Elusive P.Regalis

[Mike Shaw]

I was just wondering if it's normal for a P.Regalis to hide all the time?

It seems to stay in his webbing which is on the underside of an upended piece of corkbark.

If i dont replace the corkbark when he gets bigger(the corkbark is quite small) will it force him to build his own hidey in the branches and foliage in the tank?

I'm not to keen on this idea but I also want to see him from time to time.

I would appreciate any advice

Cheers Mike

[Adam Smith]

Your tarantula will normally come out in its own time, mine was the same used to like hiding under a stump and around the leaves but now it sprawls across the glass

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi mike I think that if you leve the spider were it is it will probbely start to bild a biger home out side its old one I have found that thay will start to mixe the dirt in with there web and move it about in there fangs. In doing this thay bild there bigger home. I dont no if any one ells thinks this thow but alot of my poecilotheria sp. dont realy make homes like other arboreal tarantulas by that I mean thay dont seem to web as much. Thay just seem to move a bit of dirt to were thay want there home to be then lay a bit of web down. I have had others which have just hidden behind there log with no webing bearly and all are doing fine so if there contaner the spider is in is still roome and not to small then I think it should be oky. Just make shore there is room for it to shed thanks james.

[Mike Shaw]

Thanx for advice guys

James,How are you getting on with photobucket.I though I'd let you look around for a few days and see how you got on.E-mail me and let me know how your doing and then we'll move on a step.

[Neil Richardson]

Mine usually web their bark to the side of the tank, createing a tunnel and then pack it with dirt to make it nice and dark. I'm thinking of switching them to large tubes of bamboo next time i strip the tanks down.

[Mike Shaw]

Yeah,I thought about that but my local garden centre didn't sell bamboo.

It does pack everything out with dirt and webbing though so maybe it's happy enough.

It's food always seems to disappear although it doesn't eat much in between moults.

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi mike if you are thinking of getting bamboo make shore you dont keep it to humid becouse I have found that even if it gets a littel wet it gos mouldy and then you get lots and lots of mites. But if you keep the humidity down you it will be fine. But remember when its coming time for it to shed bring the humidity back up a littel. But in my opinion I prefer not to use bamboo and stick with cork bark becouse I think you run the risk of the spider having trouble sheding if the humidity is to low but that just my opinion thanks mike and I will e.mail you later james.

[Howard Farley (Huk7)]

Instead of using real bamboo or cork bark, of which I have had problems from both with mould at higher humidity, how about these:

http://www.fishandfins.co.uk/images/straight-log.jpg

I use them with my A.versicolors and using vermiculite as a substrate, I don't suffer any mould or mite problems even at higher humidity levels. My versi's tend to use the tube as a basis for the hide and web the entrances as necessary, they are made of non-toxic resin and are designed to be used in fish tanks.

The company, www.fishandfins.co.uk also do bamboo tubes which are great for larger arboreal tanks and look pretty good too, again in non-toxic resin.

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi there huk7 that seems a very good idea but thay look a bit heavy or is that just me and there very light. But if there light then there brill thanks james

[Howard Farley (Huk7)]

Re: Hi

Hi there huk7 that seems a very good idea but thay look a bit heavy or is that just me and there very light. But if there light then there brill thanks james

Well, they're heavier than, say, a piece of cork bark, but not drastically so. Also the weight adds to their stability in the tank and has not caused any problems, I just lean them vertically against the side of the tank. They don't move at all!

But they are not so heavy as to make it difficult to lift a tank, they are also smaller than they look as well.