Phormictopus species and Grammostola iheringi

[FlamingSwampert]

My local expo is approaching, and this year I would like to purchase some new slings. I am looking for something that grows fairly quickly and is hardy (or at least not terribly fragile, this would be my 5th/6th t)

My research has identified the Phormictopus species and Grammostola iheringi as some potential candidates. I was wondering if people with experience with them could comment on their captive demands, as well as if they are hardy and truly quick-growing.

Additionally, I've heard some people describe their temperament as "surly" or "feisty," and I was wondering how "bad" it is. Are they extremely aggressive to the point that enclosure maintenance is a pain, or are they just a bit jumpy?

As always, thanks everyone!

 

[HOITrance]

As with all spiders, behaviors change specimen to specimen to specimen and molt to molt. My Brachypelma species are feistier than my Harpactira or most of my Chilobrachys, but the others get the rep for being defensive. My Pokies are more laid back then my Avics. You get the idea. Phormictopus are awesome spiders. I cannot speak for the G.iheringi, although i hear they can be feisty.

Most phormics have a chance to have some attitude. Mine are somewhat laid back, but are skittish when the enclosure is opened. I keep cancerides, atrichomatus, auratus, sp Full Green, and sp Dominican purple. The purple is the most skittish out of the bunch. They can grow fast, but mine have been slower overall...hitting 3" in the first year...I hear some people say 4-5, but i have not personally seen it. They can be defensive, but a good way to combat that is to give them plenty of room to burrow as slings. The more space they have to feel secure or to hide, the less likely they will feel defensive.

I would also like to point out the Phormictopus is Tom Moran's, of Tom's Big Spiders, favorite genus and he has several videos on his YouTube channel on them plus several podcast episodes. Worth checking out. If you have experience with other tarantulas, I would not think Phormics would be difficult for you at all.

 

[FlamingSwampert]

As with all spiders, behaviors change specimen to specimen to specimen and molt to molt. My Brachypelma species are feistier than my Harpactira or most of my Chilobrachys, but the others get the rep for being defensive. My Pokies are more laid back then my Avics. You get the idea. Phormictopus are awesome spiders. I cannot speak for the G.iheringi, although i hear they can be feisty.

Most phormics have a chance to have some attitude. Mine are somewhat laid back, but are skittish when the enclosure is opened. I keep cancerides, atrichomatus, auratus, sp Full Green, and sp Dominican purple. The purple is the most skittish out of the bunch. They can grow fast, but mine have been slower overall...hitting 3" in the first year...I hear some people say 4-5, but i have not personally seen it. They can be defensive, but a good way to combat that is to give them plenty of room to burrow as slings. The more space they have to feel secure or to hide, the less likely they will feel defensive.

I would also like to point out the Phormictopus is Tom Moran's, of Tom's Big Spiders, favorite genus and he has several videos on his YouTube channel on them plus several podcast episodes. Worth checking out. If you have experience with other tarantulas, I would not think Phormics would be difficult for you at all.

Thanks for the advice, you seem to have a lot of experience with the genus! I actually discovered the genus thanks to Tom Moran's videos on them

Do they, in your experience, tend to run into their hides when they are spooked, or do they bolt out of the enclosure?

 

[HOITrance]

Do they, in your experience, tend to run into their hides when they are spooked, or do they bolt out of the enclosure?

The Dominican purple is bolty, but she just runs around. I just have to be careful with the lid until she calms down. My others are about 4" or so and they just sit there like rocks. The atrichomatus occasional will walk to her burrow and sit at the mouth when disturbed. The cancerides will occasionally bolt into his. At this time, I find them no more difficult to deal with then anything else I keep. I have 16 species of pamphos and they give me more headaches by leaps and bounds lol

 

[HOITrance]

I should also mention mine liked it somewhat moist as slings, and burrowed extensively. When they hit one of the big molts and got their adult colors the mostly abandoned their burrows and seem to prefer it a little more dry. I do half dry and have slightly moist now and they will flip flop between the sides. As for eating? AMAZING feeding response. they literally tackle prey a lot of the time. I cannot speak for adults as my largest is my Full Green who is 5" unsexed. Still waiting for a non shredded molt. Suspecting female, but i suspected my cancerides and was wrong lol

 

[FlamingSwampert]

The Dominican purple is bolty, but she just runs around. I just have to be careful with the lid until she calms down. My others are about 4" or so and they just sit there like rocks. The atrichomatus occasional will walk to her burrow and sit at the mouth when disturbed. The cancerides will occasionally bolt into his. At this time, I find them no more difficult to deal with then anything else I keep. I have 16 species of pamphos and they give me more headaches by leaps and bounds lol

I should also mention mine liked it somewhat moist as slings, and burrowed extensively. When they hit one of the big molts and got their adult colors the mostly abandoned their burrows and seem to prefer it a little more dry. I do half dry and have slightly moist now and they will flip flop between the sides. As for eating? AMAZING feeding response. they literally tackle prey a lot of the time. I cannot speak for adults as my largest is my Full Green who is 5" unsexed. Still waiting for a non shredded molt. Suspecting female, but i suspected my cancerides and was wrong lol

These guys sound wonderful. Entertaining, good eaters, and fast-growing. I wonder why they aren't more popular.

 

[HOITrance]

These guys sound wonderful. Entertaining, good eaters, and fast-growing. I wonder why they aren't more popular

They are starting to be. Unfortunately pamphos are still at the top. Or not unfortunately lol. I personally love pamphos, but phormics are right on their heels for me lol. I think people just have the old stigma of big brown nasty spiders for phormics.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

The Dominican purple is bolty, but she just runs around. I just have to be careful with the lid until she calms down. My others are about 4" or so and they just sit there like rocks. The atrichomatus occasional will walk to her burrow and sit at the mouth when disturbed. The cancerides will occasionally bolt into his. At this time, I find them no more difficult to deal with then anything else I keep. I have 16 species of pamphos and they give me more headaches by leaps and bounds lol

I didn’t know 16 species of pamphos were in the hobby wow they must had costed a fortune the ones I used to have now cost as much as a adult female did back then for slings or more . And I can’t seem to Id the species of my lone pampho left . https://arachnoboards.com/gallery/a72de6d1-5220-4298-a3ac-0a37e82dd535-jpeg.86607/
My favorite species beside Lasiodora.

 

[FlamingSwampert]

I didn’t know 16 species of pamphos were in the hobby wow they must had costed a fortune the ones I used to have now cost as much as a adult female did back then for slings or more . And I can’t seem to Id the species of my lone pampho left . https://arachnoboards.com/gallery/a72de6d1-5220-4298-a3ac-0a37e82dd535-jpeg.86607/
My favorite species beside Lasiodora.

Some of them seem to be quite pricey. Lasiodora is a nice genus, but I bet the frequent hair-flicking can be pretty annoying.

 

[HOITrance]

I didn’t know 16 species of pamphos were in the hobby wow they must had costed a fortune the ones I used to have now cost as much as a adult female did back then for slings or more

I'll amend this by saying 16 different locales lol. There are like 40 some odd species by locale, but probably 20 of them are all same thing lol.
I have
P.antinous
P.fortis
P.ultramarineus
P.vespertinus
P.insignis
P.augusti
P.platyomma
P.petersi (synonym of Megaphobelma velvetosoma, but aquired mine before that reclass so now i believe hobby forms are to be labeled Pamphobeteus sp 'Backfire')
P. sp costa
P. sp South Ecuador II
P. sp Machala
P. sp Mascara
P. sp Cascada
P. sp Duran
P. sp Manabi
P. sp Esmeraldas
P. sp Aquatica

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I'll amend this by saying 16 different locales lol. There are like 40 some odd species by locale, but probably 20 of them are all same thing lol.
I have
P.antinous
P.fortis
P.ultramarineus
P.vespertinus
P.insignis
P.augusti
P.platyomma
P.petersi (synonym of Megaphobelma velvetosoma, but aquired mine before that reclass so now i believe hobby forms are to be labeled Pamphobeteus sp 'Backfire')
P. sp costa
P. sp South Ecuador II
P. sp Machala
P. sp Mascara
P. sp Cascada
P. sp Duran
P. sp Manabi
P. sp Esmeraldas
P. sp Aquatica

Did you check my link any idea what specific species it is ?

 

[viper69]

My local expo is approaching, and this year I would like to purchase some new slings. I am looking for something that grows fairly quickly and is hardy (or at least not terribly fragile, this would be my 5th/6th t)

My research has identified the Phormictopus species and Grammostola iheringi as some potential candidates. I was wondering if people with experience with them could comment on their captive demands, as well as if they are hardy and truly quick-growing.

Additionally, I've heard some people describe their temperament as "surly" or "feisty," and I was wondering how "bad" it is. Are they extremely aggressive to the point that enclosure maintenance is a pain, or are they just a bit jumpy?

As always, thanks everyone!

I have actaeon not different than iheringi

FAST growth rate! Def get one

 

[HOITrance]

Did you check my link any idea what specific species it is ?

Agree its VERY similar to vespertinus...iirc sp Machala is super similar to vespertinus

 

[FlamingSwampert]

I have actaeon not different than iheringi

FAST growth rate! Def get one

Thanks, I think I will!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Either one would be a good choice. Or...why not both?

 

[HOITrance]

Or...why not both?

This lol

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Either one would be a good choice. Or...why not both?

Both I wish I got more phormictopus cancerides both were males and now I am out of money with them getting rarer.

 

[HOITrance]

Both I wish I got more phormictopus cancerides both were males and now I am out of money with them getting rarer.

Both my Cancerides ‘bayahibe’ are male . Im at capacity on larger spiders so have to wait until room opens up

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I adore my ihrengi. Here’s a fun 3 minute video of her.

iheringi or pulchripes or both

What do you think? i am very tempted to buy a young G.iheringi female and the seller also has some G.pulchripes slings.. is it redundant to have both? or are they different enough in their behaviour? What's the charm of pulchripes that iheringi lack?

arachnoboards.com

 

[FlamingSwampert]

I adore my ihrengi. Here’s a fun 3 minute video of her.

iheringi or pulchripes or both

What do you think? i am very tempted to buy a young G.iheringi female and the seller also has some G.pulchripes slings.. is it redundant to have both? or are they different enough in their behaviour? What's the charm of pulchripes that iheringi lack?

arachnoboards.com

Woah, great video