Jason_mazzy
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Found this guy walking down the middle of the road. Figure its male because I believe this is breeding season but could be wrong. Any ideas?
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California Ebony?
- Thread starter Jason_mazzy
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Found this guy walking down the middle of the road. Figure its male because I believe this is breeding season but could be wrong. Any ideas?
Jason_mazzy
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Male - out looking for luuurve 
Jason_mazzy
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Sadly that means he likely only has a few months to live?
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Not necessarily. Depends on a few factors such as when he matured but they can live a year or 2 after maturing.
Jason_mazzy
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I've got many males that matured 2-4 years ago.
Jason_mazzy
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Okay, so I did a palm soil with a shallow water dish and a paper towel tube cut down for a burrow entrance. Anything I'm missing?
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Honestly he would be better off looking for a lady. Since your going to keep him you should throw out everything you have for him now. That substrate is rough and coarse with what looks like perlite or volcanic rock in it. That would be a horrible thing to have to walk around on. Coco fiber or plain topsoil would be better. Make sure you compact the soil well. That paper towel roll is going to mold and deteriorate quickly. You'll want to find something different...cut a plastic cup or jar in half. The enclosure is too tall too...mature males are constantly looking for love. Hes bound to fall and hurt himself. Heres what males should be in....
Good luck
Good luck
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You did pretty good. Just 3 things I'd change.
1. Substrate - I admit I have no idea what palm soil is, where you sourced it or whether it's ok to house your tarantula on. Most keepers either use coco fibre (otherwise called coir) that you can buy in pretty much any pet store. It comes loose in bags or in a dry block that you have to add water to. The bagged stuff is ready to use but more expensive than the block. If you get the block (most keepers do) it's a good idea to prepare it a couple of days before using it to allow it to dry out a bit, as your t will climb the walls of the enclosure rather than stand on the damp substrate! Other keepers use topsoil, or organic potting soil (you need to make sure there are no added fertilisers) or there are other rather expensive petshop substrates for tarantulas such as Spider Life that are ok too.
2. But whatever substrate you settle on using, because you are housing a terrestrial tarantula, it does need to be high enough that if your t should climb to the top of the enclosure and then fall, the drop is not greater than 1.5 of the T's diagonal leg span (the measurement between the tip of the back leg on its one side, to the tip of the front leg on its opposite side). This means that if you have a 4" tarantula, then the gap between substrate and enclosure top shouldn't be more than 6". It's all to do with the fact that all T's will climb, but if they fall (particularly heavy terrestrials) they can easily rupture their abdomens and die. And as you have a mature male, he will climb!! So Im afraid you need a fair bit more substrate.
3. It's great you thought of adding a hide. Cardboard will probably go mouldy though, so you may like to change it to either corkbark or even a plastic flowerpot or something similar. But your t will want to burrow underneath the hide so whatever hide you use, needs to be bottomless. You can modify the cardboard tube by cutting the bottom section out, while you think about what you'd like to replace it with.
10/10 for putting a water dish in there!!
I hope this helps. Sorry it's so long winded. Condensing info has never been a skill of mine.
1. Substrate - I admit I have no idea what palm soil is, where you sourced it or whether it's ok to house your tarantula on. Most keepers either use coco fibre (otherwise called coir) that you can buy in pretty much any pet store. It comes loose in bags or in a dry block that you have to add water to. The bagged stuff is ready to use but more expensive than the block. If you get the block (most keepers do) it's a good idea to prepare it a couple of days before using it to allow it to dry out a bit, as your t will climb the walls of the enclosure rather than stand on the damp substrate! Other keepers use topsoil, or organic potting soil (you need to make sure there are no added fertilisers) or there are other rather expensive petshop substrates for tarantulas such as Spider Life that are ok too.
2. But whatever substrate you settle on using, because you are housing a terrestrial tarantula, it does need to be high enough that if your t should climb to the top of the enclosure and then fall, the drop is not greater than 1.5 of the T's diagonal leg span (the measurement between the tip of the back leg on its one side, to the tip of the front leg on its opposite side). This means that if you have a 4" tarantula, then the gap between substrate and enclosure top shouldn't be more than 6". It's all to do with the fact that all T's will climb, but if they fall (particularly heavy terrestrials) they can easily rupture their abdomens and die. And as you have a mature male, he will climb!! So Im afraid you need a fair bit more substrate.
3. It's great you thought of adding a hide. Cardboard will probably go mouldy though, so you may like to change it to either corkbark or even a plastic flowerpot or something similar. But your t will want to burrow underneath the hide so whatever hide you use, needs to be bottomless. You can modify the cardboard tube by cutting the bottom section out, while you think about what you'd like to replace it with.
10/10 for putting a water dish in there!!
I hope this helps. Sorry it's so long winded. Condensing info has never been a skill of mine.
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Haha Arachnoclown said in 3 sentences what it took me 3 paragraphs to say!! Wish I'd known you were about to post while I was typing
Jason_mazzy
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I appreciate the advice. Palm soil is a loamy sand with perlite and small shredded bark. Made to be extremely fast draining. It's much softer than the habitat here where I find these guys. I wish I knew how to catch a female as I would rather raise one for a few decades then have to watch poor romeo die. We get rain about 10 days a year or so so I wanst planning on doing much watering of the soil. I may find a piece of pvc pipe to use so he always has a rid structure and no way for it to collapse
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You don't need to water the substrate as Romeo prefers it dry. Something less stoney would be more comfortable for him though. The main issue is the height of the enclosure. It would be easier to get a lower enclosure, as you need a lot of substrate to fill up that one, and it'll get heavy.
Hope you get to enjoy the little guy for a good few years! He'll probably be the 1st of many you'll end up getting lol
Hope you get to enjoy the little guy for a good few years! He'll probably be the 1st of many you'll end up getting lol
Jason_mazzy
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I had rose hairs as a kid. I am a former breeder of high end reptiles and am retired now. I live in the desert and am enjoying local species.
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Sweet. What reptiles did you breed?
Jason_mazzy
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It's a rock so if a cricket gets in there it can get out so I don't get nasty dead cricket water.
@Jess S Boa Constrictors mainly, a few leopards and beardies.
@Jess S Boa Constrictors mainly, a few leopards and beardies.
What is that white lump in the water dish? If it's gel just throw it away and use fresh water instead
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Too get a female you will need to find the burrow(in the area you found him) and tease her out with a piece of grass or straw.
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Love that video.
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Jason
I use a small frozen dinner container if you have one about.
Don't worry about the perlite, they lay down web to walk/eat on. But do put in more substrate.
I use a small frozen dinner container if you have one about.
Don't worry about the perlite, they lay down web to walk/eat on. But do put in more substrate.
