New Balfori Communal housing recommendations

[CutieCrawlies]

Does anyone have housing recommendations for my new balfori communal? 5x 0.5-1". I'm not much of a diy-er but can drill holes. I usually just use tarantulacribs or something similar. I've looked up videos but they all seem to be for larger/older communals.

Also, any other tips? I've kept old and new worlds, just not a communal species.

 

[BoyFromLA]

Technically speaking, there is no such thing as communal species.

I’d highly recommend to keep each on it’s own separate enclosure.

But, of course it is solely your decision to choose to go communal or not.

 

[viper69]

Yes- don’t do it

 

[Mustafa67]

Does anyone have housing recommendations for my new balfori communal? 5x 0.5-1". I'm not much of a diy-er but can drill holes. I usually just use tarantulacribs.com or something similar. I've looked up videos but they all seem to be for larger/older communals.

Also, any other tips? I've kept old and new worlds, just not a communal species.

I wouldn’t try it

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Yes- don’t do it

Yeah it’s risky , most people who set up communal bred them first . Usually the ones that fail we never hear back from the user they vanish. 🫥
Others say there a true communal but we’res there proof ?

 

[Brewser]

A Real Possibility Of Cannibalism
The communal contoversy continues...

 

[viper69]

Possibility Of Cannibalism
The communal contoversy continues...

I have a "nice" pic of some of this species doing some cannibalism.

 

[Mike Withrow]

I have a "nice" pic of some of this species doing some cannibalism.

I've got a pic on here of after the fact.
I've seen it done with pokies and a couple others. Trying to replicate what some have stumbled across occasionally,in a captivity setting is IMHO not worth the risk.
Went down that road and won't ever attempt it again.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I've got a pic on here of after the fact.
I've seen it done with pokies and a couple others. Trying to replicate what some have stumbled across occasionally,in a captivity setting is IMHO not worth the risk.
Went down that road and won't ever attempt it again.

One slightly larger rogue spider could literally eat all its tank mates . 🥲 although surely it’s not always that way. I just don’t see any people who have success posting anything about there colony’s. Not since ages ago . They generally vanished once it fails .

 

[darkness975]

It's not worth the risk in my opinion.

Even though the youtubers show their supposed "successful" communals they never upload anything when they fail. Therefore the algorithm makes it appear that they're mostly successful.

 

[viper69]

they never upload anything when they fail

Spot on- not too different than the handlers!

 

[Brewser]

It would be Tragic if Somebody on Arachnoboards attempted and failed in this endeavor?

 

[Smotzer]

. Usually the ones that fail we never hear back from the user they vanish. 🫥

. They generally vanished once it fails .

Yup they generally aren't around for a long while. Unfortunately its usually only at the mere suggestion that it is not a good idea to try and attempt it in the first place!

Spot on- not too different than the handlers!

We should know shouldnt we

It would be Tragic if Somebody on Arachnoboards attempted and failed in this endeavor?

I mean its tragic for the animals when communals fail because unlike in nature they are forced into this situation unnaturally. But if more potential communal failures were documented on AB it would be good evidence to show to new posters who ask about communal set ups.

 

[cold blood]

I disagree with the above...this species, especially slings, actually do better when kept communally.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I disagree with the above...this species, especially slings, actually do better when kept communally.

Yeah I was skeptical but if less die from natural causes then in a communal I guess it’s a success. I really think this thread is asking for proof of a successful set up.
I said this earlier in the thread.
Others say there a true communal but we’res there proof ?
I’ve never tried it so I’m just going off information. I still haven’t had this very interesting species.

 

[Mike Withrow]

I disagree with the above...this species, especially slings, actually do better when kept communally.

Slings I would agree with but mature males and females we had issues with keeping together. That's the whole reason it was decided to just not continue on with it.

 

[cold blood]

Others say there a true communal but we’res there proof ?

there are a lot of people with long term communals that have been successful.....for every failure there's probably dozens of success stories. I know someone who has been keeping many communals since they were introduced....very long term, and has had no issues. You can ask where's the proof, as many like to do, but in saying this, one needs to completely ignore the many long term successes people have had. If you only look for failures, its gonna end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy, so to speak.

 

[A guy]

I know there are lots of skeptics and I agree, there has been lots of reports where they've attempted to house this species in a communal set up and failed. However, we cannot ignore the fact that they have been kept successfully in the mentioned set up.

To completely ignore the many success people have had keeping them in communal set ups and to just focus on the failures would be quite ignorant, IMO.

 

[Mike Withrow]

So back to my original statement of why we decided to stop with the communal we had going for over two years. As I said as they grew and matured we had to remove most of the males because they would pester the females that was not interested in breeding at that time.
I know someone that has been keeping a communal for years now and they still have to remove some males because of that .

So if you have the money and don't give a crap to lose some spiders because of the fact you want to experiment with them, go for it!
Meanwhile I'll sit right here and appear ignorant for knowing a little about spider behavior.

Keeping them together as slings or juveniles I know works because I've done it. Once they start to mature is where I ran into problems.
I still to this day don't know one single person or seen anything where there has been success in keeping them communal and letting them breed and everything working out.

 

[Smotzer]

I disagree with the above...this species, especially slings, actually do better when kept communally.

I disagree with the above...this species, especially slings, actually do better when kept communally.

Thanks for the discussion. Would you mind posting yours then? I have yet to see set ups that work long term where the groups are able to then produce successful new generations autonomously. And I know you say that for every failure there’s a ton of successes, and that may well be true, but myself I have just not seen that evidence so I can’t personally say that they do indeed work out well with a high degree of success and safely. I would love to be shown otherwise though!