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new keeper’s observations
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<blockquote data-quote="tapkoote" data-source="post: 112014" data-attributes="member: 17661"><p>Renamed Prince Andrew, bought as a female, first named Anastasia after a fav. cat ,has been here 6 months. Since I’m retired ( from construction) we spend a lot of time together.</p><p> The first thing I learned about, was spiders climbing and falling. And being injured in the fall. Work place injuries are a constant topic where I come from. I couldn’t fathom a creature with many long legs crashing and burning. First I raised the level of substrate, ***shorten the fall distance. Then I read about the injuries and looked at a lot of enclosures. I see most of the hides on top of the ground with hard edges, cork/plastic, may seem soft to you. I made mine out of a micro wave dish, soft, pliable, and cut it to have a downward facing edge. Then buried it. I wanted a large water dish for humidity ( B-Smithy) so I buried it flush with ground level.</p><p> A fall in that vicinity would result in a bath not much else, the hard rim is flush with the soil, the foam floats.</p><p> I also watched him drop a big pile of dirt in his drinking water. I could see he didn’t want his feet wet, while he was drinking. He wanted something to rest on. I could have went to a smaller dish, as proposed. But I floated some foam on top - 1/2 the OD. I was told it was just “nature” to fill the dish with dirt/waste, - fools gold I say. </p><p> One theory was they (nature) said water would take the waste away, I had to laugh at that point, thats why the spider throws the remainder of dinner in the dish.</p><p> If thats the case B-Smithy would be found next to streams. Another said the spider didn’t want the smell to attract predators. I do see Andy dumping in one spot of the enclosure, but not his fresh water. All fools gold, he hasn’t dirtied his dish since. Sure he has a filter on his intake straw, but why clean it if he doesn’t have to. I think conservation of energy is one huge rule in life on this planet. Although humans don’t follow it.</p><p> I watched Andy climb and hang off the ledge at the top for hours at a time, why? I run free range crickets, they stink, he breathes close to the ground. Could it be the smell, or CO2? I built a fresh air scoop for the lid and turned on the over head fan, also opened up 1/2 the lid. Fresh air didn’t make any diff. Then I thought-where’s the warmest part of the enclosure? At the top, he may want to breathe the warmest air. I set up a 25W bulb, for heat,and he hasn’t climbed since, that I know of. But he does spend all his time at the warmest end of the tank.</p><p> Back to the free range crickets. I heard and read crickets will make a meal out of my B-Smithy. He was 3 3/4 inches when I got him. </p><p> If I was a cricket, not evolved with any special predator tools, mostly legs for escape. Why would I, (lowly garbage eating cricket) take a bite out of some huge hairy creature that out weighed me 10 fold?<strong> Cause I’m hungry.</strong> So I put small bits of table scraps in one corner, (bits of broccoli,oat meal,raisin or two, some celery top) and they feed and drink over there. I observed them too. And I did see cannabal behavior.</p><p> I always put two in, that way they huddle up and muddle about. One cricket alone, If he sensed the spider, would hide. Two crickets are dumber than one. But the big mistake is hiding in the bunker, thats his dining room after all.</p><p> </p><p>Now to the substrate, I started off with one bag of coconut husk, not enough I found out. Got a bag of jungle mix. Still too far to fall.</p><p>Got a couple bricks of coconut husk. Now the fall risk was eliminated but it was so wet he couldn’t find a place to sit and rest. Another night in his little carry box, by now he see’s me as a pest!</p><p> I baked the soil in the oven and was told, since it was sterile it would kill him. Because some alien bacteria would take over. Luckily he survived,the sterile substrate. </p><p> Here was the complaint though. Those coconut husk came with hairs, which would be like living with tree branches laying every where that - I walk/eat/sleep. I planned a change, bought some organic potting soil, dried it and after he molted & ate for a week, installed.</p><p>He seems more stable with it but the vermiculite sticks to the hairs on his legs. I’m thinking<strong> dirt</strong> next time. Sifted, sterilized and left to stand in the house. After all he’s got to live in the same house environment I do, and he<strong> has </strong>for the past 6 months.</p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]SCciif96iTM[/MEDIA]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tapkoote, post: 112014, member: 17661"] Renamed Prince Andrew, bought as a female, first named Anastasia after a fav. cat ,has been here 6 months. Since I’m retired ( from construction) we spend a lot of time together. The first thing I learned about, was spiders climbing and falling. And being injured in the fall. Work place injuries are a constant topic where I come from. I couldn’t fathom a creature with many long legs crashing and burning. First I raised the level of substrate, ***shorten the fall distance. Then I read about the injuries and looked at a lot of enclosures. I see most of the hides on top of the ground with hard edges, cork/plastic, may seem soft to you. I made mine out of a micro wave dish, soft, pliable, and cut it to have a downward facing edge. Then buried it. I wanted a large water dish for humidity ( B-Smithy) so I buried it flush with ground level. A fall in that vicinity would result in a bath not much else, the hard rim is flush with the soil, the foam floats. I also watched him drop a big pile of dirt in his drinking water. I could see he didn’t want his feet wet, while he was drinking. He wanted something to rest on. I could have went to a smaller dish, as proposed. But I floated some foam on top - 1/2 the OD. I was told it was just “nature” to fill the dish with dirt/waste, - fools gold I say. One theory was they (nature) said water would take the waste away, I had to laugh at that point, thats why the spider throws the remainder of dinner in the dish. If thats the case B-Smithy would be found next to streams. Another said the spider didn’t want the smell to attract predators. I do see Andy dumping in one spot of the enclosure, but not his fresh water. All fools gold, he hasn’t dirtied his dish since. Sure he has a filter on his intake straw, but why clean it if he doesn’t have to. I think conservation of energy is one huge rule in life on this planet. Although humans don’t follow it. I watched Andy climb and hang off the ledge at the top for hours at a time, why? I run free range crickets, they stink, he breathes close to the ground. Could it be the smell, or CO2? I built a fresh air scoop for the lid and turned on the over head fan, also opened up 1/2 the lid. Fresh air didn’t make any diff. Then I thought-where’s the warmest part of the enclosure? At the top, he may want to breathe the warmest air. I set up a 25W bulb, for heat,and he hasn’t climbed since, that I know of. But he does spend all his time at the warmest end of the tank. Back to the free range crickets. I heard and read crickets will make a meal out of my B-Smithy. He was 3 3/4 inches when I got him. If I was a cricket, not evolved with any special predator tools, mostly legs for escape. Why would I, (lowly garbage eating cricket) take a bite out of some huge hairy creature that out weighed me 10 fold?[B] Cause I’m hungry.[/B] So I put small bits of table scraps in one corner, (bits of broccoli,oat meal,raisin or two, some celery top) and they feed and drink over there. I observed them too. And I did see cannabal behavior. I always put two in, that way they huddle up and muddle about. One cricket alone, If he sensed the spider, would hide. Two crickets are dumber than one. But the big mistake is hiding in the bunker, thats his dining room after all. Now to the substrate, I started off with one bag of coconut husk, not enough I found out. Got a bag of jungle mix. Still too far to fall. Got a couple bricks of coconut husk. Now the fall risk was eliminated but it was so wet he couldn’t find a place to sit and rest. Another night in his little carry box, by now he see’s me as a pest! I baked the soil in the oven and was told, since it was sterile it would kill him. Because some alien bacteria would take over. Luckily he survived,the sterile substrate. Here was the complaint though. Those coconut husk came with hairs, which would be like living with tree branches laying every where that - I walk/eat/sleep. I planned a change, bought some organic potting soil, dried it and after he molted & ate for a week, installed. He seems more stable with it but the vermiculite sticks to the hairs on his legs. I’m thinking[B] dirt[/B] next time. Sifted, sterilized and left to stand in the house. After all he’s got to live in the same house environment I do, and he[B] has [/B]for the past 6 months. [MEDIA=youtube]SCciif96iTM[/MEDIA] [/QUOTE]
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