Chilobrachys huahini Journal

[Avicularia Kael]

Got another T today...

 

[Avicularia Kael]

I have not tried to feed it yet. I may be getting it a taller enclosure so it can't bolt out as easily. (It hasn't bolted out yet, but it is capable of it).

 

[Arachnoclown]

That spider is no joke...it will bite first. Highly aggressive sp. with strong venom...you will have to visit the emergency room if biten. You need to keep it in a large enclosure so you have room to react...they are fast as hell.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

Just fed it. I missed the attack. I want to get the Zoo Med creature habitat kit. That should give more than enough room.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

This specimen seems too calm for this species... It was reluctant to come out of the deli cup when we rehoused it into its temporary enclosure. It has not bolted once. (Except probably when launching itself at the cricket. Again, I wish I saw the take down).

 

[Arachnoclown]

Be careful once it gets comfortable in its enclosure...thats when it will become defensive. Alot of times when a spider is away from its comfort zone they seam more docile. Never become comfortable with it. Hate to see you to get bitten.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

I hope it is a calmer specimen. Also, I think it is settled in. It has a nice web going already.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

Got it its new enclosure. It is the Zoo Med Creature Habitat Kit. (My pink toe also lives in one of these). I am keeping it semi-arboreal. From what I've read, they are usually found off of the ground.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Got it its new enclosure. It is the Zoo Med Creature Habitat Kit. (My pink toe also lives in one of these). I am keeping it semi-arboreal. From what I've read, they are usually found off of the ground.

I love the enclosure but you dont want it off the ground. It's going to end up in your face.
People keep them in arboreal enclosures but encourage it to still burrow. This is for safety.
When you take that top off its game on...been there done that.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

Here are some pics of the new setup.

I love the enclosure but you dont want it off the ground. It's going to end up in your face.
People keep them in arboreal enclosures but encourage it to still burrow. This is for safety.
When you take that top off its game on...been there done that.

I meant semi-arboreal as in I have a U shaped cork bark hide vertically at the back with it slightly in the ground. Here is a pic to show you.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

Here are some more pics.

 

[Arachnoclown]

It needs more substrate...not enough inside where the log is. They like to burrow...I would fill that area half full and pack it in. Start a small hole in the center. The spider will dig it out the rest and you will still be able to see inside.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

If they are usually found off of the ground ( the holotype was apparently found 4.5 feet off the ground), I don't think it will need more dirt. Also, it has webbed up and I do not wish to disturb it.

 

[Arachnoclown]

They are spiders...just because they are found sometimes 4 feet off the ground doesnt mean they are semi arboreal. Have fun...

 

[Dave Jay]

If they are usually found off of the ground ( the holotype was apparently found 4.5 feet off the ground), I don't think it will need more dirt. Also, it has webbed up and I do not wish to disturb it.

I can understand not wanting to disturb it, or you, having to catch it and/or risk an escape but when feasible you will want to add more substrate. I don't have Arachnoclowns decades of experience with Tarantulas, but I do have decades of experience keeping other animals. I do know that the amount you have is not enough to provide stability for the microenvironment (temp/moisture etc) or for the decor. A deep substrate acts as a heat and moisture store and a burrow in deep substrate will provide both moisture and humidity gradients for the animal.
A curved piece of bark buried in the substrate at an angle or standing is perfect for a lot of animals, particularly if they aren't obligate burrowers. They can dig out the substrate, following the bark down until they find the level of humidity and/or temperature that suits them, the substrate around them acts as insulation too.
Also, where the type for the species was found doesn't matter too much, incorrect husbandry information has often been spread through various animal keeping hobbies just because a specimen was found in a certain habitat or situation.
In the tarantula hobby the keeping of some aboreal species in a high humidity environment because they come from rainforests is one relevant example, once it was realised that the humidity is not high in the treetops the problems with keeping them largely disappeared.
I could site many cases regarding Australian animals, particularly our desert species, most stay away from the heat in burrows that barely fluctuate in temperature from summer to winter yet are still kept at high temperatures because the habitat is listed as "Central Australia" when they are better kept at 20 to 25c.
I have a species of tarantula (Phlogius sp. pq113) that looks similar to the one in question and is reported as being semi-aboreal in some publications because the type specimen was found above ground. This is not seen to be the case by hobbyist experts, some said they act like obligate burrowers some said at best they might be deemed opportunistic burrowers. The general thought is that the area they are found in often floods at the time of year they were found, in which case they leave their burrow and make a home off the ground, hence the semi-aboreal listing.
I set my enclosures up much like you have, only with much more substrate. I provided some higher anchor points in the form of plants and stood curved hides against the back walls, backfilled to halfway between the substrate surface and the top of the hide as Arachnoclown suggests. The 3 slings all behaved differently, one has a burrow with little surface webbing, one lives in the hide, having dug down to the surface or slightly below, the other has webbed to the top of the enclosure but also burrowed to the very bottom of the enclosure.
So you just can't be sure of an animals preferences because of the holotype listed somewhere, it's best to provide enough substrate for burrowing and shelter above ground, they are individuals after all.

Personally I would listen to Arachnoclown on all matters tarantula, he has more experience than most keepers you'll come across online or elsewhere, including scientists publishing papers.

 

[Avicularia Kael]

I am mainly using information from Arachnoboards. Someone there keeps his in an arboreal enclosure with a cork bark like mine at the back after he was "lectured" by some guy who apparently knows a crap ton about the species. I understand not everyone is right, but this whole genus tends to switch between being arboreal and fossorial. I might be able to add more substrate, but not in the wood piece. If I add more around it, it should still provide more heat and humidity.

 

[Dave Jay]

Yes, there's no point in chasing him out of the hide now, but I would add the extra substrate where you can, even if it doesn't burrow it makes the environment within the enclosure more stable. Lots of species vary their behaviour with age, slings often burrow where the adults are more of an opportunistic burrower, or aboreal. I always think its best to provide an environment where the spider can do as it pleases rather than limit it to the behaviour dictated by what you've read or been told.

 

[Whitelightning777]

It might be best to add the substrate a little bit at a time. If he or she is inside the cork bark round, maybe use a spoon to slowly add a bit at a time.

That's what I would try personally before pulling the tarantula out in a catch cup and then putting it back. I very seldom pull OWs out of their cages when I need to make a change unless there is mold in the cage. I just work a around them....slowly!! Patience is a virtue.

Feeding the T first to keep it otherwise occupied is something else I do first. I also place the enclosure within a tote containing water with a styrofoam block in the middle. I place the entire tote within the bathtub, curtains pulled aside and drains blocked off.

I don't have this species but I've had 2 other baboon spiders and currently have 3 pokies & I've had no issues.