T seladonia help

[Peyton Bemis]

I have 2 and i usually keep the substrate dry.. am i suppose to keep it wet or damp? Please help i use eco earth which seems to just absorb the water right after i spray?!

 

[Peyton Bemis]

I have 2 and i have eco earth with them is the substrate suppose to be dry or wet? Everytime i spray the eco earth absorbs the water... please help

 

[Chroma Trigger]

While I do not know about T. Seladonia, spraying is useless for making the substrate wet. You only moisten the top layer, which dries out very quickly - as you experienced. On a positive note, that means your ventilation is working .

Please check out the video below from Tom Moran, regarding keeping moisture dependent species. Again, this may not apply to T. Seladonia! I have zero experience with that T. This is general information, also in case you own any other moisture dependent tarantulas.

Keeping Moisture Dependent Species - A Tutorial

 

[RezonantVoid]

Considering they are arboreal they probably dont need a great deal of substrate moisture, just easy access to a water source and lot of ventilation. I have never kept this species though or any other arboreal tarantula for that matter, im just going off what i hear for other species

 

[Peyton Bemis]

Considering they are arboreal they probably dont need a great deal of substrate moisture, just easy access to a water source and lot of ventilation. I have never kept this species though or any other arboreal tarantula for that matter, im just going off what i hear for other species

Thanks you for replying! I hope someone who has them can comment but i agree what you said.

 

[Pyrelitha]

I wish I could get that species, too pricey thougb

 

[The Grym Reaper]

They're from the Aviculariinae subfamily so I assume care would be similar to Avics.

 

[Vanessa]

Since this is an arboreal trapdoor species, I personally would keep them on dry substrate with an elevated water dish. They are not likely going too far from their trapdoor setup to get water, so I would ensure that they don't have to travel far. Hopefully, you have set them up properly so that they can build a trapdoor for themselves.
However, I have not kept this species myself. I know that @wizentrop has a couple, maybe he can chime in.

 

[wizentrop]

Hi there. Keeping T. seladonia is absolutely NOT like keeping other avics! Substrate should be dry. No water dish. Misting once-twice a week is fine. If they made a trapdoor, mist directly on the door until wet, they will know what to do. If they are free-roaming (it happens), mist the enclosure's wall, or just place a few droplets of water on the cork bark. Again, they will know what to do.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Hi there. Keeping T. seladonia is absolutely NOT like keeping other avics! Substrate should be dry. No water dish. Misting once-twice a week is fine. If they made a trapdoor, mist directly on the door until wet, they will know what to do. If they are free-roaming (it happens), mist the enclosure's wall, or just place a few droplets of water on the cork bark. Again, they will know what to do.

So, aside from misting their trapdoors in lieu of providing a water dish, it's basically the same as any other Aviculariinae then.

 

[wizentrop]

Other Avicularia's need high humidity (so, a wet substrate is preferred), Typhochlaena spiders do not.
But hey, you can also say - aside from misting, good ventilation, and the need for a somewhat structurally complex cork bark, it's basically like keeping any other spider.. They eat prey, they molt.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Other Avicularia's need high humidity (so, a wet substrate is preferred)

No, they don't.

 

[wizentrop]

It's not an argument. If you keep your avics bone dry, and it works for you - cheers! I was summoned here as someone who currently keeps T. seladonia to give my 2 cents. And I gave them.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

It's not an argument. If you keep your avics bone dry, and it works for you - cheers!

If you keep your avics bone dry and it works for you - you're keeping your it right and not trying to suffocate it in a stuffy moist enclosure.

 

[viper69]

I have 2 and i usually keep the substrate dry.. am i suppose to keep it wet or damp? Please help i use eco earth which seems to just absorb the water right after i spray?!

Contact the seller. Few people have them.

a somewhat structurally complex cork bark

I've heard, 2nd hand, they can be a bit "picky" for lack of a better word, regarding cork substrate, this was in relation to observing trap door building.

True/not true? Also, can you elaborate on the above quoted statement. Avics certainly have issues w/the cork I provide, these are a diff. genus.

 

[wizentrop]

I've heard, 2nd hand, they can be a bit "picky" for lack of a better word, regarding cork substrate, this was in relation to observing trap door building.

True/not true?

True.
The seladonia spiders need some kind of natural channel or groove in the bark to build their nest and trapdoor around. Most cork barks are not tile-flat and therefore have these spaces, but the way the bark is positioned in the enclosure also has some influence on whether the spider will adopt it or not. For example, if the cavity is at the bottom of the bark piece, but the spider decides it wants to be at the top part of the enclosure due to reasons related to humidity/ventilation/light, you can forget about it making a nest at the suggested space.

I have two T. seladonia spiders. One made a trapdoor right in the middle of the bark where I wanted it. The other one (which is the larger of the two because it is easier to feed) didn't like bark at all, even after replacing and trying different pieces. It roamed and roamed until eventually making its nest in one of the top corners of the enclosure, against the wall. Even in this case the spider still goes down to the substrate to pick debris up to decorate its shelter.

As for Avicularia - I only keep A. sp. "huriana", and mine are not too fussy about the enclosure's setup as long as it is humid and well-ventilated. In the wild I observed the juveniles nesting in folded *living* plant leaves, while the adults nest on tree trunks, about 2 meters above ground level.

 

[viper69]

True.
The seladonia spiders need some kind of natural channel or groove in the bark to build their nest and trapdoor around. Most cork barks are not tile-flat and therefore have these spaces, but the way the bark is positioned in the enclosure also has some influence on whether the spider will adopt it or not. For example, if the cavity is at the bottom of the bark piece, but the spider decides it wants to be at the top part of the enclosure due to reasons related to humidity/ventilation/light, you can forget about it making a nest at the suggested space.

I have two T. seladonia spiders. One made a trapdoor right in the middle of the bark where I wanted it. The other one (which is the larger of the two because it is easier to feed) didn't like bark at all, even after replacing and trying different pieces. It roamed and roamed until eventually making its nest in one of the top corners of the enclosure, against the wall. Even in this case the spider still goes down to the substrate to pick debris up to decorate its shelter.

As for Avicularia - I only keep A. sp. "huriana", and mine are not too fussy about the enclosure's setup as long as it is humid and well-ventilated. In the wild I observed the juveniles nesting in folded *living* plant leaves, while the adults nest on tree trunks, about 2 meters above ground level.

Thanks for confirming,and the additional info. I had also heard of the positioning too, but wasn't sure how true that is. There's not enough owners yet reporting their observations.

Curious, when you feed them, how's it done. For example, with my I mira, a terrestrial trap door T, it's quite easy, drop cricket in and mira eats, crickets walk on the sub. But for seladonia, I can't imagine crickets are too inclined to walk up cork bark. Sure they do it, but it's not as common.

Decades ago there were so many huriana around, they were all over the place. Now I never see them. I had sacmates a few years back. Definitely the poofiest of Avics, nice to see there's someone else that likes them, let alone knows what they are.

 

[wizentrop]

I love the A. sp. "huriana" (the name is a bit iffy these days) from my field site - they get massive, and I appreciate their speed and conviction when chasing down Blaberus adults.

Re: feeding T. seladonia - crickets can be problematic because they are skittish and jumpy, and the spiders are super shy. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how shy they are, for those of you who expect a bold showy spider, this is not the one for you.
I feed mainly with silverfish, they seek a shelter to squeeze into and somehow always end up right in front of the trapdoor. When I'm lazy I just pre-kill a cricket and serve it to the spider by opening the door ever so slightly. If the spider is hungry, it will take it in *slowly*. Maybe after 1-2 mins. If it is not hungry, it will kick it out of the house, quite literally.

 

[omni]

so could you hollow out a deep pocket in cork and maybe that would help a seladonia have a good spot to camp in?

 

[viper69]

I love the A. sp. "huriana" (the name is a bit iffy these days) from my field site - they get massive, and I appreciate their speed and conviction when chasing down Blaberus adults.

Re: feeding T. seladonia - crickets can be problematic because they are skittish and jumpy, and the spiders are super shy. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how shy they are, for those of you who expect a bold showy spider, this is not the one for you.
I feed mainly with silverfish, they seek a shelter to squeeze into and somehow always end up right in front of the trapdoor. When I'm lazy I just pre-kill a cricket and serve it to the spider by opening the door ever so slightly. If the spider is hungry, it will take it in *slowly*. Maybe after 1-2 mins. If it is not hungry, it will kick it out of the house, quite literally.

How large did you observe them in the wild? I'm convinced when/if DNA analysis is run on Avics, many of these "morphotypes" will be either new species, subspecies or not. I can't believe they are all the same species at this point. Yeah my huriana were typically quite good eaters.

This info on seladonia is quite fascinating. I've seen one juvi female in person at a herp show. They are quite small indeed, and quite pretty. Of course any trapdoor I expect to see very little of. Silverfish, this is interesting and pre-killed too. Do you always have to open the door? With my mira I didn't have to do that. She would track cricket movements from beneath the sub, the crickets had no idea heh.