LP House

[kormath]

Looking at getting myself an LP so my son and I both have 1 big T in each of our collections. Reading caresheets to get an idea it seems they're housed about like a Brachy or A. genic with substrate just moistened enough to hold shape for it to burrow and to moisten a corner with mist or overfilling the water dish a time or 2 a week.

Net-bug has them for $10 right now and i see the cold front here is breaking so they should be able to ship the LP and my son's A. versi on Monday

The slings Anastasia has are 1/4"+ not the ideal size i wanted but for $10 i'll take it, hopefully it will be on the + side of the 1/4". My son will be teasing me for weeks about getting another tiny T lol.

Any tips those with LPs can share to help make his home as comfy as possible?

 

[Scoolman]

Extremely fragile at that size, and dehydrate rapidly. Keep the substrate moist at all times. That don't develop their waterproof cuticle until about 7th instar.

 

[kormath]

thanks @Scoolman so really moist sub for another 3 or 4 molts? I've been using a mix of top soil, peat moss, and eco earth for the others and it seems to hold moisture pretty well, should i add some vermiculite for the LP to assist?

 

[swimbait]

Yep moist substrate. I'd house them in a 4 inch vial, unless you have taller use that, with moist sub filled 3/4 to the top. Not much you can do at this size no need for decorations or hides they will just burrow to the bottom. Your son may be laughing now but in 6 months you'll have a 3-4" spider and another 6 months it will be at 6" lol very fast growers

 

[Scoolman]

What swimbait said

 

[corij]

fed mine flightless fruit flies when was tiny.

 

[MassExodus]

@kormath Good thing you got those colonies started. My big female Lp ate 2 adult dubia a day for four days, then another the next day when I was powerfeeding her. That's nine large roaches in 5 days. I never believed any spider would eat that much. After several failed breeding attempts over a week period, she started eating again..if I was at home I'd post a pic, she's well into premolt and looks like she swallowed a tennis ball. She's currently the biggest spider I have, but I have a 4 " female P antinous that's showing a similar appetite. These big South American terrestrials are fantastic, all of them.

 

[swimbait]

At 1/4" they could eat pinhead crickets don't waste your time with fruit flies imo

 

[kormath]

Thanks all. I ordered an enclosure with her from Anastasia. It's 4x4x4" but no screen vent, just a couple 1/8" holes on each side. I think that will suffice for keeping it humid and provide ventilation for now. that should also give her almost 3" of substrate to burrow in. I have a bunch of pinhead lateralis so she can eat those, at least i hope she will if not i'll get the crickets from the lps here.

@MassExodus I"ve got the lateralis going, internal temp is 77F give or take, using Flukers cricket chow for gutloading crickets and i'll add a couple apple slices tomorrow after i go to the store. Where they hide up in the egg crate 24/7 i'm guessing they don't need substrate?

the dubai i have to wait on to get a UTH, I was reading on the dubai roaches page they breed best at 90F+ temps no way i'm going to turn on the heater in my room that high

I've never had luck with fruit flies. they go in the enclosure and then immediately go up the wall and to the ceiling. that and it's a pita to get just one out of the culture.

 

[swimbait]

Thanks all. I ordered an enclosure with her from Anastasia. It's 4x4x4" but no screen vent, just a couple 1/8" holes on each side. I think that will suffice for keeping it humid and provide ventilation for now. that should also give her almost 3" of substrate to burrow in. I have a bunch of pinhead lateralis so she can eat those, at least i hope she will if not i'll get the crickets from the lps here.

@MassExodus

the dubai i have to wait on to get a UTH, I was reading on the dubai roaches page they breed best at 90F+ temps no way i'm going to turn on the heater in my room that high
.

You can use actual heat sources for these guys, they aren't like tarantulas. I use heat tape for mine, others have used heat mats and red heat bulbs. However idk if I'd personally use a bulb. Either way, no need to heat your room

 

[MassExodus]

You can use actual heat sources for these guys, they aren't like tarantulas. I use heat tape for mine, others have used heat mats and red heat bulbs. However idk if I'd personally use a bulb. Either way, no need to heat your room

I think heat mats are fine for tarantulas, if used properly. A member here convinced me, and I read up on it a little. Thermostats are required, with probes taped directly to the heat mat.

 

[MassExodus]

Thanks all. I ordered an enclosure with her from Anastasia. It's 4x4x4" but no screen vent, just a couple 1/8" holes on each side. I think that will suffice for keeping it humid and provide ventilation for now. that should also give her almost 3" of substrate to burrow in. I have a bunch of pinhead lateralis so she can eat those, at least i hope she will if not i'll get the crickets from the lps here.

@MassExodus I"ve got the lateralis going, internal temp is 77F give or take, using Flukers cricket chow for gutloading crickets and i'll add a couple apple slices tomorrow after i go to the store. Where they hide up in the egg crate 24/7 i'm guessing they don't need substrate?

the dubai i have to wait on to get a UTH, I was reading on the dubai roaches page they breed best at 90F+ temps no way i'm going to turn on the heater in my room that high

I've never had luck with fruit flies. they go in the enclosure and then immediately go up the wall and to the ceiling. that and it's a pita to get just one out of the culture.

Yeah, their fine without substrate. I always put a thin layer for the babies, but many folks don't use any at all from what I've read.

 

[kormath]

You can use actual heat sources for these guys, they aren't like tarantulas. I use heat tape for mine, others have used heat mats and red heat bulbs. However idk if I'd personally use a bulb. Either way, no need to heat your room

right. that's what i was saying dubai colony is on pause until i can get a UTH and thermostat.

Not sure i want 2 colonies though. The lateralis colony should be plenty for what i need. Maybe i'll do the dubai also then remove the heat so i'll have a variation of sizes to offer if one of my Ts turns into a picky eater. I'm not even sure if the dubais i have can make a colony, I'll have to wait for them to age so i can tell male and female

 

[swimbait]

right. that's what i was saying dubai colony is on pause until i can get a UTH and thermostat.

Not sure i want 2 colonies though. The lateralis colony should be plenty for what i need. Maybe i'll do the dubai also then remove the heat so i'll have a variation of sizes to offer if one of my Ts turns into a picky eater. I'm not even sure if the dubais i have can make a colony, I'll have to wait for them to age so i can tell male and female

With the amount of T's you have, I'd just stick with a lateralis colony. Picky eaters usually don't go for dubia anyways

 

[kormath]

that's probably what i'll do. The only one so far eating the dubai is the GBB and for him the small enough he eats 2 at a time. He's also the only one I have with webbing so they won't burrow I'll be crushing heads and seeing if the others will eat them until they're gone.

So this LP will be 3"+ within a year? i'll have to get another box enclosure like the genic is in for him

 

[swimbait]

that's probably what i'll do. The only one so far eating the dubai is the GBB and for him the small enough he eats 2 at a time. He's also the only one I have with webbing so they won't burrow I'll be crushing heads and seeing if the others will eat them until they're gone.

So this LP will be 3"+ within a year? i'll have to get another box enclosure like the genic is in for him

5" is more realistic. It depends how much you feed it of course

 

[kormath]

wow. fast growing for sure. I'll feed it like the rest, every 3 days or so, or should i feed this one more frequently?

Savage, the 2.5"+ genic i have, will only eat every other day now with the larger 1/2" or so lateralis roaches. If i feed him daily i find the roach still there the 2nd day but gone the next, usually attached to the genic by his fangs

 

[Chubbs]

wow. fast growing for sure. I'll feed it like the rest, every 3 days or so, or should i feed this one more frequently?

Savage, the 2.5"+ genic i have, will only eat every other day now with the larger 1/2" or so lateralis roaches. If i feed him daily i find the roach still there the 2nd day but gone the next, usually attached to the genic by his fangs

It depends on how fast you want it to grow.

 

[swimbait]

Well every other day is quite a bit, but again it is preference. As a sling, I would feed every 3 days until its super plump, they will refuse and go into premolt. Growing Lps molt monthly for the most part, once you pass 3 inches it slows a little bit. I got a 1/4" sling Jan 2015 that's now 5", maybe more honestly.

 

[kormath]

figured with the smaller roaches every other day wouldn't hurt. So fun to watch the genic eat I'll switch him to a bit larger and do the 3 day feeding schedule with the rest of the Ts.

Should i power feed the LP to get him through a few molts to get the waterproof cuticle? how can i tell it's happened, color change or something obvious? Or just keep his home a bit more moist till he's an inch or so?