I feel selfish because your UA-cam channel is so good and informative but at the same time I don't want you to blow up because you're so good at responding to comments. Kinda kidding, for someone who has yet to join the hobby, you really have helped me feel more comfortable getting into it when the time comes. Thanks for all you do, Tom.
Hello, Alan! hahahaha. Man, thank you so much. All joking aside, I've been picking up a decent amount of subscribers lately, and Billie and I (kind of daydreaming a bit!), talked about how the comments could get to be difficult to keep up with in a couple of years. Honestly, I would feel TERRIBLE not responding. So I would have to figure something out. lol Luckily, it's still quite manageable, and I truly enjoy chatting with folks. :) Thanks again!
I thought to myself "maybe I'll try a phormictopus next, let's do some research." And as always Tom, you never let me down. You always have useful information and words cannot express how useful you have been to me starting out in this hobby, I really appreciate you. Also, I think the reason yours arent as high strung as others is how you set them up. You have depth to their enclosures which allows you to not be right on top of the animal when you pop the top. I think that really helps with more defensive species.
Phormictopus is my favorite terrestrial genus! Hahaha That could definitely be it. I've seriously had ZERO trouble with any of mine, and I have 8 species/color variants. None of them are bad at all. Thanks, Mark!
I was SO glad to get a notification that you posted a video today. This has to be one of my favorites so far. You do such an amazing job, Tom. Thank you!
Hi, Jodi! Thanks so much. This one was supposed to be out last Saturday, but I realized that I needed more footage. And, there was a LOT of voiceover work to do, and finding a quiet time to get it done around here was NOT easy. hahaha
Great video man! Always happy to see you post Saturday morning. You are definitely my favorite tarantula youtuber, best content and info. Keep it up tom!
Thanks so much, Roarke! I actually planned to have this up LAST Saturday, but I need more footage. This one was a bit more complicated to put together. :) Seriously, thank you!!!
When I read the video title and saw that it is 30+ minutes long, I immediately started to smile! Great video as always! Again thanks for pushing the Phormictopus species on your channel, it got me to get a 3" Phormictopus sp green femur as one of my first tarantula´s ever. I am so glad I got this one thanks to your top 10 list as it is just joyful to watch it doing it´s tarantula thing. Unlike my GBB and my Grammostola puchripes which I got alongside with it, it is always lurking for prey or digging or webbing up the entrance of it´s den. You can just almost always see it doing something. As I´ve never had any interactions with a tarantula before I was a little bit concerned for it´s reputation to tend to be aggressive but it has the best behaviour I could only have dreamed of. It is one of the fastest moving creatures I´ve ever seen live and watching it take down it´s prey is just stunning but it never bolts or being skittish what so ever. It really took away my kind of fear of spiders and turned it into a big fascination for these animals. Thanks a lot, Tom! Deuces! :)
Hello, Spi-T! Thanks so much! I used to try to keep all of my videos shorter, but sometimes I just can't get it done in 10 minutes. haha And I LOVE Phormictopus, so pushing them comes very easily to me. haha I adore my green femurs; those colors were one of the best surprises I've ever got in this hobby. Mine are also quite laid back and sit right out in the open now that they are adults (which is great, because they are too pretty to be hidden). That feeding response was one of the things that made me fall in love with the genus. Most of their take downs are lightning fast and so violent. They just love to eat. :) HA! I was wondering if anyone would stick around to see that at the end. My six-year-old was off camera, and he whispered "Dad, you have to peace out." haha Thanks so much!
Excellent video Tom. Definitely inclined to get 1 (likely more) of these lovely tarantulas. Good job with all the reference material you used in the video *thumbs up*.
Hello, Ian! Thanks so much! If you pick one up, try to find a sling. They are a blast to watch grow up. :) And that article was fantastic. I was already writing a blog post about the genus when someone sent me that, and the information was just top notch. I confirmed some things I had seen and answered quite a few questions. Thanks again!
Absolutely :) love getting them as slings...watching them grow is 1 of the most gratifying parts of the hobby. Added to list for the next time I place an order!
Fantastic video, as always! I love how you get into the nitty gritty of the science of taxonomy. I hope to add a phormictopus (or 5) to my collection eventually. :) Great ending, by the way! Haha!
Thanks so much, Rachael! You definitely have to give them a try. :) I was wondering if anyone would see that bit at the end. My six-year-old basically dared me to "peace out" while I was shooting. haha
yeah sure make me want one even more! iv been sold on the P cancerides since your video challenge with KCtarantulas. still looking for some! hoping fear not will get them back in. awesomely informative as always. thanks for taking the time to put these together!!
I just love these guys, and I will say that those who I've recommended them to seem to love them, too. Hopefully, you can find one soon! :) And thanks so much! :)
Tom Moran! I found some at Jamie's tarantulas during the Black Friday sale! And a few other beauty's this next unboxing will be awesome also got a few I. Mira
I am so glad to see this video showing some love and appreciation for this genus! I absolutely love my P. Cancerides and think Phormictopus is a hugely under rated genus and far more than "just a brown spider" Thanks for this! Great as always
I LOVE this genus, so this one was easy to do. I hate that these guys are overlooked so much. I've tried my best to put them on the map. You've got GREAT tastes in spiders, bud! :)
@@TomsBigSpiders Haha thanks so do you lol. I try and encourage people to look at some more under rated species such as this genus because i really enjoy them. I really want to get more of them this year and possibly try to breed the Cancerides :)
Welp. After putting it off for so long, finally picked up two auratus slings today. Watching this a few times as an after thought, not being interested particularly, your enthusiasm for the genus took hold. Hope I don't go too crazy for them! But you 100% were responsible for me buying them. That's good youtubing. Keep it up. 👊
Congrats! I just featured one of mine in my most recent feeding videos. They are STUNNING once that gold shows up. And that's so awesome...I'm glad that I convinced you! :)
Hello, Ben! Man, thank you so much...that is truly awesome! My six-year-old was watching me film the last segment and basically dared me to "peace out". hahaha Definitely give these guys a look. They grow so fast when they are smaller, and their feeding responses are amazing!
I love your videos and am always all giddy like a little kid when you post new ones, I am most defiantly interested in buying some of your slings when I have money not going towards expenses, lots of love man
Hello! Man, thanks so much. Yes, do check them out when you get the opportunity, and definitely start with a sling. The growth rate early on is awesome. :)
Hey Tom, awesome vid as always, was a hard wait, thought you'ed gone away on holiday lol. I love this genus more and more with each of your videos and picked up a P. cancerides a while back witch is growing like a weed, I will have to look for the other sp in this genus in the future!
Hey, John! Yeah, this one took me a while. hahaha The P. cancerides was the one that got me hooked on them. Now I keep my eye out for any I can find. :)
Thanks, bud! I just wish I had more time. I'm working of four different ones right now, but it takes forever to get the footage I need and to edit them.
Master class!!! Thanx, Tom. Absolutely love it. When i continue with Phormictopus sp's i'll use this as my reference. I'm really hoping that my 2 juvenile so called "platus" are auratus. Mine are 3-3,5" pet rocks not skittish & don't dig at all. If a runner goes under the cork bark they go in grab the prey & quickly exit & sit on top of the cork munching away. Take good care of yourself 'til next time buddy. ❤🤗🕷👏👏👏
Hey, Glenn! Thanks so much, bud. I'm hoping this will help some folks out who are trying to figure out all of the "species." I LOVE that most will stay right out in the open. :) Thanks again!
Hey Tom. Just wanted to say this is an amazing video. Just picked up 4 phormictipus species. I have a green gold carapace up for the taking. It is a sling.
Tom I have no idea how I missed your episode but am I ever glad I kept searching. There is so little on youtube concerning the Phormictopus species especially the atrichomatus mine is a bit small but definitely not a sling anymore the little guy wouldn't eat at all then I tried wax worms and now he's molted and put on a bit of size somewhere between a quarter and a fifty cent piece should I start him on the Crickets again or should I just stick with what works I know he won't starve but its still concerning none the less either way so glad you covered these guys so throughly bless you.❤
I'm so glad that you found this one, Jimmy! I will be doing a Phormictopus update very soon. You can definitely try him on crickets and see if he takes them; if he doesn't just stick with the wax worms until he puts on some more size!
Yesssss... Haha I LOVE these guys. My P. auratus just molted again, and she's STUNNING. The slings will be brown, not blue like the Dominican phormictopus. They are also a bit more shy and will burrow at first. If you're getting a sling, give it a couple inches of moist dirt and a piece of cork bark to hide under. It should burrow for you. Don't worry as they outgrow this behavior at around 3" or so.
Tom Moran oh I don’t mind at all. I have about 25 tarantulas now. One adult and 24 slings. It is so fun and interesting to see how each different one I have all act differently and have different personalities. I have 3 GBBs and all three of them act differently it’s so weird. Anyways I sent you some emails and some photos of some stuff wasn’t sure if you got them.
Great content Tom, I just picked up a T from the local shop as a mystery since it was not labelled and they didnt know what it was. Looks like it might be an Auratus. Thanks for the info on these guys!
Hey tom i had left you a message on an another video saying i needed help to identify my species of spider that i have saved from a owner who had no idea on how to take care of the animal my tranchula looks like the Dominican violet can you plz confirm it lmk plz
Hi buddy AWESOME video as always! I'm waiting for my delivery of Phormictopus sp green 'gold carapax' so can update you on colouration and habits etc it's always a pleasure best regards!
Tom Moran Tom, I have a question for you. Someone told me that I could help my sling go into molt if I put it on a heating pad. This seems dangerous to me. Is there any truth to it and is it dangerous?? I know if anyone could tell me, it's you. I don't want to kill my first baby by doing something preventable
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Do not use heating pads. hahaha. They will sometimes eat better and grow a bit faster in warmer temps, but there is NO need to rush things. They will do just fine in room temperature. If you're afraid that it's too cool, try to find a warmer corner of your house to keep her in. :)
OMG lol you read my mind on this video. I just picked up a cancerides today at the reptile expo you got me to want one lol along with some p. Metallica slings and some incei to start my communal!!! Okay I'll watch the video now I just got really excited 🤣💖
It was insane, as I was hoping to have this done last weekend, and since then I've had several people tell me they just bought their first Phormictopus species. I was starting to get antsy. hahaha Congrats on the new acquisitions! Man, those are some great grabs. :) Thanks again!
Tom lol it's here now and great timing thank you for this I grabbed a 4" female this morning and was hoping I'd find one of the videos on substrate for the enclosure and I got home noticed your video lol my excitement was priceless. Thank you again and I look forward to your next video.
Substrate video is next! Hahaha. I was working on one today, but when I went into my garage, it was frozen. haha. I also have the Lugartis review to finish. UGH. I need more time in the day. :) Congrats on your female! Is she behaving for you? :) Thank you!
My goodness my girl Fizgig is INSANE! I ❤ her so much. I picked up a cancerides for my birthday (from my fav place FNT) and was blessed with a little girl so I'll get to see those beautiful amber browns. After seeing your H. cafreriana and never finding any I happened upon the female cancerides. My girl threat poses every. Little. Thing. She won't kick hairs but she does charge at me even after freshly molted when changing her water dish. I ❤ her so much. Funny thing, I now am in love with this Genus and look forward to sp. Dominican Purple, auratus, atrichomatus, etc. And my little girl has the most amazing caramel/amber showing on her legs and carapace my goodness. And let me say she is ALWAYS hungry🤣 she just gobbled up 2 roaches last night. She's just now molted into a juvie. So sorry for typing a whole novel but I get so excited about this Genus lol thank you so much for your videos, the plethora of information, and what you do for our community.🙂🙂
Hello, Margaret and Andrew! That's awesome...congrats! I'll be posting a video tomorrow featuring my Phormictopus species. :) The grow so quickly and put on so much size with each molt...it's amazing! :)
After a long time trying to get my first phormictopus I finally got one: a 3 cm phormictopus auratus. In less them 24 hours she totally change her enclosure. By far the most active sling I ever got in a short time.
Hi Tom I got question about P platus when I brought him home he was out of his her hide for few days didn’t want to eat he looked like he is in premolt and he borrowed himself and never came out I know some tarantulas do that and disappear for ages is it normal behaviour with this tarantulas? Every other day I put prekilled food for him just in case if he is molting so insekt can’t do any damage but still no luck to see him He or her is about 6 cm legspan Thank you
Yup, I would say that it's likely in premolt. Mine all burrowed and hid quite a bit when they were that size. Once they hit about 12cm or so, you should see them out all of the time.
hey there Mr. Tom. May i know what or where i can get the song from your intro? I am only gonna be using it for an assignment. I have sent you an email. THanks allot and regards
@@TomsBigSpiders hiya tom I've recently ordered my 1st phormictopus species a phormictopus sp south hispanola which if I'm correct is the same as the sp green femur well that's what I've read it's because I watched this video that I ordered a phormictopus there gorgeous spiders watching your videos has realy got me in too the big tropical sp like pamtho's you can be sure I'll be adding some more off this species too my collection.
I've just added some more phormictopus species too my collection after seeing these beauties I've gotten 2 P cancerides and a P auratus they are awesome Ts so that's 4 I've got now counting my P sp south hispanola can't wait too see the colours on them as they grow.
Forgive a dumb question but what problems would there be in having a sling in an adult size enclosure.? Is there such a thing as too much space for a T?
No a dumb question at all! I've actually been meaning to do a video/blog on enclosure sizes. As long as the cage isn't too tall, putting them at risk of being injured from a fall, extra room won't harm a larger tarantula. For example, if someone wanted to put a Phormictopus sp. in a 20-gallon long enclosure that wasn't too tall, it would be fine. That said, they do not need a lot of territory, and in many cases, their enclosures become their "dens" offering them security and easy access to food. They aren't like other animals that require exercise or space to run. Also, I DO feel that you can over do it with extra space when dealing with slings. At that stage, they should have a enough room to set up a proper home, but there shouldn't be so much that they are swimming in the cage. That makes it harder for the sling to find food and for the keeper to keep track of it.
Hey Tom been watching your videos for awhile and I have to say you are the best with your details. I even went and purchased your Fav T Phormictopus Sp. Green. Mine is 2 inches and looks just gorgeous. Any secret tips from you to keep this girl healthy....
Thanks so much, Anthony! I try to be as informative as I can. :) And congrats on your Phormictopus sp. green...that's awesome! What size did you get? I keep mine moist and with some substrate to burrow in until they hit about 4" or so. At that point, they are usually out in the open more, and I occasionally moisten down a corner. I give them all water dishes, and they love to fill them with dirt. :)
She is approx. 2 1/2 inches and I keep her in the same conditions you mentioned. She is quite docile compared to my P. Cancerides who is completely nuts. Phormictopus/Pamphobeteus and Megaphobema.......hooked on these three genus at the moment.
Yes, finally another Genus review! That it would have to be Phormictopus was obvious from the start. Very nice and detailed video with lots of great info. That must have taken a long time to make! And after watching this I think you finally convinced me to get one of these. So which one would you recommend for someone that actually likes the nastier spiders? :D I'll be at the Terraristika in december, which is the worlds biggest exotic pet convention, and you can get basically anything there, so availability is probably no limit.
Hey, bud! Yeah, this one kicked my butt a bit. haha. I was hoping to post it last Saturday, but as I was putting it together, I realized that I needed more footage. Ugh. And trying to find a quiet time to do the voice-over stuff around here is NOT easy. haha Whoohoo! That's great! It's funny, as in the past two weeks, I've had a dozen folks contact me after getting their first Phormictopus. They're catching on! :) The one with the worst reputation is the P. cancerides. I have four of the most docile ones on the planet, but everyone else says that theirs are just MEAN. The sp. purples are also very similar in temperament, and one of mine has a bit of an attitude (although, she was much nastier as a juvenile). Oh, man...the Terraristika sounds AMAZING. I wish we had something like that around here. Thanks again!
Ha, I'm in the exact same boat as you. Wanted to upload an assassin bug care video last weekend but I still need more footage for the voiceover...maybe I'll get it done tomorrow. And thanks for the suggestion! P. cancerides it is then! And since you say they grow so quickly I can even save some money and get some slings instead of juveniles, if they're anything like my Pamphobeteus I'll soon have more spider than I know what to do with lol Also Terraristika is overcrowded, way too hot and smells awful haha. The shopping experience is much nicer in online shops, and you're lucky to have so many great ones over there! At Terraristika you can get everything though, and people come all the way from Spain to that event (which is like 1200 miles). Luckily for me it's about a 30 minute drive haha
Great review. Makes me want to reconsider the mean "big brown spiders" I discredited years back! Hey do you by chance own the hefty new book Tarantulas Of The World?
Thanks so much, Daniel! Yeah, I was the same way before I actually got one. TOTALLY changed my tune after that. I do NOT, but I've been eyeing it for quite some time!
I know this is an older video, but I am a newish keeper and I've noticed when you say prices on slings they seem lower than what I am seeing right now. I swear slings were cheaper around the first of the year, are they higher around tax time and go down as the year goes on?
Hi, Karl! It all depends on supply and demand. Many of the species in this video were lower a few years ago. Now that word is out and more people are trying to find them, the prices go up. For example, years ago, no one knew about or was very interested in Phormictopus cautus "violet" (or the Dominican purple). Now, everyone is trying to get one, so the prices go up. Many vendors also import large quantities of their stock from Europe, so there prices depend on what the exporter is charging. Also with the imports, a vendor may import 200 of a certain species and set their retail price at that point. As the year goes on and they find that they are still sitting on a bunch, they may lower the price a bit to get rid of some stock. I watch prices from a lot of dealers, and I honestly haven't seen anything shady, but who knows! haha
Received three corroded pennies recently, each about the size of a pea. When feeding for the first time, one launched itself at the small, feisty cricket, rolled over and over, wrestling it for several minutes. You don't get memories like that from a brachypelma.
For species that kick hairs, it's always a good idea to wear gloves to protect you from their irritating hairs. The gloves would NOT protect you from a bite, though. I've personally never tried to give them meat. They like to hunt and are stimulated by movement. They also dissolve their prey, so it would make an incredible mess.
IDK about yours, but my P.S. Hispaniola arrived yesterday from FNT and it's flicky as hell. I just tapped its abdomen to nudge it a bit so I could see if there were cricket remains under and its butt went right up in the air and it started kicking like a Vegas showgirl. Do they calm with age and size, or do I have a little monster on my hands?
What size is yours? Mine are literally as sedentary as my G. rosea. Like, they barely move at all and are super laid back. Hahaha I've never had one kick a hair, and I only got a half-hearted threat pose from one when I accidentally dropped a cricket on it. Mine have definitely calmed with age. Hopefully, yours will settle down. :)
@@TomsBigSpiders about 1.25" or so. Just molted yesterday. It also gave me a lesson in T speed. Little SOB teleported as soon as I opened the top of its enclosure to give water. Went from the glass to its burrow before I could blink and that's no exaggeration. Also got flicky last night when I removed the molt. This thing's gonna be a handful until it matures, I guess.
yes! they grow so fast!! I do think sub-species is appropriate for sp. cancerides. I had 2 slings that became 1 pink and the other bronze-gold as adults, CBB from same sac. varied behaviors in the sp. some can be calm, some very defensive, but all are big and fast haha. as slings, they will tackle prey 2x their size. I also loved how they are landscapers and dig deep holes and caves, but still come out often.
Hey, Paul! YES. LOVE my Phormictopus! And I agree...the sub-species/color form things makes a lot of sense. I have 8 differently species/color forms now, and I've had no problem with any of them. Some of them, like my green femurs, are like pet rocks! haha
I I absolutely love my Hatain Brown. Me female has a attitude ahe actually has charged me a few times and i have to be honest I do love some tarantulas with a bit of a attitude. Great eaters and love there size. Thanks for the Vid Tom we love it as all ways.
Noriv! I'm glad to hear that folks are finally starting to give these guys a chance. I actually haven't had any attitude from any of mine, and I was hoping for some. I love bratty Ts hahaha Thanks again, bud!
I have my nearjuvi Atrichomatus for about two months now and it's a beautiful critter. The blues and browns are so bright. Until now mine has been pretty laidback. Always in the open, small as it is, not afraid to take prey of equal size (yesterday I gave it a locust 1,5 times it's own size with severed hindlegs/kickers and it very gently just grabbed it and started munching). It is relatively skittisch when I take the lid off and will crawl into it's burrow. But 10seconds later it'll crawl back out and go back into huntingstance. Hope it's temper will remain as 'civilized' as it is now 😂🤘 (ufkin hell it's already march2020 😅 Have it for 2,5 months already 😆)
That's awesome! I love my P. atrichomatus! :) They are such awesome eaters. Mine are large adult females now, and they are both VERY shy and laid back. Hopefully, yours is the same! :)
I managed to get Phormictopus Sp. Green Gold Carapace for myself. It's just a sling now so I can't provide much information about it. Lets just say that I discussed my specimen with another keeper and our experiences differ a lot. His is apparently a voracious eater and quite an aggressive little spider. Mine is afraid of roaches more than 1/3 of it's size and an overall disappointment when it comes to feeding + seems to be in a premolt for over 2 weeks now as it doesn't eat at all and can't climb the walls of it's vial.
Guess my other comment didnt post? Or maybe im not seeing it if so sorry for the double post...ive been holding off on watching this cause of the length but very nice video informative and well done as always
I don't blame you. hahaha. We've chatted about the long videos. I personally can't sit through them. Amazingly, though...some folks love them. hahaha. Who knew?
I guess my main problem with lengthy videos is normally its a feeding video not an informative one that can hold my attention...on the other hand now in gonna have to look into signing up for the bts thi i would rather have the physically journals than pdf files
Sorry to spam you but can you update this video when you have mature versions of all these guys and add any additional species you may have added to your collection?
Tom i have 3 T b bohmie ,avic avic ,avic Metallica,,my question what t in this species would u recommend I want fast growing,an purple or blue ,like the one u said went from 1 inch to 5 in one year I like that fast growing ,an a real eating machine,thatnks please get back to me ,I only have a little time before I gets cold an can't get the, shiped through mail ,👍
Hello! A Phormictopus sp. Dominican violet would be a great one to check out, if you can find them. They eat great, grow quickly, and have a gorgeous purple coloration.
Ya man I went out last night after work and picked up a Cancerides, Neoholethele Incei and got a freebie Nhandu Chromatus from cold blood on arachnoboards. I posted a video on my channel of the slings check it out bro. They are awesome!
My 7" AF female P. cancerides unfortunately died in a bad moult the day before my male matured and hooked out recently. Fortunately I found a guy who is an experienced breeder and sent him my male for a 50/50. So fingers crossed for the new year. I am a big Pampho fan, but intend to start collecting more Phormictopus sp. in the coming year. They are a hugely underrated genus. Oh. and I have been charged by mine. I think yours may be broken! LOL
Oh, no...that's awful. I'm so sorry to hear that. UGH. Fingers crossed, indeed...I hope that your male does the deed and gets you some little blue beasties. :) I've been eyeing more Pamphos myself...I love them as well. For a while, it just seemed like the Phormictopus often got overshadowed by the Pamphobeteus species. I'm like the only person who has never been charged! I'm starting to feel left out. hahaha Thanks again!
Ha! His colouration is incredible. He was wild caught so is very large for a male. I'd say 7" with his mature lankness. My mates female must be massive!
@@TomsBigSpiders I saw it in my feed! My best bud in the whole world is from Texas, so it's awesome learning more about species from his neck of the woods.
you got a great Phormictopus collection! I only have 3 specimens, 1 atrichomatus sling, 1 sexed female cancerides small juvi and a 7 inch female of which I still am not sure if it is the cancerides (I bought as one) or a atrichomatus but nI guess I'll find out once the sexed female cancerides matures?
Hey, bud! That's actually a really good idea! I'm finishing up the blog version of it now, so perhaps I'll throw up links to both so folks have a choice. :)
My little P auratus (got as a smaller sling) has consistently been one of my most sweet and gentle spiders. I would be more likely to handle her than my old G rosea. I poorly named her the Dreaded pirate Queen Diabolita (after one of the most violent pirates in history the cuban pirate, the "Little Devil," Diabolito. I was about to post a photo as she just molted out glittering gold.... but apparently I cannot comment with photo. I also have a couple Phormictopus dominican purple slings.
My P. auratus were definitely oddballs when compared to my other Phormictopus species. They were always extra shy, and as adults, they are pretty laid back. Love the names! And I LOVE the Phormictopus sp. dominican purples. My two girls are still stunning. Thanks, Paige!
Phormictopus are THE best large terrestrial genus imo. I have 3 cancerides females and 6 slings that I kept from my last breeding. Super fun to feed them, they have attitude from day one. One actually bit me hahaha. I also have P. cubensis and P. sp. "South Hispaniola."
That Haitian brown looks exactly like what was sold to me as a rose hair, I've always questioned if it's a rose because pics of rose hairs all have way more hairs than mine, I've got a pic on my Instagram brandonmckinney2715
I'd say 4" I dont know for sure because it's my first Tso iam guessing how they are measured, but I've been looking at every image of a rose hair an mine just looks more like a cancerides, I've come from breeding fish particularly hypancistrus species from amazon so iam used to things being mislabeled. Is there a way to differentiate the two grammastola vs phormictopus
Love the Phormictopus genus. Such a shame with all the confusion in the genus :) Easy care, Violent eaters and Stunning colors. They can all be recommended
Maybe they should call them Phormictopus Rainbow. Since they all have multi-colors as adults. If taxonomists cannot get their genus straight, how will keepers know which is which. They made have bred 2 different genus without knowing it.
Hello, Joyce! I agree...they come in almost every color. :) Sadly, I'm sure that there has been some accidental crossbreeding. :( Hopefully, this video will help others keep their species straight.
I admit, I know very little about the species and their genus. However there must be others like me who want to start keeping T's. How can they know when scholars and biologists are not sure. To me there is little difference between the auruta and the gold.
My P cancerides is quite handleable (if that's even a word). I've only gotten one or two threat poses from her, but she reacts pretty strongly to any kind of stimuli. She's fiery, but I doubt she'd ever bite me. I named her Voodoo. LOL
LOVE the name. One of my species purples is calm as can be. I actually thought about putting my hand out for her the other day while she was calmly exploring. My cancerides are also quite laid back. I use the word "handleable" too! haha Thanks, bud!
Thanks, man! Haiti is the land of voodoo, so I figured it would be a fitting name. LOL. Watch the movie The Serpent and the Rainbow if you've never seen it. It's all about Haitian voodoo and the process of zombification via pufferfish poison (tetrodotoxin). :)
I feel selfish because your UA-cam channel is so good and informative but at the same time I don't want you to blow up because you're so good at responding to comments.
Kinda kidding, for someone who has yet to join the hobby, you really have helped me feel more comfortable getting into it when the time comes. Thanks for all you do, Tom.
Hello, Alan! hahahaha. Man, thank you so much. All joking aside, I've been picking up a decent amount of subscribers lately, and Billie and I (kind of daydreaming a bit!), talked about how the comments could get to be difficult to keep up with in a couple of years. Honestly, I would feel TERRIBLE not responding. So I would have to figure something out. lol Luckily, it's still quite manageable, and I truly enjoy chatting with folks. :)
Thanks again!
I thought to myself "maybe I'll try a phormictopus next, let's do some research." And as always Tom, you never let me down. You always have useful information and words cannot express how useful you have been to me starting out in this hobby, I really appreciate you.
Also, I think the reason yours arent as high strung as others is how you set them up. You have depth to their enclosures which allows you to not be right on top of the animal when you pop the top. I think that really helps with more defensive species.
Phormictopus is my favorite terrestrial genus! Hahaha
That could definitely be it. I've seriously had ZERO trouble with any of mine, and I have 8 species/color variants. None of them are bad at all. Thanks, Mark!
I was SO glad to get a notification that you posted a video today.
This has to be one of my favorites so far. You do such an amazing job, Tom.
Thank you!
Hi, Jodi! Thanks so much. This one was supposed to be out last Saturday, but I realized that I needed more footage. And, there was a LOT of voiceover work to do, and finding a quiet time to get it done around here was NOT easy. hahaha
Great video man! Always happy to see you post Saturday morning. You are definitely my favorite tarantula youtuber, best content and info. Keep it up tom!
Thanks so much, Roarke! I actually planned to have this up LAST Saturday, but I need more footage. This one was a bit more complicated to put together. :) Seriously, thank you!!!
When I read the video title and saw that it is 30+ minutes long, I immediately started to smile! Great video as always!
Again thanks for pushing the Phormictopus species on your channel, it got me to get a 3" Phormictopus sp green femur as one of my first tarantula´s ever. I am so glad I got this one thanks to your top 10 list as it is just joyful to watch it doing it´s tarantula thing. Unlike my GBB and my Grammostola puchripes which I got alongside with it, it is always lurking for prey or digging or webbing up the entrance of it´s den. You can just almost always see it doing something.
As I´ve never had any interactions with a tarantula before I was a little bit concerned for it´s reputation to tend to be aggressive but it has the best behaviour I could only have dreamed of. It is one of the fastest moving creatures I´ve ever seen live and watching it take down it´s prey is just stunning but it never bolts or being skittish what so ever. It really took away my kind of fear of spiders and turned it into a big fascination for these animals.
Thanks a lot, Tom! Deuces! :)
Hello, Spi-T! Thanks so much! I used to try to keep all of my videos shorter, but sometimes I just can't get it done in 10 minutes. haha
And I LOVE Phormictopus, so pushing them comes very easily to me. haha I adore my green femurs; those colors were one of the best surprises I've ever got in this hobby. Mine are also quite laid back and sit right out in the open now that they are adults (which is great, because they are too pretty to be hidden).
That feeding response was one of the things that made me fall in love with the genus. Most of their take downs are lightning fast and so violent. They just love to eat. :)
HA! I was wondering if anyone would stick around to see that at the end. My six-year-old was off camera, and he whispered "Dad, you have to peace out." haha Thanks so much!
I really appreciate your thoroughness... I'm new to the hobby and thanks to vids like this my learning curve is substantially lower...
Thank you so much, Jorge. I try to be as detailed as possible so that I answer the many questions keepers have.
Great video! I love the Phormictopus genus! Probably my favourite NW genus!
Mine, too! I'm so glad that people are finally giving them a try! :)
Excellent video Tom. Definitely inclined to get 1 (likely more) of these lovely tarantulas. Good job with all the reference material you used in the video *thumbs up*.
Hello, Ian! Thanks so much! If you pick one up, try to find a sling. They are a blast to watch grow up. :)
And that article was fantastic. I was already writing a blog post about the genus when someone sent me that, and the information was just top notch. I confirmed some things I had seen and answered quite a few questions.
Thanks again!
Absolutely :) love getting them as slings...watching them grow is 1 of the most gratifying parts of the hobby. Added to list for the next time I place an order!
Awesome! I do the same thing. It's just so satisfying to grow them up. :)
Fantastic video, as always! I love how you get into the nitty gritty of the science of taxonomy. I hope to add a phormictopus (or 5) to my collection eventually. :) Great ending, by the way! Haha!
Thanks so much, Rachael! You definitely have to give them a try. :) I was wondering if anyone would see that bit at the end. My six-year-old basically dared me to "peace out" while I was shooting. haha
yeah sure make me want one even more! iv been sold on the P cancerides since your video challenge with KCtarantulas. still looking for some! hoping fear not will get them back in. awesomely informative as always. thanks for taking the time to put these together!!
I just love these guys, and I will say that those who I've recommended them to seem to love them, too. Hopefully, you can find one soon! :)
And thanks so much! :)
Tom Moran! I found some at Jamie's tarantulas during the Black Friday sale! And a few other beauty's this next unboxing will be awesome also got a few I. Mira
Amazing video Tom loads of info quality love the phormictopus sp 👍👍
Hey, Mark! Thanks so much, bud. You have to love them! :)
Beautiful video! Keep up the great work Tom!
Hey, bud! Thanks so much!
I am so glad to see this video showing some love and appreciation for this genus! I absolutely love my P. Cancerides and think Phormictopus is a hugely under rated genus and far more than "just a brown spider"
Thanks for this! Great as always
I LOVE this genus, so this one was easy to do. I hate that these guys are overlooked so much. I've tried my best to put them on the map. You've got GREAT tastes in spiders, bud! :)
@@TomsBigSpiders Haha thanks so do you lol. I try and encourage people to look at some more under rated species such as this genus because i really enjoy them. I really want to get more of them this year and possibly try to breed the Cancerides :)
Welp. After putting it off for so long, finally picked up two auratus slings today. Watching this a few times as an after thought, not being interested particularly, your enthusiasm for the genus took hold. Hope I don't go too crazy for them! But you 100% were responsible for me buying them. That's good youtubing. Keep it up. 👊
Congrats! I just featured one of mine in my most recent feeding videos. They are STUNNING once that gold shows up. And that's so awesome...I'm glad that I convinced you! :)
You're officially my new favourite UA-camr
Hello, Chris! Man, thanks so much! :)
Great video, as always. My daughter and I love watching them and are beginner collectors ourselves. We may have to add a Phormictopus to our “family”.
Hello, Ben! Man, thank you so much...that is truly awesome! My six-year-old was watching me film the last segment and basically dared me to "peace out". hahaha
Definitely give these guys a look. They grow so fast when they are smaller, and their feeding responses are amazing!
Your knowledge is impressive.....and this vídeo is amazing. GJ Tom (love this long vídeos :D).
Thanks so much, Nuno! I used to shy away from doing the longer videos, but people seem to like them. :)
I have watched this video three times now. Thank you for getting this key information out.
Man, thanks so much bud! I really appreciate it. :)
Very informative . Always enjoy your videos.
Thanks so much, bud!
I love your videos and am always all giddy like a little kid when you post new ones, I am most defiantly interested in buying some of your slings when I have money not going towards expenses, lots of love man
Hello! Man, thanks so much. Yes, do check them out when you get the opportunity, and definitely start with a sling. The growth rate early on is awesome. :)
Hey Tom, awesome vid as always, was a hard wait, thought you'ed gone away on holiday lol. I love this genus more and more with each of your videos and picked up a P. cancerides a while back witch is growing like a weed, I will have to look for the other sp in this genus in the future!
Hey, John! Yeah, this one took me a while. hahaha The P. cancerides was the one that got me hooked on them. Now I keep my eye out for any I can find. :)
And the new style of videos youve been doing are awesome i love it
Thanks, bud! I just wish I had more time. I'm working of four different ones right now, but it takes forever to get the footage I need and to edit them.
Quality over quantity
Love your videos Tom! 💕
Thanks so much, Sarah! :)
Master class!!! Thanx, Tom. Absolutely love it. When i continue with Phormictopus sp's i'll use this as my reference. I'm really hoping that my 2 juvenile so called "platus" are auratus. Mine are 3-3,5" pet rocks not skittish & don't dig at all. If a runner goes under the cork bark they go in grab the prey & quickly exit & sit on top of the cork munching away. Take good care of yourself 'til next time buddy. ❤🤗🕷👏👏👏
Hey, Glenn! Thanks so much, bud. I'm hoping this will help some folks out who are trying to figure out all of the "species." I LOVE that most will stay right out in the open. :) Thanks again!
Great video so glad you share your knowledge with us . thanks
Thank you very much, Sully! :)
Hey Tom. Just wanted to say this is an amazing video. Just picked up 4 phormictipus species. I have a green gold carapace up for the taking. It is a sling.
Tom I have no idea how I missed your episode but am I ever glad I kept searching. There is so little on youtube concerning the Phormictopus species especially the atrichomatus mine is a bit small but definitely not a sling anymore the little guy wouldn't eat at all then I tried wax worms and now he's molted and put on a bit of size somewhere between a quarter and a fifty cent piece should I start him on the Crickets again or should I just stick with what works I know he won't starve but its still concerning none the less either way so glad you covered these guys so throughly bless you.❤
I'm so glad that you found this one, Jimmy! I will be doing a Phormictopus update very soon. You can definitely try him on crickets and see if he takes them; if he doesn't just stick with the wax worms until he puts on some more size!
@@TomsBigSpiders Many Thanks Tom I'll do just that too be sure. Happy New year brother Gods blessings.
I love my
Phormictopus cancerides already!!! :) awesome video!! It is really cool that this vid came out right when I needed info!!
Thanks, bud! Yeah, the timing on this was awesome! :) They are hardy as all heck. I have four of the cancerides, and they are four different colors.
Tom Moran I wonder what the color of mine will be..
Time will tell. bud! :)
Alright because of this video I absolutely had to order one. So I have a phormictopus auratus coming. Very excited. Any tips or suggestions
Yesssss... Haha I LOVE these guys. My P. auratus just molted again, and she's STUNNING. The slings will be brown, not blue like the Dominican phormictopus. They are also a bit more shy and will burrow at first. If you're getting a sling, give it a couple inches of moist dirt and a piece of cork bark to hide under. It should burrow for you. Don't worry as they outgrow this behavior at around 3" or so.
Tom Moran oh I don’t mind at all. I have about 25 tarantulas now. One adult and 24 slings. It is so fun and interesting to see how each different one I have all act differently and have different personalities. I have 3 GBBs and all three of them act differently it’s so weird. Anyways I sent you some emails and some photos of some stuff wasn’t sure if you got them.
I now have a Phormictopus Auratus and sp hispaniola lol. You need to stop making videos. You are breaking my bank.
Cool man nice vid hope u do more vids on species. Very cool I liked it.
Thank you, Eric! :) I'll definitely do some more in the future. :)
Great content Tom, I just picked up a T from the local shop as a mystery since it was not labelled and they didnt know what it was. Looks like it might be an Auratus. Thanks for the info on these guys!
Hi, Jeff...wow, that's a nice grab!
Really enjoyed this considering adding one to my collection after seeing this hadn't really looked at them before this 👍🏾
Hello, Yonit! You definitely should! They are often overlooked! Thanks, bud!
Definitely a genus I will be getting into soon. Love the genus reviews by the way!
Thanks so much, Derek. Definitely snatch one up if you can find them. :)
Hopefully there will be one of these at the show this weekend and I can snag it!
Hey, Mike! Man, definitely let me know if you get one!
Great video and very informative. I've been wanting to add P. cancerides to my collection for some time now.
Thanks so much, Tommi! Definitely pick one up if you can find them. They are a blast to grow up! :)
I just had two slings arrive yesterday. I already enjoy the feeding response they put out there. :)
Hey tom i had left you a message on an another video saying i needed help to identify my species of spider that i have saved from a owner who had no idea on how to take care of the animal my tranchula looks like the Dominican violet can you plz confirm it lmk plz
Hi buddy AWESOME video as always! I'm waiting for my delivery of Phormictopus sp green 'gold carapax' so can update you on colouration and habits etc it's always a pleasure best regards!
Thanks so much! Oh, man...I NEED to get a few of those. I can't wait to hear your observations. :)
Awesome video Tom! The Phormictopus species is very interesting to observe. Our PC's tend to flip the hides we gave them and pile dirt on them.
They really are! Mine flip their dishes and chew up the plants. hahaha. Thanks!
Great video Tom!!! Thnx for the info. I especially loved the purple species of course lol. Tyfs, God bless you
Thanks so much, Debbie! And of course! I'm a sucker for a purple T. :)
Tom Moran So am I Tom. I love purple period, lol
Me, too! :)
Tom Moran Tom, I have a question for you. Someone told me that I could help my sling go into molt if I put it on a heating pad. This seems dangerous to me. Is there any truth to it and is it dangerous?? I know if anyone could tell me, it's you. I don't want to kill my first baby by doing something preventable
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Do not use heating pads. hahaha. They will sometimes eat better and grow a bit faster in warmer temps, but there is NO need to rush things. They will do just fine in room temperature. If you're afraid that it's too cool, try to find a warmer corner of your house to keep her in. :)
Great video Tom. Just got a Pamphobeteus sp. machalla today, not a Phromictopus but still cool!!
Congrats on your P. sp. machalla! They are a gorgeous species. I love Pamphos as well. :)
Been holding off on watching this cause of the length lol but very good watch loved it entertaining and informative
OMG lol you read my mind on this video. I just picked up a cancerides today at the reptile expo you got me to want one lol along with some p. Metallica slings and some incei to start my communal!!! Okay I'll watch the video now I just got really excited 🤣💖
It was insane, as I was hoping to have this done last weekend, and since then I've had several people tell me they just bought their first Phormictopus species. I was starting to get antsy. hahaha Congrats on the new acquisitions! Man, those are some great grabs. :) Thanks again!
Tom lol it's here now and great timing thank you for this I grabbed a 4" female this morning and was hoping I'd find one of the videos on substrate for the enclosure and I got home noticed your video lol my excitement was priceless. Thank you again and I look forward to your next video.
Substrate video is next! Hahaha. I was working on one today, but when I went into my garage, it was frozen. haha. I also have the Lugartis review to finish. UGH. I need more time in the day. :)
Congrats on your female! Is she behaving for you? :)
Thank you!
Haha we will see when I transfer her going to grab a temp enclosure for her now until I find a nice one. So far so good lol
My goodness my girl Fizgig is INSANE! I ❤ her so much. I picked up a cancerides for my birthday (from my fav place FNT) and was blessed with a little girl so I'll get to see those beautiful amber browns. After seeing your H. cafreriana and never finding any I happened upon the female cancerides. My girl threat poses every. Little. Thing. She won't kick hairs but she does charge at me even after freshly molted when changing her water dish. I ❤ her so much. Funny thing, I now am in love with this Genus and look forward to sp. Dominican Purple, auratus, atrichomatus, etc. And my little girl has the most amazing caramel/amber showing on her legs and carapace my goodness. And let me say she is ALWAYS hungry🤣 she just gobbled up 2 roaches last night. She's just now molted into a juvie. So sorry for typing a whole novel but I get so excited about this Genus lol thank you so much for your videos, the plethora of information, and what you do for our community.🙂🙂
She sounds like quite the girl! haha I just wish some of mine had that famous attitude. Mine have all bee very laid back. Thank you so much!
We just got our first Phormictopus sp. green a few weeks ago! My son got an itty bitty sling and it molted and almost doubled in size.
Hello, Margaret and Andrew! That's awesome...congrats! I'll be posting a video tomorrow featuring my Phormictopus species. :) The grow so quickly and put on so much size with each molt...it's amazing! :)
After a long time trying to get my first phormictopus I finally got one: a 3 cm phormictopus auratus. In less them 24 hours she totally change her enclosure. By far the most active sling I ever got in a short time.
Hello, Nuno! Yeah, mine were quite the burrowers. They outgrew it once they hit about 3" or so.
Just about to feed my Hispaniola. Great video and have 4 myself. Going to pick up some in the year...I think the sp green.
These darn Phormictopus are just so addictive! :)
Hi Tom I got question about P platus when I brought him home he was out of his her hide for few days didn’t want to eat he looked like he is in premolt and he borrowed himself and never came out I know some tarantulas do that and disappear for ages is it normal behaviour with this tarantulas? Every other day I put prekilled food for him just in case if he is molting so insekt can’t do any damage but still no luck to see him He or her is about 6 cm legspan Thank you
Yup, I would say that it's likely in premolt. Mine all burrowed and hid quite a bit when they were that size. Once they hit about 12cm or so, you should see them out all of the time.
One doesn't see the Dominican violet. Have you any plans to breed them? I hope so!
I hope to! I'll be on the lookout for males. These guys are STUNNING.
hey there Mr. Tom. May i know what or where i can get the song from your intro? I am only gonna be using it for an assignment. I have sent you an email. THanks allot and regards
I'm trying to find it for you! I had it saved on my older computer, so I'll do some digging. :)
Hiya Tom awesome video if these are the poor man's pamphobeteus I wouldn't mind having a few off them with these colours gorgeous spiders.
Sorry for the delay, Wayne! Yeah, I'm totally okay with that as well! haha
@@TomsBigSpiders hiya tom I've recently ordered my 1st phormictopus species a phormictopus sp south hispanola which if I'm correct is the same as the sp green femur well that's what I've read it's because I watched this video that I ordered a phormictopus there gorgeous spiders watching your videos has realy got me in too the big tropical sp like pamtho's you can be sure I'll be adding some more off this species too my collection.
I've just added some more phormictopus species too my collection after seeing these beauties I've gotten 2 P cancerides and a P auratus they are awesome Ts so that's 4 I've got now counting my P sp south hispanola can't wait too see the colours on them as they grow.
Forgive a dumb question but what problems would there be in having a sling in an adult size enclosure.? Is there such a thing as too much space for a T?
No a dumb question at all! I've actually been meaning to do a video/blog on enclosure sizes. As long as the cage isn't too tall, putting them at risk of being injured from a fall, extra room won't harm a larger tarantula. For example, if someone wanted to put a Phormictopus sp. in a 20-gallon long enclosure that wasn't too tall, it would be fine. That said, they do not need a lot of territory, and in many cases, their enclosures become their "dens" offering them security and easy access to food. They aren't like other animals that require exercise or space to run.
Also, I DO feel that you can over do it with extra space when dealing with slings. At that stage, they should have a enough room to set up a proper home, but there shouldn't be so much that they are swimming in the cage. That makes it harder for the sling to find food and for the keeper to keep track of it.
Tom Moran 👍🏼👍🏼 Thank you for such a detailed answer good sir.. I now clearly understand the reasoning. 🤔
You're most welcome! :)
You got me into the Phormictopus species. I'm blaming you for the obsession with them.
Well done video with lots of helpful information.
Hey, Jay! hahahahaha. Sorry about that, bud! :)
Thanks so much!
Great video (as always)!
Thank you, tuxobert! :)
Hey Tom been watching your videos for awhile and I have to say you are the best with your details. I even went and purchased your Fav T Phormictopus Sp. Green. Mine is 2 inches and looks just gorgeous. Any secret tips from you to keep this girl healthy....
Thanks so much, Anthony! I try to be as informative as I can. :) And congrats on your Phormictopus sp. green...that's awesome! What size did you get? I keep mine moist and with some substrate to burrow in until they hit about 4" or so. At that point, they are usually out in the open more, and I occasionally moisten down a corner. I give them all water dishes, and they love to fill them with dirt. :)
She is approx. 2 1/2 inches and I keep her in the same conditions you mentioned. She is quite docile compared to my P. Cancerides who is completely nuts. Phormictopus/Pamphobeteus and Megaphobema.......hooked on these three genus at the moment.
Yes, finally another Genus review! That it would have to be Phormictopus was obvious from the start. Very nice and detailed video with lots of great info. That must have taken a long time to make!
And after watching this I think you finally convinced me to get one of these. So which one would you recommend for someone that actually likes the nastier spiders? :D
I'll be at the Terraristika in december, which is the worlds biggest exotic pet convention, and you can get basically anything there, so availability is probably no limit.
Hey, bud! Yeah, this one kicked my butt a bit. haha. I was hoping to post it last Saturday, but as I was putting it together, I realized that I needed more footage. Ugh. And trying to find a quiet time to do the voice-over stuff around here is NOT easy. haha
Whoohoo! That's great! It's funny, as in the past two weeks, I've had a dozen folks contact me after getting their first Phormictopus. They're catching on! :) The one with the worst reputation is the P. cancerides. I have four of the most docile ones on the planet, but everyone else says that theirs are just MEAN. The sp. purples are also very similar in temperament, and one of mine has a bit of an attitude (although, she was much nastier as a juvenile).
Oh, man...the Terraristika sounds AMAZING. I wish we had something like that around here.
Thanks again!
Ha, I'm in the exact same boat as you. Wanted to upload an assassin bug care video last weekend but I still need more footage for the voiceover...maybe I'll get it done tomorrow.
And thanks for the suggestion! P. cancerides it is then! And since you say they grow so quickly I can even save some money and get some slings instead of juveniles, if they're anything like my Pamphobeteus I'll soon have more spider than I know what to do with lol
Also Terraristika is overcrowded, way too hot and smells awful haha. The shopping experience is much nicer in online shops, and you're lucky to have so many great ones over there! At Terraristika you can get everything though, and people come all the way from Spain to that event (which is like 1200 miles). Luckily for me it's about a 30 minute drive haha
Great review. Makes me want to reconsider the mean "big brown spiders" I discredited years back! Hey do you by chance own the hefty new book Tarantulas Of The World?
Thanks so much, Daniel! Yeah, I was the same way before I actually got one. TOTALLY changed my tune after that.
I do NOT, but I've been eyeing it for quite some time!
Have you heard of Phormictopus sp. blue azul? Supposedly they are solid iridescent blue, and look absolutely stunning.
The one that was sold to me as sp. blue (19:33 of this video) had bluish tones but not the full blue.
I know this is an older video, but I am a newish keeper and I've noticed when you say prices on slings they seem lower than what I am seeing right now. I swear slings were cheaper around the first of the year, are they higher around tax time and go down as the year goes on?
Hi, Karl! It all depends on supply and demand. Many of the species in this video were lower a few years ago. Now that word is out and more people are trying to find them, the prices go up. For example, years ago, no one knew about or was very interested in Phormictopus cautus "violet" (or the Dominican purple). Now, everyone is trying to get one, so the prices go up. Many vendors also import large quantities of their stock from Europe, so there prices depend on what the exporter is charging. Also with the imports, a vendor may import 200 of a certain species and set their retail price at that point. As the year goes on and they find that they are still sitting on a bunch, they may lower the price a bit to get rid of some stock. I watch prices from a lot of dealers, and I honestly haven't seen anything shady, but who knows! haha
You deserve more subs
Thank you! :) I'm getting there! :)
Received three corroded pennies recently, each about the size of a pea. When feeding for the first time, one launched itself at the small, feisty cricket, rolled over and over, wrestling it for several minutes.
You don't get memories like that from a brachypelma.
Hahahahahaha. That is awesome! Nope...you sure don't! :)
incredibly helpful channel
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the scholarly review.
Thanks so much, Allen! :)
hay Tom Moran when moving any big spider can you wear gloves and for feed can you give them meat
For species that kick hairs, it's always a good idea to wear gloves to protect you from their irritating hairs. The gloves would NOT protect you from a bite, though. I've personally never tried to give them meat. They like to hunt and are stimulated by movement. They also dissolve their prey, so it would make an incredible mess.
@@TomsBigSpiders i did not mean the latex gloves i mean the really thick power line gloves could you used that to handle or re home a tarantula
@@TomsBigSpiders also what about small cubs of meat or meat you would use for sandwiches eg hame
They can chew threw packed dirt and wire screens; they should be able to puncture just about any type of glove that is not puncture proof.
Tom Moran I would also think just meat is inadequate in nutrients as there are no organs or skeletons,internal or external.
Ive got a P. sp south hispanol. Was very long looking forward to it, bought it about year ago now it is 8cm (3in) and probably female :).
Love that species. Sven. Heck, I love all of the Phormictopus. haha
IDK about yours, but my P.S. Hispaniola arrived yesterday from FNT and it's flicky as hell. I just tapped its abdomen to nudge it a bit so I could see if there were cricket remains under and its butt went right up in the air and it started kicking like a Vegas showgirl. Do they calm with age and size, or do I have a little monster on my hands?
What size is yours? Mine are literally as sedentary as my G. rosea. Like, they barely move at all and are super laid back. Hahaha I've never had one kick a hair, and I only got a half-hearted threat pose from one when I accidentally dropped a cricket on it. Mine have definitely calmed with age. Hopefully, yours will settle down. :)
@@TomsBigSpiders about 1.25" or so. Just molted yesterday. It also gave me a lesson in T speed. Little SOB teleported as soon as I opened the top of its enclosure to give water. Went from the glass to its burrow before I could blink and that's no exaggeration. Also got flicky last night when I removed the molt. This thing's gonna be a handful until it matures, I guess.
My green femur sling wont burrow at all lol, great feeding response and always out, im already really enjoying this genus
I love those green femurs. Mine are some of the best showcase spiders I have. :) Sounds like you have an awesome one. :)
Awesome video. I must say, I'm very tempted.... :)x
Dooooo ittttt...hahaha. Thanks, Tarantula Tales!
hehe
Need to add to my collection that’s looks 👍 great this species😻
Thank you, Rolando! They are awesome spiders!
I have been eyeing a P. Cancerides for awhile now. Hopefully I will be getting one soon.
Oh, man...you have get one. Just one sling to try out. :)
yes! they grow so fast!! I do think sub-species is appropriate for sp. cancerides. I had 2 slings that became 1 pink and the other bronze-gold as adults, CBB from same sac.
varied behaviors in the sp. some can be calm, some very defensive, but all are big and fast haha. as slings, they will tackle prey 2x their size. I also loved how they are landscapers and dig deep holes and caves, but still come out often.
Hey, Paul! YES. LOVE my Phormictopus! And I agree...the sub-species/color form things makes a lot of sense. I have 8 differently species/color forms now, and I've had no problem with any of them. Some of them, like my green femurs, are like pet rocks! haha
I I absolutely love my Hatain Brown. Me female has a attitude ahe actually has charged me a few times and i have to be honest I do love some tarantulas with a bit of a attitude. Great eaters and love there size. Thanks for the Vid Tom we love it as all ways.
Noriv! I'm glad to hear that folks are finally starting to give these guys a chance. I actually haven't had any attitude from any of mine, and I was hoping for some. I love bratty Ts hahaha Thanks again, bud!
I have my nearjuvi Atrichomatus for about two months now and it's a beautiful critter. The blues and browns are so bright. Until now mine has been pretty laidback. Always in the open, small as it is, not afraid to take prey of equal size (yesterday I gave it a locust 1,5 times it's own size with severed hindlegs/kickers and it very gently just grabbed it and started munching). It is relatively skittisch when I take the lid off and will crawl into it's burrow. But 10seconds later it'll crawl back out and go back into huntingstance. Hope it's temper will remain as 'civilized' as it is now 😂🤘
(ufkin hell it's already march2020 😅 Have it for 2,5 months already 😆)
That's awesome! I love my P. atrichomatus! :) They are such awesome eaters. Mine are large adult females now, and they are both VERY shy and laid back. Hopefully, yours is the same! :)
I managed to get Phormictopus Sp. Green Gold Carapace for myself.
It's just a sling now so I can't provide much information about it.
Lets just say that I discussed my specimen with another keeper and our experiences differ a lot.
His is apparently a voracious eater and quite an aggressive little spider. Mine is afraid of roaches more than 1/3 of it's size and an overall disappointment when it comes to feeding + seems to be in a premolt for over 2 weeks now as it doesn't eat at all and can't climb the walls of it's vial.
I have five, and they were good eaters but not quite a voracious as my P. cancerides. They are so darned good looking as adults, though... :)
@@TomsBigSpiders And it finally molted tonight! It's probably the best looking sling I cared for.
Guess my other comment didnt post? Or maybe im not seeing it if so sorry for the double post...ive been holding off on watching this cause of the length but very nice video informative and well done as always
I don't blame you. hahaha. We've chatted about the long videos. I personally can't sit through them. Amazingly, though...some folks love them. hahaha. Who knew?
I guess my main problem with lengthy videos is normally its a feeding video not an informative one that can hold my attention...on the other hand now in gonna have to look into signing up for the bts thi i would rather have the physically journals than pdf files
Sorry to spam you but can you update this video when you have mature versions of all these guys and add any additional species you may have added to your collection?
Hey, Dovey! I sure can. I've had a couple of them molt out and pick up some interesting colors. The auratus are looking particularly cool.
Tom i have 3 T b bohmie ,avic avic ,avic Metallica,,my question what t in this species would u recommend I want fast growing,an purple or blue ,like the one u said went from 1 inch to 5 in one year I like that fast growing ,an a real eating machine,thatnks please get back to me ,I only have a little time before I gets cold an can't get the, shiped through mail ,👍
Hello! A Phormictopus sp. Dominican violet would be a great one to check out, if you can find them. They eat great, grow quickly, and have a gorgeous purple coloration.
I'm finally picking up a P. cancerides Saturday. Cant wait to join the club.
Did you get it??? :)
Ya man I went out last night after work and picked up a Cancerides, Neoholethele Incei and got a freebie Nhandu Chromatus from cold blood on arachnoboards. I posted a video on my channel of the slings check it out bro. They are awesome!
My 7" AF female P. cancerides unfortunately died in a bad moult the day before my male matured and hooked out recently. Fortunately I found a guy who is an experienced breeder and sent him my male for a 50/50. So fingers crossed for the new year. I am a big Pampho fan, but intend to start collecting more Phormictopus sp. in the coming year. They are a hugely underrated genus. Oh. and I have been charged by mine. I think yours may be broken! LOL
Oh, no...that's awful. I'm so sorry to hear that. UGH. Fingers crossed, indeed...I hope that your male does the deed and gets you some little blue beasties. :)
I've been eyeing more Pamphos myself...I love them as well. For a while, it just seemed like the Phormictopus often got overshadowed by the Pamphobeteus species.
I'm like the only person who has never been charged! I'm starting to feel left out. hahaha
Thanks again!
If you have twitter. This is my terrified looking male in action. LOL
twitter.com/PigeonPuncher/status/929424324297191424
That's awesome! What a gorgeous guy. "Spidery dick fingers..." I can't stop laughing. hahaha
Ha! His colouration is incredible. He was wild caught so is very large for a male. I'd say 7" with his mature lankness. My mates female must be massive!
Man, that's a big boy. Yeah, the female has to be HUGE! Wow!
Hot daaaaaang, those Dominican Purples.... I might have to get some after I get my Texas browns.
LOVE those Dominican purples! And I just posted a video on my Texas brown. :)
@@TomsBigSpiders I saw it in my feed! My best bud in the whole world is from Texas, so it's awesome learning more about species from his neck of the woods.
Great video!
Thank you, Joan!
Nicely done
Thanks so much, Death Bloom! This one was a lot of fun to do, as I love this genus. :)
I'm getting a little P. Canceredes from Kelly swifts inverts. Coming in on Tuesday.
Fantastic! I love that species. Congrats!
Tom Moran yes,molted once already and getting ready for another molt soon! Can't believe how much that thing eats!
Deuces huh!! Funny guy you are Big Tom. So let me guess what species you really like. A must have in the collection eh?
Full disclosure, my six-year-old was off screen making fun of me, and he dared me to "peace out". haha
Yeah, these guys are just awesome. Hahaha
Tom Moran I see and very beautiful species
Phormictopus is very cool genus. Think about buying a second one (cancercides). I allready have a chicken spider (Phormictopus sp south hispanol).
I agree completely! :)
Love it!!
Thanks, Mike!
Great helpful video and just got a sp.green
Congrats! I have to do an update on these, as my full greens are showing some color. Love my Phormics. :)
you got a great Phormictopus collection!
I only have 3 specimens, 1 atrichomatus sling, 1 sexed female cancerides small juvi and a 7 inch female of which I still am not sure if it is the cancerides (I bought as one) or a atrichomatus but nI guess I'll find out once the sexed female cancerides matures?
You should totally make this into a thread on arachnoboards.. this would probably clear up a lot of things for alot of keepers there.
Hey, bud! That's actually a really good idea! I'm finishing up the blog version of it now, so perhaps I'll throw up links to both so folks have a choice. :)
I have a adult P.atrichomatus and she is a redish bronze on the legs With a pink carapace! Beautie
My three have both molted out recently and look the same. I agree....they are gorgeous! :)
@@TomsBigSpiders cool. But er "my three have BOTH molted". Sry lol😅
Sorry. hahaha. I was going to put "both of mine", but I have three.
My little P auratus (got as a smaller sling) has consistently been one of my most sweet and gentle spiders. I would be more likely to handle her than my old G rosea. I poorly named her the Dreaded pirate Queen Diabolita (after one of the most violent pirates in history the cuban pirate, the "Little Devil," Diabolito. I was about to post a photo as she just molted out glittering gold.... but apparently I cannot comment with photo. I also have a couple Phormictopus dominican purple slings.
My P. auratus were definitely oddballs when compared to my other Phormictopus species. They were always extra shy, and as adults, they are pretty laid back. Love the names! And I LOVE the Phormictopus sp. dominican purples. My two girls are still stunning. Thanks, Paige!
i love phormictopus very underrated
I agree completely!
Phormictopus are THE best large terrestrial genus imo. I have 3 cancerides females and 6 slings that I kept from my last breeding. Super fun to feed them, they have attitude from day one. One actually bit me hahaha. I also have P. cubensis and P. sp. "South Hispaniola."
You have a P. cubensis! I'm so jealous! hahaha That's awesome. And I agree COMPLETELY. Easily my favorite terrestrial genus.
I do :) I gotta get auratum soon. When I breed "South Hispaniola" I'll let you know :P
Lucky! hahahaha. Seriously, that one is at the top of my wishlist. :) What size are your "South Hispaniolas"?
I have a 2.1 They are at like 4" or so.
That Haitian brown looks exactly like what was sold to me as a rose hair, I've always questioned if it's a rose because pics of rose hairs all have way more hairs than mine, I've got a pic on my Instagram brandonmckinney2715
I'll check it out in a moment! Yeah, these guys get sold as "rose hairs" quite a bit. I would say that it's very possible. How large is yours?
I'd say 4" I dont know for sure because it's my first Tso iam guessing how they are measured, but I've been looking at every image of a rose hair an mine just looks more like a cancerides, I've come from breeding fish particularly hypancistrus species from amazon so iam used to things being mislabeled. Is there a way to differentiate the two grammastola vs phormictopus
My P. cancerides is absolutely vicious, one of my most aggressive spiders for sure. Sometimes it seems like it's looking for a fight.
Thank you!!!!!!!!
You're very welcome! :)
Tom Moran
I don’t know if it’s right, but my new phormictopus sp green femur 2.5 inch sling , is totally green.
Not brown or blue.
Really? At that size, mine were all bluish with some purple. I'll be VERY curious to hear what it looks like as it matures!
hopes it’s really an sp green femur
;-)
I’ll let you know....
(One thing that is certainly- she eats like a beast machine !!!)
Getting one
Congrats!
Love the Phormictopus genus. Such a shame with all the confusion in the genus :)
Easy care, Violent eaters and Stunning colors. They can all be recommended
Hello, Ludvig! I agree completely! They are just awesome spiders. Hopefully, some day soon the taxonomists will sort them all out. :) Thanks, bud!
Maybe they should call them Phormictopus Rainbow. Since they all have multi-colors as adults. If taxonomists cannot get their genus straight, how will keepers know which is which. They made have bred 2 different genus without knowing it.
Hello, Joyce! I agree...they come in almost every color. :) Sadly, I'm sure that there has been some accidental crossbreeding. :( Hopefully, this video will help others keep their species straight.
I admit, I know very little about the species and their genus. However there must be others like me who want to start keeping T's. How can they know when scholars and biologists are not sure. To me there is little difference between the auruta and the gold.
My P cancerides is quite handleable (if that's even a word). I've only gotten one or two threat poses from her, but she reacts pretty strongly to any kind of stimuli. She's fiery, but I doubt she'd ever bite me. I named her Voodoo. LOL
LOVE the name. One of my species purples is calm as can be. I actually thought about putting my hand out for her the other day while she was calmly exploring. My cancerides are also quite laid back. I use the word "handleable" too! haha Thanks, bud!
Thanks, man! Haiti is the land of voodoo, so I figured it would be a fitting name. LOL. Watch the movie The Serpent and the Rainbow if you've never seen it. It's all about Haitian voodoo and the process of zombification via pufferfish poison (tetrodotoxin). :)
I want to collect them all, damn you :((
Hahahaha. Sorry! lol