For Alex S

[Gillian]

Alex,
I was wondering if you could help me with some info. I've seen a few pics of Egytian Windscorpions. I think they are the coolest thing! What do you know of them? Are they difficult to keep as pets?
Thanks..
Peace,
Gillian

[Alex S.]

Glad to see your getting interested in solifugids, they are incredible creatures.

The giant Egyptian species are of the family Galeodidae, with the species being imported usually being Galeodes arabs or Galeodes granti. They are among the largest in the world with adult body lengths being up to 3" and having legspans of up to 6".

They arent exactly hard to keep but as with all species, in the wild as well, solifugids do have a short life span, with large species usually living no longer than 6 months. Hope that helped, I can give you care info if you would like.

Alex S.

[Gillian]

Alex,
What a bummer? I still think they are the coolest looking things. The lifespan sort of reminds me of Bold Jumping Spiders. I have had 4 so far, and they all live about 6 months, sometimes less. Perhaps if I got a fairly young one...

Thank you..

Gillian

[Alex S.]

Gillian, the best thing to do is to get a juvinile, which are around 1.5" in body length when it comes to large Galeodes. They can live up to a year, but thats pretty much tops. They are definetely amazing creatures and are still very worth the $20 to $25 even with the short life span. They are awesome while they are alive. Nothing can compare to their speed and verocity....

Alex S.

[atavuss]

Originally posted by Alex S.
Gillian, the best thing to do is to get a juvinile, which are around 1.5" in body length when it comes to large Galeodes. They can live up to a year, but thats pretty much tops. They are definetely amazing creatures and are still very worth the $20 to $25 even with the short life span. They are awesome while they are alive. Nothing can compare to their speed and verocity....

Alex S.

I had a large adult female that lived for about 8 months.....incredible inverts! they seem to be available at certain times of the year or pretty much all the time, Alex?
Ed

[Gillian]

Originally posted by Alex S.
Gillian, the best thing to do is to get a juvinile, which are around 1.5" in body length when it comes to large Galeodes. They can live up to a year, but thats pretty much tops. They are definetely amazing creatures and are still very worth the $20 to $25 even with the short life span. They are awesome while they are alive. Nothing can compare to their speed and verocity....

Alex S.

Alex,
I know. I'm definitely leaning their way. I happened to have seen them for the first time on John Hoke's site. Marshall's Tarantula book discribes them as.."arachnid shrews, hungry and aggressive."

I'll definitely think of you, when the time comes..

Peace,
Gillian

[Alex S.]

Originally posted by atavuss
I had a large adult female that lived for about 8 months.....incredible inverts! they seem to be available at certain times of the year or pretty much all the time, Alex?
Ed

Hey Ed, thats great! Yeah, healthy specimens that eat alot and are given a good environment and burrow can live live longer than average. They are definetely awesome inverts. They are most commonly available during the summer and early fall as that is the time they are most abundant in the wild.

Alex S.

[Alex S.]

Originally posted by Gillian
Alex,
I know. I'm definitely leaning their way. I happened to have seen them for the first time on John Hoke's site. Marshall's Tarantula book discribes them as.."arachnid shrews, hungry and aggressive."

I'll definitely think of you, when the time comes..

Peace,
Gillian

Hey Gillian, thats awesome that you are thinking of getting one. :) They will not let you down, as nothing can compare to these amazing predators. They are literally arachnid hunting machines, with giant species capable of preying on lizards, snakes, mice, and even small birds!! Smaller species are capable of eating over 100 house flies in 24 hours!! Anyway, good luck when you get your specimen, and if you have any questions, ask.
:)

Alex S.

[Gillian]

Alex,
Will do...

Peace,
Gillian

[jwb121377]

Hey Alex is it possible to sex windscorpions? I have often wondered. Also do you know if any successful captive breedings have taken place?

[Alex S.]

Hey jwb121377, in most families the males have a flagella-like organ on the chelicerae to transfer the spermatophore, but in some other families, such as the Eremobatidae, this is not present, and it is better to use the method that females are larger and much heavier built than males.

There have only been a few successful captive breedings so far. It is extremely hard to captive breed Solifugae. I will eventually be attempting to breed the Eremobatidae (common USA family) in the future.

Alex S.

[jwb121377]

I see, thanks Alex!:)

[Alex S.]

Originally posted by jwb121377
I see, thanks Alex!:)

Are you thinking of getting one jwb121377? :)

Alex S.

[Tarantula Lover]

cool, from Egypt!!!

James

[Alex S.]

Yes, Solifugae are very common throughout northern Africa/Sahara. They are common throughout most of Africa as the continent contains around 1/3 of the planets solifugids.

Alex S.

[jwb121377]

Originally posted by Alex S.
Are you thinking of getting one jwb121377? :)

Alex S.

I have kept them in the past (all being Galeodes granti), in fact my last one died in late Aug. I would like to get some more, but the last couple of shows haven't had them. The next time I see them I plan to get a bunch.:)

[Alex S.]

Thats cool, I highly encourage you to get more. Galeodes arabs is also another commonly sold species which looks very much like G. granti.

Alex S.