should i check on king baboon

[vincent winyard]

hi all i need a little help. i've had this king baboon for about 4 months now and haven,t seen it since i put it in the tank. do they ever come out or do they stay hidden all there lives. the only clue i have that it,s ok is the food items are no where to be seen the day after feeding but my concern is the water never gets disturbed not ever and a water change is done every 2 or 3 days. would it be a good idea to make sure it's ok by digging down a little to see for sure or just leave it be and just see what happens. i know they get most of what they need through there diet but i am worried about dehydration.

[paul charlton]

i would leave it alone it is eating the food so its there

[vincent winyard]

cheers paul it would be very nice to see it though. do you have a king baboon if so do you ever see yours.

[Ray Hale]

Hi Vincent, way back in 1986 I bought an adult king baboon, Its the most I had ever and indeed since paid for a spider ( £80...expensive for that time). I bought it in a set up with a deep substrate and very deep burrow. It sat in my spider room for three months during which I never saw it, not evn once. I then decided to sell it. I dug it out and boy was it cheesed off. I figured that if I kept the tank with the set up no one would ever know there was no spider in it. LOL.

Moral:
Relax, dont do it........

[vincent winyard]

for a moment there ray i thought you was going to say you bought your baboon in 1986 and haven't seen it yet lol. i think it would be a wise idea to take your advise on board and wait for it to show itself when ever that will be just hope it's before 90th birthday . cheers ray.

[Peter Roach]

If you dont see it, everything is OK

If you do see it, something is wrong

[vincent winyard]

thats such a shame pete as they are a very impressive spider it makes sense though but just a peek would be nice. thanks for your help pete. sorry i forgot what about the water situation peter will it be ok without it for so long then again there's not to much you can do i suppose except keep it clean and fresh thanks again peter.

[Peter Roach]

. . . what about the water situation .

I dont know about you but i watch the Nat Geo channel and David Attenborough programmes quite often
and NOT once have I seen little water bowls carefully placed in or around burrows on the Savannah's and Jungles of the world. LOL

As you know i have a few T's, a few have water bowls but many do not as they get the moisture they need from their prey. I bought a few Ephebopus sp at the BTS last year and have NEVER seen them (they've made some nice turrets though) nor do they have a waterbowl in with them. I just tip some water down the insides of the tanks so that it goes straight to the bottom. As long as it is at least slightly damp in their burrow and they get a juicy cricket or roach occasionally then all will be OK.

[vincent winyard]

yes i do watch the nat geo channel every now and then and again your so right pete there's not a water dish in sight. i suppose the option of a water dish in captivity is a bonus for the spider and what we do as keepers for the well being of the spider and it helps with humidity levels. thanks for your help pete much appreciated.

[K Smith]

Iv never ever seen my P.muticus come out from its burrow. luckily ita burrow runs along a side of the tank so i can see it if i turn the tank round. it eats fune and as Peter does i also run water down the sides of the tank. the water seeps through the substrate and gives a small puddle for the King baboon to drink before it evaporates.

King baboons are burrowers and recluses. Id be happy that you dont see it as you know that youv got the setup right

[vincent winyard]

thanks for the reassurance that i have the set up correct. mine has burrowed down the back where the heat pad is. the trouble is i have polystyrene over the heat pad so i wouldn't see it even if i turned the tank round. o well maybe one day you never know. thanks for your reply k smith sorry to sound rude but i don't know your first name many thanks anyway.

[K Smith]

Haha no probs. I need to get that changed. Its been like that since i registered on here.

Yeah dont worry bout your spider its fine.I check on mine occasionally but shes either sitting there or making her burrow bigger. seriously i measured the length of her burrow and its almost two feet long altogether. iv never seen a spider so meticulous in cleaning and maintaining her home. Although theyr a pet hole theyr stunning spiders when you catch a glimpse and the defensive behaviour is fascinating should you catch it out one time.

i heat the whole room now since my collection got bigger so i dont need to use heat mats. best thing i ever did

Cheers
Kyle

[vincent winyard]

im seriously thinking of heating my whole room it's a joke with all the plugs leads all over the place and i could add to the collection . i did pull the polystyrene back and i couldn't believe the length of the burrow it's brilliant to see thanks again mate.