Nhandu carapoensis Info?

[Taceas]

Most of what I could find is that its a New World burrower, is secretive, defensive and is a nasty hair flicker. Aside from the burrowing, mine hasn't been nasty one bit. My Brachy's like to flick more.

I've had this particular spider for about 2 months now, got it as a freebie with my last order. When I first got it up till this week, s/he's excavated a burrow, and seemed content to perch just at the opening and hang out...darting back inside whenever I walked by or light moved over the entrance.

But this week, it's showing an urgency to get out of its container. Chewing at the airholes, sticking legs through the holes, and restless. Is there something I'm missing here?

This spider is around 2" in size, measured diagonally. It's molted once in my care that I've seen from the bottom of the container. It eats one sub-adult lobster roach a week just fine.

It's housed in a 6" x 2" deli cup, same as the day I got it out of its vial. 1" of coconut bedding as substrate, and a shallow water dish which it does seem to enjoy. I do keep the substrate a tad on the dry side, but I mist everyone down once a week, though.

While I'm not complaining that its not being its usual pet-hole self, it does interest me as to why it may be acting peculiarly, mainly if its anything I'm doing wrong that needs changed.


PS: I am SO glad this site is back up. I was bored to tears without things to read.

 

[IguanaMama]

I'm not sure what you are asking. I like this species a lot, and no they are not nasty at all at least mine aren't they are sweet, but then again I think my blondi is sweet. Does it have a hide? They are fast growers, I find that when spiders hang at their burrows and are restless like that, they are probably trying to find food. Are you giving it the regular lobsters or the giant lobsters. While I'm not a power feeder, that sounds a bit on the light size for a two inch Nhandu. I would give it a bigger home, a hide and more food, just watch the size of its abdomin, make sure it doesn't get big. You got yourself a great freebie. These are particularly gorgeous spiders, especially when they are bigger, pictures do not do them justice. They are shiney and furry. Oh boy! Whoot!

 

[stonemantis]

Most of what I could find is that its a New World burrower, is secretive, defensive and is a nasty hair flicker. Aside from the burrowing, mine hasn't been nasty one bit. My Brachy's like to flick more.

I've had this particular spider for about 2 months now, got it as a freebie with my last order. When I first got it up till this week, s/he's excavated a burrow, and seemed content to perch just at the opening and hang out...darting back inside whenever I walked by or light moved over the entrance.

But this week, it's showing an urgency to get out of its container. Chewing at the airholes, sticking legs through the holes, and restless. Is there something I'm missing here?

This spider is around 2" in size, measured diagonally. It's molted once in my care that I've seen from the bottom of the container. It eats one sub-adult lobster roach a week just fine.

It's housed in a 6" x 2" deli cup, same as the day I got it out of its vial. 1" of coconut bedding as substrate, and a shallow water dish which it does seem to enjoy. I do keep the substrate a tad on the dry side, but I mist everyone down once a week, though.

While I'm not complaining that its not being its usual pet-hole self, it does interest me as to why it may be acting peculiarly, mainly if its anything I'm doing wrong that needs changed.


PS: I am SO glad this site is back up. I was bored to tears without things to read.

I think your Nhandu carapoensis might be:

1: Approaching a molt
2: Hungry
3: Thirsty
4: Too warm/cool

There might be a few other things but, I can't seem to think of them at this moment.

 

[Taceas]

Thanks for the info, IguanaMama. I am eager to see this thing grow up, the few good pictures I've found do show an attractive looking spider. Although hopefully its female, the one male picture I found showed either a horridly cared for specimen or males of that species are just fugly in their own right.

As for temperment, its nice in that it stays away from me when I'm doing cage maintenence, and doesn't come out to try to escape or rush me. I don't handle my spiders, I'm a wuss still. I don't want to get bit, and the last feeder mouse that bit me....it ended up flung against the wall. So I would like to avoid that instinctual flinging if at all possible.

I'm mainly asking why the sudden change in behaviour, and if its some condition I'm not meeting that needs changed.

It does have a hide, which its buried completely and made part of its burrow. It's a half of a small terra cotta flowerpot 3" lip diameter, it uses that as its main chamber and has a 2-3" burrow connected to it.

I'm feeding the regularly sized lobster roaches. The size I'm feeding it looks to be about one molt away from being an adult roach, but basically the same size, just wingless. I have a ton of that size at the moment, which is why I'm using those instead of full adult roaches.

The reason it gets one a week so far is that it came to me plump as can be, and its still very plump. I don't want to overfeed, and after one roach its abdomen looks agonizingly large. I think it would eat until it burst, it's pretty ravenous.

As active as its being, I was thinking about providing it with a home with more floor space to move around in with deeper substrate for a more proper burrow if it so chose to do that.. That might save all the bedding tracked into the water bowl I have to clean out and refill every other day or so. So I might just do that later.


StoneMantis:

1. It might be. But it just molted ~3 weeks ago.
2. Maybe. But I just fed it on Saturday/Sunday.
3. Doubtful. It has a full waterbowl every day.
4. It's between 73-75* F in the house. I would think that's sufficient, seeing as how all my other T's (with exception to my meal-picky Avics) are doing just fine in.