Native plant resources for a Tlitocatl albopilosus

[1010sheehy]

Hi all!

I have a T. albopilosus sling (named Cupcake) and am currently doing research for their eventual adult enclosure (a 20 gallon long fish tank that I'll be modifying for better ventilation). I would love to create a setup that mimics their native habitat, but I'm having trouble finding good resources on what plants are common in their native range. Aside from poking around on iNaturalist and this forum, do y'all know of any good resources to find this out? I'm especially keen to hear if any of y'all have had success finding and growing native plants along side your T.

Also, I love me some peer reviewed literature, so please send any good papers my way! Anything on tarantula natural history (and especially Tlitocatl) is of interest to me

Many thanks!

 

[Charliemum]

Hi all!

I have a T. albopilosus sling (named Cupcake) and am currently doing research for their eventual adult enclosure (a 20 gallon long fish tank that I'll be modifying for better ventilation). I would love to create a setup that mimics their native habitat, but I'm having trouble finding good resources on what plants are common in their native range. Aside from poking around on iNaturalist and this forum, do y'all know of any good resources to find this out? I'm especially keen to hear if any of y'all have had success finding and growing native plants along side your T.

Also, I love me some peer reviewed literature, so please send any good papers my way! Anything on tarantula natural history (and especially Tlitocatl) is of interest to me

Many thanks!

My Tliltocatl albopilosus ometepe island form is called Cupcake too!

I have all 3 local of albo and they all like to kill the enclosure I am not 100% that you could plant up without them ripping it all up . But that being said it would be nice to see someone trying and obviouslyeach t has an individualpersonalityyour Cupcakemay not be a digger.

I would suggest looking at the areas where they thrive once you have a location you like ask Google for the local plants , from there you could possibly whittle down ones that may survive in a viv , are small enough todo so and are t friendly
I was also told if your going bio to set up the tank a good year before so it has time to balance out before you add any animal. (Obviously not springtails and isopods you need them to balance)
I have no good references or papers as I am not a scientist and not doing bio but I can give you a link to an albo vid that may help. Martin went looking for albo in the wild so you can get a good look at the area they live in . He may even be able to give you better info on bio vivs as I know most of Martins are and he is friendly he always answers under his vids.

There is also a folder in media called vivariums and enclosures ( I think ) you may be able to ask people questions in there as I have seen some beautiful bio vivs in the folder. I am just sorry I could not help more. Gl to you and your Cupcake with extra frosting

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

My Tliltocatl albopilosus ometepe island form is called Cupcake too!

I have all 3 local of albo and they all like to kill the enclosure I am not 100% that you could plant up without them ripping it all up . But that being said it would be nice to see someone trying and obviouslyeach t has an individualpersonalityyour Cupcakemay not be a digger.

I would suggest looking at the areas where they thrive once you have a location you like ask Google for the local plants , from there you could possibly whittle down ones that may survive in a viv , are small enough todo so and are t friendly
I was also told if your going bio to set up the tank a good year before so it has time to balance out before you add any animal. (Obviously not springtails and isopods you need them to balance)
I have no good references or papers as I am not a scientist and not doing bio but I can give you a link to an albo vid that may help. Martin went looking for albo in the wild so you can get a good look at the area they live in . He may even be able to give you better info on bio vivs as I know most of Martins are and he is friendly he always answers under his vids.

There is also a folder in media called vivariums and enclosures ( I think ) you may be able to ask people questions in there as I have seen some beautiful bio vivs in the folder. I am just sorry I could not help more. Gl to you and your Cupcake with extra frosting

I tried pothos with a Phampho it hasn’t ripped it out but I may remove it because it’s not getting enough sunlight in the basement and might be not growing also. Not the same species, it can be hard to get plants enough sunlight.. without the external lighting

 

[1010sheehy]

My Tliltocatl albopilosus ometepe island form is called Cupcake too!

I have all 3 local of albo and they all like to kill the enclosure I am not 100% that you could plant up without them ripping it all up . But that being said it would be nice to see someone trying and obviouslyeach t has an individualpersonalityyour Cupcakemay not be a digger.

I would suggest looking at the areas where they thrive once you have a location you like ask Google for the local plants , from there you could possibly whittle down ones that may survive in a viv , are small enough todo so and are t friendly
I was also told if your going bio to set up the tank a good year before so it has time to balance out before you add any animal. (Obviously not springtails and isopods you need them to balance)
I have no good references or papers as I am not a scientist and not doing bio but I can give you a link to an albo vid that may help. Martin went looking for albo in the wild so you can get a good look at the area they live in . He may even be able to give you better info on bio vivs as I know most of Martins are and he is friendly he always answers under his vids.

There is also a folder in media called vivariums and enclosures ( I think ) you may be able to ask people questions in there as I have seen some beautiful bio vivs in the folder. I am just sorry I could not help more. Gl to you and your Cupcake with extra frosting

Thanks for all the info! I'll definitely check out Martin's stuff.

I am hoping that Cupcake isn't a plant destroyer, but if tearing up plants gives them joy I'm happy to keep replacing plants as part of their enrichment. I'm also hoping that if I let the plants establish for a while, they might be better rooted and tougher to tear out. We'll see!

Also, I'm glad to know that there are two fuzzy Cupcakes out there! All the best to you and your critters

 

[1010sheehy]

I tried pothos with a Phampho it hasn’t ripped it out but I may remove it because it’s not getting enough sunlight in the basement and might be not growing also. Not the same species, it can be hard to get plants enough sunlight.. without the external lighting

Thanks! Yeah, getting enough light in terrariums can be tough. From digging around on Arachnoboards and elsewhere, it seems like folks are a bit split on whether grow lights are a risk, benefit, or neutral addition to a T tank.

I use a GE LED grow light to supplement my houseplants--it helps a surprising amount! I also use a cheapo strip of LED grow lights I found on Amazon for my leopard gecko's tank. They're enough to keep some Haworthia's and other sturdy succulents alive and not stretching. They certainly aren't growing vigorously (or at all, really), but I'm ok with minimal growth--keeps the tank maintenance down! If you think grow lights are safe for your T, they might help. I've got all the lights on timers or smart plugs to make sure they're mimicking natural light cycles.