Today in the Spider Room?

[Charliemum]

Episode three of So You Want To Breed Tarantulas Ehh?
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Ended up separating out 117 Ornithoctonus sp Ranong Blue slings in about 2 hours. Next step is to get them feeding prior to shipping so they can handle the rigors of the process. I prefer to get two meals into them to get them well started, but one will do in a pinch. They'll typically eat 7-10 days after molting to 2i. I have a lateralis colony that is setup to perpetually produce pinheads, so I always have them available for new slings. If you didn't think this far ahead, you'll have to figure out a way to source atleast 10 dozen appropriate sized feeder items like pinhead crickets. You COULD go with prekilled or chopped up mealworms, but the problem with that is you absolutely must remove anything uneaten the next day or they'll start to mold and it can be difficult to see if the sling has actually eaten. Also, in an enclosure for moisture dependent species like Ornithoctonus spp, that mold can take over and prove deadly in a week's time.

A little over half of this clutch has already been sold and will ship out after they start eating, but wait, that means more prep work to get ahead of the curve. You'll need shipping vials. Good thing I prepped 200 of them a few weeks back (took a few hours).
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Actually getting the slings out of the enclosures and into the vials once the time comes is a bit of a chore as well, especially when you have to do large amounts. Expect another few hours invested there in the future.

Oh, did I mention this is still all for one eggsack? We haven't even discussed the larger Phormingochilus sp Akcaya eggsack maybe 50 days from 2i still in the incubator.....
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Or the Phormingochilus pennellhewlettorum eggsack that is hopefully getting pulled next Friday that looks equally as large.......

Now that they're all separated, I have another hour of general husbandry work to do in the collection before I can call it a night.

You really have to have a passion for this.

We all know you planned this , and that this was prepared for as soon as you got those females . I have a feeling you had totes with the vivs and viles for shipping just waiting to be knocked up when the sac/sacs hatched your to organised to not

 

[l4nsky]

We all know you planned this , and that this was prepared for as soon as you got those females . I have a feeling you had totes with the vivs and viles for shipping just waiting to be knocked up when the sac/sacs hatched your to organised to not

Oh yeah, I'm prepared for this as it isn't my first go around. The point of the series though is to get future breeders to realize all of the time and effort required after they get an eggsack. There's a lot of joy and excitement when you get a glimpse of a female holding that white sphere or get to cut open an eggsack and see it filled with EWL, however that's also when the real work starts .

 

[Charliemum]

Oh yeah, I'm prepared for this as it isn't my first go around. The point of the series though is to get future breeders to realize all of the time and effort required after they get an eggsack. There's a lot of joy and excitement when you get a glimpse of a female holding that white sphere or get to cut open an eggsack and see it filled with EWL, however that's also when the real work starts .

I shall pay attention then as one day I hope to breed t's , won't be for a long time yet, till I have a less loud & less child filled place for momma to look after her sac in peace but its definitely an ultimate goal even if I only do it once I would like to atleast try. My Sericopelma sp Darien dropped a sac for me not long after I got her unfortunately she ate it at 28 days but it got me hooked she dropped it without any special care n am pretty sure if I tried I could get a sac again n hopefully next time get to pull it

 

[fcat]

Early morning construction, found the largest decor items it could to add to the turret
Zoisite - Ephebopus uatuman


Yukon - Sericopelma generalum - First time I've caught her out of her burrow since she molted. It's been several weeks and I am still trying to get her up to weight. She.eats.so.much. and only like crickets
@Stu Macher to FINALLY answer you or question, she's a solid 6" now

 

[TLSizzle]

Sericopelma must be a bottomless pit sp then as my santa catalina has taken at least 3 crickets since molting 2 weeks ago and still sticks them toes out daily waiting for more!

Crummy pic of him on cricket 3 I believe and he's still not terribly fat.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Yukon - Sericopelma generalum - First time I've caught her out of her burrow since she molted. It's been several weeks and I am still trying to get her up to weight. She.eats.so.much. and only like crickets

Not sure what kind of crix you use, but the black, field crickets get pretty large.

 

[Spinnenfritzi]

My 3mm small T. seladonia sling ate her first meal today and made her trapdoor instantly after that. It is her eighth day in my care and i am proud or at least reliefed after this small milestone.

Big thank you to the AB community for the excellent tips and detailed explanaitions!

 

[corydalis]

My H.mac molted couple of days ago and today was kind enough to show herself for at least an hour before she returned into the safety of her web curtains.

 

[444 critters]

My .5" brachypelma baumgarteni sling decided to make the great eacape yesterday... I tore the room apart, and 4 hours later I finally was able to find it... talk about a needle in a haystack! I was so nervous I was gonna squash it going in and out of the room, or picking up all the enclosures and looking over them before setting them in the living room. I literally flipped my critter room upside down. Talk about stressful.. thank God it was found, I did not want to order another one on the account of an escapee, little booger is probably my most expensive sling compared to size.

 

[TLSizzle]

Where was it hiding at?

 

[444 critters]

Where was it hiding at?

It was between the baseboard and carpet, it was stored where my index finger is pointing, and i found it behind the short stand to the right... I had a Dewalt flashlight looking over everything, and I just happened to see one pink leg sticking out from the carpet.. I got my paint brush and coarsed it out... let's just say I thanked God about a million times that i was even able to spot it.. I wish I had a good before and after pic of my room. But my girl did capture about the 2 hour mark.

 

[TLSizzle]

Great job and what a neat room!

 

[444 critters]

Great job and what a neat room!

Thanks bro, I appreciate it.

Imma need to build some more shelving here soon, running out of room

 

[MGHamlin]

My n. incei made a rare appearance this morning to grab a drink and do some exploring. I had just vacuumed nearby and I suspect the vibrations uneased it a bit because, after drinking, it started lapping its enclosure like a MM for a few minutes before settling back down. It hasn't eaten in months--and I've not been able to sex its molts because they're buried in its hide--so I almost wondered if it *was* a MM, but I didn't see any emboli today. I'm tempted to lift its hide to see if it's just molted and has now decided it's ready to come out again, but I hate disturbing their enclosures.

An alternative theory as to the activity--and a sometimes controversial topic--is that I've recently added some indirect heat to my tarantula shelves given I tend to keep my house on the cooler side (68-70 degrees). I got seedling heat mats and adhered them to the backside of the shelf backing (between the shelf and the wall, not between the shelf and the enclosure). The mats are on a thermostat set to turn off at 85 degrees, with the thermostat probe between the enclosure and shelf back. I have a second thermometer in place to make doubly sure temperatures remain safe. Truthfully, the thermostat isn't doing much because the mats don't seem to be able to heat the T side of the shelf past 80 degrees or so.

So far, all the Ts seem to be enjoying the added warmth. It's not uncommon for me to see them resting up against the back glass of the enclosure for the warmth. So I'm thinking I'll stick with this setup. I'd be interested in other's experiments/results with adding indirect heat.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

My n. incei made a rare appearance this morning to grab a drink and do some exploring. I had just vacuumed nearby and I suspect the vibrations uneased it a bit because, after drinking, it started lapping its enclosure like a MM for a few minutes before settling back down. It hasn't eaten in months--and I've not been able to sex its molts because they're buried in its hide--so I almost wondered if it *was* a MM, but I didn't see any emboli today. I'm tempted to lift its hide to see if it's just molted and has now decided it's ready to come out again, but I hate disturbing their enclosures.

An alternative theory as to the activity--and a sometimes controversial topic--is that I've recently added some indirect heat to my tarantula shelves given I tend to keep my house on the cooler side (68-70 degrees). I got seedling heat mats and adhered them to the backside of the shelf backing (between the shelf and the wall, not between the shelf and the enclosure). The mats are on a thermostat set to turn off at 85 degrees, with the thermostat probe between the enclosure and shelf back. I have a second thermometer in place to make doubly sure temperatures remain safe. Truthfully, the thermostat isn't doing much because the mats don't seem to be able to heat the T side of the shelf past 80 degrees or so.

So far, all the Ts seem to be enjoying the added warmth. It's not uncommon for me to see them resting up against the back glass of the enclosure for the warmth. So I'm thinking I'll stick with this setup. I'd be interested in other's experiments/results with adding indirect heat.

I don’t have money or outlets to heat my t rack it’s not very full anyways , but I’d like to see pics of how it works someday .
Here’s my tied for largest LP 10 gallon she’s about 7” or so but not very bulky like it’s rumored the species is.
It’s the opposite I guess quit using a hide While ago.

 

[444 critters]

My n. incei made a rare appearance this morning to grab a drink and do some exploring. I had just vacuumed nearby and I suspect the vibrations uneased it a bit because, after drinking, it started lapping its enclosure like a MM for a few minutes before settling back down. It hasn't eaten in months--and I've not been able to sex its molts because they're buried in its hide--so I almost wondered if it *was* a MM, but I didn't see any emboli today. I'm tempted to lift its hide to see if it's just molted and has now decided it's ready to come out again, but I hate disturbing their enclosures.

An alternative theory as to the activity--and a sometimes controversial topic--is that I've recently added some indirect heat to my tarantula shelves given I tend to keep my house on the cooler side (68-70 degrees). I got seedling heat mats and adhered them to the backside of the shelf backing (between the shelf and the wall, not between the shelf and the enclosure). The mats are on a thermostat set to turn off at 85 degrees, with the thermostat probe between the enclosure and shelf back. I have a second thermometer in place to make doubly sure temperatures remain safe. Truthfully, the thermostat isn't doing much because the mats don't seem to be able to heat the T side of the shelf past 80 degrees or so.

So far, all the Ts seem to be enjoying the added warmth. It's not uncommon for me to see them resting up against the back glass of the enclosure for the warmth. So I'm thinking I'll stick with this setup. I'd be interested in other's experiments/results with adding indirect heat.

By chance, is the mats you use called VIVOSUN?

 

[MGHamlin]

By chance, is the mats you use called VIVOSUN?

Nope. They're branded as LUXBIRD (who knows who actually manufactures them). Here are pics of the shelf I'm trying this out on. You can see the thermostat probe near the top of the second shelf. You can't see it from these pictures, but I've made sure there is a small air gap between the enclosure and the shelf backing in an effort to avoid too much direct heat transfer.

I've been kicking around the idea of adding some insulation board behind the mats to minimize heat loss from the back surface. The goal isn't to get the temperatures higher (I'm happy at 78-80), just to get the mats to run more efficiently.

 

[444 critters]

Nope. They're branded as LUXBIRD (who knows who actually manufactures them). Here are pics of the shelf I'm trying this out on. You can see the thermostat probe near the top of the second shelf. You can't see it from these pictures, but I've made sure there is a small air gap between the enclosure and the shelf backing in an effort to avoid too much direct heat transfer.

I've been kicking around the idea of adding some insulation board behind the mats to minimize heat loss from the back surface. The goal isn't to get the temperatures higher (I'm happy at 78-80), just to get the mats to run more efficiently.

They look exactly like the Mats I use, but just different name. Haha. They do work really well in my opinion. I use them for roaches though, as I am trying to keep a temp of low 90s for them. I was going back and fourth with using them for my Ts. Aswell. They just are a little pricey to just go out and buy a bunch. I keep my room at around 75° but I did want them to reach the low 80s to see if I could get a faster growth out of my desert species.. I'm at work so forgive me if you said it already, have you noticed faster growth rates with the warmer temperature?

 

[MGHamlin]

They look exactly like the Mats I use, but just different name. Haha. They do work really well in my opinion. I use them for roaches though, as I am trying to keep a temp of low 90s for them. I was going back and fourth with using them for my Ts. Aswell. They just are a little pricey to just go out and buy a bunch. I keep my room at around 75° but I did want them to reach the low 80s to see if I could get a faster growth out of my desert species.. I'm at work so forgive me if you said it already, have you noticed faster growth rates with the warmer temperature?

They're certainly a bit pricey--$85 for six mats plus the thermostat controller--but my collection isn't so large (yet) that I need more than two sets (I'm hovering around 20 Ts right now).

It's too soon to say on growth rates, as I've only had them in place a few weeks. I will say that I've noticed more activity since I added the mats. And, as noted above, a handful of my Ts have taken to resting up against the glass on the warm side of their enclosure, which I interpret to mean they prefer the warmth.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

They're certainly a bit pricey--$85 for six mats plus the thermostat controller--but my collection isn't so large (yet) that I need more than two sets (I'm hovering around 20 Ts right now).

It's too soon to say on growth rates, as I've only had them in place a few weeks. I will say that I've noticed more activity since I added the mats. And, as noted above, a handful of my Ts have taken to resting up against the glass on the warm side of their enclosure, which I interpret to mean they prefer the warmth.

How big of a gap is there between the cage and the heated board? I would think they would have to directly touch to heat, the cage up..
My smaller reptile heat mats were 33 each. I used for the roaches.