Any Suggestions!!

[Andrew Murdoch]

Hi there,
I have a L.para and it has molted without any problems. At the moment it has a burrow which it stays in quite happily. It has got to a size where it needs to be re-housed and I have a new faunarium which is the correct size. The problem is that it is aggresive; it rarley comes out of its burrow; I am not happy to handle it. I do not want to stress it too much.
So what I wolud like is some advice on how to move it without any trouble or as little trouble as possible............

[Colin D Wilson]

Ok this is the way I would do it ( and opinions will vary).

Obviously this will only work if the tank it's in is water proof

have a cricket tub ready (the newer more robust ones are great)

Slowly flood the tank letting tepid water run down the side untill the spider comes out of its burrow. then place the cricket tub over the spider (it will retract it's legs into the tub if you gently press down and manipulate it). place the lid next to the tub on the substrate and gently slide the tub over the lid making sure not to trap feet etc...
Then...making sure there's no legs or toes sticking out...press down and clip the lid shut.
This will work on a spider up to 8 inch blondi size.

[Peter Roach]

What he said but with a slight difference

If you are a bit wary of the para i would suggest using a coke bottle to move it.

Buy a bottle of 1.5 or 2L coke or something similar that is in a round smooth plastic bottle.

Drink coke and wash out bottle.

Cut the bottle in half, trying to make an even cut all the way round with no sharp edges or ridges and throw away the bottom half of the bottle.

You now should hold the top half of a catching container that keeps your fingers 6 inches or more away from hungry fangs.

All you have to do is find something to use to block the open end with.
I use a round lid from an icecream container as it is about 2 inches larger all round than the bottle.

This is also handy because if the spider doesnt want to leave the catching bottle just unscrew the lid and gently prod the spider out (I use a plastic chop stick)

This is an old pic of my shelving but if you look on top of the right shelf there are two cut down bottles that i use.