Usambara question...

[Iktomi]

Hey all.
My new Usambara, Rose Red found her shelter and hung out there most of the night last night.
This morning she is webbing herself into the upper corner of her tank---like a hammock. Since this is my first semi-aboreal OW T...does this sound like she is going to molt?
I think she is because she's been balling up her crickets and sticking them to the wall.
Thanks in advance for input!

 

[Brandon]

Most new "Usumbaras" that iv seen tend to web high in there tanks for about the first week. Since they are very active at night im going to asume she will find the hidy hole and make a house in there. Best of luck to you

Sincerely,

Brandon

 

[Devildoll]

mine spends all of it's time up in it's hammock....
mines totally aboreal.... quite odd spider....

i wouldn't expect it to molt if it balled up any crickets... that sounds like it was actually hungry....

 

[Iktomi]

Yeah...just for giggles I threw a cricket in there about 10 minutes after she arrived. She tagged it like lightning and balled it and another cricket up.
Doesn't seem to be as nasty as I've heard and read, though. I assume that doesn't mean to drop my guard!

 

[Immortal_sin]

I have one adult female that is a burrower, and she has an extensive tunnel net work, another adult female that lives inside a ceramic tower (old incense burner) and the juvie male that is Vayu Son's has an arboreal hammock type dealy.
They are all different. All the slings (all 173 of them) exhibit arboreal behaviour, don't know when that changes, since they are only 2nd instar

 

[Lycanthrope]

i have 4 slings, all which just molted to about 1 3/4"-2" last week. 1 seems to prefer being aboreal, with a hammock like web. another just made an avic like tube web on top of the substrate. two others have dug to the bottom of their enclosures, and built elaborate tunnels around the bottom, with all sorts of tubes of web and vermiculite running in different directions around the jar. really impressive considering most of that work was done in a night.

 

[Kugellager]

Is it possibly that they exhibit these different burrowing behaviors in response to the humidity in the enclosure/substrate?

I'll go out on a limb here (or maybe not) with this theory: Is it possible that in a more humid enclosure they web a burrow/hammock off of the substrate and burrow extensively into the substrate when kept under drier conditions?

Maybe Holly mists her enclosures and substrate more often than Lycanthrope does for instance and therefore the relative humidity of the air in her enclosure is adequate for an arial hammok while Lycanthrope maybe mist less or not at all.

So my question is what is the humidity level in your enclosures? Obviously the Usambara (Pterinochilus sp.) is a very adaptable spider.

John
];')


P.S. Inktomi, Did you get that at the Scales & Tails over by Wads and 20th....I saw 2 there last weekend...its like a block and a half from my house.

 

[Immortal_sin]

good question John....I have NO clue what the humidity is, since I don't use hygrometers at all. I would venture a guess though, and say it's probably between 45 and 55%. THey are all kept the same way, with completely dry peat/verm mix, at 80 degrees.

 

[Iktomi]

Kugellager,
I got her at Scales & Tails on Broadway near Littleton. But Terry is the manager of the one at 20th now...he knows me. Tell him Damon said "hi" and that I haven't bought any mantids from him 'cause his new store is too far away!

 

[Iktomi]

John,
I'm just guessing on humidiy too, but I'm thinking it has more to do with ambient temp. of the tank...I think Rose Red might be up high nearer to the warmer air. I'd be interested in finding out whether or not there is a smaller occurance of "hammocking" in shallow eclosures vs. deeper?

 

[Kugellager]

Inktomi,

I'm probably going to go by there sometime today. I'll tell him. LOL

I hadn't thought of the temperature effects but it seems equally plausable.

John
];')

 

[Lycanthrope]

So my question is what is the humidity level in your enclosures? Obviously the Usambara (Pterinochilus sp.) is a very adaptable spider

all 4 of mine are slings, so i cant get my hygrometer in there to see exactly, but i dont mist my usumbaras. every night i just let a drop or two of water on the vermiculite. if i see condensation the next day, no water goes in.