Eight legged can-openers

Anastasia · Aug 16, 2009

I been having a problem with few of them,
They just terrible!, no mater how secure I lock em up they brake out!, Totally destroying enclosures
here is 4" metal vent, ripped off

and I been watching them and soon is I rehouse them in different enclosure they check out for vents and right On IT!
Gahhhhh! What Am I gona do with them!???!

cacoseraph · Aug 16, 2009

i should save this thread to point to when ppl ask if tarantulas can learn =P

they do make heavier gauge screening, iirc

another option would be to make very small vent holes and not screen them... that screen looks like it probably isn't going to stop very small flies, anyways... especially when it gets all bent out of shape

i reckon you could still use that screen, actually... it just needs to be secured better by leaving a larger overlap around the edge of your vent holes... you could epoxy resin it (on the *outside* of the cage) in place... just be sure to let cages air out for a couple weeks before using them again

dukegarda · Aug 16, 2009

I'm glad mine don't do that to their screens, geeze. Looks like you have a hand full there.

I'd say spray them with a mister bottle and yell "Bad" but I doubt that would work. ;P

cacoseraph · Aug 16, 2009

dukegarda said:
I'd say spray them with a mister bottle and yell "Bad" but I doubt that would work. ;P

i know you are joking... but if you could catch them doing it every time i think that might actually work... provided the spider hates getting sprayed. i'm not saying it would be a good choice for reals, but *if* one could catch them in the act and give them a negative stimulus every time they did it i think you could train them out of it

dukegarda · Aug 16, 2009

Well, they hate being blown on. MY P. regalis stops in her tracks if I blow on her. Huddles up into a nice little ball of legs lol.

mickey66 · Aug 16, 2009

just surfing and found this thread

Man....this is hard to believe

Ok,I'm a Noob,I was just surfing this site and found this thread....OMG I had no idea T's would,could do this.....reminds me of the first time I saw a Rattle Snake here in Az lift itself off the ground about 3/4 of its body lenght. You say they have memory? Yikes! Edit: I forgot to ask you....what size are these slings?

dukegarda · Aug 16, 2009

mickey66 said:
Man....this is hard to believe Ok,I'm a Noob,I was just surfing this site and found this thread....OMG I had no idea T's would,could do this.....reminds me of the first time I saw a Rattle Snake here in Az lift itself off the ground about 3/4 of its body lenght. You say they have memory? Yikes!

There have been lots of cases where Ts 'chew' through steel mesh.

mickey66 · Aug 16, 2009

ok

Are we talking slings or just T's/adults doing this or all of the above.

Anastasia · Aug 16, 2009

cacoseraph said:
i should save this thread to point to when ppl ask if tarantulas can learn =P

I have to doubt about that

they do make heavier gauge screening, iirc

That is vent in custom enclosure, tell you the true, I have a very difficult time to brake that vent my self, it crimped in aluminum rings base, I would brake my fingers rip that appart

another option would be to make very small vent holes and not screen them... that screen looks like it probably isn't going to stop very small flies, anyways... especially when it gets all bent out of shape

Small flyes isnt big of a deal, there is a smaller net over the vent is well get distroyed

i reckon you could still use that screen, actually... it just needs to be secured better by leaving a larger overlap around the edge of your vent holes... you could epoxy resin it (on the *outside* of the cage) in place... just be sure to let cages air out for a couple weeks before using them again

my room is pretty humid and ventilation is a big thing, no drilled holes will do better then screen, I sure have to come up with sum kind of solution
My God all them expensive cages from tarantulacages got a pretty good beatting on the vents is well

Anastasia · Aug 16, 2009

mickey66 said:
Are we talking slings or just T's/adults doing this or all of the above.

Only few of my Adult terrestrials do that
and the worst are all my xenesthis Spp
especially one entermedia(that did that vent in the picture, she is 8"), and couple Grammostolas

kaydyn1512 · Aug 16, 2009

I had a 1/2" A versicolor chew through screen (luckily the hole the screen was over was just a bit to small for her/him to get out. But I did have an A seemani 1" sling take a walk about for a day after ripping a hole through the screen on his/her enclosure. They aren't as stupid as some people make them out to be. And I'm from the school of thought that tarantulas can learn.

ZergFront · Aug 21, 2009

cacoseraph said:
i know you are joking... but if you could catch them doing it every time i think that might actually work... provided the spider hates getting sprayed. i'm not saying it would be a good choice for reals, but *if* one could catch them in the act and give them a negative stimulus every time they did it i think you could train them out of it

If roaches can learn negative reinforcement, why not a tarantula?

Nerri1029 · Aug 22, 2009

Here is my experience..

B. emilia is about 2" long, I found him again.. LUCKY

Nomadinexile · Aug 22, 2009

TKG revised recommends hot dipped galvanized mesh. You can buy it at hardware stores as "Hardware Cloth" or "chicken wire". My next guess involves chain mail.

the nature boy · Aug 22, 2009

Electrifying it might do the trick, lol.

Anastasia · Aug 22, 2009

Nerri1029 said:
Here is my experience..
B. emilia is about 2" long, I found him again.. LUCKY

Wah! you sure know what trouble those can-openers are
any thoughts how to spider- proof it?
I have few of those cages and couple been just trashed
vents ripped off

Nerri1029 · Sep 1, 2009

I'm going to hot glue a plexi disc in place with MANY holes drilled.

This critter was placed in an ALL plexi enclosure.
Like Magneto, no more metal for him.

traxfish · Sep 1, 2009

I gotta ask.. what species are these?

I use cages with similar vents (from tarantulacages.com, which look very similar to yours), and I own a S. rubronitens, P. regalis, and a C. andersoni. I have found the S. rubronitens clinging to the vents before, hanging upside down, but I haven't found any signs of clawing or trying to break through. It would be a nightmare though if my andersoni or my regalis breaks out and roams my room freely.

Can either of my species become such escape artists? Anyone else who uses tarantulacage's cages able to "testify" if they have had similar problems or not?

revoltkid · Sep 1, 2009

i had an irminia sling pop the lid of a vial last week. lol, sneaky little guy. i found him a couple days later

blazetown · Sep 1, 2009

dukegarda said:
I'm glad mine don't do that to their screens, geeze. Looks like you have a hand full there.

I'd say spray them with a mister bottle and yell "Bad" but I doubt that would work. ;P

After reading this awhile ago I decided to at least try the water spraying method generally used for cats on my Smithi. The T keeps shoving its legs and fangs out of an air hole. It seems like it's actually working too lol. I've noticed it's rarely been doing it now at least during the day.

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