Tips on what arboreals prefer

[TabbyCat]

Hi, I haven’t kept arboreals apart from seladonia, so looking at avicularia and caribena, will give them upright pieces of cork against background or hollow cork branch resting up at background but from viewing your arboreals preferences does anyone see that they prefer an entrance parallel at top of enclosure or an entrance on side of cork a little way down from top? sounds funny but having lived with my terrestrials I see how it’s not just putting a hide in, they have an ideal setup if given the option. Any opinions?

 

[Tbone192]

Hi, I haven’t kept arboreals apart from seladonia, so looking at avicularia and caribena, will give them upright pieces of cork against background or hollow cork branch resting up at background but from viewing your arboreals preferences does anyone see that they prefer an entrance parallel at top of enclosure or an entrance on side of cork a little way down from top? sounds funny but having lived with my terrestrials I see how it’s not just putting a hide in, they have an ideal setup if given the option. Any opinions?

I have 6 arboreals currently, I often try to make it so they can make multiple entrances to the one piece of cork bark. Holes in the side leaving a gap up top will let your spider decide how it wants it's home to look. I have found that many of my arboreals prefer using the top entrance of their hide, I find cork rounds are perfect for slings. For larger enclosures, I give two pieces of cork bark set against each other to create a tunnel. Also make sure you offer a decent depth of substrate and some loose dry substrate on top. All my arboreals like to burrow at least a bit, most do except for specific South American genera such as Avicularia. Loose sub accommodates dirt curtains and T's love them. Hope this helps and best wishes with your pals.

top: simple arboreal sling starter enclosure
Bottom: adult arboreal enclosure

 

[TabbyCat]

wow thank you so much! Exactly what I was hoping to get! thats such good Info and gives me a clear idea of what to give them. I just got 22lbs of cork branch tubes soooo have lots to choose from. I am new world so plucking up the courage to try old worlds…I’m an arachnophobe so it’s a little daunting!
thanks again for the top info and super useful photos!

 

[fcat]

22lbs of corkbark you say????

I try to place two pieces, one at a 45 degree angle and the other at about 90. I've noticed many have taken to the 90 and completely ignore the 45.

I went all out on my female C versicolor, gave her 3 half rounds, all with entrances and exits so she wouldn't feel trapped (and pathways to each other). After her first molt with me, that turd abandoned them and built a hammock over the tops of most of them (so she can't get in lol) and hangs from the top of her enclosure

The red arrows are the water dishes, the yellow arrows are the hide entrances. Gotta make sure it's not too far of a walk!


The view from the back, a different color for each hide, and you can see the hides and exits, there's space for her to move throughout the entire backside of the enclosure. The main reason I did this was to make sure I wasn't restricting ventilation. I then filled the small voids with moss


My goal was to give her a home she would love so much that I didn't see her, but it didn't go as planned, she made it her own

I didn't take any pictures putting it together, but I did use a big piece of mopani wood as a base and then wedged my pieces of bark in. Silicone/glue free, just a tight fit. This would be more of a problem (resting on glass) if the wood were to expand due to moisture, but I padded the the contact points with moss just to be safe.


Sorry about the screenshots, stole it from another account elsewhere since I'm at work

 

[viper69]

Hi, I haven’t kept arboreals apart from seladonia, so looking at avicularia and caribena, will give them upright pieces of cork against background or hollow cork branch resting up at background but from viewing your arboreals preferences does anyone see that they prefer an entrance parallel at top of enclosure or an entrance on side of cork a little way down from top? sounds funny but having lived with my terrestrials I see how it’s not just putting a hide in, they have an ideal setup if given the option. Any opinions?

Cork slab at a 45 is all Avics need as slings, even as adults that will work, but they will appreciate some plastic plants.

 

[TabbyCat]

@fcat
thank you so much, that’s absolutely awesome. I wouldn’t have known about the water dish placement, or managing air flow and I am so appreciative, thank you for making up the photos so it’s super clear. Brilliant info and thank you for sharing, gives me a really good understanding of how to best plan, although as you say they then go and do exactly the opposite of hat you give them but hey Ho, at least we can start off right and hope they appreciate it!
And yes, 22lb of cork, absolutely incredible pieces, 4ft long tubes, lots of them…some might say too many but I don’t think so
Am looking forward to starting the projects next week.

 

[TabbyCat]

@viper69 thank you too, yes, will decorate with plastic plants, would love to go bio with live but that’s for another time.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

My Avic and Caribena (both young juvies) build webs tunnels in the top of their enclosures. I use a piece of cork with lots of leaves up high. There’s also a small water dish in the top back.

 

[8 legged]

Hi, I haven’t kept arboreals apart from seladonia, so looking at avicularia and caribena, will give them upright pieces of cork against background or hollow cork branch resting up at background but from viewing your arboreals preferences does anyone see that they prefer an entrance parallel at top of enclosure or an entrance on side of cork a little way down from top? sounds funny but having lived with my terrestrials I see how it’s not just putting a hide in, they have an ideal setup if given the option. Any opinions?

Spiders take dimensions like left, right, up and down were absolutely different. It doesn't matter where the entrance is, as long as the hiding place offers darkness (security).

 

[ladyratri]

What I did for my Avic sling:

16oz deli cup with one big fake leaf. She built a lovely hammock and stayed in there until she was like 1.5" or so.

My bigger-sling versicolor:

Hot glued fake leaves to a slice of a cork bark flat. 32oz deli cup. He made a glorious tunnel and would sit out on the bark sometimes.

Avic in her juvi housing, similar slice of cork flat:

(She's just gossiping with my P. irminia, don't mind her...Ms Avic is in the right.)

Then I moved my versicolor into his forever home and.... promptly didn't see him for about 200 days


He loved that little hidey hole. Built a starter tube in there...

Has now expanded quite a bit, including his fabulous new balcony

 

[Wolfram1]

@ladyratri
i love how you condition them with flat pieces of cork early, so they are already accustumed to the type of setup when they grow into their final one

@fcat very helpful pictures, nice

you got lucky it hasn't ripped out the moss off all the crevices you stuffed (yet )
that was the first thing my P. subfusca 'lowland' did, because why would they ever set up were we want them to

 

[fcat]

@ladyratri
i love how you condition them with flat pieces of cork early, so they are already accustumed to the type of setup when they grow into their final one

@fcat very helpful pictures, nice

you got lucky it hasn't ripped out the moss off all the crevices you stuffed (yet )
that was the first thing my P. subfusca 'lowland' did, because why would they ever set up were we want them to

Her game is to make sure I'm watching, then she poops all over the glass to make sure that it's all I see

 

[Charliemum]

Tried several different set ups for arboreal slings over my short time and what I learned, slings will adapt to whatever you put them in as long as it has somewhere to hide they don't care, but for ease I now go with deli pots I always use the bigger ones because arboreal slings always put on more size then you think with a moult so I just don't bother with tiny pots. I have mostly Psalmopoeus but I do have a couple of Avics and Caribena all seem to settle fine with enough cover .
Some of my vivs over the 3 years I have kept spoods please excuse the pic quality at the start I had no clue about trying to get a good pic at all

First ever arboreal t Itsy Bitsy Caribena versicolor male as a sling, I bought the viv special hot glued leafs and sticks to the roof he never had corkbark but the leafs were big enough to act as such. FYI don't glue stuff to the roof you will regret it when it comes to rehousing time.... I definitely did.

What itsy did despite no corkbark. Spiders can adapt any situation given enough stuff to web.

Not strictly a t home but arboreal set up non the less, this home belongs to Button my Phidippus regius female but would also work for a juvenile arboreal. You can see there is a hole in the hollow cactus that a t could easily utilise as a home.

Sub adult home this was took about 2 weeks ago when I moved Harlequin in as you can see this time I used a cork tube these are now my favourite thing for arboreal t's they settle very quickly in these this was took an hour after my girl moved in , and now every day/night just fed or not she sits in my favourite psalmo position, as you can see she has definitely made it her own.
Now adults.

Itsy Bitsy yes the same sling from before no longer a sling but despite using 3 corkbark flats he chose to web the floor in the only corner with nothing in , he isn't the brightest of sparks but we love him anyways.

Psalmopoeus pulcher Puddins adult viv before she moved in n now
I used a half round and she spent her first week hiding behind the flowers , I had to put a dark board on the bk of her viv to get her to settle, she did move behind the bark made elaborate tubes behind it n NEVER comes out . She did before her last moult and destroyed or pulled out anything she could before she moulted and went back into hiding.


Psalmopoeus irminia female enclosure, Amaterasu. This time I went cork tubes and my girl went in within the hour she's webbed up and now sealed herself in one of the 2 tubes I used
Checking out her new home. The next day the tube was sealed but it won't let me put the pic up says only 10 per message.
What I learned in my short time keeping, arboreal slings will adapt to anything given enough cover, juvinile will do the same, but sub adults and adults are fussy n like cork, they will adapt to any cork but settle alot quicker with tubes.
Also sometimes especially with Avic n Caribena it takes a lot longer for them to take food after moulting. Most terrestrial/fossorial will take a week after but for whatever reason my Avics and Caribena take 2 weeks just something I have noticed and have seen new keepers worry about so thought it was worth a mention. GL


Oh I almost forgot a ceramic hob top scraper will be your best friend once your t gets bigger, trying to scrub t poop off the wall of an enclosure takes ages but one or 2 passes with one of these scrapers n it comes right off. I got one with plastic blades from amazon was only £6 bought specifically for cleaning t poop, made sure i got plastic blades though just incase, best to be safe.
I haven't tried it on acrylic the bigger baby's all have glass vivs but I should imagine it would work the same on there. You won't have to worry with slings their poop is to small and they arent in the viv long enough to make a massive difference but if you want to see your adult t you'll need a scraper or you will have poop nets n no view of your floofer.

 

[Kada]

.
View attachment 465762

That's some beautiful wood!!

 

[TabbyCat]

My Avic and Caribena (both young juvies) View attachment 465805 build webs tunnels in the top of their enclosures. I use a piece of cork with lots of leaves up high. There’s also a small water dish in the top back.

Thank you very much for posting the photo and info, super

 

[TabbyCat]

Spiders take dimensions like left, right, up and down were absolutely different. It doesn't matter where the entrance is, as long as the hiding place offers darkness (security).

Thanks, really getting a good idea of what to give them now. Appreciate your reply.

 

[TabbyCat]

@ladyratri and @Charliemum wow, thank you both brilliant info, brilliant pics, fantastic to see the photos and read the information you so kindly added, im sure others will also find it useful in the future too. Everyone has been so helpful. Thank you all!!!

 

[Stu Macher]

Hi, I haven’t kept arboreals apart from seladonia, so looking at avicularia and caribena, will give them upright pieces of cork against background or hollow cork branch resting up at background but from viewing your arboreals preferences does anyone see that they prefer an entrance parallel at top of enclosure or an entrance on side of cork a little way down from top? sounds funny but having lived with my terrestrials I see how it’s not just putting a hide in, they have an ideal setup if given the option. Any opinions?

Here are a few of my setups. You can get really creative with arboreal setups. They are by far my favorite enclosures to design. Hobby lobby silk plants and a hot glue gun has served me well

 

[Stu Macher]

22lbs of corkbark you say????

I try to place two pieces, one at a 45 degree angle and the other at about 90. I've noticed many have taken to the 90 and completely ignore the 45.

I went all out on my female C versicolor, gave her 3 half rounds, all with entrances and exits so she wouldn't feel trapped (and pathways to each other). After her first molt with me, that turd abandoned them and built a hammock over the tops of most of them (so she can't get in lol) and hangs from the top of her enclosure

The red arrows are the water dishes, the yellow arrows are the hide entrances. Gotta make sure it's not too far of a walk!
View attachment 465760

The view from the back, a different color for each hide, and you can see the hides and exits, there's space for her to move throughout the entire backside of the enclosure. The main reason I did this was to make sure I wasn't restricting ventilation. I then filled the small voids with moss
View attachment 465761

My goal was to give her a home she would love so much that I didn't see her, but it didn't go as planned, she made it her own

I didn't take any pictures putting it together, but I did use a big piece of mopani wood as a base and then wedged my pieces of bark in. Silicone/glue free, just a tight fit. This would be more of a problem (resting on glass) if the wood were to expand due to moisture, but I padded the the contact points with moss just to be safe.
View attachment 465762

Sorry about the screenshots, stole it from another account elsewhere since I'm at work

We'd be friends irl. Those enclosures are dope

 

[fcat]

We'd be friends irl. Those enclosures are dope

Aww thanks!! Anything for my first born's mail order bride...