P whitei setup help

[mramirez9197]

Need advice! So I just rehomed my p. whitei this past Friday, because s/he didn't have enough room in original enclosure to hang upside down to molt. I'm wondering if I messed up. Almost every day since I moved her, she's been chilling almost exclusively on her original piece of cork bark that I moved with her, sitting very close to the dirt. She's not dead, she definitely responds when I turn my light on or when I open the door to put water. Could it be her humidity is too low? I drip water down the sides, but this enclosure does have a lot more cross ventilation than her original one. Or maybe there's too much light in this room, or could she just be stressed from the move?
This pic is the most exploring she did-- directly after I moved her. Now she's just hanging out on the backside of that small wood there in the foreground. I have since moved said piece of wood to the back wall where there are no ventilation slits.

 

[wizentrop]

This looks like normal behavior to me. I'm always amazed by how tolerant Phrynus whitei is, it is truly the best beginner species...
The only crucial feedback I have for you is to increase the humidity in the enclosure by wetting the substrate. It looks almost completely dry, except for one corner. While this is not bad, whip spiders prefer it a bit more moist in their area.

Now, I understand you want the Phrynus whitei to sit on the round cork piece and not on the small cork piece. Let's explore together why it is clinging onto that small piece.
First, it's familiar. Whip spiders have a great sense of spatial recognition, and this animal may very well identifies this piece as "home". It doesn't mean that it is permanent, they do change their homebase occasionally.
Second, this cork piece provides good shelter. It is resting on the enclosure's wall. The whip spider doesn't care and probably can't detect too much that the wall is transparent. The whole space feels like a crevice to it, where it is protected from predators and danger. It's the best hiding spot in the enclosure!

Ok, what can you do? You can remove the small cork piece and the animal will have to figure out and decide on a new homebase. This may take a while and might stress the whip spider for a bit if it cannot find a similarly perceived "safe space" like the previous homebase. If you are planning to keep the round cork in there, I suggest pushing it flat right against the wall to maximize the perceived safety. Right now that arch is open from both sides - a whip spider sitting in there will feel exposed. By pushing it right against the wall you are essentially closing one side, creating a corner where it can feel more protected.

I hope this makes sense.