Venezuelan sun tiger help!

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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I was at a pet store and they had some rescued t's from an abandoned house. I wanted the cobalt but didn't have 120 to drop at the time. Ended up finding a 2" t that was unspecified as to what he was. My first guess was he was a tiger rump and he was a little jerk and escaped his cage at the pet store. I really liked him and purchased him. Got home and was getting a better look at him and noticed his little orange Nike swooshes on his legs and began searching the interwebs for his true identity. Finally figured out he was a sun tiger and he's been out and about the first 2 weeks I had him. Now for the past 2-3 weeks I haven't seen him and can't get him to move in his web. I'm really worried. I know he could be in premolt but I have no idea. I keep his cage humidity a bit higher than my pink toe but they get water every day. He's eaten a few meal worms and crickets. I read that they aren't a very active t but I'm just worried, he's awesome and I don't want anything to happen to him. If anyone has any info on these t's or any extra pointers I'd really appreciate it.
 

Andrea82

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Pics will help :)
Sounds like premolt, careful with 'getting it to move', if it is molting and you touch it, you can do it harm ;)
 

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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Yeah I tap on his web to make him move lol. I wouldn't ever poke at him, he's mean. The reason I bought him was because the damn pet store ripped a feeder off digging in his web=( pics are on the way
 

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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I want to switch his terrarium around but he sealed everything off so I haven't yet. (Plus he makes me a bit nervous)
 

Jason B

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Sep 10, 2016
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As said pics would help, but this is a reclusive species, and they tend to disappear for long periods of time.. my 2 inch spent about 6-7 weeks in pre-molt before it emerged and it took another 10 days before it was ready for a meal. I know when mine is hungry when I can see it otherwise it stays hidden.
 

Jason B

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You need more ventilation in that enclosure..and its a bit large for a 2 inch sling, but you can prolly get away with it being arboreal.. Its most likely in premolt, so I would mess with its current enclosure till it molts. At that point I'd replace the cardboard with a piece of cork, if that card board gets damp it can mold more so with the lack of cross ventilation. At this size no matter what else you do to the enclosure its gonna spend the bulk of its time in the dirt curtain burrow it has constructed so your not gonna see it all that often.. like i said when I see mine I know its looking for food
 

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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Ok. Like I said there's a lot I want to change about his setup but I don't want to move stuff while he's in pre molt. He came with that entire setup so I have some tidying up to do lol
 

mconnachan

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Ventilation is the most important thing I can see from your pics, some more holes all the way around the enclosure, but if it's in pre - moult you could kill it, that's why you really should read up on species before you buy them, there's lots I would change but in pre moult, there's not a lot you can do until at least a few days after the moult. The egg tray will mould up quickly, cork bark slab would be perfect, a water dish, not sure if I saw one, but as said you can't if it's in pre - moult, basically stuck between a rock and a hard place.
 

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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I would have read more but I didn't even know what kind of t I was buying...i read a lot once I figured it out. I bought him in a hurry because they were breaking feeders and legs off of spiders to show people. I wasn't gonna let it stay there and be killed...
 

Ddannison

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May 9, 2016
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My P. irminia went into it's web tube as a 1" sling and came out a MM basically a year later. It's likely okay as these Are a pretty hardy species. You may be able to sneak in when it's dark and get a look. They like to come out at night.
 

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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I've seen him out in the wee hours of the morning most days but not at all these last few weeks. Just makes me nervous
 

Jason B

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Can't really tell from the pics but does the lid have ventilation atleast I'm only seeing the one whole on the side in the one pic. One thing you can do now, is to increase ventilation on the lid if there isn't much. You could put something over the top of the enclosure while you work on the lid.. the piece of glass or plexiglass or in lack of nothing else the metal side of a pc looks like it would work, while you add ventilation to the lid.

Or you could buy another sterilite like its housed in, add a decent amount of ventilation to that lid and switch them.
 

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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Yeah, each corner has a bunch of holes and all around the handle does. I usually have a fan blowing in the room too
 

Jason B

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I've seen him out in the wee hours of the morning most days but not at all these last few weeks. Just makes me nervous
My sealed itself completely off when it was in premolt.. thats just normal behavior for these guys. As it gets bigger their will be periods of time you won't see it for months.
 

Tburtmcsquirt

Arachnopeon
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Jan 14, 2017
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Gotcha. Thanks everyone. I guess I didn't know what I was getting myself into but I literally watched the pet store break off a feeder and wasn't going to let him stay. I would've bought em all if I could've.
 

Python

Arachnolord
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Mar 21, 2005
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Be careful with this one. They can teleport before you even know they've moved. Mine stays in it's burrow, right at the opening most of the time. Take a little care when working inside the enclosure with this one.

I agree that the enclosure needs some modification. Since the possibility of impending molt exists, I think now would be the perfect time to set up a much better enclosure for it. Get some sort of clear plastic box or jug, put plenty of holes in it of appropriate size, put some decent substrate in it, add a piece of cork bark or something suitable for it's climbing and hiding pleasure and wait till it's done molting. Give it a week or so to come down off the molting high then transplant it. It will be much easier to set up a proper home for it if it isn't in said home while you work.

When all is said and done you've got yourself one of the most beautiful T's out there and they are pretty amazing. Super fast, slick and sexy, these are one of my favorites. Don't expect to see this little wonder often though, they are quite reclusive as has been said already.
 

Andrea82

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I would have read more but I didn't even know what kind of t I was buying...i read a lot once I figured it out. I bought him in a hurry because they were breaking feeders and legs off of spiders to show people. I wasn't gonna let it stay there and be killed...
Breaking legs of a spider? Are you friggin' kidding me?:rage:
 
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