Wild caught Aphonopelma question

[mschemmy]

I believe I bought an adult female Aphonopelma chalcodes that was wild caught. It is around 4-5 inches. It has not left its burrow since I got it in October which I didn’t think much about it since this is typically Aphonopelma behavior UNTIL I was listening to something Tom Moran said about wild caught Ts. He mentioned that a wild caught T can occasionally behave in this manner and never molt and just hide itself away without ever really becoming active or come out of its burrow (not his exact words but same idea). So my questions are:

Is this a possibility with a wild caught T?

If so, is there anything I should do or just leave it be?

To clarify - I know T’s (especially Aphonopelma species) will burrow or hide for extended periods of time and it’s best to let them go. I am asking if a wild caught T should be dealt with differently. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I believe I bought an adult female Aphonopelma chalcodes that was wild caught. It is around 4-5 inches. It has not left its burrow since I got it in October which I didn’t think much about it since this is typically Aphonopelma behavior UNTIL I was listening to something Tom Moran said about wild caught Ts. He mentioned that a wild caught T can occasionally behave in this manner and never molt and just hide itself away without ever really becoming active or come out of its burrow (not his exact words but same idea). So my questions are:

Is this a possibility with a wild caught T?

If so, is there anything I should do or just leave it be?

To clarify - I know T’s (especially Aphonopelma species) will burrow or hide for extended periods of time and it’s best to let them go. I am asking if a wild caught T should be dealt with differently. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

here’s some information, my last two wc Ts died rather quickly: although yours could live many years. I care for them same as regular ones.

Why Wc is Bad!!!

Wild caught tarantulas are often sold without labels saying they are. besides eradicating the wild stocks/populations of tarantulas they also can have bad health problems. for me I’ve been sold one t albo from pet stores that had underlying health issues and didn’t end well :sad: it lasted for...

arachnoboards.com

 

[l4nsky]

I believe I bought an adult female Aphonopelma chalcodes that was wild caught. It is around 4-5 inches. It has not left its burrow since I got it in October which I didn’t think much about it since this is typically Aphonopelma behavior UNTIL I was listening to something Tom Moran said about wild caught Ts. He mentioned that a wild caught T can occasionally behave in this manner and never molt and just hide itself away without ever really becoming active or come out of its burrow (not his exact words but same idea). So my questions are:

Is this a possibility with a wild caught T?

If so, is there anything I should do or just leave it be?

To clarify - I know T’s (especially Aphonopelma species) will burrow or hide for extended periods of time and it’s best to let them go. I am asking if a wild caught T should be dealt with differently. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Enclosure pics please

 

[Arachnophobphile]

I believe I bought an adult female Aphonopelma chalcodes that was wild caught. It is around 4-5 inches. It has not left its burrow since I got it in October which I didn’t think much about it since this is typically Aphonopelma behavior UNTIL I was listening to something Tom Moran said about wild caught Ts. He mentioned that a wild caught T can occasionally behave in this manner and never molt and just hide itself away without ever really becoming active or come out of its burrow (not his exact words but same idea). So my questions are:

Is this a possibility with a wild caught T?

If so, is there anything I should do or just leave it be?

To clarify - I know T’s (especially Aphonopelma species) will burrow or hide for extended periods of time and it’s best to let them go. I am asking if a wild caught T should be dealt with differently. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Always ask the seller on any tarantulas you want to purchase.

The plus side is if your A. chalcodes is female it might have already bred and be gravid. Maybe a possible fertile eggsac in the future.

 

[444 critters]

I live in arizona, and I personally caught this species as kid and kept 2 separate ones growing up. Both of them lasted well over 2 years, until I had to get rid of them (thanks mom).. one I rarely would see, the other was out quite a bit, I definitely didn't know proper care then and i didnt provide enough substrate to properly burrow but i did provide hides.. I think it just depends on the T itself really, and of course lifespan would be so unpredictable with wild caught adults, they could be any age..

 

[viper69]

I believe I bought an adult female Aphonopelma chalcodes that was wild caught. It is around 4-5 inches. It has not left its burrow since I got it in October which I didn’t think much about it since this is typically Aphonopelma behavior UNTIL I was listening to something Tom Moran said about wild caught Ts. He mentioned that a wild caught T can occasionally behave in this manner and never molt and just hide itself away without ever really becoming active or come out of its burrow (not his exact words but same idea). So my questions are:

Is this a possibility with a wild caught T?

If so, is there anything I should do or just leave it be?

To clarify - I know T’s (especially Aphonopelma species) will burrow or hide for extended periods of time and it’s best to let them go. I am asking if a wild caught T should be dealt with differently. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

With WC anything is possible. With that said I know arachnologists which had WC and those specimens did fine.

Also, is this species/locality active during this time of year?

 

[cold blood]

I dont buy it...a tarantula has no idea about the situation....I have never seen any difference between wild caught and captive bred specimens.

 

[mschemmy]

Enclosure pics please

I dont buy it...a tarantula has no idea about the situation....I have never seen any difference between wild caught and captive bred specimens.

My thoughts exactly and I just attributed the situation to typical Aphonopelma behavior after being rehoused in a new enclosure. It was the comment that Tom Moran made that made me wonder if it was an issue of it being wild caught.

With WC anything is possible. With that said I know arachnologists which had WC and those specimens did fine.

Also, is this species/locality active during this time of year?

The breeding season for A chalcodes is June through December. Is that what you mean by active?

 

[l4nsky]

Alright, so take this with a grain of salt as it's my own personal opinion based upon my own experiences with my own WC Aphonopelma specimens (around 19 at this time from slings to mature females).

Desert adapted species are highly in tune with seasonal changes because it's the difference between life and death for them. They're active when it's safe to be and safely tucked away when conditions are anything less than ideal. If a WC animal is freshly collected during a period of inactivity for them, then they'll never really get the prolonged weather trigger that it's now a season of plenty, especially since we as hobbyists tend to keep them bone dry all year round. It's for this reason I can see the arguement being legitimate.

Now, I'm going to say something that most people will balk at here and that's fine. Most Aphonopelma in captivity aren't exactly thriving, they're merely surviving because they're unbelievably good at weathering less than ideal conditions (and unbelievably good at making the best out of the plentiful periods as well). My evidence is that I have WC adult females on yearly molt schedules that never go off food for more than a month. I strongly believe this is because I don't keep them nearly as dry as everyone else and I have a dedicated room with set temps/RH and defined seasons. Once they adapted to my facility and molted once, they've kept this cadence.

Looking at your picture, my suggestion is to heavily soak the right half of the enclosure now and again in two weeks time. This sharp increase in moisture combined with the barometric pressure fluctuations of the oncoming Spring will hopefully trigger a molt or activity. I'll also suggest putting some dry leaf litter or a small pile of that moss in front of the burrow entrance. That way if your specimen is doing nightly strolls that you're not aware of, it'll have to move the debris out of the way and give you a clear indication there is some activity.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Alright, so take this with a grain of salt as it's my own personal opinion based upon my own experiences with my own WC Aphonopelma specimens (around 19 at this time from slings to mature females).

Desert adapted species are highly in tune with seasonal changes because it's the difference between life and death for them. They're active when it's safe to be and safely tucked away when conditions are anything less than ideal. If a WC animal is freshly collected during a period of inactivity for them, then they'll never really get the prolonged weather trigger that it's now a season of plenty, especially since we as hobbyists tend to keep them bone dry all year round. It's for this reason I can see the arguement being legitimate.

Now, I'm going to say something that most people will balk at here and that's fine. Most Aphonopelma in captivity aren't exactly thriving, they're merely surviving because they're unbelievably good at weathering less than ideal conditions (and unbelievably good at making the best out of the plentiful periods as well). My evidence is that I have WC adult females on yearly molt schedules that never go off food for more than a month. I strongly believe this is because I don't keep them nearly as dry as everyone else and I have a dedicated room with set temps/RH and defined seasons. Once they adapted to my facility and molted once, they've kept this cadence.

Looking at your picture, my suggestion is to heavily soak the right half of the enclosure now and again in two weeks time. This sharp increase in moisture combined with the barometric pressure fluctuations of the oncoming Spring will hopefully trigger a molt or activity. I'll also suggest putting some dry leaf litter or a small pile of that moss in front of the burrow entrance. That way if your specimen is doing nightly strolls that you're not aware of, it'll have to move the debris out of the way and give you a clear indication there is some activity.

Wish I had researched there natural habitat more mine might not had a bad molt and lost it.🥲 if I occasionally watered the substrate like I do my Lasiodora etc. I don’t remember if she was wc I got at 2” the consensus back then was keep them dry . Unfortunately for me that was no good .

 

[mschemmy]

Alright, so take this with a grain of salt as it's my own personal opinion based upon my own experiences with my own WC Aphonopelma specimens (around 19 at this time from slings to mature females).

Desert adapted species are highly in tune with seasonal changes because it's the difference between life and death for them. They're active when it's safe to be and safely tucked away when conditions are anything less than ideal. If a WC animal is freshly collected during a period of inactivity for them, then they'll never really get the prolonged weather trigger that it's now a season of plenty, especially since we as hobbyists tend to keep them bone dry all year round. It's for this reason I can see the arguement being legitimate.

Now, I'm going to say something that most people will balk at here and that's fine. Most Aphonopelma in captivity aren't exactly thriving, they're merely surviving because they're unbelievably good at weathering less than ideal conditions (and unbelievably good at making the best out of the plentiful periods as well). My evidence is that I have WC adult females on yearly molt schedules that never go off food for more than a month. I strongly believe this is because I don't keep them nearly as dry as everyone else and I have a dedicated room with set temps/RH and defined seasons. Once they adapted to my facility and molted once, they've kept this cadence.

Looking at your picture, my suggestion is to heavily soak the right half of the enclosure now and again in two weeks time. This sharp increase in moisture combined with the barometric pressure fluctuations of the oncoming Spring will hopefully trigger a molt or activity. I'll also suggest putting some dry leaf litter or a small pile of that moss in front of the burrow entrance. That way if your specimen is doing nightly strolls that you're not aware of, it'll have to move the debris out of the way and give you a clear indication there is some activity.

Wow! This has been the most insightful response I have ever gotten on the site. Your willingness to share your experience and knowledge is greatly appreciated! I will definitely try your suggestions to see if I notice a change in behavior. Do you think I should offer it live prey if it seems to stay in its burrow? I have placed prekilled crickets at the opening of the burrow and I do believe it might have eaten them since they are gone the next day.

 

[l4nsky]

I'd offer live prey once you can confirm above ground activity vis a vis movement of any debris placed in front of it's burrow. If you don't want to go that route to confirm above ground activity, I'd place the prekilled prey along the left wall of the enclosure as the tarantula will likely patrol the perimeter of the enclosure after dark.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Alright, so take this with a grain of salt as it's my own personal opinion based upon my own experiences with my own WC Aphonopelma specimens (around 19 at this time from slings to mature females).

Desert adapted species are highly in tune with seasonal changes because it's the difference between life and death for them. They're active when it's safe to be and safely tucked away when conditions are anything less than ideal. If a WC animal is freshly collected during a period of inactivity for them, then they'll never really get the prolonged weather trigger that it's now a season of plenty, especially since we as hobbyists tend to keep them bone dry all year round. It's for this reason I can see the arguement being legitimate.

Now, I'm going to say something that most people will balk at here and that's fine. Most Aphonopelma in captivity aren't exactly thriving, they're merely surviving because they're unbelievably good at weathering less than ideal conditions (and unbelievably good at making the best out of the plentiful periods as well). My evidence is that I have WC adult females on yearly molt schedules that never go off food for more than a month. I strongly believe this is because I don't keep them nearly as dry as everyone else and I have a dedicated room with set temps/RH and defined seasons. Once they adapted to my facility and molted once, they've kept this cadence.

Looking at your picture, my suggestion is to heavily soak the right half of the enclosure now and again in two weeks time. This sharp increase in moisture combined with the barometric pressure fluctuations of the oncoming Spring will hopefully trigger a molt or activity. I'll also suggest putting some dry leaf litter or a small pile of that moss in front of the burrow entrance. That way if your specimen is doing nightly strolls that you're not aware of, it'll have to move the debris out of the way and give you a clear indication there is some activity.

Dang, I wish we could pin entire responses to the boards. I might try what you suggested on my own A. chalcodes and see how she reacts. Thanks for sharing your insight.

 

[TLSizzle]

My big Aphonopelma responds to season changes. I got her in early August and she just hung around the surface. Didn't do much other than groom and eat every so often.
Fall came and she wanted to be in, on or near her water dish. She wanted moisture! So I gave her a 'rain shower'. And she did what she never had since I owned her- she burrowed. Made a huge tunnel at the back of her enclosure, away from her water and disappeared for a few weeks. By this time it was winter.
It started getting warmer and she eventually emerged. Now she's back to mostly doing nothing but grooming on the surface.

I like the idea of mimicking what they'd go thru if they were outdoors as the seasons change. Seemed to make my chalcodes happy.