A weeks capture project

[Rich.Harrington]

Ok well yesterday didn't go too well. Bought a couple of final things needed for my Cyriopagopus sp enclosure. Threw in a locust as bait so I could catch the spider in a tub for the 15 mins needed for the decoration. A perfect plan, straight forward, nothing could go wrong....

Well apart from, attempt number one resulting in an explosion the moment contact with the tub was made. The spider ran up the glass, over the tub onto and across my hand to then run across the glass on the oppisite side. All before I could even react to drop the tub.

Round two using tongs to hold the tub, results were almost identical only minus my hand.

Round three, tried placing the tub next to the spider to flick it over ontop. Only endup with an empty upside down tub, and a spider performing acrobatic feats across glass, gauze, and cork bark that would make even Tobey Maguire look like an amateur.

So I guess my first foray into aggressive aboreals is going to be a steep learning curve, and now instead of building a new viv for one of the others, I will be trying to come up with some ingenious method of jar on a stick. With built in closing mechanism that allows me to perform all interations from behind a safely closed lid.


Well I didn't get bitten, and learned a little more respect so can't be all bad.

[Peter Lacey]

Well I didn't get bitten, and learned a little more respect so can't be all bad.

Had me in stitches especially after doing a little moving around with my Klugi, she made me jump tonight and she's rarely the fastest thing on 8 legs!

Perhaps providing something similar to a hide in the container might persuade your Cyrio to jump in?

[Rich.Harrington]

After yesterday I don't think even a few panzers would provide even partial encouragement. It has that look about it that says "I move llike lightning and I know it, so what you gotta ask yourself is, do you feel lucky.... well do you?"

[James Box]

lol! great story...i'm sure she's doing it just to mess with you, too haha

i've had a few runners, thankfully managed to get them everytime, but the fastest was a P striata that went up my arm and a P cambridgei that ran over my hand at the first sign of freedom, but by some fluke, i managed to convince it at full throttle to simply veer back into its tub and into its hide!
a C crawshayi sling gave me a fright the other day as well...much faster than you expect lol

ah the joys of these unpredictable and (i think) willfully disobedient animals!

[Mark Pajak]

guys, all you need is a pair of tights!

Seriously! place the hips end of the tights over whatever opening you have in the cage (small as possible) - this may require some form of modification if you have a sliding door - try cutting out cardboard to shape with a hole in the middle for your hand, then stick the tights over the hole.

Now cut off the foot end!

Then all you do it slip in a looooong pair of tweezers and introduce any tub-device you like to the cage through the leg of the tights. Now you can manipulate the spider using your tweezers whilst ensuring the tights don't allow any fast escape route up your arm!

This method has allowed me to move three pokies and two P.murinus in about half an hour without any risk of post escape neurosis.

If this makes no sense I couls rustle up a diagram later.....

[Colin D Wilson]

Perfect sense Mark, will apply that to the next re-potting of my pokies.

Now if anyones got an idea on how to entice a 4 inch regalis back into it's community. it's in my bedroom somewhere !!!!

[Clinton Hogben]

escape from colditz



colditz castle

Hi Rich
Your posting brought a smile to my face on a dull dreary morning
Its only once you have had a "T" make a serious bid for freedom you realise how sneaky and quick they are. After all they have 24 hours a day 7 days a week just sitting in that viv with nothing better to do than plan and scheme for the next escape bid. then once the opportunity arrives its "over the top and make for the border fast"
good luck on foiling the escape committee next time

Well do you feel lucky punk do ya

All the best

Clint

[Nicola Dolby]

Well done Rich! makes me realise I'm not the only one. Just before I moved my P. rufilatas to their adult enclosure I had a feeding accident. The tank was set up with two bark tubes and a third as a crossbar. There was a cricket walking along the cross-log as it were and I nudged it to one side as I knew there was a spider on the underside. Of course at the moment I was doing this the tarantula was coming round after the cricket at top speed. The cricket went up in the air and the spider kept on going over the bark, over my hand and up my arm. I jumped back, not knowing what was happening and felt something lightly land on my toes. I look down and there is a confused looking sub-adult P. rufilata sitting on the end of my boot! Fortunately he was ok and sat there patiently whilst I took my boot off and put it in the tank. As soon as he knew where he was he ran off to the nest to be with his brothers and sisters. Needless to say I've not done that again! Good luck Rich