They are here! - and not doing too well...

boina

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So, my long awaited P. ornata and E. olivacea have arrived and I was so excited - which turned to worry rather soon. We had freezing temperatures last night and while they had been shipped in a styrofoam box with heat pack, the styrofoam was very thin (< 1/2") and the boxes with the spiders felt cold to the touch. I quickly unpacked them and released the P. ornata in her new, large enclosure without looking at her too closely - and then realized she's a lot smaller than I expected.
IMG_4582a.jpg

Now I have a not even 4" ornata in a 12x12x20 enclosure... Do I have to rehouse her or do you think it may still work out? I don't have anything smaller aroung at the moment.

She's also very, very sluggish. She tried to climb the glass, but kept falling back down. Now she sits on the ground. IMG_4594a.jpg
I really hope it's only because she was too cold and she will recover. Is there anything I can do?

The E. olivacea was packed closer to the heat pack and seems to have fared better. She already threat postured when I tried to get her into her box:

IMG_4588a.jpg

(I filled the water bowl immediately after I took the pic)

I really know why I prefer to buy at expos and don't have them shipped.
 

Chris LXXIX

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Uhm, well... let's see :)

Personally I would had waited a couple of weeks more (please don't take this bad :kiss:) because Germany is indeed more colder than where I live but viewing those pics seems that your Theraphosidae are fine, aside IMO cold-stress.

12 X 12 X 20 I think that, if you mean cm (and not inches) technically the enclosure is a bit little for a 4 inches Theraphosidae... I would opt for the average, arboreal glass European (made in Germany btw) cheap as hell enclosure sized 30 X 20 X 30 (height). If more taller, better :-s
 

Trenor

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Now I have a not even 4" ornata in a 12x12x20 enclosure... Do I have to rehouse her or do you think it may still work out? I don't have anything smaller aroung at the moment.
These grow quickly so I wouldn't rehouse it just let it setup in the larger enclosure. I noted most of my pokies will hug the dirt when I move them to a new enclosure. Give her time to readjust and she'l likely be fine.

Congratulations on the new Ts.
 

14pokies

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Sounds like a they are just jet lagged from the trip.. I would rehouse the ornata.. I keep my 7 inch female in 12×12×20 (inch).. That's alot of room for such a little T and a long fall if she is having trouble sticking either because of shipping or possibly from being in pre-molt..

I would put her in a 1 gallon plastic container with a few rows of airholes on the side with an inch and a half of substrated and a cork hollow or a cork slab leaned against the side.. In two molts she should be big enough for her original enclosure.
 

boina

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Uhm, well... let's see :)

Personally I would had waited a couple of weeks more (please don't take this bad :kiss:) because Germany is indeed more colder than where I live but viewing those pics seems that your Theraphosidae are fine, aside IMO cold-stress.

12 X 12 X 20 I think that, if you mean cm (and not inches) technically the enclosure is a bit little for a 4 inches Theraphosidae... I would opt for the average, arboreal glass European (made in Germany btw) cheap as hell enclosure sized 30 X 20 X 30 (height). If more taller, better :-s
You are so right, I should have waited a bit :sorry:. And no I used inches - I thought one kind of measurement was enough for one post ;). That's 30x30x50 cm, so it's big. I thought she would be about 6" and even then it would have been big. And it's a glass enclosure, made in Germany :p.
 

Andrea82

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Either way, i would notify the seller asap to tell him about this. If the ornata gets more sluggish or ill, you have already reported the problem. I'd also tell him to be more careful packing the spiders.

I hope it is just the cold trip!
 

boina

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These grow quickly so I wouldn't rehouse it just let it setup in the larger enclosure. I noted most of my pokies will hug the dirt when I move them to a new enclosure. Give her time to readjust and she'l likely be fine.

Congratulations on the new Ts.
Sounds like a they are just jet lagged from the trip.. I would rehouse the ornata.. I keep my 7 inch female in 12×12×20 (inch).. That's alot of room for such a little T and a long fall if she is having trouble sticking either because of shipping or possibly from being in pre-molt..

I would put her in a 1 gallon plastic container with a few rows of airholes on the side with an inch and a half of substrated and a cork hollow or a cork slab leaned against the side.. In two molts she should be big enough for her original enclosure.
Now I've one vote for rehouse and one vote for leave her where she is :arghh:, and both from experienced keepers. I guess I'll watch her for a day or two and if she recovers I'll see if she'll hunt and eat and if she doesn't look good she get's a smaller enclosure. Unfortunately I've no clue where to get a plastic enclosure, but I know where to get more cheap glass enclosures. ;)
 

boina

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Either way, i would notify the seller asap to tell him about this. If the ornata gets more sluggish or ill, you have already reported the problem. I'd also tell him to be more careful packing the spiders.

I hope it is just the cold trip!
Yeah, I sent him a mail. Thanks :)
 

Trenor

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Now I've one vote for rehouse and one vote for leave her where she is :arghh:, and both from experienced keepers. I guess I'll watch her for a day or two and if she recovers I'll see if she'll hunt and eat and if she doesn't look good she get's a smaller enclosure. Unfortunately I've no clue where to get a plastic enclosure, but I know where to get more cheap glass enclosures. ;)
I don't think it'll make much difference either way. I usually go with more space for my arboreal Ts and move them about less. If you feel better with a smaller enclosure it'll likely work just as good.
 

Nightstalker47

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Nice new additions! I definitely think a rehouse is a good idea for your ornata, it will acclimate to its surroundings faster in a smaller enclosure. That way you can hopefully try feeding a little sooner, and avoid the fall risk if it's not climbing well.

Maybe this is a trick of the lighting, but my female ornata's had very bright outlines on their carapace at around 4 inches, the males is the opposite, theirs dull out with time and the lines are almost barely visible. This species displays sexual dimorphism pretty early. I hope your seller didn't send you a male by mistake, but something has me paranoid looking at your specimen, how large is it exactly? Maybe it's just too young but it doesn't look like my females. Just an observation... I hope I'm wrong.
 

14pokies

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Now I've one vote for rehouse and one vote for leave her where she is :arghh:, and both from experienced keepers. I guess I'll watch her for a day or two and if she recovers I'll see if she'll hunt and eat and if she doesn't look good she get's a smaller enclosure. Unfortunately I've no clue where to get a plastic enclosure, but I know where to get more cheap glass enclosures. ;)
Yea just see how it goes.. I doubt the larger cage will cause her much problem.. It's just when giving advice I always air on the side of caution..
 

Chris LXXIX

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You are so right, I should have waited a bit :sorry:. And no I used inches - I thought one kind of measurement was enough for one post ;). That's 30x30x50 cm, so it's big. I thought she would be about 6" and even then it would have been big. And it's a glass enclosure, made in Germany :p.
Oooh :embarrassed: I tend to think always about cm when Europeans are involved, a bad habit of mine :-s

Anyway that enclosure size is great. Me? I would leave the 'Pokie' in that enclosure :)
 

Trenor

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it will acclimate to its surroundings faster in a smaller enclosure.
I've not noted any increased settling speed when giving Ts different sized enclosures. I've had a T start webbing a home within minutes of a rehouse and another (from the same brood) in the same size enclosure take days before laying down a home spot.
Maybe this is a trick of the lighting, but my female ornata's had very bright outlines on their carapace at around 4 inches, the males is the opposite, theirs dull out with time and the lines are almost barely visible. This species displays sexual dimorphism pretty early.
At 4 inches my male P.ornata had very little patterns on it carapace at all. Most were completely faded. He looked like this at 5 inches.
 

14pokies

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I've not noted any increased settling speed when giving Ts different sized enclosures. I've had a T start webbing a home within minutes of a rehouse and another (from the same brood) in the same size enclosure take days before laying down a home spot.

At 4 inches my male P.ornata had very little patterns on it carapace at all. Most were completely faded. He looked like this at 5 inches.
I was just discussing this in another thread. Lol. Before maturity ornata are the most sexually dimorphic pokie in the family.. Usually by the 4 inch mark sometimes smaller you can tell if it's male or female without vent or molt sexing..
 

14pokies

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Maybe this is a trick of the lighting, but my female ornata's had very bright outlines on their carapace at around 4 inches, the males is the opposite, theirs dull out with time and the lines are almost barely visible. This species displays sexual dimorphism pretty early. I hope your seller didn't send you a male by mistake, but something has me paranoid looking at your specimen, how large is it exactly? Maybe it's just too young but it doesn't look like my females. Just an observation... I hope I'm wrong.
Hard to judge the size of the T from that pic but it looks alot like most males of that species at roughly that size. It should be obvious in the next molt if it washes out more and gets greener.
 

Trenor

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Yeah, I was able to tell mine was a male long before I was able to molt sex him. Even so, I really wanted it to be female so I poked Advan who shattered my hopes and dreams. :D

He went off to make some babies a while back so it's all good. One of my 3 first pokies I ever owned. The P.met is a girl so she'll be with me for a while though.
 

darkness975

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I think you can leave them where they are. Let them acclimate since they are already in enclosures.

Viel glück, Frau @boina
 

boina

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Yeah, I think that dorsal stripe is a bit weak, but it's there. She's about 3 3/4, or as close to that as I could measure her, so hopefully it will become more prominent after the next molt and she's just a bit late developing her full pattern, instead of washing out completely... :anxious:. She's my first Pokie, so basically I've no clue.
 
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