OK where do i start?
many people are now keeping pokes in groups, and as this is quite a new practise it is not quite known what happens when they get older.
here are a couple of my observations, should might be a BTS article but the information needs to get out to peopel sooner.
Ina group of 4 P. formosa i noticed for a couple of weeks that one specimen was staying away from the "group".
i then noticed that she had been half eaten.
I have just checked my group of 12 (was 12) regalis to find 2 freshley moulted specimens dead. I have not checked for bite marks yet but owing to the fact that all were well fed and "seemed to be ok together", i have decided to split this group up tommorow. The 2 dead ones had just moulted to the same size as the 1st largest specimen (well the 1st was a mature male so the second)
both groups were 5-6th moult, on of the "female formosa" matured into a male the next moult.
Rather than start to loose specimens due to cannibalism i think it might be safest to split groups (or make smaller groups ) around moult 5.
I cannot say for definite that cannibalism or hierachy killing or anything like that but rather than peopel to loose specimens for the lack of knowledge (which we are just finding out).
I cannot keep striata together but other people can, so maybe these observations are only in "my spider room", but in case people would rather be safe than sorry i will leave it up to those individuals to do as they see fit.
If anyone keeps there specimens together can you please let me know for the pokie book (no i dont know when it wil be finished LOL )
Ray
P.S. If anyone from other countries are reading this can you please copy and translate for the people who cannot read English, thank you.
many people are now keeping pokes in groups, and as this is quite a new practise it is not quite known what happens when they get older.
here are a couple of my observations, should might be a BTS article but the information needs to get out to peopel sooner.
Ina group of 4 P. formosa i noticed for a couple of weeks that one specimen was staying away from the "group".
i then noticed that she had been half eaten.
I have just checked my group of 12 (was 12) regalis to find 2 freshley moulted specimens dead. I have not checked for bite marks yet but owing to the fact that all were well fed and "seemed to be ok together", i have decided to split this group up tommorow. The 2 dead ones had just moulted to the same size as the 1st largest specimen (well the 1st was a mature male so the second)
both groups were 5-6th moult, on of the "female formosa" matured into a male the next moult.
Rather than start to loose specimens due to cannibalism i think it might be safest to split groups (or make smaller groups ) around moult 5.
I cannot say for definite that cannibalism or hierachy killing or anything like that but rather than peopel to loose specimens for the lack of knowledge (which we are just finding out).
I cannot keep striata together but other people can, so maybe these observations are only in "my spider room", but in case people would rather be safe than sorry i will leave it up to those individuals to do as they see fit.
If anyone keeps there specimens together can you please let me know for the pokie book (no i dont know when it wil be finished LOL )
Ray
P.S. If anyone from other countries are reading this can you please copy and translate for the people who cannot read English, thank you.
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