My fisrt T is home.

[m0lsx]

I have just arrived home with my first T & he is gorgeous.

I know that the Haitian Brown, Phormictopus cancerides is not a perfect first T. But he is an adult who came with his home already set up & thus some of my learning curve can be more gradual than others. Plus reading around I have seen that they are a robust species, which is another plus for me.

I have noticed reading around that some say that these T's need floor space & he is in a 8 X 8 by 10 inches tall glass enclosure with an added high shelf for him to hide away in out of sight. So maybe I need to change that. Although at 3 years old, he has survived happily in this enclosure for over 2 years so may be not.

The substrate is only about 1 inch deep & he has a fish tank plant in a dish for ground cover. Again I have read more substrate is needed. But this is what he has been use to.

The poor chap has just endured a 2 hour car journey home. I did cover his enclosure with a towel, in the hope that darkness would help reduce some of the stress for him. But he is already out & half way up his branch. Not that he has any cover to hide in. As his original owner, who owned him from a tiny sling, said, he never used one & just use to push it flat, so he took the bark out.

 

[Aarantula]

Congratulations on your new T! Though he has lived in that enclosure for quite some time, I recommend redoing it and housing your little fella in an enclosure that will make him more comfortable.

 

[nedaK]

Redo the enclosure. Take the stick out and give it more substrate. The previous owner housed it like an arboreal from the looks of it.

 

[Enn49]

Congrats on your first tarantula.

 

[m0lsx]

Redo the enclosure. Take the stick out and give it more substrate. The previous owner housed it like an arboreal from the looks of it.

That is what I am thinking. But the enclosure has a front door & I can only put a couple of inches of Substrate in it. I am thinking maybe a larger enclosure & one with more substrate.

But let the old chap settle down after his move for a few weeks first.

 

[nedaK]

That is what I am thinking. But the enclosure has a front door & I can only put a couple of inches of Substrate in it. I am thinking maybe a larger enclosure & one with more substrate.

But let the old chap settle down after his move for a few weeks first.

Good idea, he should settle down first your right.

 

[Arachnoclown]

You do know that hes mature and not going to live much longer...right???

 

[m0lsx]

You do know that hes mature and not going to live much longer...right???

Yes, he is three years old. But I thought at £25 including his enclosure he was a good starting place. My thinking was even if I only get a year or two, then he is a great way to start learning.

I plan to get a sling, or two, now & hope to have something to place in his enclosure when he reaches the end of his life.

Edited to add.. A new exo glass enclosure has now been ordered. His current one is 20cm X 20cm, by around 30cm tall. The new one is 30 X30 X 45 tall. So has room for a deep substrate. But still with room for some height as he clearly loves climbing. He is currently up his branch..

 

[Enn49]

As a mature male I'd leave him in his container to end his days in peace

 

[Arachnoclown]

A mature Male tarantula is a whole different learning curve.

1. They dont eat much...which is good. I feed my males every 3-4 weeks. If they eat too much (get fat) this could trigger another molt cycle in which only small percentage will survive.

2. The number one killer for mature males is dehydration. Even with a large water bowl sometimes they wont drink. I'm constantly trying to get my males to drink. Sometimes having to force them to drink...which is sometimes a hands on thing.

3. Feeding is sometimes a nightmare. Males have a hard time grabbing their food with those boxing gloves on. Sometimes I have to prey kill or tong feed with bamboo tongs. Foods with less fat and more water will help out on their longevity. Hornworms are good...just use smaller ones and not full grown goliath worms.

4. Enclosure...they dont care about hides and decor. They are constantly looking for females. Everything in the enclosure is a waste of time and could cause a injury. They climb on everything and constantly fall. This is natural for them ...they are searching for a female. Keep the distance between the top of the enclosure and the substrate the same as their leg span.

 

[m0lsx]

The last owner hung a shelf from the top of the enclosure & looking at it, there are several crickets on it. I think I need to remove both the crickets & the shelf.

 

[menavodi]

Congrats to your first tarantula! I always like the copper look of their cephalothorax. Yes, it is a male and I am sure you will give it a good life!

 

[m0lsx]

A better image of the new arrival.

 

[m0lsx]

Not noticed before, but the old boy looks a little thread bare in places. His knees & on his back specifically.

 

[Aarantula]

He’s like an old Gandalf of the tarantula world. Ha! I always feel bad for old Ts simply because they always appear to be so worn out.

 

[MassExodus]

A Ph. cancerides is a great first tarantula. Their psychotic reputation is often undeserved. I let MM loose on my property if I can't breed them, as long as they aren't Aphonopelma. He will wander his cage endlessly. Depending on his temperament, he may be handleable, as MM have only one thing on their mind. Have you checked his attitude yet? Poke him in the butt with your finger, see what he does..

 

[m0lsx]

Have you checked his attitude yet?

I have touched him with a small plastic ruler & if I touch his front legs he goes into a defensive position, but touch him a second time, or any where else & he backs away. He is certainly not fast or overly defensive, as I have had my fingers close to him several times & he is perfectly happy with that.

Because he has so little floor space, he moves very little unless it is up or down the branch in there or between branch & the front of his enclosure where his water is.

I have decided to remove that pond plant as it is taking up valuable floor space, plus there seems to be several crickets in there, which needs removing & that will be easier if the plant is removed.

 

[Whitelightning777]

It's sad that you have a mature male, but you can give him a decent home until the end of life. Usually they will attempt to molt and fail because the palps get stuck. In rare cases, they do survive, sometimes without these palps because they bite them off & then you get more time.

Still, many so-called tarantula keeping sins can be forgiven or handled properly is one starts with a small spiderling instead of an adult.

Here's more info on beginner slings.

I would add any Lasiodora species to his recommendations, very similar to A geniculata in many ways.

 

[m0lsx]

The poor thing had not been cared for awfully well. I have pulled at least a dozen crickets from his enclosure since I got him & there are still loads of woodlice in there. Everything was hiding under that pond plant which has now gone.
I have also cleaned his water bowl, which had green slime on it in places.
The little chap needs some care in his old age. Thus I need to go out tomorrow & sort something out for him. Even if that is not the cheapest way of doing it or even if it's not 100% for a few days, it will still be better than his current set up & thus healthier for him.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Isopods and spring trails aren't harmful to tarantulas but some other critters are unwelcome. Can you get decent pics of these?