My fisrt T is home.

[m0lsx]

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

Not tonight, as the poor little chap has probably had enough pulling around for today. But they are definitely Woodlouse. Sorry I missed the spelling & put woodlice before.

These things..

 

[menavodi]

They do no harm to a tarantula.

 

[MassExodus]

Those are great giant isopods for cleaning.

 

[m0lsx]

They do no harm to a tarantula.

It just feels like it is just symptomatic of someone who has got it all wrong. The branch & high enclosure for a non arboreal species. All of the live crickets in the enclosure. less than an inch of substrate. No cover for the poor chap & then Woodlouse too.

It just all adds up. But it also shows how hardy this little chap is.

He did say when I got him they had brought him as a different species, so maybe a pet shop purchase & advice.

 

[MassExodus]

It just feels like it is just symptomatic of someone who has got it all wrong. The branch & high enclosure for a non arboreal species. All of the live crickets in the enclosure. less than an inch of substrate. No cover for the poor chap & then Woodlouse too.

It just all adds up. But it also shows how hardy this little chap is.

He did say when I got him they had brought him as a different species, so maybe a pet shop purchase & advice.

By all means change the enclosure, the previous owner didnt try very hard for sure. The pillbugs wont survive without the dead crickets though. Id put them outside, you wont need them with him, he wont be eating or defecating much, if at all. I like how the hair has rubbed off of his legs, the black underneath looks wicked.

 

[Kat Chambers]

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.

Congrats on your first T! I have these two enclosures which can be used for terrestrials as well just lay it on its side. You might be able to that as well. Happy keeping! Kat

 

[mdreb]

Everyone seems positive that it is a male. I am a bit of a noob so what are you looking at to make the determination?
Thank you

 

[m0lsx]

Your enclosures look lovely, much better than mine. I really need to start thinking about something more than a hide & some water in mine.

Sadly my arboreal enclosure is an exo terra one, so it has that horrible mesh top. But I guess some perspex over that with some holes drilled into it in the right part, would make the enclosure work better, as it would mean I could use it laid on it's back, or vertically & I would stop the mesh from being a potential danger to my T's.

I moved my old chap into a different enclosure earlier to give him some more floor space & more importantly to stop him from climbing.


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[m0lsx]

Everyone seems positive that it is a male. I am a bit of a noob so what are you looking at to make the determination?
Thank you

I was sold him as a mature male, but from what little I know, there are a couple of things to look for one is a hook on the front legs. The other is on a molted skin. But I am not really the person to ask, me being new to the hobby.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Everyone seems positive that it is a male. I am a bit of a noob so what are you looking at to make the determination?
Thank you

 

[Arachnoclown]

Here you can see the hook and the pedipalp

 

[mdreb]

Perfect thank you didn't notice them. Ask and learn.

 

[m0lsx]

The new enclosure seems to have made a difference. The old chap seems more relaxed & has even webbed the enclosure up a little. Which is something he had not done to his old one.