solifugids actually lives longer than we think

[Arachnoporium]

Solifugid Substrate

I was given a tip my someone who knows more than I. They are oppertunistic burrowers and will inhabit and reconstruct a burrow. This is not on soft desert sand but hard solidified sand become slightly moist as the bottom of the burrow. I have had great luck using ZooMeds 'Excavator' for G. grandi and fuzzy Solifugids.

What kind of substrate do solifugids generally need?

anyone?

 

[Scorpendra]

what other requirements would you say solifugids need? should heat and humidity closely mimic those of a desert environment or be lowered to an extent in order to prevent their metabolisms from burning up too quickly?

 

[mitchnast]

well, heres what ive done, i have 2 desert-collected specimines, i put potting soil down as the base, then planted desert-dwelling short grasses and put a few rocks around,
then i spread dried rocky desert grit/sand over that, resembling the desert, and added some gneiss and shale stones from the desert for hiding spots.

i wetted the potting soil first, it should hold the moisture to radiate ambiant humidity up thru the sand. burrowing should also work well in the potting soil.

the plants provide habitat simulation and break up the animals roaming lines. then also provide a challanging obsticle, Ive noticed them exploting around the base of the grass and wedging in and out.

i expect they will hit the winter dormancy stage soon, i have a cuppbord in the basement that goes about 5-10C all winter and stays sorta humid, similar to the bottom of a pile of desert rocks in the winter. so we shall see how that goes. that shall be the hibernaculum

 

[mechwar]

Solifugids for sale

It is good to hear that they can live a while in captivity. I have been wanting to get one for a while. Who out there in the US has any for sale?

Jason at TheArachnoporium.com has fuzzy solifugids for sale.

 

[Pink-Poodle88]

I've wanted a solifugid for a long time, but because of the supposed relatively short lifespan, I never planned on ever actually get one. This is why even though I love all arthropods, I prefer to keep tarantulas mainly, though I do like to keep others as well.

A bit off topic, but I really hate all the rumors that your average person thinks about solifugids or "camel spiders" thanks to the media(though those of us that know better know that they aren't spiders at all in the first place, but that's irrelevant) such as them getting two feet long, running 40 miles per hour, killing and eating camels, chasing people down and sucking out their brains... all sorts of ridiculous crap like that which sounds like it came from a low budget 1950's horror movie.

Pretty much all arachnids(and many other animals as well) have a completely undeserved bad reputation though, which usually leads to fear, hatred, and unnecessary violence towards completely innocent animals. As one who loves and feels compassion for all animals, especially since arachnids and arthropods in general were always my favorites, this kind of stuff really disgusts me. Unfortunately, it probably won't ever change. People will continue refuse to educate themselves and will continue to hate spiders/insects/etc. for completely illogical reasons. Ignorance causes fear, hatred, and violence, common sense. This rule applies to people, culture, and as demonstrated all the time, even animals.

 

[Arachnoporium]

Galeodes granti

Keeping many Galeodes granti (supposedly the largest of all Solifugids) I can say with complete confidence that they have nothing on a Haplopelma sp. or a Pterinochilus sp.

They are amazing and certainly alien-like. Yes they can be fast and you surely don't want to get your fingers stuck on those Chelicerae (which look like a beak of sorts). Yes, they can be fast - but I can safely take the lid off of the enclosure and tweezer feed them crickets with no real worries of one running out. Currently the largest I have is 7".

As for longevity, I still have some quite large specimens which I imported in July (CB attempt) and then a whole new batch. If you mimic their natural habitat VERY CLOSELY I feel they can easily live for quite some time.

Zoo Med's excavator was a life saving key, which was a tip I was given from someone who has kept this Egyptian species in the past and is quite knowledgeable on their care. I also received some tips from an Arachnologist in Cairo - in the wild they live on hard, dry cracked sand and are opportunistic burrowers taking over the burrow of a desert rodent and reconstructing it to their own liking.

*Bit the bullet today and bought a new computer - should not have any more email issues, although I have hundreds to catch up on.

I've wanted a solifugid for a long time, but because of the supposed relatively short lifespan, I never planned on ever actually get one. This is why even though I love all arthropods, I prefer to keep tarantulas mainly, though I do like to keep others as well.

A bit off topic, but I really hate all the rumors that your average person thinks about solifugids or "camel spiders" thanks to the media(though those of us that know better know that they aren't spiders at all in the first place, but that's irrelevant) such as them getting two feet long, running 40 miles per hour, killing and eating camels, chasing people down and sucking out their brains... all sorts of ridiculous crap like that which sounds like it came from a low budget 1950's horror movie.

Pretty much all arachnids(and many other animals as well) have a completely undeserved bad reputation though, which usually leads to fear, hatred, and unnecessary violence towards completely innocent animals. As one who loves and feels compassion for all animals, especially since arachnids and arthropods in general were always my favorites, this kind of stuff really disgusts me. Unfortunately, it probably won't ever change. People will continue refuse to educate themselves and will continue to hate spiders/insects/etc. for completely illogical reasons. Ignorance causes fear, hatred, and violence, common sense. This rule applies to people, culture, and as demonstrated all the time, even animals.

 

[bistrobob85]

Does anyone have access to a PDF version of Punzo's book? I know it's an odd question but i'd like to print some copies on which i could write my own comments...

phil.

 

[Zach Valois]

Never heard of one, although i suggest that the money for the book is very well spent. And there are many online journals articles pertaining to Solifugae. And from what Warren tells me the US Solifugae research team will soon be posting a large collection of Solifugae related publications on their website (solpugid.com).
Though i still doubt that Punzo's entire book will be posted. You can try and contact Punzo himself.

 

[Venom]

Just a random thought- ( and no, I haven't read the whole thread, so it may have already been posted ), but these things come from the desert, right? Has anyone tried extending their lifespan by radically lowering their night-time temperatures, as occurs in the desert? Perhaps it is more than just hibernating in winter...maybe they are used to cooling off every evening. :? Good idea? Dumb idea?

 

[Tarantula_Hawk]

not sure about it... but solifuges are known to not be active throughout the whole year so hibernation is probably part of their life

 

[syph]

ive just ordered a solifugid and im wondering... should i give it ample space like most websites say or now that we're doubting the previous common care rules of them should the conditions be more cosy? i really doubt they need to feed as much as caresheets suggest because there cant be that much food in the desert.

cheers

 

[mitchnast]

just an update on the two i had, they didn't wake up.
but then i didn't do anything special, maybe if i try again with a deli cup full of peat in the crawlspace next fall....

 

[eL Tre]

god, certain times of the year and these things are EVERYWHERE on the mesa area i live in. Always have been interested by them, its by far the most agressive insect iv encountered locally...

not sure exactly what the local genus is ill have to look it up.

 

[mitchnast]

You're probably going to want to start in the family Eremobatidae

 

[treeweta]

i finally saw my first wild solifugid in california a few weeks ago, a small 3/4 inch specimem, just a fleeting glance, no idea what species.

 

[J.huff23]

i finally saw my first wild solifugid in california a few weeks ago, a small 3/4 inch specimem, just a fleeting glance, no idea what species.

I didnt know that these were native to California.......:?

 

[Zoltan]

Hey, j.everson, check out [this] picture, it's a Solifugae distribution map.

 

[Mr Benn]

Hi!

So what conclusions did we take from this, then?

And does anyone know of any place where I can get any of the larger one's now?

Thanks

 

[codykrr]

hmm...so ccording to the distribution map...they should be in south west missouri!:? ive never heard of any or seen one....o even heard of someoneseeing onearound here....just how accurate is that map? oh and also for an update....the book "the biology of camel spiders" price has increase quite a bit....cheapest i found $150.00 usd and it ranges all the way up to $270.00 usd.....on kindle it is like $185.00 from amazon.com.

 

[CaliAgents1688]

Can anyone point me to a good source of where to purchase camel spiders?

I am in Northern California and had a bit of experience with Solfugids in the past, however I would like to keep some more and hopefully add value to this forum with my findings.

Thanks