Arboreal Recommendations

[Jane Mitchell]

Hi everyone,

A year after buying our L. Para, my husband is finally coming round to the idea of getting a 2nd spider (whereas personally I would have a houseful by now ..... but possibly no friends!)

He is quite keen on an arboreal T and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a good one to start with. Also, are there are special considerations for tank setup etc.

Cheers
Jane

[Craig Moore]

Pink toes would a good starter arboreal I would imagine (Avicularia Avicularia). They need higher humidity but also good ventillation to allow air to circulate. Alot of tanks can be converted to an arboreal set up by tilting it on it's side and making a few amendements to the lid etc.. Just give them a tall piece of bark to climb up and a water bowl, though they might build a webbed cocoon of their own to retreat to anyway. I'm a novice myself but I'd say Avics would be a better route to go down for a first arboreal rather than something like a Pokie. Both very quick spiders but Avics are nowhere near as defensive

[Jane Mitchell]

Thanks Craig. I've had a quick look on tinterweb and that's pretty much the advice across the board.

What is the best height tank for an average adult? Just wondering if I could use something I've already got?

[Craig Moore]

Chances are it will be fine, pink toes are one of the smaller T's. (4-5 inches as adults for most except for some of the less common species such as the goliath pinktoe). For what they lack in size they more than make up for in acrobatic agility, lol. My mate owns a few and his advice was to get a juvenile/sub adult if getting one for the first time as they can be quite sensitive to certain conditions when they're young. I love the Avicularia Versicolor - stunning!

[Peter Lacey]

The best person to talk to about Avics is Elaine, she seems not to suffer the same probs most of us have. Personally I find the slings rather fragile and rather fussy eaters so if you go for these be prepared to pre-kill food, attend to their humidity + ventilation and, according to Elaine, provide plenty of space.
I have a number of species, but nothing except A. fasciata comes close to A. versicolor, which if you decide to buy a sling are for sale at thespidershop.

I use the clear plastic cereal tubs from IKEA, they're thinner than normal cereal tubs but great for displaying your spiders and come in 2 sizes. I have 4 A. versicolor, 1 A. fasciata, 1 A. sp. avicularia plus a H. maculata and 2 C. shioedtei in these. I also use the opaque cereal tubs for the adults and larger Avics. Some have the luxury of a glass enclosure but you'll find these often get webbed up, I guess to increase grip.
Some sphagnum moss, coir substrate, cork tubing, wide water bowl (plant saucer) and some plastic plants and you're ready for your first.
Good luck and remember to show us your pix.

[Jane Mitchell]

To be honest I don't think I'd have the confidence to go for a sling. We've had a relatively easy time with our L Para so I think that would be a bit too much of a step.

I've had a look on Google images and the A versicolor's seem to come in red or green/blue. Is that right or is that Google putting different species together? BTW, I can't see any Avics at all on thespidershop, or for that matter on the BTS classifieds. Is there any other sources that you'd recommend? We probably won't be ready for another month or more so there's no great rush.

I was hoping to use an exoterra (12" cube) would that be suitable?

J

PS - I haven't got the hang of multiple quotes yet so excuse the disjoined reply!

[Craig Moore]

Yeah the spidershop did have some Versicolors a few weeks ago but these have all gone now. Just keep checking, they may get more in stock soon. I was looking at B Smithi juveniles on there a few months ago and they all sold fairly quickly. But within another month or so there were more available.
To be honest Google images wouldn't do justice to how gorgeous these spiders actually are! They are blue when they are young but then turn a lovely burst of reds, greens and blues when they become adults. They almost seem to turn different colours under various lighting.
I've never owned one myself but think a 12" cube may be a bit on the small side for an adult. Width of 12" is fine but I'm thinking you would need more height. I'll let the people who've cared for them on this forum make the judgement call on that one.