Cobalt Blue and Skelleton Tarantula

[thedude]

yes i did also do prior research before i bought em


i just bought a Cobalt blue (Haplopelma lividum)
and skelleton tarantula (Ephebopus murinus) (yes the blue lives up to it's rep only 3" but acts 10' tall)last week at the northern berks reptile show (the one in hamburgh, PA) and was wondering if i can get a few extra pointers excpesally the Cobalt blue,

ive got her in 5 gal tank with 6" of Peat/Vermaculite mix and a water dish is that all she needs? and are the ready burrowers caus that why i bought her and caus the color/attitude, she's in a corner of the cage with a big sil "triangle" that's sealed (but she's more than happy to break some of it to nab a cricket)

the skelly in a 5 gal tank has 4" or so of the same mix a cork bark slab and a water dish she's under the cork now with all but 1 hole semi-sealed with silk




ive got a
(Haplopelma lividum) cobalt blue T
(Ephebopus murinus)Skelleton T
(gromostola rosea)Rose Haired T
(theraphosa blondi)Goliath Birdeater
x2 (scolopendra subpinipes)(did i spell that right?) asian giant centipede
x3 (pandinus impirator) emporer scorps
a giant vinegerone
x3 african milipedes
many (balberus giganteus) S. american giant cockroach
and many hissing roaches

[cheetah13mo]

Looks like you have it all under controll. You might want to stick a couple of fingers down in the substrate in one of the corners of the tank to start the burrow for your H. lividum. That's what I did and she finished it up. Moist substrate and a water dish and she's good to go. Don't expect to see her much after she's finished the burrow. Good luck.

[Mushroom Spore]

You might want to stick a couple of fingers down in the substrate in one of the corners of the tank

I know it's not what you intended, but I can't stop laughing at this. Yes, by all means, do this. The tarantula will come and tell you hello.

[thedude]

I know it's not what you intended, but I can't stop laughing at this. Yes, by all means, do this. The tarantula will come and tell you hello.

yeh ima get right on that.. tomarow lol
she went out of her way of building a webish thing to come try and shake my hand, with her fangs

[craig84]

I know it's not what you intended, but I can't stop laughing at this. Yes, by all means, do this. The tarantula will come and tell you hello.

Exactly what I was thinking when I read the post

[oOINOVAIOo]

I know it's not what you intended, but I can't stop laughing at this. Yes, by all means, do this. The tarantula will come and tell you hello.

LOL I pictured myself doing that to mine once it grows... I shat bricks.

[MasamuneX7]

Do these two species just look good together or what, because this is the 4th time I've come across someone who talked about a H. lividum in conjunction with an E. murinus, myself included. First it's a Youtube video with a guy showing his H. lividum and E. murinus in his video, then I decide to get an E. murinus to share the tank with my H. lividum (with a divider of course). Then, another user tells me that his H. lividum and E. murinus are neighbors, and finally I find this thread.

[cheetah13mo]

Yeah, I suppose that would be a little dangerous. lol Romove the T or put a cup over her first....Or not.

[Moltar]

I have these same 2 sp living as neighbors. they eat together, sleep together, molt together and sometimes make me pee my pants together...

No, seriously Dude. It sounds like your setups are ok. 6" subby will suffice but both of those would use an entire foot of substrate for burrowing if you could provide it and they'd love it. Also, you know these are both humidity loving species, yes? Soil should be moist but not sodden when you set the tank up and humidity should be maintained with a water dish and either misting or overflowing the dish from time to time.

Some people say misting is for the birds. I'm undecided on this but that debate is for another thread. What i do w/ mine is keep the water filled, occasionally overfill the bowl and/or soak a small section of the substrate then i mist the walls to bring the humidity up. Also i mist the (fake) plants and the sphagnum moss on top of the 'strate. I only do this about 2x per week and it seems to be ok.

[Venom]

My advice is, don't overestimate their moisture needs. E.murinus may come from a super-humid rainforest, but it doesn't need a swamp! Keep the substrate only moist--not wet. Spiders kept like amphibians will die. You should NOT be able to squeeze gobs of water out of it, but only a trickle. Keep the temps above 65 F, and provide a water dish also, and you should be fine. Good luck ( and great choice on the E.murinus---I'm partial to them myself!! )

[thedude]

i just tried the "fingers in the subbstrate" thing but i used my 12" tweezers instead, 2 maybe 3 hours after i did that i saw her (the cobalt blue) in there reinforcing the sides with web

the skelly has a made a tube of silk under her cork bark and sealed the back entrance to it

i can tell these were great choices and much more fun to watch than my
G. rosea and a bit more impresive that my T.blondi (but alwase fun to watch him eat and walk around)

[thedude]

and last thing do the H. lividium make burrows like trap door spiders w/o the lid to the burrow or do they make the entrance then a tunnle to a chamber? or do they do the entrance burrow than make the chamber at the bottom of it

[Fingolfin]

Um, no lid really, but sometimes they'll cover the entrance with silk and burst out of it. Mine did both, just left it open, and used silk on the rare occasion. But I don't think they'll make a lod out of earth the same way a trap door would.

[thedude]

Um, no lid really, but sometimes they'll cover the entrance with silk and burst out of it. Mine did both, just left it open, and used silk on the rare occasion. But I don't think they'll make a lod out of earth the same way a trap door would.

ive gotten mixed measeges from internet sites (i guess diffrent experinces) i also asked the quest about divercity caus ive seen 1 pic that had a straight down burrow than it looked like there was a tunnle that follows the side of the tank mine like a big L , mine just made one straight down and is sitting face down like she's looking at the bottom of the tank then ive seen a pic where it's just a silk bowl in the middle of the cage (idk if that was the entrance to the burrow... or is there really no complexity to there burrows?

[cheetah13mo]

Give her time. She'll clear out an area just off the main tunnel down to stretch out and relax.