Unlabeled solifugid, Need ID + info

[NYbirdEater]

Don't have a pic but heres a quick description.

Overall yellow color, abdomen is grey, 2nd and 4th segments of the palps are a dark brown and they are much longer than the legs, eye field is solid black.

This thing also loves digging its jaws into the silicone in the corners of the tank, it pushes so hard until it's stuck and has to yank them out. Besides that, moves at a spider rate, haven't witnessed any speed yet. It calmly walked out of the deli cup I got it in and didn't try to dig under the bark in the tank, but instead laid on top of it. It dug up it's water dish and flipped it with it's jaws, and keeps digging in the corners of the tank.

 

[Alex S.]

Solifugid

Most likely of the solifugid family Galeodidae (probably Galeodes arabs or Galeodes granti), the commonly sold solifugids of the pet trade. A 10-15 gallon tank with at least 5" of potting soil or sand with a few hides, such as cork bark, works fine. A water dish is not needed as solifugids, especially giant desert species such as Galeodes, get most of their liquid from their prey. It is also good to feed large solifugids an occasional vertebrate prey item, such as pinkie mice or a small lizard, for extra protien as they commonly hunt vertebrates in the wild. Using a desk lamp with a black light bulb set about a foot away from the enclosure works well for Galeodes species as it warms them up and they are nocturnal hunters that rely partly on vision to catch prey.

Alex S.

 

[NYbirdEater]

Thanks Alex. The tank I have is smaller so I figured that was probably why it has been digging in the corners. I did scrape a little sand from under the bark's entrance and it did make a burrow but it still messes with the corners and bites the silicone. I am going to try and get at least a 10 gal for it, maybe a 15L if I can order it from somewhere. It is a little over 3 inches, probably more if stretched out, do you think it's big enough to give it pinkies or a lizard, also what lizard? An anole or maybe a small gecko? Thanks

 

[chuck]

be glad you didnt get it at the pet show on sunday. one table had them labled as Vinegaroons.

 

[NYbirdEater]

be glad you didnt get it at the pet show on sunday. one table had them labled as Vinegaroons.

I did, didn't see you there. Regal retiles had one and I didn't see anymore of them. Everyone was looking for the W. Guess you came after I left

 

[chuck]

if you were at the front door and looking into the expo, the table was in the eisle on the right side, near the food.
i got there around 11ish? i was with Scylla (kathy) and her co-worker and her sister. we started on the right side and worked our way thru to the last stop - tommy's table. i met debby and scott, mike (lasiodora) and navaros(sp?)
we left after 1.

 

[Alex S.]

Hey NYbirdeater, thats great that it built a burrow and 10 gallons for a 3" legspan specimen should be fine. At 3" legspan the solifugid is capable of taking pinkie mice and small lizards but large crickets do just fine. When I feed my solifugids lizards I usually buy small anoles or geckos. Hope you enjoy your solifugid!

Alex S.

 

[NYbirdEater]

Hey NYbirdeater, thats great that it built a burrow and 10 gallons for a 3" legspan specimen should be fine. At 3" legspan the solifugid is capable of taking pinkie mice and small lizards but large crickets do just fine. When I feed my solifugids lizards I usually buy small anoles or geckos. Hope you enjoy your solifugid!

Alex S.

Cool. I have yet to see it eat. I drop in crickets when I see it playing dead as I assume it's waiting to ambush something that walks by, but it must see pretty well because it only eats when I walk away Would it be OK to not feed it for one day so it will be very hungry and then I will grab a small lizard for it? I know they have high metabolism and youre supposed to feed them daily, so I don't want to screw up it's feeding cycle.

 

[NYbirdEater]

if you were at the front door and looking into the expo, the table was in the eisle on the right side, near the food.
i got there around 11ish? i was with Scylla (kathy) and her co-worker and her sister. we started on the right side and worked our way thru to the last stop - tommy's table. i met debby and scott, mike (lasiodora) and navaros(sp?)
we left after 1.

Actually chuck, I walked in the front door and the food was along the left wall (unless you mean the mice), the table with the T's was on the right where the archnopheliacs congregated. I was there at the same time and left at the same time, so I guess I just missed ya. The place was jammed.

 

[chuck]

Actually chuck, I walked in the front door and the food was along the left wall (unless you mean the mice), the table with the T's was on the right where the archnopheliacs congregated. I was there at the same time and left at the same time, so I guess I just missed ya. The place was jammed.

youre right, i meant left.
so how long can you have these in captivity? i read that they are hard to keep

 

[NYbirdEater]

youre right, i meant left.
so how long can you have these in captivity? i read that they are hard to keep

I've read they only live one year, 2 at the most. They have high metabolism and short lifespan which is why they feed constantly. Very cool though. I saw something last night I've never seen in any arachnid. It almost looks like it has a "neck" between it's head and abdomen and it was expanding and contracting, almost looked like breathing though it wasn't. I'd be interested to find out what it was.

 

[Alex S.]

Solifugid Feeding

You can carry on the regular feeding schedule of one or two crickets a day, but when you want to feed the solifugid a lizard simply replace the crickets that day with the lizard. Solifugids can eat ALOT. Some Eremobates species have been known to consume nearly 100 house flies in less than a day. Solifugid's 11-segmented abdomans are very flexible and are constantly contracting and expanding do to prey consumption and digestion. Solifugids do appear to have a "neck" as they have an odd shaped, 3-segmented cephalothorax.

Alex S.

 

[NYbirdEater]

You can carry on the regular feeding schedule of one or two crickets a day, but when you want to feed the solifugid a lizard simply replace the crickets that day with the lizard. Solifugids can eat ALOT. Some Eremobates species have been known to consume nearly 100 house flies in less than a day. Solifugid's 11-segmented abdomans are very flexible and are constantly contracting and expanding do to prey consumption and digestion. Solifugids do appear to have a "neck" as they have an odd shaped, 3-segmented cephalothorax.

Alex S.

Yes the abdomen is very flexible as I'v seen it bend upwards while it digs. The segmented cephalothorax is what I saw expanding and contracting. I will try a lizard at some point.

 

[Alex S.]

Hi NYbirdeater, Sounds like she's doing great! Should be alot of fun to keep!

Alex S.

 

[NYbirdEater]

Hi NYbirdeater, Sounds like she's doing great! Should be alot of fun to keep!

Alex S.

Yes, I just wish the damn thing would eat while I was watching I'm sure if I throw in a lizard it won't waste any time as the lizard will move around a lot. I read it's safe to give them lizards larger than themselves because they are so vicous, but I'll try to find one not too big. Also, I haven't had the money to get a new tank for it, but it seems pretty at home now. The light in my basement where I keep my pets is pretty dim and most of the time it just sprawls out on top of the cork bark or plays dead in a corner. It even lets me clean out pieces of crikets from all over the tank without even moving. Is it possible I may have a calm one? I've been reading other posts on here and eveyrone else says that their solifugids will fly at them when they mess around in the tank.

 

[Alex S.]

I'v had "docile" solifugids as well. Solifugids have different personalities just like individual tarantulas might be docile or very agressive. For the most part, though, solifugids are aggressive. As long as she is eating and digging a borrow(s) she should do just fine.

Alex S.