M balfouri single vs communal

[Nurse Ratchet]

I plan on adding a few OW this summer and have started researching.
Planning on:
*2 pokies - I'm not too picky about which
* An OBT - I think they're unfairly judged
* An M balfouri - Soo pretty
My concerns are the M balfouri. I keep reading that they do better off communally kept. I'm not sure I'm ready for a communal, but would feel guilty depriving one of that lifestyle if it indeed thrives better in one.
Anyone keep a single M balfouri and a communal? Which do you think is best?

 

[Oursapoil]

Hi,
"An OBT - I think they're unfairly judged" I have one here you would love to meet, she starts attacking the moment I turn on the light in the garage!
I have 6 M balfouri in a communal setup and they are all living happily together. This said a single one would be fine as well (they spend most of their time underground anyway). Although they live happy communally, I do not believe they have the same living habit in the wild and do not live together there (I read this somewhere).
Whatever your choice I trust they'll be pampered and will be thrilled to have you as a keeper.

 

[Nurse Ratchet]

Thank you for the input. I read they live well near each other in nature, like two found living separately but in the same bush. All my searches keep turning up communal care and how it's "better".
Regardless, I will pamper them all! I am determined to have a well adjusted OBT. I would love to see yours! I'm hoping with enough love and pixie dust it will appreciate my ultimate husbandry plan and be sweet. If not, the idea of a diva with attitude isn't all that unappealing either.

 

[Cor]

I have a solo M. Balfouri and an OBT. I haven't seen the OBT in a while. It's built quite a hideaway. I'll drop in a cricket every now and then and it eventually disappears, but otherwise, I'm not even sure what it looks like at this point.

The M. Balfouri is doing great so far. It's got quite a bit of webbing going but it's always out. It seems to be doing quite well as a solo spider. It eats quite a bit and hangs out near a web tunnel. I don't believe it's stressed in any way. It doesn't really scatter when I open the enclosure.

I have a few pokies. They're awesome! Two of them just molted very recently and they've put on a ton of size really quickly. They're all voracious eaters and are pretty active. My P. formosa has webbed up more than the P. regalis, but they're both great to watch. I'm about a day or two from being able to feed the freshly molted regalis, and I can't wait. It's got a very tiny abdomen and I know it's going to destroy any food I drop in there.

If I could recommend two other old worlds: Harpactira pulchripes and Hysterocrates gigas. The H. pulchripes is an awesome looking spider. I got mine about two months ago as a 1" sling. It's molted twice so far and has started getting its adult coloring. It's a great looking spider that webs like crazy. The H. gigas is a relatively new addition. It digs like crazy but always hangs out at the mouth of its den. I've read and been told that they swim, and I would love to eventually have a water feature to let it swim in.

 

[octanejunkie]

I kept a few individually and them opted to go communally, and integrated shingles I to the communal.

So far I have 4 communal setups all doing well, and two females kept my themselves for future breeding projects. They do well either way, I'm my experience.

The trick with communal is to add individuals when rehousing the group and keep them in close quarters fees the well!