Looking for Tips and Info on My New Spiders

[Tortoise Tom]

I've been bitten. Not literally, but figuratively. I've jumped in with both feet. I had such a good experience with @Casey K. the first go around that I messaged her to see what else she had for sale. I picked out a few and they arrived yesterday, well packed and all alive and healthy. I've researched each species, reading care sheets and watching YouTube videos, but I'd love to hear any tips or suggestions that you guys have for me. These species are all new to me and I really don't want to make any mistakes due to ignorance or internet misinformation.

I made a thread for the GBB, and I think I'm squared away on that one. Dry substrate, full water bowl, lots of sticks and plants to web up. Check, check, and check.

Next up is P. mutica. I got three slings. Set them up with deep substrate in tall deli cups. A little rock, little plastic plant sprig, and I started a little hole for each one. I have handled (Not with bare hands…) adults of this species in the past, but never had my own or raised slings. As of last night, they were all digging there new burrows and doing their disappearing act, but here they are right after unpacking:

The next two are Psalmopoeus puncher and irminia. As I looked up each species on Casey's list, both of these appealed to me, and other than a few pink toes many years ago, I have no arboreal experience. I unpacked these last and I've already learned an important lesson that while fossorial species want to go down on be on or in the earth as they come out of their travel vials, arboreal species want to go up and climb to the highest point. Fun times! Casey advised on what size enclosure to put them in and how to do it, so I've followed her advice here:

The last one was a welcome surprise gift from Casey as a "thank you" for repeat business. Hysterocrates gigas. I'd not read anything about this species before it arrived, but spent a couple hours reading yesterday evening. Fascinating! Swimming, fishing and living communally? It found its burrow quickly and this is the only pic I managed to get before it disappeared:

All tips, insight and discussion is welcome!

 

[Whitelightning777]

With arboreal species, watch out using tops that aren't transparent. It's likely that the T might be on the lid when you open it.

Just know where the spider is exactly before opening it. With my Versicolor and my P striata, I was putting them into the bathtub inside of the same large sterilite container I use for unpacking or rehousing in case they run. For quite some time, the Versicolor would tend to try escaping. I switched to a much larger enclosure and dropped feeders directly into the web. Because the only crickets I could get were larger then the sling, I was disabling them and chilling them in the fridge prior to feeding. As the cricket warmed up, it worked wiggle more and more until the Versicolor attacked it and had it's next meal.

To disable a chilled cricket, remove the large rear legs and all legs on one side, doesn't matter left or right. Re-chill the cricket and drop it into the web.

Wait.

Bam!! Dinner is served.


I was so happy when my Versicolor got big enough to be tong fed mealworms!!

 

[Metalman2004]

I don’t own one, but the H gigas is on my short list and under-rated in my opinion. My P muticus is just a tiny sling as well but sounds like you’re all set there. Psalmos are pretty simple as well. Now just kick back and enjoy!

 

[Tortoise Tom]

With arboreal species, watch out using tops that aren't transparent. It's likely that the T might be on the lid when you open it.

Just know where the spider is exactly before opening it. With my Versicolor and my P striata, I was putting them into the bathtub inside of the same large sterilite container I use for unpacking or rehousing in case they run. For quite some time, the Versicolor would tend to try escaping. I switched to a much larger enclosure and dropped feeders directly into the web. Because the only crickets I could get were larger then the sling, I was disabling them and chilling them in the fridge prior to feeding. As the cricket warmed up, it worked wiggle more and more until the Versicolor attacked it and had it's next meal.

To disable a chilled cricket, remove the large rear legs and all legs on one side, doesn't matter left or right. Re-chill the cricket and drop it into the web.

Wait.

Bam!! Dinner is served.


I was so happy when my Versicolor got big enough to be tong fed mealworms!!

So much good info. Thanks! So far each of the Psalmos has made a little web nest near the bottoms of their containers. Both are also eating already too. That is a great tip on checking on the spider's location before popping the top open.

 

[Whitelightning777]

They only burrow when young. The arboreal traits will show up more and more with each molt. That's what happened with my pokie.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

I don’t own one, but the H gigas is on my short list and under-rated in my opinion. My P muticus is just a tiny sling as well but sounds like you’re all set there. Psalmos are pretty simple as well. Now just kick back and enjoy!

I'd never heard of H. gigas before it arrived. @Casey K. made me aware that a surprise was coming and told me what sort of enclosure to set up. She then gave me the thumbs up when I showed her the finished product. All this was done before shipping. Once my surprise arrived, I started reading immediately and I already dig this guy. She found the burrow I made and ran into it within seconds of hitting the ground in her new enclosure and then proceeded to dig straight down and follow the corner where the bottom meets the side. I can see the whole burrow now and watch what she's doing in there. She nailed the B. lateralis tonight almost as soon as it touched the ground.

I really am enjoying all of them. I keep looking in all my tubs to see what they are doing. I go into the reptile room at night with a red headlamp to see what they are all doing in the dark. The P. mutica are almost always out of their burrows walking around. I didn't see them eat, but their roaches are gone and their abdomens are fatter.