Is my E murinus OK?

[Alexander Abrams]

I’m not sure if my E murinus is OK? She left her burrow that she normally lives in all the time this morning, I found her sat in the corner of the tank. She ate a cricket a few days ago, but she’s never really eaten that much, and she’s webbed up a little around the whole of the tank and not just her burrow where she normally does. I don’t know how old she is, I brought her a pet shop not that long ago and she molted a couple of months ago, another thing, I can’t seem to heat the tank as much as I would like, even with a large heat pad, it doesn’t get much above 19-20 degrees. Any ideas?

Thanks
Alex.

[matthew spooner]

probably nothing to worry about. what is the tank made of?? what size is the T?

[Alexander Abrams]

It's one of those Exo Terra plastic tanks, the spider is mature, about 4-5 inches at a rough estimate. It's now moved around the side of the tank, at least it's in what I guess is a normal stance, the legs are out in the normal position and not tucked in under. When I first had the spider it did this, never going into the burrow but moving around the tank, but I thought that it had settled in. Could it be looking for food? I moved house about a month ago and I know that the old house was a lot colder than the new one, it didn't eat much then so now that it is slightly warmer and it has eaten, could it be laying more webbing down in order to catch more prey?
Thanks Matthew for your reply.
Alex.

[mary walters]

My advice is to stop fiddling with it so much, as you may be un-nerving it, and just chuck it a cricket, if it's hunting it will eat, although the web may indicate an impending moult.

[Alexander Abrams]

A quick update, the substrate is now covered a fine layer of webbing, the T is now back in her hide and has returned to normal behaviour. I fed her again and she accepted the food after a few hours after it was introduced to the tank, im guessing in the middle of the night.
Mary, I know what you mean, I try to disturb it as little as possible but as I live in a smallish house it will come into contact with me and the noise that people make generally, it's in the same room as my computer which I spend time on most evenings. This does raise a question though, how apart from human life does a keeper keep his T's. For many people I suspect that, like me, they have them in their bedrooms, living rooms, office rooms etc. I don't have the room or the money to heat a room just for spiders, not that I believe that it’s required. As much as I’m a keen collector of T’s and want to provide the best possible living conditions, they are at the end of the day, pets, and so will be treated just like any other. Any other views out there?

[mary walters]

I keep all disturbance with my lot to a minimum. There was a time when they were all in the living room, now they are in the spare bedroom, this also has the door to the back yard in it, the only thing going out there now is the cat. To be honest it don't seem to bother the spiders, even when Trev and Gary were carrying slabs through to the front garden. It's the fiddling with changing containers I meant, mine only get changed as they grow or need cleaning out.

[James Box]

well my T's of necessity are in my room. they have to put up with me coming in and out, as well as music sometimes, at a decent volume, and in the past they've had guitar being played near them too.
now i wasn't breeding at the time, so not that worried, but i have some baby scorpions now with the mother so trying to take it easy for their sake!

[Paul Behan]

Perhaps it is now a mature male and if so his main ambition in life is to search down a female to mate with. Are the Pedipalps tips swollen at all?

Either that or it is just having one of those strange T periods that we at times cannot figure out.

[Alexander Abrams]

Could be but I'm pretty certain that it's a female and is just getting used to the new enviroment. It seems fine now, back to normal, only coming out to feed when I'm not about!

Alex.

[alex smith]

Ive got a juvie Female E.Murinus, mine is in a 12x8x8 high (with deep subby) glass custom aquaria.She has a lovely retreat in a pile of leaves with cork bark and all webbed over murius style!-she is always out at night, crawling up and across the lid and falling etc, ive had this with spiders before-its unusal though in that she has a well established retreat and always returns there for the daylight hours.Glass will transfer heat better than plastic and if you havent already you could try placing the tank on polystyrene sheet-go one further and cover that with tin foil sellotaped down and you have a pretty effecient heat reflector and insulator.80 deg f should be more than enough, keep damp and i dry out before damping again.Good luck, very nice species.

[Alexander Abrams]

Thanks for the tip with the polystyrene, I'll do that, even with the foil. I've used foli on the back of the tank, on the other side of the plastic in order to reflect as much heat back into the tank as I can but I still can't get it much over 20 degrees C. I keep it on the damp side but not too wet, and as you do, dry out in between mistings, and never directly on or near the spider.
Thanks
Alex.