy zebra T could get through that, and go get the rest of the stuff you need...

2. that will be the following:

Aquarium Sealant
Pressed gold coated Steel meshing (galvanised)
Plexiglass
Multi-tool type thing
Plastic U profile runner strips
Stanley Knife
Sandpaper

3. Mount the runners on the longest sides of the tank at the top. Round the edges to make them fit the tank exactly.

4. Cut out a middle section in the top of the runners so you can lift out the sliding plexiglass plates for complete tank refits / changes.

5. Cut plexiglass into 2 overlapping sheets that fit the runners. Sand the corners so they exactly fit the profile of the tank.

6. Aquarium seal The plate meshing to the INSIDE of the crap plastic lid.
(See the photos for a better view of this)

7. Drill aproximately 90 1mm holes in each sheet of plexi, and aquarium seal on handles to slide them. When drilling the holes make them tactical;ly bigger than the distance between your T's fangs. This will ensure she can never get both in at once, and even try the 'rippy thing'.

8. Cut another sheet of plexi that will also fit in the runners, but leave it undrilled so you can accurately regulate the airflow in the tank.

9. Wait 48 hours for it all to dry, during which time you can be sterilising 4-6" of 60 / 40% potting compost / vermiculite in the microwave (3 mins per bowl on full, including glass of water so you don't spanner the microwave), dampening it til it forms 'light' clumps in your hand when squeezed, and then sorting out the water bowl, and tank decor. Fill the tank with substrate so that even when she climbs the glass, she can only leave the ground by about an inch before she reaches the plexi at the top. Here end any 'falling from height' type injuries...

10. Nearly there. Pop a half flower pot in, dig the start of a beautiful burrow about 2" down from under it to start your T off in the right direction, cover it with substrate, whack the water bowl up the other end, but not near the walls, click the lid on, and.... stand back and admire a completely kickin tank that should contain and prevent all injury to any crafty little Seemanni that think it's hard enough to have a go !!

Here's some pics of the finished tank.. .






Do let me know what ya think, all those of you who have ever had escapee spiders...

Anyway - hope those suggestions helped...

 

[Apocalypstick]

Maybe he hates the substrate you are using.

Edit... I agree, he needs to have a burrow.

 

[David Burns]

A light pink or beige underside would indicate an A.seemani. After it has molted I bet it will be darker on top.

 

[Scorpiove]

I agree with David burns, light underside is usually A. seemani. while PZB's are dark.

 

[ezekeil]

.....Having said that - she is invariably saving her aggression for 4 am, or whenever she thinks I'm not looking, so she can leg it up the back of the glass, and get her fangs into the vent mesh for another hefty ripping session.

Let me settle any doubts anyone may have - this spider can blatantly break metal - I've watched her do it, she hooks in with both fangs, braces all 8 legs against it and pulls / crushes - you can hear the mesh creaking - its awesome power to behold - and more than a little unnerving the first time you hear it, and see those 1 1/2cm fangs poking through the mesh ..

omg! screw getting one of those just reading that is giving me the creeps.

 

[bonesmama]

My seemani wandered and climbed when I brought it home, until I changed the substrate and it went subterrainean--haven't seen 'ole Pico since @Thanksgiving! Ditto with my second seemani--underground for months now! IMHO- if you give them suitable substrate for a decent burrow, they'll stop climbing.

 

[Heartfang]

What a great prevention system!

 

[MizM]

I'm pretty sure it's not a mature mail - i can't see any tibial hooks - I'm colorblind - and the webcam doesn't really show it, but he is a light brown - underside is light brown to pink - aren't A. Seemani's darker?
Thx Buspirone.

Colorblindness shouldn't affect you ability to see the hooks, they are a definite protrusion on the front two legs, and the pedipalps will be enlarged.

If he is a mature male, he will never stop pacing until you find him a mature female. That's just what mature males do, search for females.

An A. seemani will have a light salmon colored underside that looks very soft, almost like angora.

 

[BenG]

I love Ginnevra, my clever, inventive, crafty little Costa Rican Zebra T...

She's never aggressive, hardly ever flicks hairs, and is a joy to watch doing her thing...

Having said that - she is invariably saving her aggression for 4 am, or whenever she thinks I'm not looking, so she can leg it up the back of the glass, and get her fangs into the vent mesh for another hefty ripping session.

Let me settle any doubts anyone may have - this spider can blatantly break metal - I've watched her do it, she hooks in with both fangs, braces all 8 legs against it and pulls / crushes - you can hear the mesh creaking - its awesome power to behold - and more than a little unnerving the first time you hear it, and see those 1 1/2cm fangs poking through the mesh

And while I'm here - I've noticed something else - she does remember. It used to be systematic corner to corner exploration of the cage, but now its straight to the back, straight up the mesh, and... teeth - very impressive.

Lastly - here's a tip for how to put a (temporary) stop to these vent destruction campaigns... I always found it very effective to breathe out slowly but heavily on the mesh just in front of her when the fangs were out. To start with, this makes her abandon her plans and teleport back to her burrow, but she gets used to it after a while, and now no longer panics, but slowly disengages the fangs and walks calmly back down again...

However, little does she know, I have been observing her freedom-related antics for a while now, and have craftily (over the last week) been building THE ULTIMATE houdini spider-proof home - one where she'll have all the substrate she needs to burrow in (at least 4 inches of it), the right humidity (80%), and not enough vertical room to climb and fall, nor anywhere she can get her claws caught. I am fully confident she's gonna be one very happy, stress free spider when I transfer her tomorrow. And not only that, but if she gets out of this, I'll personally eat the tank...

I bring you....The JW A.seemanni 'happy spider' escape prevention system...


Don't get me wrong - its not revolutionary or anything, and most of the ideas certainhly arn't my own, but after months of research, and asking hundreds of seemani owners everywhere - this is very much the way to go, and another person showing you their version can't hurt, can it ?


Do let me know what ya think, all those of you who have ever had escapee spiders...

Anyway - hope those suggestions helped...

OMG!! This post rocks!!! Thanks for this info... the cage looks tough to create but damn is it cool. I love the hide you made for your Seemani! Im doing mine like that tonight!! I can't believe these T's bite through the wire mesh... thats just wild!

 

[Cerbera]

Thanks... AND REVISION 2B !

Hi Ben

Glad you found it helpful... I'm really quite new to all this myself, and loadsa people in the UK boards helped me so much - its good I can share some experience so soon after getting involved...

Talking of which.... ...The JW A.seemanni 'happy spider' escape prevention system.. has undergone an update

I have discovered you can buy rolls of magnetic lining tape (like the stuff you get on fridge magnets), and also rolls of the metalized tape that they stick to.

My plan is to cover the outside of the tank in removeable magnetic sections of black cardboard, that surround the tank up to substrate level.

That way, I figure - she'll be totally happy tunnelling at the edge of the tank in total darkness, but where we can remove a panel (under dim light) and see, and not restrict her caverns to somewhere in the middle - maybe it IS possible to have a burrowing spider we can still see more than for 5 seconds a day when she's at the surface...

Also, I started tunnelling for her underneath her hide, so she has somewhere to run to as soon as she gets placed in her new home...

Lastly, had a bizarre idea that she might tolerate light a little better and stay at the surface more if the roof of her enclosure was showing something a bit more natural than tons of gridwork and plastic ! Have installed (nicer) plastic green foliage between the outer 2 meshes (but not obstructing airflow) which casts a nice dappled cool green light on her under normal room lighting, and must be close to what a forest canopy would provide...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
More photos soon, i hope...

Any other ideas from anybody else for the ultimate happy spider tank ?

Thanks

Jay

 

[Kid Dragon]

First - Why would he do this? I believe the cage is appropriately sized for his dimensions - the substrate isn't too wet/dry - just moist -

The substrate doesn't need to be moist, go drier and see what happens.

 

[Cerbera]

Rainforest fun...

The substrate doesn't need to be moist, go drier and see what happens.

Well - I'm no expert, Dragon, but when you look at whats going on on the forest floor where they come from, you can really only come to the conclusion that moist is good.

The rainforests of Costa Rica are not temperate forests - they are tropical - that is - they have a humidity at ground level of nearly 95%, a great deal of rainfall, and temperatures up to 85 deg C. I would also have to point out that the ground MUST be moist if we are to allow the spider to burrow, which is, of course, what it wants to do both in the wild, and in captivity, otherwise the soil doesn't clump together properly, and its back to unhappy spider.

I realise tho, that we can't practically do 95% humidity without horrible nasties getting a hold on the tank, so 75 / 80% seems to be a good compromise. Further to that, in the Uk, at least, where room humidity is usually 50% or less, a water bowl is rarely sufficient to get this level, so what do we do ? You guessed it - moisten the soil

Don't mean to tread on your toes, Dragon, or be argumentative, but i just can't see how it isn't a good idea! Thanks for listening... all further comment / criticism welcome...

Jay