T. ockerti housing

Julia

Julia

Arachnobaron
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Ugh... I'm at a loss with this one. From the little bit of info I managed to find, it seems that this species should be semi-arboreal. So when I got it 9 months ago (or so), I set it up in an appropriately sized KK with some fake flowers and branches diagonally set in there. I basically did it up like I would for a GBB. At first, he (leaning toward a male from the last molt, but it was hard to tell for sure) webbed a bit and swung from the branches to catch prey like an acrobatic arboreal. After a couple months, he went to the ground. There he has stayed. No webbing, no climbing, not really moving much at all. I mean, all of my big fat terrestrials are more active than this one. Any suggestions what I should do with it? I do have a fantastic enclosure (2 gallon pretzel jar) for which to make an arboreal setup. Think I should try it or just let my arboreal-terrestrial-pet-rock be?
 
awiec

awiec

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While the species has arboreal tendencies (like gbb's do) the genus as whole is terrestrial. If the spider is feeding normally and has places to hide then I'd say leave it be. I have a thrix as well (different species) and she generally just sits around all day; been in the same spot for the past 3 days now.
 
Sana

Sana

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Aside from being on the ground and much less motivated to move around than usual, do you see anything that looks off?
 
Poec54

Poec54

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cold blood said:
I've always understood T. okerti to be arboreal.
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I suspect they don't live up in trees. They look like a terrestrial, and come from a genus of terrestrials. Eph murinus looks much more like an arboreal than ockerti. Some of the species that get the 'arboreal' tag live in shrubs and the base of trees. The criteria apparently being that if some individuals of a species have been seen living a foot off the ground, they're 'arboreal.'
 
cold blood

cold blood

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Poec54 said:
They look like a terrestrial, and come from a genus of terrestrials.
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I completely agree, which was why I was always taken by the arboreal tag. I could easily see them on roots, the bases of trees and large leafy plants, especially with that greenish coloration.
 
F

Formerphobe

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Poec54 said:
I suspect they don't live up in trees. They look like a terrestrial, and come from a genus of terrestrials. Eph murinus looks much more like an arboreal than ockerti. Some of the species that get the 'arboreal' tag live in shrubs and the base of trees. The criteria apparently being that if some individuals of a species have been seen living a foot off the ground, they're 'arboreal.'
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Well, off the ground is, off the ground. There's a paper somewhere, that I'm not going to look for right now, describing T ockerti being observed living off the ground on shrubs and part way up trees. Most of those who have had success breeding them provided arboreal enclosures. The single specimen I had rarely let her feet touch the substrate. She was always up in her plants or elevated cork round. Not a heavy webber overall, but had her choice hangouts well padded.
Maybe there should be a new term coined for species that don't live high up in the canopy, but aren't truly terrestrial.
 
Sana

Sana

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What ever term you use, I don't worry much about mine hanging out on the ground. The only arboreal that this would be an uncommon behavior for in my understanding is Avicularia. In the case of the rest, arboreal or semi-arboreal, it's not that uncommon here to see them hiding on the ground. Our P. vitatta prefers to sit on the ground for a couple of weeks before she molts and a few days immediately after.
 
F

Formerphobe

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Poec54 said:
Like 'semi-arboreal'?
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Technically, many 'classic arboreals' would fall under the 'semi-arboreal' label. Most Poecis and Psalmos start out burrowing, and many continue to burrow, spend time near/on the ground, or fluctuate back and forth throughout their lives. Even some obligate burrowers like Ephebopus, spend life stages in shrubs or trees before going to ground.
 
Julia

Julia

Arachnobaron
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Cool then. Semi-arboreal fits and therefore, so does his setup. I forgot to mention all of the usual details: He's 3.5", not mature (if he is, in fact, a he), last molt was in May, and while he used to eat like a piggy, he's been fasting for the winter. I've offered crickets, roaches, mealworms, even a waxworm once....and nothing. I'm not worried though because he drinks and doesn't appear "thin".

This post was less about my being worried for the picky little thing and more about gathering info and others' experiences. It's just been hard to pinpoint what traits might be common with these, based on what I'm seeing in mine. Apparently, this species isn't common enough to warrant a thousand easily-searchable AB threads! Many thanks to you all. I'll let him stay where he is and keep observing, I suppose.
 
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