Tips for getting a super bolty speedy spider ready for transport

[BillsSpider]

I have to get a penultimate male Psalmopoeus pulcher ready to transport him to the breeder , problem being this guy is super bolty and is soooo damn fast. I've done rehouses, I know all of the basic catch cup techniques etc. Are there any extra tips you could give? The enclosure he lives in is to big for the bag method I've seen.


All of the plants have been removed in preparation, only the big piece of wood that is attached to a lot of the webbing and tunnels remains

 

[quirinus]

could you put in a cork tunnel, poke him into that tunnel, then cover both sides?
Then poke him out of the tunnel into the transport-container? (the container inside the current enclosure, so it doesn't matter if he escapes).

Or just put the container inside the enclosure and poke him in directly, then put the lid on?

is the enclosure top opening? then you can cover most of the top and poke him inside the container through the remaining opening. very low escape chance since you can cover it fully if needed.

do you want to send him per mail? in what container do you want to put him?

(if this is freaking you out, maybe just leave him be. you should feel comfortable und unstressed while rehousing, otherwise things are more likely to go wrong).

 

[viper69]

I tend to put a cup over them and go from there. But a cork tube or cardboard tube will work as well.

 

[quirinus]

I tend to put a cup over them and go from there.

well yes but it sounded like this is not an option
i understand that this needs some courage if you do it the first time with an adult psalmo.

 

[BillsSpider]

I tend to put a cup over them and go from there. But a cork tube or cardboard tube will work as well.

Hmmm I hadn't thought about a cardboard tube, might try that

is the enclosure top opening? then you can cover most of the top and poke him inside the container through the remaining opening. very low escape chance since you can cover it fully if needed.

It does open from the top and the front but every time I have opened the top has resulted in me chasing him around the walls and ceiling with a catch cup so I'm avoiding opening the top

 

[viper69]

well yes but it sounded like this is not an option
i understand that this needs some courage if you do it the first time with an adult psalmo.

Do whatever it takes while ensuring the safety the T.

Hmmm I hadn't thought about a cardboard tube, might try that

Whatever it takes

 

[CommanderBacon]

My P irminia boy was super chill when I needed to prep him to send to a breeder. I’m sorry your dude is being a weenie.

The half plastic bottle method has worked best for me with all my bolty dudes. I get them bunched up toward the mouth end, gently put the big opening over the entrance to the vial/cup/shipping container, and poke them into it. I haven’t had a problem.

Edit: If he’s squishing himself into a corner, I recommend placing the enclosure inside of a tub/bin, leaving the enclosure doors open, and waiting a bit for him to relax and explore before trying to cup him so he’s more accessible.

 

[cold blood]

IME fast, bolty ts are in fact, the easiest ts to pack up. For your MM, I would do this;

step 1, make a funnel. I use a 2 liter bottle, cut off both ends and make a funnel out of heavy paper.

step 2, make up your shipping container.

step 3, connect 1 and 2 so the end of the funnel is in the entrance of the shipping container This is a superficial connection and is simply there to provide the t with the right direction to bolt to. If you can hold both in one hand, great, if you dont have the mitts for that, you can lay them on the ground (I suggest the bathtub).

step 4., I place the MMs enclosure near the proper area and open it. Ii then usher the t out, into the bathtub and remove the curtain so the t wont have access, and of course, plug the drain unless you want to go bathtub fishing. i know it seems counter-intuitive to let the spider free in the tub, but bear with me. From here, a bolting tarantula is easily manipulated to run into your funnel and usually straight into the shipping container Even if you dont get it in the funnel the first time, just be patient, the t will stop moving and in the bathtub, isnt going anywhere as its pretty easy to control the t in such an open area (I usually use the lid from the ts enclosure). Once it stops, just place the funnel in front of it and give it a nudge from behind.

At times they refuse to enter the container, but bolty ones almost never do, they just fly right in, literally the whole process will take a minute. If the t doesnt make it all the way in, I then go in with a blocker I make out of a deli cup lid, with holes in the middle so I can safely push in the plastic top to force the ts direction.

I would much rather pack a pokie or a psalmo than any slow moving, stubborn avic.

 

[viper69]

IME fast, bolty ts are in fact, the easiest ts to pack up. For your MM, I would do this;

step 1, make a funnel. I use a 2 liter bottle, cut off both ends and make a funnel out of heavy paper.

step 2, make up your shipping container.

step 3, connect 1 and 2 so the end of the funnel is in the entrance of the shipping container This is a superficial connection and is simply there to provide the t with the right direction to bolt to. If you can hold both in one hand, great, if you dont have the mitts for that, you can lay them on the ground (I suggest the bathtub).

step 4., I place the MMs enclosure near the proper area and open it. Ii then usher the t out, into the bathtub and remove the curtain so the t wont have access, and of course, plug the drain unless you want to go bathtub fishing. Ii know, seems counter-intuitive to let the spider free in the tub, but bear with me. From here, a bolting tarantula is easily manipulated to run into your funnel and usually straight into the shipping container Even if you dont get it in the funnel the first time, just be patient, the t will stop moving and in the bathtub, isnt going anywhere as its pretty easy to control the t in such an open area (I usually use the lid from the ts enclosure). Once it stops, just place the funnel in front of it and give it a nudge from behind.

At times they refuse to enter the container, but bolty ones almost never do, they just fly right in, literally the whole process will take a minute. If the t doesnt make it all the way in, I then go in with a blocker I make out of a deli cup lid, with holes in the middle so I can safely push in the plastic top to force the ts direction.

I would much rather pack a pokie or a psalmo than any slow moving, stubborn avic.

I agree, I used CB’s method for shipping him my MM irminia- it went EXACTLY as described, over in 3 seconds.

Avics- like herding cats incredibly stubborn

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I cut the top off the 2L coke bottle (cut just below the shoulder of the bottle, keep both parts and the lid) and melt holes at various points into the bottom section so that you can poke something through to coax the spider around.



Coax the tarantula into the bottle and then close it in by fitting the top part in upside down like in the image below.



Once your shipping container is ready (I usually get this ready beforehand so that I can make an immediate transfer) open up the catch cup and insert it into the lip of the shipping container (in this example the bottle fits right into the lip of the 32oz deli but if the bottle is slightly wider than the shipping container then you can just slide it over, in any case you're setting this up so that the only place the spider can go is into the shipping container, I have various sized bottles for different sized tarantulas/containers).



You then coax the spider down into the padded shipping container (they usually go quite easily/willingly as it's the nearest available tight/dark space), remove the bottle, and then seal the spider into the shipping container. Job done.

Hope that helps somewhat.

 

[BillsSpider]

Success, he wasn't half the problem my A.seemani and T.albo were getting ready for travel lol