Caring for E. utuaman

Greenstar

Arachnopeon
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Nov 28, 2003
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I can't find a really good care sheet for these guys and have no info on them. I really enjoy their color and the whole genera. Can any one tell how you keep Emerald Skeletons or breed them?
Thanks
Danny
 

rknralf

Arachnolord
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Jul 19, 2002
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I have one and I keep her similar to my E. murinus. A bit more on the humid side. I also always keep fresh water for her. She's still a little small, just 3.5", but has an excellent feeding response. Not too pretty yet, but I know with time and size, she'll show more color. She's more of an olive drab currently.
 

Lopez

Arachnoking
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Feb 18, 2003
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Remember that generally speaking you can apply most care tips to a whole genus or sometimes even subfamily. Of course there are exceptions but it is often the case that, for example, one Ephebopus will live in the same way as the next.

As all Ephebopus are found in similar areas (Brazil and French Guiana, tropical wet forest) you can keep them the same : the young will web and live semi-arboreally, adults will live in deep burrows with a narrow entrance if given the provision to do so. Rick West told me this when I asked him about keeping Ephebopus and I have since learned from my own experiences that he was right.
Rick's site also has some good photographs demonstrating the basic colour differences between cyanognathus and uatumen.

Breeding is as other Ephebopus, generally a "friendly" affair and usually successful.
 

Greenstar

Arachnopeon
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Nov 28, 2003
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Sounds like a good species for me to start with. But I am curious on how wet to keep it since I keep dart frogs and am used to having tanks in the 100% humidty range, I have tendency to make rainforst animals cages pretty moist. Also how deep does the dirt have to be for them to creat a decent sized burrow?
 

Lopez

Arachnoking
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Originally posted by Greenstar
Sounds like a good species for me to start with. But I am curious on how wet to keep it since I keep dart frogs and am used to having tanks in the 100% humidty range, I have tendency to make rainforst animals cages pretty moist. Also how deep does the dirt have to be for them to creat a decent sized burrow?
In the wild, they will dig down to about 4 or 5 feet......
No need to go that extreme though. A glass tank that is about 30 or 40cm deep, filled 75% with moist peat should work just fine. Bore a burrow down one side with a broom handle or similar and the spider will then develop or web around the burrow as it wishes over time.
A lot of keepers (particularly Americans) keep everything in dry tanks with just a water bowl. I prefer to try and replicate the high humidity levels found in the wild with no water dish. As long as you always remove dead prey remains and keep a close eye on mites and mould breakouts then there is no problem with a high-humidity environment.
 

Michael Jacobi

ARACHNOCULTURE MAGAZINE
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Mar 17, 2003
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Lopez' post is entirely accurate

The saturation point humidity used in dart frog husbandry is much too wet for any tarantula. High humidity for tarantulas native to tropical rainforest means approx. 70-80%. Also, 3.5" is not small for Ephebopus uatuman. I hatched a sac this spring from a female about that size. They don't get as large as E. murinus. And color in mature adults is not that striking except for post-molt. In natural sunlight you can see a greenish sheen to the abdomen of the aforementioned adult female, but under room lighting she is basically a fawn color except for the blue irridescence of the underside of the forelegs, which is characteristic of this species. Juveniles are much more colorful.
 

Jakob

Arachnoprince
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May 11, 2003
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Yes these guys can mature as soon as at 3" of legspan. They don't get nearly as large as E. murinus. 70% humidity will suffice, but 80% won't hurt.

Later,

Jake
 

vulpina

Arachnoprince
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Jan 26, 2003
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Keep pretty much like other Ephobopus species or comparable to the Asian burrowers.

Andy
 

Greenstar

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 28, 2003
Messages
29
Now to find some one with them for sale cheap. Swifty how hard was it to get the male and the feamle to actually mate and how long did the process take, to eggcase, and then to slings? Also if I got a young one would a medium kritter keeper with 5 inches of dirt and some leaves be good set up? And are they diurnal?
 
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