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Is Hysterocrates Gigas really communal?

InternetSwag

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Is it ok for me to buy 3x of these? I already have a thailand black so I'm not new to old worlds.
But I want to make a dope enclosure, cause these boys can swim yeah? What do you guys think
 

ilovebrachys

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No, its not communal.
If you really want a H. Gigas just go for the one.. It is a true pet hole :D but I can't see one making use of any sort of 'water feature' in its enclosure.. Plenty of deep sub and a water dish will do it just fine..
If you really want a communal species go for M. Balfouri.. Very nice spiders that do very well living as a group..
N. Incei is also another option if they are given enough space to co-habitate.. Pokies are also communal but having a group of them to deal with maybe not the best idea to start with :)
 

Jess S

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My seller has told me this but is that really true?
I cant find anyone else saying it is

Not really... However, here is a nice little video of one catching a minnow . I'm not advocating the channel as educational, it's only the video I'm sharing here.

I believe the keeper did try keeping a couple of gigas in a small communal but it went badly and I think the t in this video is the sole survivor.

 

InternetSwag

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Great. So now I'm getting 3x H. Gigas for the price of 1
My seller was offended when I inquired. Said they keep theirs communally and even sent me pictures. Told me the slings she is giving me is literally from their communal setup.

Idk. I'm not gonna argue it. I'm getting 3 slings for the price of 1. But im not making a comm unless its Balfouri
 

Arachnoclown

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I've personally been debunking alot of these communal or not theories. Alot of the claims come from no documentation at all. Also alot come from failed attempts from persons that cant even take care of one spider let alone a few living together. I've kept Avicularia avicularia communal for many years all females died of old age. I'm currently keeping Poecilotheria ornata at 4th and 5th instar with lots of success (so far). Both of these species are big no, nos to keep communal according to the self proclaimed arachnogods of the hobby.
As soon as my female Hysterocrates gigas drops a sack you can be sure of one thing....I'll have a communal going on. No one and their undocumented options will change my mind. ;)
 

Jess S

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I've personally been debunking alot of these communal or not theories. Alot of the claims come from no documentation at all. Also alot come from failed attempts from persons that cant even take care of one spider let alone a few living together. I've kept Avicularia avicularia communal for many years all females died of old age. I'm currently keeping Poecilotheria ornata at 4th and 5th instar with lots of success (so far). Both of these species are big no, nos to keep communal according to the self proclaimed arachnogods of the hobby.
As soon as my female Hysterocrates gigas drops a sack you can be sure of one thing....I'll have a communal going on. No one and their undocumented options will change my mind. ;)

Personally I agree with all that. A lot of breeders keep pokies and multiple species communally until time to sell on. For every 2 failed attempts I've heard of, there is another that is a success (obviously these aren't statistics, lol!). What makes that one a success? Could it be down to the right setup and husbandry maybe?

Here's a video I just thought to tag on, and H gigas slings for communal and individual sales feature.

 

Jess S

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@Arachnoclown I'll certainly look forward to your H. gigas communal. I'm sure it'll be done right and it'll be really interesting to see how it develops. Will they get along til adulthood, what will happen when the males mature etc. So many questions. Really excited to see you start this project now.
 

InternetSwag

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Africa
Okay.
So do I put all 3 in, or should I just do 2 and 1 in another enclosure. It'd be interesting to see if there's a diff in growth rates/behavioral patterns, but probably won't be.

They are all sac mates and 1cm in size. How big do you think I should go for the enclosure.
I'd rather overcompensate tbh.

Any other additions matter? Like 3x teeny water dishes spread out evenly? Just wanna cover all bases etc
 

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