Rehoused GBB and now it's shy

[octanejunkie]

Upgraded our GBB's housing after 6 molts in the 14 months we've had her, from 3/4" sling to now about 2-1/2" leg span, and it's been hiding ever since.

The first day in the new enclosure it started webbing on the branches but since then it has retreated into a coconut shell hide I put in there and blocked the entrance with webbing and substrate.

My gut is to leave it alone, what good can I do digging it out, but I wonder how long it will hide in there, or if it's possibly molting in there and will dig itself out when it's ready.

What say ye other GBB keepers?

 

[Enn49]

I'd leave it alone. If it has blocked the entrance then the chances are it 's moulting and will appear when its ready.

 

[Alumentum]

I'd leave her be. Mine is new but, shes been shy and refused to eat since I got her and I don't blame her. It's a scary new world and it'll take time to feel comfy and explore.

 

[octanejunkie]

I'd leave it alone. If it has blocked the entrance then the chances are it 's moulting and will appear when its ready.

This is as I suspected, thank you.

Regarding decor, what would you add or change?

 

[mrsoul1974]

This is as I suspected, thank you.

Regarding decor, what would you add or change?

Looks pretty good to me. Now just let the webbing begin!

 

[Whitelightning777]

You can never have too many webbing anchor points. Looks good to me.

 

[Matthew]

My GBB did something similar once. It was almost 4 months before he came out again. I just let him be. A spider do what a spider do...

 

[octanejunkie]

I forgot to follow up. It has been out and about fairly frequently, especially since I turned in the heating pad on the side glass once temps dropped here. It feeds regularly and has webbed a bunch. Photos to come!

 

[Colorado Ts]

Upgraded our GBB's housing after 6 molts in the 14 months we've had her, from 3/4" sling to now about 2-1/2" leg span, and it's been hiding ever since.

The first day in the new enclosure it started webbing on the branches but since then it has retreated into a coconut shell hide I put in there and blocked the entrance with webbing and substrate.

My gut is to leave it alone, what good can I do digging it out, but I wonder how long it will hide in there, or if it's possibly molting in there and will dig itself out when it's ready.

What say ye other GBB keepers?

Slings are pretty forgiving...rehouse slings and they quickly recover and get back to business.

As spiders get older they become less forgiving. I re-housed my Aphonopelma semanni back in November and it moped around for months, whined every day and called me names often.

At the end of January it finally got over it and started digging its burrow, now I'm waiting for it to start eating again.

 

[octanejunkie]

I'm now of the mindset to rehouse as little as possible, twice at the most. All of the species we host can live happily in an 8" cube sized enclosure so that's where they go at around 2" in size.

I may stun their prey to make sure it's not a game of cat and mouse for days but by only feeding once a week, dropping the prey right in front of the T, has proven effective for immediate consumption.

Latest enclosure and T pic below

 

[Colorado Ts]

My Method: Terrestrial Slings

All my slings are kept in a cabinet with sliding glass front doors. The cabinet has been modified with the addition of a thermo regulator set at 79 degrees and a small ceramic space heater on the bottom shelf. A breeder was telling me the other day that he uses heat tape...not sure what is, but he was very supportive of it use. So I'll look into it and report my findings later. Slings are stored beginning on the top shelf, with over flow going to the second shelf as needed. No slings are ever kept on the bottom shelf, due to heat concerns. Once slings reach a size of 2” to 3” they are then moved to adult enclosures and setup in the spider room, where the temperature varies from 74 degrees to 78 degrees...usually.

All slings are fed twice a week. When moved into the spider room, they are then fed once a week, or once every other week.

All enclosures are labeled, for identification and tracking.

Sample label:

AphoSee#1
Aphonopelma seemanni, Brown Phase
17th November 2019 Adult 5” Female
Private Purchase, Ft Collins, $15.00

The label contains all information that I want to identify the spider, and stays with the spider until it dies or is re-homed to someone else. I also have a tracking document in Word, that has this same information, with the addition of moulting dates and a journal of observation for the species and observations for individual spiders using their ID. If anything happens to the spider then the label in the Word document is updated to indicate final disposition and a journal entry is made that contains all the details.


1/2” slings (Terrestrial)

I don't go smaller than 1/2” when bringing in slings. I'm not set up for it yet. So I'll start with the 1/2” size.

For these slings, I use AMAC boxes that measures ~1.25” X 1.25” X 2”. Small surface area and the sling is able to burrow. At about a centimeter below the lid, I drill evenly spaced holes on two opposite sides of the enclosure for cross ventilation. The substrate is coco fibre that is packed into the enclosure leaving about 3/4” to 1” from substrate to lid. I’ll put a starter burrow in two opposite corners, and lightly moisten the substrate.

The slings are transferred into the enclosure and offered a food item after 24 to 48 hours of acclimation. Small crickets or small roaches are offered as food. If the sling is refusing live food on multiple occasions, then they are fed a scavenger diet of cricket parts or roach parts.

3/4” to 1” slings (Terrestrial)

For slings of this size range, or smaller slings that have grown into this size range, I use AMAC boxes that measure 4” X 4” X 4” Primarily. I do also use a couple boxes that are 4” X 4” X 6” for some species. At about a centimeter below the lid, I drill evenly spaced ventilation holes on two opposite sides for cross ventilation. The substrate is again coco fibre that is packed into the enclosure. For most species I'll use moist substrate. (For Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens I'll use 3/4” dry substrate with a hide and added anchor point to encourage webbing.)

The substrate is sloped into one corner, and packed creating a contoured surface. I then pack a channel in the substrate and then press a cork bark over the channel. When completed, this will look like a tiny hill that has a small hole with a chunk of wood over the top. I then cut up moss into small chunks and scatter it around the sides and on top of the hill that forms the top of the enclosure. I leave the area in front of the hide as a depression with no moss. Since doing this, the sling almost always chooses to enter the hide and start burrowing. By setting up the hide and channel into a corner, the sling will have depth, and will always burrow into the corner, creating a nice little room with two windows and sometimes even a floor window for viewing.

I also include a water dish, that is probably a bottled water lid. This it put on top of the hide or high up on the sides to one side or the other. If put in the depression in front of the burrow entrance, the water is simply filled every day with...stuff. For some species it won't matter where you put the water dish it will be filled with stuff.

The slings are transferred into the enclosure and offered a food item after 24 to 48 hours of acclimation. I feed the slings roaches. I raise my own roaches, B lateralis & B. dubia.

The slings will remain in this enclosure until they reach 2” to 2.5”...or if I'm a bad person, 3”. Then they are transferred to adult accommodations.

 

[octanejunkie]

My Method: Terrestrial Slings

All my slings are kept in a cabinet with sliding glass front doors. The cabinet has been modified with the addition of a thermo regulator set at 79 degrees and a small ceramic space heater on the bottom shelf. A breeder was telling me the other day that he uses heat tape...not sure what is, but he was very supportive of it use. So I'll look into it and report my findings later. Slings are stored beginning on the top shelf, with over flow going to the second shelf as needed. No slings are ever kept on the bottom shelf, due to heat concerns. Once slings reach a size of 2” to 3” they are then moved to adult enclosures and setup in the spider room, where the temperature varies from 74 degrees to 78 degrees...usually.

All slings are fed twice a week. When moved into the spider room, they are then fed once a week, or once every other week.

All enclosures are labeled, for identification and tracking.

Sample label:

AphoSee#1
Aphonopelma seemanni, Brown Phase
17th November 2019 Adult 5” Female
Private Purchase, Ft Collins, $15.00

The label contains all information that I want to identify the spider, and stays with the spider until it dies or is re-homed to someone else. I also have a tracking document in Word, that has this same information, with the addition of moulting dates and a journal of observation for the species and observations for individual spiders using their ID. If anything happens to the spider then the label in the Word document is updated to indicate final disposition and a journal entry is made that contains all the details.


1/2” slings (Terrestrial)

I don't go smaller than 1/2” when bringing in slings. I'm not set up for it yet. So I'll start with the 1/2” size.

For these slings, I use AMAC boxes that measures ~1.25” X 1.25” X 2”. Small surface area and the sling is able to burrow. At about a centimeter below the lid, I drill evenly spaced holes on two opposite sides of the enclosure for cross ventilation. The substrate is coco fibre that is packed into the enclosure leaving about 3/4” to 1” from substrate to lid. I’ll put a starter burrow in two opposite corners, and lightly moisten the substrate.

The slings are transferred into the enclosure and offered a food item after 24 to 48 hours of acclimation. Small crickets or small roaches are offered as food. If the sling is refusing live food on multiple occasions, then they are fed a scavenger diet of cricket parts or roach parts.

3/4” to 1” slings (Terrestrial)

For slings of this size range, or smaller slings that have grown into this size range, I use AMAC boxes that measure 4” X 4” X 4” Primarily. I do also use a couple boxes that are 4” X 4” X 6” for some species. At about a centimeter below the lid, I drill evenly spaced ventilation holes on two opposite sides for cross ventilation. The substrate is again coco fibre that is packed into the enclosure. For most species I'll use moist substrate. (For Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens I'll use 3/4” dry substrate with a hide and added anchor point to encourage webbing.)

The substrate is sloped into one corner, and packed creating a contoured surface. I then pack a channel in the substrate and then press a cork bark over the channel. When completed, this will look like a tiny hill that has a small hole with a chunk of wood over the top. I then cut up moss into small chunks and scatter it around the sides and on top of the hill that forms the top of the enclosure. I leave the area in front of the hide as a depression with no moss. Since doing this, the sling almost always chooses to enter the hide and start burrowing. By setting up the hide and channel into a corner, the sling will have depth, and will always burrow into the corner, creating a nice little room with two windows and sometimes even a floor window for viewing.

I also include a water dish, that is probably a bottled water lid. This it put on top of the hide or high up on the sides to one side or the other. If put in the depression in front of the burrow entrance, the water is simply filled every day with...stuff. For some species it won't matter where you put the water dish it will be filled with stuff.

The slings are transferred into the enclosure and offered a food item after 24 to 48 hours of acclimation. I feed the slings roaches. I raise my own roaches, B lateralis & B. dubia.

The slings will remain in this enclosure until they reach 2” to 2.5”...or if I'm a bad person, 3”. Then they are transferred to adult accommodations.

Just re-read all this... you should be here more often lol

 

[octanejunkie]

Well, my big boy isn't shy any more

Twice this week, Mr Ball Legs (anyone get the reference?) has been out and about. I think it has to do with my not feeding him more than once a month. lol

Saturday

Today
Note, he has gotten a bit "tricksy" and is less obvious this time lol

 

[Casey K.]

You should find an AF and breed them. Environmental simulation is key, though.

 

[octanejunkie]

Tell me about this "environmental stimulation"
Are you saying he's bored of his home?

 

[Casey K.]

Lol no....it's not "stimulation". It's "simulation". It's pretty much copying the environment they're in during mating season....simulating the rainy seasons, dry seasons, etc. to ensure a better chance of a sacrifice with this species. @Austin S. is a pro when it comes to breeding this species and many others. He taught me how. It would be a nice breeding project for you and anyone with a female!

 

[menavodi]

Very cool and good looking male you have! @octanejunkie

 

[octanejunkie]

Lol no....it's not "stimulation". It's "simulation". It's pretty much copying the environment they're in during mating season....simulating the rainy seasons, dry seasons, etc. to ensure a better chance of a sacrifice with this species. @Austin S. is a pro when it comes to breeding this species and many others. He taught me how. It would be a nice breeding project for you and anyone with a female!

Very interesting... I'd like to know more and "meet" this @Austin S. you speak of

 

[Casey K.]

Very interesting... I'd like to know more and "meet" this @Austin S. you speak of

Ugh I just proof read my post....not sacrifice. Damn auto correct. "Sac" is what I meant. Austin is a member here on this forum.

 

[octanejunkie]

you can't say sacrifice without saying sac