T's keep escaping during feeding time...

Jterry · Jun 20, 2012

I have a few T's who think it's funny to run up the wall and out when I open up the enclosure for feeding time :sarcasm: On feeding days, I always find myself chasing at least one of my T's with a catch cup! Aside from it being annoying, I'm concerned that one of them is going to get hurt or lost. Anyone have a T that likes to do this? Any suggestions? Thanks!

poisoned · Jun 20, 2012

I don't know how many Ts you have, but none of my eight ever did it.

Shell · Jun 20, 2012

I can't say I've ever had a problem with this...I think I've had maybe one actually run once when it's enclosure was opened, a C. elegans sling. Otherwise no, never been an issue for me. I am careful when opening OW/fast spider enclosures, watching where the spider is, how much I open etc so that I do not have to go chasing them around.

Jterry · Jun 20, 2012

poisoned said:
I don't know how many Ts you have, but none of my eight ever did it.

I have 9, but I'm not sure how collection size relates to this issue

Zeph · Jun 20, 2012

If you're tong-less, I would suggest putting their enclosures in the bathtub (stop the drain!) so it's easier to catch them. Personally, I barely crack the lid of the enclosure and use long feeding tongs. If you don't have tongs, they're pretty cheap online, especially the wood and plastic ones.

edit: Also, make sure they have a hiding place if they don't already. Mine are more likely to hide under cork bark than leap out of the container!

Jterry · Jun 20, 2012

I think part of it is that I always feed with tongs and I like to get it right up next to the T. I don't like to "drop and close" in case the T isn't going to eat it. If it doesn't take the feeder off the tongs right away, I just pull it out. I don't want to leave it in there, or go chasing after it later on.

---------- Post added 06-20-2012 at 04:25 PM ----------

Zeph said:
If you're tong-less, I would suggest putting their enclosures in the bathtub (stop the drain!) so it's easier to catch them. Personally, I barely crack the lid of the enclosure and use long feeding tongs. If you don't have tongs, they're pretty cheap online, especially the wood and plastic ones.

edit: Also, make sure they have a hiding place if they don't already. Mine are more likely to hide under cork bark than leap out of the container!

I do use tongs, and they all have hides. I will usually try to drop the feeder right outside of their hide, and if they're not into it, that's usually when they go running

philge · Jun 20, 2012

I've never had this problem before, but I've used a feeding technique with more aggressive Ts that might be helpful to you. Just make a hole in the enclosure large enough for a cricket to just barely slip through. If you grab the cricket and put it in the hole head-first, it will crawl right in. No need to even open the lid!

CorridorCulprit · Jun 20, 2012

what type of enclosure do you use for the ones that escape? I noticed for me that deli cups make some of my T's freak out but enclosures with a hatch lid(kritter keepers for example) or a lid that screws on keep them a bit more calm. Im not sure if this will help you at all but thats what I noticed in my experiences so I hope it does.

captmarga · Jun 20, 2012

Slide a piece of paper in to block part of the opening, bag the entire cage, or crush the cricket and drop it in. If they don't eat it, they don't eat it. I have a couple that charge, and I've used all of these methods on them.

Marga

arachnidsrva · Jun 20, 2012

here is my suggestion - if you have a budget for this.....

exo terra in my opinion makes the best stuff, - i suggest the 8x8 or 12x12 - they have front opening doors.

maybe that would be easier. also, get some nice tongs and don't be afraid to get a little stern.

WC H macs are the worst - also noted juvie H lividum

Chris_Skeleton · Jun 20, 2012

You haven't had a feeding escape problem until you've had an E. cyanognathus sling in a deli cup

Ultum4Spiderz · Jun 21, 2012

Jterry said:
I have a few T's who think it's funny to run up the wall and out when I open up the enclosure for feeding time :sarcasm: On feeding days, I always find myself chasing at least one of my T's with a catch cup! Aside from it being annoying, I'm concerned that one of them is going to get hurt or lost. Anyone have a T that likes to do this? Any suggestions? Thanks!

this is very common behavior T gets scared& runs away..
Feed Pokies & fast old worlders in the bathroom or a room thats 100% open like ROb C... So u dont lose any

''
VERY fast Ts can run across a room in seconds

rockhopper · Jun 21, 2012

Are you sure you are keeping them in an appropriate enclosure where they can feel safe? I've never had one bolt out of the enclosure. They all prefer to run to their hide when there is a disturbance. If yours are always fleeing the enclosure then I'd venture a guess that they do not feel secure in there due to something.

Storm76 · Jun 21, 2012

rockhopper said:
Are you sure you are keeping them in an appropriate enclosure where they can feel safe? I've never had one bolt out of the enclosure. They all prefer to run to their hide when there is a disturbance. If yours are always fleeing the enclosure then I'd venture a guess that they do not feel secure in there due to something.

That!

Also, the only "escapes" I had was when the T's got surprised (for example tong feeding and touching their abdomen coming from behind them - BAD IDEA!) or being too fast, OR plain simply: Because the T is casually strolling out, like my Homoeomma spec "blue" does...so inquisitive that little girl (hopefully girl..

)

Although, my P. cambridgei girl is STILL one mean T now after having been rehoused and settled in. And that although her enclosure is twice as big as the one she had...however, we're not talking about defensiveness here, so sorry about that.

OH! And question: What genera / species are we talking about here?! What enclosures?

Jterry · Jun 21, 2012

rockhopper said:
Are you sure you are keeping them in an appropriate enclosure where they can feel safe? I've never had one bolt out of the enclosure. They all prefer to run to their hide when there is a disturbance. If yours are always fleeing the enclosure then I'd venture a guess that they do not feel secure in there due to something.

All of the ones that run have hides that they hang out in all of the time. My H. Incei is one of the runners, and it has used one of the fake leaves I have in there to bend over and web down to make a nice, long tunnel of a hide for herself. However, there is an opening on either side, so it will run in one side and then right out the other!

---------- Post added 06-21-2012 at 11:48 AM ----------

Storm76 said:
That!

Also, the only "escapes" I had was when the T's got surprised (for example tong feeding and touching their abdomen coming from behind them - BAD IDEA!) or being too fast, OR plain simply: Because the T is casually strolling out, like my Homoeomma spec "blue" does...so inquisitive that little girl (hopefully girl..)

Although, my P. cambridgei girl is STILL one mean T now after having been rehoused and settled in. And that although her enclosure is twice as big as the one she had...however, we're not talking about defensiveness here, so sorry about that.

OH! And question: What genera / species are we talking about here?! What enclosures?

One of them in an H. Incei juvie, and the other is a P. Irminia juvie. They both have hides as well as web tunnels they have built for themselves, and are in enclosures that are appropriate for their size/type.

Storm76 · Jun 21, 2012

Jterry said:
One of them in an H. Incei juvie, and the other is a P. Irminia juvie. They both have hides as well as web tunnels they have built for themselves, and are in enclosures that are appropriate for their size/type.

From my personal experience so far: Don't try tong-feeding those. It might work for some people, sure, but it could just very well be that your specimen doesn't LIKE the "giant" tong with "something moving at the end" coming at it. Also, both are very fast T's anyways, though I don't ever had a problem with these myself.

As for the H. incei, if you tong-feed it, are you destroying its webbing each time? Because if so, I wouldn't be surprised if that T bolts if something destroys its webbing to get to tong-feed it.

le-thomas · Jun 21, 2012

I fed all of my OBT, H. villosella, and Chilobrachys guangxiensis slings today with no problems. Just don't tongue feed anything that you fear will make a run for it (or really anything; it isn't necessary).

EbonyKatana1664 · Jun 21, 2012

Clever Girls...

Ive had it happen before and my wake up call was to upgrade my standards for my Ts enclosures. what do you keep em in?

Storm76 · Jun 21, 2012

le-thomas said:
I fed all of my OBT, H. villosella, and Chilobrachys guangxiensis slings today with no problems. Just don't tongue feed anything that you fear will make a run for it (or really anything; it isn't necessary).

I don't know, with slings it's somewhat different I think. They seem to be easier getting "used" to be tong-fed. HOwever, as you said, it's not a necessity anyways

EbonyKatana1664 said:
Ive had it happen before and my wake up call was to upgrade my standards for my Ts enclosures. what do you keep em in?

My P. irminia is in a medium arboreal tank from tarantulacages.com currently and my H. incei adult female in a medium critter keeper. Never had any escapes, then again, I don't tong-feed mine, as I know they don't like it (tried it before, they ran - but not out).

Chris_Skeleton · Jun 21, 2012

le-thomas said:
I fed all of my OBT, H. villosella, and Chilobrachys guangxiensis slings today with no problems. Just don't tongue feed anything that you fear will make a run for it (or really anything; it isn't necessary).

And I thought I was the only one who tongue fed their Ts

T's keep escaping during feeding time...

Arachnosquire

Arachnodemon

ArachnoVixen AKA Dream Crusher AKA Heartbreaker

Arachnosquire

Arachnosquire

Arachnosquire

Arachnosquire

Arachnopeon

Arachnobaron

Arachnoknight

Arachnoprince

Arachnoemperor

Arachnosquire

Arachnoemperor

Arachnosquire

Arachnoemperor

Arachnobaron

Arachnosquire

Arachnoemperor

Arachnoprince