a. avic questions

[DaveLawrence]

got my first avic species yesterday and just wanted to know a few things

when should i try feeding it, and how long until it will web? ive heard if it doesnt web it might be up for a moult or its unhealthy..

its in a arboreal glass tank, not massive, but big enough for the spider. has damp vermiculite as a substrate with a shallow water dish.

Dave

[Kain Prestwood]

I feed my A avics once a week on a couple of crickets.

As for webbing, they web up when there going to skin, but each spider is different. I have 3 A avic slings, all as far as I can tell are healthy (molting fine, eating well etc). However 1 of them webs the place up like no tomorrow. The other has a little tube web retreat, and the 3rd sits out on the cork bark and only ever makes a small web to molt in. I guess there like people, they are all the same yet all different.

You don't say how big your new avic is? If it's a spiderling (baby spider) then it will only need a small container, something along the line of a plastic spice storage jars you can buy for about 50p each.

If the avic is sub adult, then the tank you have sounds fine. Just give it plenty to climb on and somewhere to web if it wants too, a little water dish and you will have a happy Pink toe!

Only thing I will suggest is make sure it has plenty of ventilation, as avic's are prone to dying do to the lack thereof. The difficult part is trying to maintain humidity at the same time. A misting every few days should sort that out fine.

good luck.

Kain

[J M Clegg]

Hi Dave,

Is this an adult were talking about?

If it’s an adult, if you haven't done so already then perhaps putting in some artificial jungle vines towards a corner of the viv may help. This will give the viv a more natural look and also provide the spider with some anchor points to web to. Also - on the same corners, try sticking some dark paper/ card on the outside of the tank as this also provides some dark cool places to encourage your spider into making it's web home there. Once it feels secure and undisturbed it will web up.

As for feeding – that’s a difficult one. If you suspect that a moult is imminent then I would suggest not feeding. You will find that once it has webbed up a home it may moult within it anyway. For the next few days I would suggest you leave it to make its own home, and don’t feed it. Ensure it has a supply of water to drink. They can go months without food – but won’t go long without water.

Once it is settled and made a new web home – then you can remove the dark paper from the corner (allowing you to see inside the web home) and throw in a couple of crickets.

Jay

[DaveLawrence]

its a wc juvenile/sub adult that i purchased yesterday.. no good with measurements but id guess its about 5-6cm. maybe

the tank is fine for it, it hasnt got PLENTY of ventilation, but it doesnt steam up inside to say the humidity is staying in too much.

ill just put a bit more foliage in there for it, sure it will love it hehe

Thanks for your responses.

Dave

[Colin D Wilson]

This is the normal sequence of events in my A avicularia enclosure.
Unless i stay up till the early hours to catch it wandering around of course.



Just a flurry of movement as a hopper walks by.

I feed three or four hoppers per week, all in at the same time and let the spider either wait for one to pass by (as above) or go out on a search through the nightime. locusts don't seem to munch on freshly moulted spiders so there's less risk, if the spiders not as hungry one week then i just leave alone till they're all gone.
as for water i now tend to spray one side of the enclosure and the spider drinks from the droplets occasionally, as has been said though, ventilation is the key here.
I used to have a water bowl but the spider now seems more natural with spraying.
not textbook husbandry but works very well for me (and the spider)

[Kain Prestwood]

Great pictures there Colin!

Fed mine this morning!



As you can see, it's getting its adult colours slowly!

Kain

[Colin D Wilson]

It's a shame they don't stay with this colouring and patterning when adult, i find it very pleasing to the eye.

[DaveLawrence]

ok here s an attatched picture, i took it with my camera phone last night but forgot i had it on there.

the tank is a bit boring, adding some foliage on there later on. But you can see the size of it in there!

[Robert Farmer]

My poor wee A avic died the other day, no reason - good ventilation (mesh top) and good humidity, just wouldn't eat then died...

My other 2 A Versi's just moulted within days of each other so alls good there I guess.

Nice pics btw

[DaveLawrence]

thanks

my avic is in a heated room with a fan circulating the air set to roughly 27degrees. the ventilation isnt loads as i said.. but it ate last night not a problem.. thought id try it as it had chance to settle in!

on the hunt for versicolors / purpurea and geroldi now
!

[Elaine Ross]

The tank you have looks great for an Avic and will be better once you have added the foliage. They are fabulous T's. I have 5 A. versi slings that have just moulted (you can see them in the photo's area) 2 A. braunshauseni, 1 A. purpurea and 2 A. bicegoi slings due to arrive this morning. I think I'm kind of hooked on Avics's lol.

Good luck with yours. I hope to see more photo's when you can

Elaine
Ps. Welcome to the world of T's and the forum

[mat thomas]

I keep my pink toe out in the open in my yucca! She never ventures far & she's very happy.Many years ago i used to keep them & i kept losing them. I now realise it was due to a lack of ventilation/excess humidity so as long as you avoid that then you shouldn't have too many problems.

I've also got 5 versicolors which are housed together, my favorite spider by far

[alex smith]

Versi's for sale

Have PM'd you Dave.

[lee smith]

hi mat, could you post some pictures up of your avic that lives in the yucca, as i think it is really amazing and would be great to see.

[tonyelse]

yes I'd like to see a piccy too. Marvelous