Spider Mania

[swords]

I went to Storables and The Container Store today and picked up some great DIY Tarantula enclosures.

1.5 gallon Candy Jars for arboreal baby spiders through sub adults. Some mantids will probably live in a couple of them too.

I can fit eight across the top of my CD and DVD shelves (gotta get one more). So far no ventilation holes have been drilled or any decorations/plants added, just seeing how it all looks. I was going to get some Lowes style death cubes 4" x 4" x 8" for slings but these candy jars are just as clear/sturdy and have a least 3 times the mount of interior room and have a great lid that can be positioned top or on the side like I have it. This way feeding and maintenance won't disturb their aerial nests and I'll be able to see them from every side.

Here's the main spider shelf:

You can see on the second shelf from the bottom the stackable clear front shoe bins I got today. These will be excellent for terrestrial and burrowing Tarantulas. I think I will get six more drop downs for each of the other shelves. And put three 10 gallon vertical tanks up top for larger arboreal species...

And incase anybody comes calling who doesn't need to know about them - what spiders?

 

[Exo]

Here's one of my spider enclosures....

 

[swords]

Nice - live plants?

What species have you got in there?

My Rosie finally went into the two opening den I set up for her, gonna try and get a decent pic of her peekin' out the back door.

 

[Exo]

Nice - live plants?

What species have you got in there?

My Rosie finally went into the two opening den I set up for her, gonna try and get a decent pic of her peekin' out the back door.

Yeah, there are live plants, and the T is a A.geniculata.

 

[swords]

N. chromatus "Brazilian red & White"? I can't see the face/rump too good but if so that's one I wanna get, I think it looks like a living skull and crossbones!

 

[Exo]

It's an A.geniculata.....it says so below the pic.

 

[swords]

oops! LOL

 

[theyellowdart]

Neat!
You're really getting into this spider stuff aren't you? lol

 

[swords]

Yeah, and it's all Massmorels' fault!

Been looking on ebay tonight for very small plants that will do well in low light conditions (mini ferns, philos, mosses and so on) that I can use in the vivariums as I don't wanna use fake plants but I can't use high light stuff like mini orchids cos there won't be enough light to bloom them. If anyone has some neat miniature plants to trade for succulents or other stuff for PM me what you got, and pics if possible.

Also, anybody have good ideas on how to "clean" a garden center plant of possible ferts and pesticides for use in a vivarium? Removing all original soil from the roots and repeated soakings in pure water perhaps?

 

[mass]

I still like growing live moss in mine and recreating a realistic environment.

 

[SirKristoff]

*shudders*
pretty but still no thanks i think ill pass on ever owning a T ^^

 

[swords]

pretty but still no thanks i think ill pass on ever owning a T

Ah, you wuss! LOL

I understand though, my pal Andy will just about die next time he comes over and finds a half dozen or more Tarantulas chilling out here! That's why the curtain, if he sees 'em he may never come back!

Mass,
That's what I want to do is plant these things up nice and natural like. That tree hole den is killer, now that our snow is going away and spring rains have started up maybe I can find the same sorta piece (or pieces) fallen in the woods behind my condo to make one for one of my tanks. I have plans to do 3 (or more) 10 gallon verts for the bigger arboreals. I've bought a selection of mosses, lichens and small plants tonight so I can start playing with them and get these enclosures established before I find occupants to put in them. Do you know of any cool/highland forest tarantulas? I remember reading about them but a guy I work with absconded with my T keepers guide so I can't look it up til he's done with it.



Hey, my Pinktoe molted on Saturday night so next time I get some pics she'll be all shiny like a new car! My rosy has taken up residence in her den that I made (yay I musta done it right), maybe she'll molt too she's a big fattie! LOL

 

[mass]

My rosie molted 3 times in 10 years.. so don't get your hopes up.

 

[swords]

Did yours do the fasting thing?

 

[mass]

they ALL do the fasting thing.

 

[MiguelSR1]

I went to Storables and The Container Store today and picked up some great DIY Tarantula enclosures.

1.5 gallon Candy Jars for arboreal baby spiders through sub adults. Some mantids will probably live in a couple of them too.

I can fit eight across the top of my CD and DVD shelves (gotta get one more). So far no ventilation holes have been drilled or any decorations/plants added, just seeing how it all looks. I was going to get some Lowes style death cubes 4" x 4" x 8" for slings but these candy jars are just as clear/sturdy and have a least 3 times the mount of interior room and have a great lid that can be positioned top or on the side like I have it. This way feeding and maintenance won't disturb their aerial nests and I'll be able to see them from every side.

Here's the main spider shelf:

You can see on the second shelf from the bottom the stackable clear front shoe bins I got today. These will be excellent for terrestrial and burrowing Tarantulas. I think I will get six more drop downs for each of the other shelves. And put three 10 gallon vertical tanks up top for larger arboreal species...

And incase anybody comes calling who doesn't need to know about them - what spiders?

Very Nice!!!! your really getting down with it!!! what species do u plan on starting with? u getting baby spiders are u planning to breed?

 

[Exo]

Do you know of any cool/highland forest tarantulas? I remember reading about them but a guy I work with absconded with my T keepers guide so I can't look it up til he's done with it.

Megaphobema mesomelas

Poecilotheria subfusca

and I think a few other Poecilotheria sp.

 

[swords]

Thanks Exo I'll do some online reading with these names.

I got my first 10 gallon vertical arboreal enclosure done tonight, took me like 15 minutes. I can see me making lots of these it was so easy!

There is an acrylic piano hinge across the substrate holder and about 15-20 holes in the front, at the top is a matching set of hasps for a tiny lock. It stays closed without a lock but since Tarantulas can be strong at times and heavy when they're older I'll be using a lock on them just incase. A Poecilotheria metallica would make for a mighty expensive kitty treat! I still need to seal the front inside with silicone to ensure the frame at the substrate area is waterproof.

This 10 G vertical will house my Pinktoe once the plantings all settle in and all the fungal cycles of a newly setup jungle vivarium have calmed down in a couple months.

I will be putting together a 10 G horizontal desert vivarium for the Rosy Hair with carved foam rocks, climbing levels and a foam cave.

I like the arboreal/forest species because I'm hoping to be able to setup some nice natural style vivariums to combine my interests in exotic plants and exotic insects. Even if the books claim the spider doesn't care how their enclosure looks, I do. Though I do have a few ideas I'd like to try for desert and burrowing species. One species I'm desiring is a Ceratoguyrus marshalli, the horned baboon tarantula that grows a 1" horn on the females carapace. Been researching the look/habitat of Tanzanian scrub land and I have some ideas to copy the habitat and hopefully make mine a happy baboon spider with rainy season plant growth, etc. should be a fun experiment!

The candy jars will be for baby spiders and also preying mantids which I like but they only live a year or so. I'm hoping to get hold of a female orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) and get an eggsack of parthenogenic clone babies before she kicks off but we'll see what happens. Anyone have a mailorder source for exotic mantids? LLLReptiles used to have them and my local herp shop got them in once but I haven't been able to locate any exotic mantid species recently. Ebayers have the common US, European and Chinese species but I'm looking for the more exotic species.