Whip spider Questions and feeding

[Liquifin]

Hey people, Yesterday I gotten a new whip spider aka Damon diadema. I named him Feeless (Feel-less), because he lost the majority of his left feeler whip. Anyhow, I know the care and gave it just that, plenty of space, hiding spots, vertical hides. I know these are not hard to keep. But when is a good time to feed him and how often? I just housed him yesterday when I got him, so should I give him time to settle in before trying to feed him? Just right now, I caught him drinking from the water dish and was wondering should the water dish be higher as well? so here's a pic. Any advice would be helpful.

 

[cold blood]

Just like a t, i feed more often after molting and less when they start to plump....every 4 to 7 days to every 10 to 12 when plump.

just drop in prey and let them hunt at their convenience.

 

[Arthroverts]

I agree with @cold blood, and to add to it, if food isn't eaten within 2-3 days it should be removed to prevent it (especially crickets) from harming the whipspider if it molts.

Hope this helps,

Arthroverts

 

[cold blood]

They are underrated creatures, simply fascinating...watching them hunt is just too cool.

prehistoric

• cold blood
• Jun 15, 2017
• 15

yep, theyre every bit as cool and interesting as you think.

 

[aphono]

Water dish is fine. If there's good dark hiding spots away from substrate and you see it on the substrate, mist it hard n good and try to keep humidity a little higher than before.

btw- yours probably is a Damon medius. WC medius has been predominating the "large amblypygid" market the last few years. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers don't realize what they're selling. Labeling them as "Tanzanian whip spider"(medius is an western African species...) or even as "D. diadema".

A quick n dirty guide to tell the difference- diademas show three bands on the legs, medius two or less and often more like spots rather than full on bands. cold blood's picture shows a diadema.

IME, medius appreciates higher humidity than diademas, otherwise care is the same.

 

[Liquifin]

Water dish is fine. If there's good dark hiding spots away from substrate and you see it on the substrate, mist it hard n good and try to keep humidity a little higher than before.

btw- yours probably is a Damon medius. WC medius has been predominating the "large amblypygid" market the last few years. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers don't realize what they're selling. Labeling them as "Tanzanian whip spider"(medius is an western African species...) or even as "D. diadema".

A quick n dirty guide to tell the difference- diademas show three bands on the legs, medius two or less and often more like spots rather than full on bands. cold blood's picture shows a diadema.

IME, medius appreciates higher humidity than diademas, otherwise care is the same.

Is a bit of more humidity appreciation the only difference in care from diadema? And thank you so much for identifying what species Feeless is. Much thanks

 

[aphono]

Is a bit of more humidity appreciation the only difference in care from diadema? And thank you so much for identifying what species Feeless is. Much thanks

Yea the only difference in care.

Other non care related differences: to my understanding, medius are bigger. They do have longer legs and whips than diademas. My adult male medius is "huggge". Also I think medius are more fun to feed- they are not as patient or stealthy as diademas in stalking prey. One of my females in particular sometimes goes 'nuts', chasing the cricket around if she misses at the first try. Hilarious.

 

[Liquifin]

Yea the only difference in care.

Other non care related differences: to my understanding, medius are bigger. They do have longer legs and whips than diademas. My adult male medius is "huggge". Also I think medius are more fun to feed- they are not as patient or stealthy as diademas in stalking prey. One of my females in particular sometimes goes 'nuts', chasing the cricket around if she misses at the first try. Hilarious.

Forgot one big final question. Feeless doesn't have most of his left whip. Because the person I bought from said it lost it. So will it make a difference in hunting as well. Or will it be fine hunting down prey? His right whip is as long as a ruler. I'd say its whip pass 7'' which is amazingly bizarre.

 

[chanda]

Forgot one big final question. Feeless doesn't have most of his left whip. Because the person I bought from said it lost it. So will it make a difference in hunting as well. Or will it be fine hunting down prey? His right whip is as long as a ruler. I'd say its whip pass 7'' which is amazingly bizarre.

It should still be fine. I've had a few of my D. diadema that have had a damaged whip at one point or another, and they were still able to catch their prey. Watch him hunt if you can - and if it seems like the crickets are escaping him frequently, you can remove their hind legs to prevent jumping. It slows them down enough to make hunting easier - and if you have any other inverts (like slings) that will take pre-killed or partial prey, you can offer them the "drumsticks" so they don't go to waste.

I typically feed my D. diademas once every week to ten days, and I mist them every few days for drinking water. They will drink droplets directly from the glass or the cork bark.

 

[aphono]

Chanda gave excellent advise. I had a juvenile diadema missing part of whip and one leg due to either fighting or escaped a cannibalism attempt(happens sometimes with juveniles in communal situations & I separated all of them after noticing the signs). She did fine & regenerated them after a molt.

Amblypygi don't have a terminal molt, even as adults so Feeless will be Feemore eventually. No way to tell when it's going to molt again- could be within couple months or a year. The premolt signs are abdomen stays plump despite refusing to eat for a while. They need vertical, leaning or horizontal surfaces to molt from- they hang upside down during molts.

Enjoy your new pet- amblypygi are awesome creatures.