so i am the ecstatic owner of a new skeleton. and i was just wondering how long it might be with me. it shows allot of attitude and will not move to let me clean or add or reposition anything. anyone with any tips or tricks and any and all information i might need would be lovely. i have done some extensive homework but there always seems to be something left out of everything, leaving me feeling a few eggs short of a dozen. anyway thanks in advance.
skeleton questions.
- Thread starter jimip
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2009
- Messages
- 170
Hi Jimip and welcome to the boards and the wonderful world of tarantulas. So, let's see, where to start! I guess first off, the best way to start learning about different tarantulas is to learn their latin (scientific names.) This doesn't mean you need to memorize them all right away. You'll pick them up as you go along, but when you use them then there will not be any confusion about what kind of arachnid you are talking about. Common names can be dodgy. So, your spider (presuming it was labelled right) is Ephebopus murinus. Usually this will be shortened to E. murinus. And what beautiful spiders they are! Congratulations. As far as how long it will be with you...without an age and sex that is hard to say. Females of any species tend to live much longer than males. This species isn't as long-lived as some, but you could have several years depending on its age now. A picture would help, one showing its size (next to a ruler or a coin for comparison) and one of the underside (ventral) can help determine the sex.
As far as everything else...well, that is alot of ground to cover. You can post pics of your enclosure and people can give you tips on that if you want. Pretty much everyone here will recommend you get a copy of "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" and read that thoroughly. "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" is probably the next recommended. And keep lurking around here. Keep reading. If you have specific questions, check the search function or post them to ask.
Heh, and if you think your tarantula is dying, don't touch it, it's probably molting.
As far as everything else...well, that is alot of ground to cover. You can post pics of your enclosure and people can give you tips on that if you want. Pretty much everyone here will recommend you get a copy of "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" and read that thoroughly. "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" is probably the next recommended. And keep lurking around here. Keep reading. If you have specific questions, check the search function or post them to ask.
Heh, and if you think your tarantula is dying, don't touch it, it's probably molting.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
- Messages
- 629
This is not the best tarantula for a beginner. You got your work cut out for you my friend. They are considered swamp dwellers and need lots of humidity. They can be a pain to take care of. They should have damp substrate but no water should leak from your hand when you squeeze it. Always remove any left over food to prevent mites. Mites are a real pain when they become established and can infest your T. When cleaning the enclosure Keep it low to the ground and in an open area without hard to get to hiding spots incase it escapes. Always keep a catch cup ready to trap it if it desides to bolt. Your cage should be filled 6-8" with soil to allow your T to dig a burrow. Make sure it doesnt have alot of space to climb up so it cant fall too. Best of luck. I reccomend the tarantula keepers guide. Its a bit of reading but it will answer all the questions you have and then some. Enjoy and welcome to the addiction!
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2007
- Messages
- 5,438
Here's some pictures of my setup. She was my first obligate burrower and first "feisty" species, this was a few years back now.
Here's the tank when I first set it up. Note that the plexi is not the actual lid, just there for pics.
Wide view:
Here's the tank once I learned a few things from her about what she does and doesn't want/need.
-They need deep, gently packed substrate, I recommend peat because it resists mold, keep it moist but not too wet. Mix some clean sand in (20%) to help it hold shape and moisture.
-Let it get dry every once in a while to keep fungal growth down. The T can handle that, they are incredibly hardy. People who say they need constant high humidity are exaggerating a bit. Nature is variable and these guys can adapt quite well.
-Too much vent up top can just make things dry out faser. Note how I closed up more than half of the ventilation after realizing this. You have to find the balance between moldy and arid.
-Large, shallow water dish. Mine likes to splash around in it sometimes.
-Start a burrow going straight down somewhare and she will take right to it. Once they feel secure in the burrow they won't charge out at you so much.
-Keep some loose debris like moss or leaves or little bark chips in there all the time. This isn't necessary for their survival but they'll incorporate any debris into the trumpet mound, which can become quite stunning over time.
-Watch out because they do flick hairs (with their pedipalps, no less) and they can be surgical with those things.
-She only gets a substrate watering every couple of weeks but I soak down everything. That enclosure gets about 2 cups of water each time. It's set up to drain out the bottom a little so I don't get muddy sections.
Enjoy your T!
A couple more pics of mine just for kicks:
Molted:
Walkabout:
Having a roach over for dinner. Come into my parlor...
Here's the tank when I first set it up. Note that the plexi is not the actual lid, just there for pics.
Wide view:
Here's the tank once I learned a few things from her about what she does and doesn't want/need.
-They need deep, gently packed substrate, I recommend peat because it resists mold, keep it moist but not too wet. Mix some clean sand in (20%) to help it hold shape and moisture.
-Let it get dry every once in a while to keep fungal growth down. The T can handle that, they are incredibly hardy. People who say they need constant high humidity are exaggerating a bit. Nature is variable and these guys can adapt quite well.
-Too much vent up top can just make things dry out faser. Note how I closed up more than half of the ventilation after realizing this. You have to find the balance between moldy and arid.
-Large, shallow water dish. Mine likes to splash around in it sometimes.
-Start a burrow going straight down somewhare and she will take right to it. Once they feel secure in the burrow they won't charge out at you so much.
-Keep some loose debris like moss or leaves or little bark chips in there all the time. This isn't necessary for their survival but they'll incorporate any debris into the trumpet mound, which can become quite stunning over time.
-Watch out because they do flick hairs (with their pedipalps, no less) and they can be surgical with those things.
-She only gets a substrate watering every couple of weeks but I soak down everything. That enclosure gets about 2 cups of water each time. It's set up to drain out the bottom a little so I don't get muddy sections.
Enjoy your T!
A couple more pics of mine just for kicks:
Molted:
Walkabout:
Having a roach over for dinner. Come into my parlor...
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
- Messages
- 629
Great setup Eathan. I like the idea of draining excess water from the bottom. :clap: I agree with letting the enclosure dry out before rewetting.
lets start here, i am not exactly new. im lacking in allot of experence, but i kept a rose hair for 2 years ( the one i bought was a large male when i picked him up) i do feel i may have gotten lucky. as far as the T at hand. theres no question that it is e. murinus, i did give it peat, it does have a verticle hide which it never leaves. pictures are hard because i dont have much more then a phone camera. it has alot of pep and will not tollorate being moved. ive been told not a good one to handle. so tips on getting such photos, would be great. not spurrs and it is quite large, but i dont assume anything at this point. my peat isnt quite as deep as it should be but i do have some i just hydrated for anoter tank and have a plenty left. its in a 10 gallon at the moment but if i where to move it hows the best way to set up such a drain? i will pick up the reading suggested. i know this tends to be a fiesty species not ment for people with my experence but i know im up to the challange i just need enough advice to pull through this first peice. i appreciate all the help and the pictures look great.
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2007
- Messages
- 5,438
Well, it sounds like you're on the right track. I'd just continue letting her settle in. Give her plenty of little chunks of moss or whatever so she can make that awesome trumpet mound and just feed and water regularly. These are just peppy spiders. Mine has become less excitable due, apparently, to her comfort level in the enclosure but she's still kind of a demon.
The drain isn't absolutely necessary. I like it because it makes watering easier, I don't have to be so careful not to overwater. I just pour it all in and whatever excess there is flows out slowly. If you can't do a drain just pay attention to where the moisture is accumulating and try to let it dry out from time to time.
As for the pictures, that shot of her walking around is the only one I have of her out-and-about since she dug her burrow. I've seen her out (and not had a camera ready at hand) maybe twice more in that period and I've had her about 3 years now so, no help there. She does spen quite a lot of time right at the burrow entrance with toes sticking out and that's pretty cool.
The drain isn't absolutely necessary. I like it because it makes watering easier, I don't have to be so careful not to overwater. I just pour it all in and whatever excess there is flows out slowly. If you can't do a drain just pay attention to where the moisture is accumulating and try to let it dry out from time to time.
As for the pictures, that shot of her walking around is the only one I have of her out-and-about since she dug her burrow. I've seen her out (and not had a camera ready at hand) maybe twice more in that period and I've had her about 3 years now so, no help there. She does spen quite a lot of time right at the burrow entrance with toes sticking out and that's pretty cool.
seeing as how i have about 4-5 inches of peat and coconut husk ( the chippy looking peaces) in there should i still add some sand and a bit more peat? also my lizards that i keep in peat i change there sub-strait about every 6-8 months to stop bacterial growth is that something spiders should recive to? ( i would just do it anyway but i would hate to distroy the burrow and all the hard work they had. id be crabby if i lost my house twice a year too.
so if he webs over the top of his hide but still accepts food does that mean anything. ( i did have to make some room for the cricket but he readily ate 3 of them. should i ,maybe observe him and stop feeding for a bit. he still is sitting the same way so i think hes fine plus they lay on there back to molt right? so he would have to come out or expand a bit to do so.... i think. anyway thanks in advance if you can help