H. lividum substrate?

Red Eunice · Nov 6, 2014

I am planning to rehouse my girl this weekend. Not wanting to make a 45 min. (one way) drive to retrieve my loaned TKG, I'll ask here. What substances and ratio are you using in your obligate burrower's enclosure? On hand I have steam sterilized peat, topsoil and vermiculite. Her new home will will be a 10 gallon aquarium and will probably be the final rehouse I'll do for her. [emoji4] Thanks in advance.

Akai · Nov 6, 2014

I like to you use bare bones potting soil with no additives at all or peat. I also mix in sphagnum moss through out for humidity and usually line the bottom up heavy with sphagnum that way when they burrow and get to the bottom and hit the sphagnum they will use it and line the entrance of their burrows with it which I then use to mist the long fiber sphagnum when it gets dry. I also start them off with a starter burrow and let them do the rest. What are you using for a lid for your 10 gallon aquarium?

Here's a really informative YT vid by AB member Spiderengineer. I learned a lot from it and if you haven't seen it then you might too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyjKIQmluF0

Biollantefan54 · Nov 6, 2014

I don't have an H. lividum but I have a few burrowing tarantulas. I just use straight peat moss or cocofiber. The tarantulas can just dig and web it up.

Poec54 · Nov 6, 2014

I have a bunch of Asian terrestrials, including 5 species of Haplopelma. They all get moist (not wet) bagged top soil, $1.50 for a 40 lb bag at Home Depot. BTW, Stan had very little experience with Asian terrestrials, most of them hit the hobby after he sold off his collection. One of the country's most experienced and passionate people with Asians is Chris Allen, known here as 'Syndicate.'

I give mine a cork slab to hide under, and start a burrow under, and a disposable water bowl (3 oz soufflé cup, purchased by the sleeve). They're pretty hardy. What kind of lid are you planning on using on the 10 gallon tank? Terrestrials can chew right thru screen, including aluminum screen. Screen's too open for them anyways, they need humidity and moderate ventilation.

jigalojey · Nov 6, 2014

Deep, deep and deeper.

Poec54 · Nov 6, 2014

jigalojey said:
Deep, deep and deeper.

You can overdo deep. I don't have anything in more than 6" of substrate, and I have a lot of OW burrowers.

jigalojey · Nov 6, 2014

Poec54 said:
You can overdo deep. I don't have anything in more than 6" of substrate, and I have a lot of OW burrowers.

I have a few here with 8 inches of sub but they have a semi hide set up.

Ultum4Spiderz · Nov 6, 2014

Poec54 said:
You can overdo deep. I don't have anything in more than 6" of substrate, and I have a lot of OW burrowers.

I gotta check my home depot for basic soil, my 4-5" king baboon needs a new cage.

Poec54 · Nov 6, 2014

Ultum4Spiderz said:
I gotta check my home depot for basic soil, my 4-5" king baboon needs a new cage.

Bagged top soil is usually moist and kings like it dry, so I pour some out into a big cardboard box and let it dry for a few days. A fan speeds up the process.

Ultum4Spiderz · Nov 6, 2014

Poec54 said:
Bagged top soil is usually moist and kings like it dry, so I pour some out into a big cardboard box and let it dry for a few days. A fan speeds up the process.

I got some top soil, ill let it dry out before I put it in a new deeper cage. Do kings need much humidity or is bone dry good enough w/waterbowl?

SuzukiSwift · Nov 6, 2014

I just use straight coco fiber. A good method you can use is actually to put some holes in the bottom of the enclosure then place a tray underneath, that way when you moisten the substrate the moisture wont collect at the bottom and create mould problems but will instead drain. I agree with Poec you dont need to have it too deep, slightly more than the Ts leg span is usually sufficient, so I'd say 6-7" deep for lividum.

Also keep in mind to leave enough space at the top for the extra dirt, when they shift dirt out while burrowing they need somewhere to put it, if there is not enough space at the surface then it's gona get cramped

Poec54 · Nov 6, 2014

Ultum4Spiderz said:
I got some top soil, ill let it dry out before I put it in a new deeper cage. Do kings need much humidity or is bone dry good enough w/waterbowl?

Dry soil with moderate ventilation, and a water bowl. They'll spend their time digging.

For me they grow at a moderate rate. I got one earlier in the year, maybe 1 1/2", that's now over 3".

Red Eunice · Nov 8, 2014

Thanks to everyone for all your information. I am going to do a 50/50 mix of topsoil and sterilized peat firmly packed with a starter hole. If the local nursery has small bags of sphagnum moss I'll incorporate that as well. Planning to put 9" and slope down to 7" deep of firmly packed substrate in it. This should leave enough room for a water dish, larger piece of bark and any leftover moss to be left on the surface for her.
As for the lid, it came with a sliding lock type with steel mesh screen insert. I replaced the screen with 3/16" Plexiglas and bore 1/8" holes at one end for ventilation.
Now I need to figure out the steps on the copy and paste function that everyone uses when they post and I'd be ecstatic. Lol!!
Oh, thanks Akai for the YT link on Haplopelmas, it was very informative.
Again thanks everyone for all the great replies and information you have given.

Tongue Flicker · Nov 8, 2014

I use 60% sifted coco fiber (to remove the long strands) and 40% sifted sand (to remove the big grains).. mix well, compact it then mist the sides and top.

I'm actually very surprised at the wide range of substrate dampness and dryness that an adult H.lividum can handle

Ultum4Spiderz · Nov 8, 2014

Poec54 said:
Dry soil with moderate ventilation, and a water bowl. They'll spend their time digging.

For me they grow at a moderate rate. I got one earlier in the year, maybe 1 1/2", that's now over 3".

I keep my Ts room temp so even lasiodoras grow on the slower side, but I have a few in 4-5" size in 2 years.

My KB went from 1.5/2"-4.5" in 2 years.

H. lividum substrate?

Red Eunice

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Akai

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Poec54

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