vinegaroon behavior

chuck · Oct 11, 2003

i got a young vinegaroon recently and it has peat moss and a piece of cork bark for it to hide. it is constantly walking around, never hiding no matter the time of day. is that normal? im just asking b/c none of my other arachnids walk around as much as this does. thanks

Cooper · Oct 11, 2003

My two vinnegaroons are very active and are good burrowers. Have you provided a deep substrate for him/her to burrow?

chuck · Oct 11, 2003

it hasnt tried to burrow yet. it made a space under the cork bark, but thats all

Cooper · Oct 11, 2003

I wouldnt worry then, they are great little guys with voracious appetites! Keep us updated!

Immortal_sin · Oct 15, 2003

my vin is constantly pushing dirt around. She is active day and night, and will eat as much as I will feed her. They are so much more active than tarantulas, it's almost a shock

Wade · Oct 15, 2003

Just wait...pretty soon, it will be time for them to go underground and seal themselves in until spring. Mine do this every winter.

Thanks to the avatars, it looked like Cooper and Chuck were having a father and son chat!

Wade

Steven · Oct 15, 2003

Thanks to the avatars, it looked like Cooper and Chuck were having a father and son chat!

hehehehehe =D =D =D well observed

i wich i could talk about vinnegaroons too,... :8o
i'm searching for about 3 years now,... and still no sight of them here in Europe,.... only azian ones,.....

the search continues,.................

chuck · Oct 15, 2003

Originally posted by Wade
Just wait...pretty soon, it will be time for them to go underground and seal themselves in until spring. Mine do this every winter.

Thanks to the avatars, it looked like Cooper and Chuck were having a father and son chat!

Wade

is it like hibernation? or will they be alert and awake? why do they do this, isnt it warmer above ground opposed to underground where scorps and Ts dig to escape heat?

Wade · Oct 16, 2003

Well, it is considerably cooler in the winter where they live, although not as cold as the rest of the country (tarantulas and scorpions from the same region seal themselves up over the winter as well). Mine come fron southern Arizona (collected them myself). Winter in Arizona is a very dry season, so sealing the burrows is also a protection against dessication. Mine do this at home even though there's constant moisture and it never gets below 70. Instict rules, I guess. Specimens from Florida or other more humid parts of the country may have different patterns of behavior, I've only worked with those from the southwest. I've never worked with the Asian vinnies either, so again, probably a different pattern.

I have noticed that this is also the time when they molt if they're immature. Mature vinegaroons do not molt.

In the wild, they stay in their burrows during the heat of the day in the summer, but they don't seal them. They inevitably hollow out soil underneath logs and large rocks. Since they do little to disguise the opening, it's fairly easy to spot once you know what to look for. I just love flipping rocks in Arizona...vinegaroons, scorpions, centipedes...

Wade

chuck · Oct 16, 2003

as i sit here waiting for my new book / mag on them, i'll continue to ask here. when is too much food enough? i read in marshall's T book that they can eat themselves into a standstill. i never seen a thin or fat one, so i have nothing to compare my little guy to. i guess ill take a pic with something to scale for you all.

Wade · Oct 16, 2003

I feed them about the same as I would a tarantula or scorpion of similar size, 3-4 crickets a week. They seem to do well on that ration. I have seen some of my vinnies get fat before, but usually these turn out to be immatures with a molt coming up or females about to drop eggs. I don't know if there's any direct negative health effects resulting from overfeeding, besides becoming more vunerable to injuries due to falls. Overfeeding is usually not an issue for me as I barely have time for the once a week feeding as it is.

Wade

chuck · Oct 17, 2003

hopefully the pic works, and if it does its a pic of my vinegaroon near a quater (US). you tell me if shes fat enough.

chuck · Oct 17, 2003

this is its tank in its entirety, is it big enough, deep enough, etc?

Cooper · Oct 18, 2003

whoa, wierd, red pedipalps? Are you sure that is an american vinnie?

chuck · Oct 18, 2003

i thought it was just normal for the young not to be the same color as adults? i'll ask the dealer again, thanks for pointing that out, anyone else think this is not american?
how about its weight, is it eating well?

Cooper · Oct 18, 2003

It certainly seems fat enough! Maybe the young have red pedipalps, although I have never see one(a young one that is).

tarcan · Oct 19, 2003

Young do have red pedipalps, I have six here and they all have them...

chuck · Oct 19, 2003

Originally posted by tarcan
Young do have red pedipalps, I have six here and they all have them...

6? you sound like the expirenced keeper, any thoughts on my encloseur?

tarcan · Oct 19, 2003

LOL, no I am not an experienced keeper of those animals as I only normally keep theraphosid spiders... I am selling them for a friend of mine that breeds them but who is not on the net... I will ask him about set up, as he breeds them quite often, he should be doing something right!

Take care

Martin

chuck · Oct 20, 2003

vinegaroon behavior

Arachnodemon

Arachnoangel

Arachnodemon

Arachnoangel

Arachnotemptress

Arachnoking

pede-a-holic

Arachnodemon

Arachnoking

Arachnodemon

Arachnoking

Arachnodemon

Attachments

Arachnodemon

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Arachnoangel

Arachnodemon

Arachnoangel

Arachnoking

Arachnodemon

Arachnoking

Arachnodemon