I’m just a few seconds into this video and I’m internally cheering! I keep telling people that you can usually get rid of the defensive behavior by setting them up properly and not catching them unaware and vulnerable. Right on, Tom. No wonder I adore you. Also, Gar is awesome, so I love that you collabed with him! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
This one was a long time coming, as it's difficult to address this topic without address where people get the idea that they can be kept this way... It drives me NUTS when people come on and tell me that a species is "crazy" or "nasty" or aggressive, when mine clearly are not. And why are they more calm? Because I give them room to dig. It drives Gar nuts, too, so this was an AWESOME topic for us to collaborate on. As always, Jodi, thanks so much!!! :)
People, Humans, H. sapiens ... surely ranking as one of the upmost intelligent creatures in this whole entire universe. Can be one of the most inconsiderate, least empathetic and totally naive virtue less species imaginable. The systematics are a complete fascination in their own right. To cage an animal, disrupt its habitat, move its enclosure around like on a roller coaster, bang it around like it's in an earthquake, poke the animal, prod the animal, and then hear a human state that the animal is aggressive towards humans, is actually a psychological shift of blame. Absolutely amazing.
I found a perfect container for this hobby, it's called a fermonster. They go up to 7 gallons, would be perfect for a big burrower, 12x21. I kind of like the whole idea of a tall, burrowing container, it's not a terrarium and it's different. The spider has a real hideout. Just, it's a lot of dirt to look at, but it gives the spider a good habitat. At least the top looks good.
Love the video Tom. Great info. I would have liked to have seen a little bit of info as to how to control mold in those enclosures. It seems no matter how hard I try I always end up with mold. I’ve started using springtails in my enclosures but sometimes they’re not enough. BTW love that you collaborated with Gar on this. Love his channel and his info and he’s the breeding master it seems. Wish him the best on his recovery. 🤓👍🏼
Hey, Alex! Thanks so much, bud! I've had some improvement with the springtails, but they don't stop everything. We get a yellow fungus/mushroom around here that pops of out of nowhere. It's harmless, but it drives me nuts. I'm going to have a buddy of mine on my podcast to talk about fungi, and I'm hoping to learn a lot from him. Also, there is supposedly a tea that you can add to the substrate that helps prevent it. I'll have to find out what that is! Thanks, bud!
Hi Tom! The Dark Den sent me over to your channel, great content. I think the mushroom you're talking about might be Leucocoprinus birnbaumii , or the Plant Pot Dapperling. They're fairly common and as the name suggests, prefer growing in moist top soil. I'm curious if that's your culprit? Thanks for the info and keep up the good work!
Great informative video. Along with yourself, Gar is one of the best people for husbandry advice. My E.Murinus is also pretty docile. She has nice deep substrate, plenty of room, and seems to be happy in her enclosure. The only aggression she ever shows is to her dinner
Couldn’t agree more! When I first got my C. lividus, I had her in a temporary cage (which unfortunately didn’t allow much room to dig) for 4 months, and she was CRAZY. But as soon as I re-housed her into a permanent enclosure (which gave her plenty of room to dig), she took to the hole I made for her, made a burrow, and I haven’t gotten any defensive behavior since! And when I catch her out, it’s simply thrilling. Great vid as always Tom! 👍
Thanks so much, Ted! The defensiveness can be so easy to prevent, but unfortunately some keepers see bad examples and set them up incorrectly. I hate when a tarantula gets a bad rep due to the wrong husbandry!
I enjoy seeing my pet rock spiders, but it's always thrilling to catch my OBT out roaming. Fortunately, even when she's hiding, I can usually see her a little because she dug her burrow right against the front of her house.
Totally agree! It's so exciting to catch my "pet holes" out of their burrows. And sometimes the burrows themselves are so interesting to observe. P.s. Your chilobrachys' legs 😍😍
My two favorite Tarantula keepers in the same video ! An awesome Sunday morning ! Thank you for the video Tom and Gar ! 🙏🏻 always learning with both of you 🥰
Thank you for sharing your encyclopaedic knowledge in a really easy to understand way. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to prepare these videos and it is greatly appreciated. Also nice to see a collaboration with Gar and nice to see him 2 ears.
Brilliant video Tom! Glad to see Gar as well! You both really know your stuff so I really appreciate your info. And wow! Those Ts are truly beautiful 💜 thanks again Tom
Both beautiful Ts in this one. I keep meaning to add E. murinus to my list and this was a good reminder. Thanks again for great info, Tom. I'm going to check out Gar's channel now.
Great video guys. And Tom its good to see you upload. I listen to your podcast every week, but it feels like it's been forever since I got to see your smiling face on UA-cam lol. But I know you are busy with work and it hasn't really been that long. The e.murinus is pretty high on my dream list, but I wasn't sure how to set up a fossorial enclosure. All I knew was lots of substrate. So this was really educational. Thanks to both of you for the work you put into this.
Ha! Thanks so much, Drew! I'm going to try to do my best to keep the videos coming weekly! His, E. murinus is just stunning! I'm so glad that you found this informative, Drew. Thanks again!
Hi Tom, Love the video! Lovely t that Gar showed us 👍. Don't think that you have a video on making your bedding. Might be a nice short video, one on how you mix the topsoil with the peat moss and vermiculite to get your mixture? Great job on showing how to make the fossorial enclosure properly with options at different sizes!!! One last idea is maybe for your next beginner series do a top 9 instead of 10. With a catch: top 3 arboreal, top 3 terrestrial, and top 3 fossorial species for beginners. I don't think that anyone else has tried it yet. And might be a good thing for someone who wants to choose a specific type. Keep up with the great work and videos. Love how you make your t's as comfortable as possible and not just make them do what you need them to do for a cool video. But work around what is best for the situation and safety for both you and them.
Hi, Michael! Here's and older video I did for mixing substrate. I can certainly do a newer one: ua-cam.com/video/j176cyhsi8I/v-deo.html And that's a great idea...thank you! I'm already deep into doing the new top 10 (compiled with viewer votes), but that's an excellent idea! Love it. Thanks so much!
I use a peat/loam mixture myself. It goes in wet and twice a year i will "flood" the tanks by putting them in a layer of water. The water seeps in the front vent and will wet the bottom layer again. Works like a champ!
Good video watching because, I picked up a juvenile H Gigas at a local shop for pretty cheap, it's about 2", and i needed this info it's my first old world. This is great thank you very much!!
This is a great video Tom! I got two C lividums at about 1.5" and now they're up to... idk 3? I never see em long enough! I made this post on your video when I got them - this advice and approach is 100% correct. The seller told me they were quick and aggressive during feeding, but he had them in 2" tall deli cups with 0.5" substrate. Of course they were pissed when he opened the container!! I rehoused with plenty of room to burrow and they went 6" down immediately. Much easier to feed and no anxiety for me when I open the lid. It's especially important for faster fossorials. Keep up the good work, and next round of stickers maybe consider a 10" sheet with multiple smaller T and your logo. I'm low on sticker free laptop space 😉👍
Thanks so much, bud! Yeah, that species is one of the most shy I have ever kept. And if you don't give them room to dig, they can definitely be nasty. I'd rather have them feel secure and not see them as much. And I'll definitely look into the sticker idea...thanks!
Tom, if I could request a video please. I would really like a detailed video of how you replace the mesh tops on the exxoterra stuff and this 5.5 gallon because I have the exact same one. Would be awesome if you could man! Great video as always!
You've got it, bud! I have another in my garage that I haven't done yet. I can definitely record it (minus the swearing. haha). I actually was going to record this one, but Billie wasn't home. haha. Thank you!
@@TomsBigSpiders no, thank you man! And we all swear at some point lol. I was swearing while trying to keep track of a C. Sp hati hati sling just the other day. Your videos give me encouragement and ideas that have helped me a ton!
Hey Tom, first off I wanted to say thank you for your content. I've been following you for a couple years and everything you put out was a huge influence on my entry to the hobby (I just got my first T, a B. albiceps, a little bit ago). So, I was wondering, besides E. murinus what other new world species are fossorial? I don't know why, but the fossorial behaviors are really fascinating to me and I wanted to see what was out there for when I feel like I'm ready for another spider.
Another pro with packing down the sub is that the moisture remains much longer in the sub. It one have a enclosure with 8 inch wellpacket sub, the moisture stays for month at the lower layers before one need to add mire moisture
@@TomsBigSpiders yes it does. I usally only use organic peat cos ut is very cheap here. 50 litres for about 4 dollars, or even cheaper if you buu a much bigger sack. In enclosure with 8 inch well compressed peat the moisture stays for month. The surface can be dry, but liwer levels are moist
My H. Gigas is really quite nice unless you are a roach. I have her in a ten gallon aquarium with about 8 inches of coco fiber and top soil mix, with some sphagnum moss mixed in. She mostly hides and has an elaborate tunnel system, but it is neat every few months accidently catching her out
Actually i keep a Phormictopus atrichomatus subadult male in a tank with 8 inch substrate. It behaves like a Haplopelma in the way that it dug a Haplopelma style burrow with a turret! It is still defenssive when out of the burrow, slapping sometimes. But mostly it is diwn in its burrow. But that it has dug a Haplo style burrow i am amazed at!
When talking about tarantulas, I use "Defensiveness" to describe defensive behavior. The more defensive, the more likely they are to stand their ground instead of retreating. I use "Aggressiveness" to describe feeding responses, which is a relative term as well. I would NEVER grab a bolus, or adjust the water dish, with my hand in- say an A geniculata enclosure. They attack the water as I'm filling the bowl.
I agree completely, Dan. Aggressive insinuates that they are looking for trouble and that there is nothing that the keeper can do to prevent the behavior. When you realized that they feel threatened and are just trying to defend themselves, it give more power to the keeper to keep them calm.
That skeleton was a true beauty!! My favorite sp of t hands down!! I have a fem myself shes 3in, i got her as a 1/4 sling! 😍 thank you so much for this video i was really struggling trying to find the perfect substrate height for her.. now to get my cobalt blue an obt slings set straight ill be golden lol
Hey Tom, sorry to keep bumping older videos but i love revisiting specific species and general care videos like this when placing an order (or even prepping for a rehouse) to brush up on the husbandry for my incoming additions and to remind myself of any potential changes to care as they grow out of the sling stage. I have 4 Chilobrachys species, an H. gigas, a C. sp hati hati, and an H. sp black femur on order. I'm really glad that you like the cereal boxes because, before seeing this video, I had ordered a case off amazon to potentially use for arboreals and then ordered a couple more cases thinking they would be good for fossorials as well. I was a little concerned about the milkiness of them so its good to know that you like them and also use them. Have you tried using them for arboreal juveniles?
Hello, James! No problem at all...I really do not mind! Yeah, I really like those cereal enclosures, and they work great for the fossorials and arboreals. Yes, they work well for arboreal juveniles as well!
Before moving up to the glass terrariums and past dram vials I like to use acrylic "display cases" made for displaying figurines or sports memorabilia. Check Amazon, TopPro makes taller (~8"H x ~4"W) cases I use for my juvenile arboreal and fossorial species. Terrestrial I use a 5"x5" cube, not sure of the brand, but also clear acrylic. Much cheaper than buying an enclosure marked up for the specificity of tarantula housing. Punch your own holes, of course.
Gotta use a good mixture of substrates to hold that moisture too. Verm, coco, peat, sphag, all that. Cyratogyrus darlingi is one of my reclusive, for the species, old world fossorial specimens that loves to hang out top side and never gives me any issue defensively.
I'm working on a rehousing video for my C. darlingi soon. I've got everything ready to go...I just need to do the actually rehousing. haha Thanks again!
I have an H. Gigas and a King Baboon, sorry can’t remember scientific name right now, that have both made awesome burrows and are typically calm, feed great, and come out when I feed so I can see them. The King Baboon is slightly defensive as it has given me a threat pose when I first got her and she is a little more defensive even now with her burrow, but generally if I don’t mess around she grabs her food and goes back in. My H. Gigas is a total sweet heart, popping up to feed doing some happy dances and going back into the burrow. Although my Chilobrachys Guangxiensis is a total spaz ball and hasn’t burrowed at all yet, she gets totally freaked out when I open the enclosure, but doesn’t threat pose, just bolts all over the place
Sounds like you have quite the assortment of personalities there! haha It's funny, as I have an H. gigas that is a total puppy as well. She does the same thing! haha
Tom my brother, yet another excellent video! Very excited to see the Chilobrachys sp electric blue! One of my absolute favorites to keep. I had one question / request. Do you or will you possibly make a video showing how to replace mesh with the plastic top? Not sure if you have already done so but last time I did it I screwed it up lol. Looking forward to the next video! Good stuff as always 🤘🏻🕷
Abe! How's it going, bud? I was literally JUST telling Billie last night that I have to do a video on replacing the screens. I just bought a new exo terra 8" x 8" nano, and I'm going to do it with that and with one of the Zilla ones in this video. I can definitely do that. :) Thanks again!
I’ve been doing good thanks! Hope all is well with you. Ha that’s funny, I suppose great minds do think alike 😂. Awesome, can’t wait to see it! These videos are so informative and helpful to the community. Thanks again Tom, til next time! 🤘🏻🕷
Oh, also, I found some good enclosure for fossorial spiders. There's a brand of enclosures called Reptizoo on Amazon. Most of their stuff is overpriced, but they have an 8×8×8 and 12×12×12 enclosure, that has a sliding/locking lid. They ship flat, and are not waterproof, but they're $55, which isn't bad for a glass enclosure (with shipping, if you have prime). They have furniture feet, which I think you said you like. I have an Ephebopus murinus in one (12×12×12), and it looks great.
Hi, Dan! I actually have a couple of those (I have the 12 x 12 x 12 ones). I have a centiped in one of them, and I'm trying to decide which digger will get the other. Great suggestion!
@@TomsBigSpiders I'm still too nervous to get a centipede. They are super fast, and the grabbing things with all those legs creeps me out. I was hesitant to try those Reptizoo, because they have very mixed reviews. But I grabbed two of them, and figured if the were horrible, I could use them for plants at least. I was surprised, they are pretty good.
thx again for amazing videos to both of you :) you nailed my point :) I always said if u give a C. lividus enough substrait you will NEVER have any problems, I never had any problems with either of my Chilobrachys or my C. lividus or my P. muticus. they just dart to their burrows when I need to maintain their homes :) Never felt "in risk zone" feel more safe around them than fx my B. vagans that just stands their and I always wonder "what is it thinking about? is it gonna rush me or what!?" lol
Yup, I absolutely agree. If you give them room to dig, they'll create burrows that they can run to when disturbed. Hahahaha I feel the same way about some of the New Worlds. I have no idea what they have planned. haha Thanks!
Hey Tom, are there any old worlds that are considered 'terrestrial'? So far I have referred to all of them as either 'arboreal' (like pokies) or 'fossorial' (chilobrachys, P. muticus etc.). The closest thing I have heard to terrestrial is P. murinus being 'semi-arboreal', similar to the C. cyanopubescens. Are there any truly terrestrial Old worlds? Btw, love your podcast!
It's funny, as I'm working on a video about old worlds, and I was just trying think of one that was terrestrial. I couldn't think of any! I've had ones that adapt to a more terrestrial lifestyle, like my Harpactira pulchripes, but they are usually considered fossorial. Some will not dig even though they normally would in the wild, and we end up with a spider that lives terrestrially with lots of webbing. I've seen this with the P. murinus and the C. darlingi. So, I think that most are naturally programmed to be fossorial, but they can sometimes choose to adapt to a more terrestrial lifestyle. And thanks so much !
Your Videos are allways right on time Tom. :-) One Question arises. How do you keep the bottom levels moist? I`m researching for my c.fimbriatus juvie`s final enclosure.
Thanks so much, Tobi! When I pour the water in, I tilt the enclosure and let it filter down between the glass/plastic and the substrate. That way, it doesn't puddle on the top, but instead sinks down to the bottom.
As far as it goes for surface area would they need more surface area or are the narrow deep containers okay as well. I’ve been stuck on making sure they’re in a big enough enclosure so they have enough burrowing room and also enough room if they want to be out on top as well
Hi, Brittaney! Ideally, they should have enough room to properly burrow AND enough room above the substrate in case they want to web. Giving them some surface area as well wouldn't hurt.
Hi Tom I have to say thanks to you for this awesome video I'm very happy you did this video 👍👍 I keep a lot of fossorial ts and I see a lot of them being kept totally inappropriate to what they require which i believe causes a lot more defensive behaviour my girls are mostly adults and i use topsoil peat moss and vermiculite 10 inches in depth i very rarely see them but like you said when i do its awesome but I know their happy so that's all that matters 👌👌 and wow gars e murinus is a real beauty I'm already subscribed to gar hes an awesome bloke great knowledge aswell like yourself and I think your accent cool I have a northern accent which is awful😂😂 I love gars Welsh accent 👍👍 again a great much needed video Tom 👌👌👍👍👍😊
Thanks so much, Sam! Yup, it drives me nuts when people set them up wrong and then complain about defensiveness. So much of that could be eliminated by giving them some depth to dig in. And thanks so much! Hahaha. I was just recording a voice over for a video the other day, and I was thinking, "Man, this would sound so much cooler with a British accent." hahaha
I have one I named it Mr. Skelly but I don't know if it is a Male or female. I have Hobby Lobbies football helmet acrylic. And it has 7 or 8 inches of substrate. My T has dug quite a burrow and it is not defensive at all. So it is just confirmation on what you and Gar have said. You guys are fantastic and you should do more of these because you guys are very similar. This is why I enjoy both of your channels. Take care Tom and Gar.
Hey Tom, quick question if I may. I have a large Juvenile Chilobrachys sp kaeng krachen that has recently molted but, because it molted deep in its burrow, I can't quite pinpoint the day it molted. It did disappear for a good while (close to 3 weeks) and has recently emerged from its burrow much larger and darker. My issue is, because I don't know when it molted, I don't know exactly when it's safe to feed and wondered is there a way to know with fossorials when you try feeding after a molt when you can't be sure how long has passed. Thanks once again dude Lee
Hello! Generally speaking, once they open their burrows and either throw our their molts or hang out at the mouths they are ready to eat. If you're not sure, you can always drop a prekilled item at the top of its burrow and see if it disappears. If it does, it's ready to go!
Hello, I was wondering, I mix my substrate (coco fiber and topsoil) at varying ratio's, most of the time closer to 50 50, but I always premix and moisten all the substrate in the process, is this worse than adding it in, adding water in layers as you did here? I add the coco fiber first, then the water, then mix it up by hand, then add the topsoil and shake the container to mix if possible, and then mix by hand again while picking out any debris from the topsoil that may have made it in (small chunks of bark or sticks at most). I didn't think it would make much of a difference. The first time I mixed them and did not add the water, I did find it difficult to get water to soak in (Thankfully was only rehousing brachy's who like it dry anyway)
You can absolutely mix it moist. I've done that before as well. I just have a lot of arid species, so sometimes I keep it dry and add water when I'm ready to use it. Sometimes, I have to rehydrate the coco bricks, so it's already moist when I mix it up.
burrow spiders maybe are better for people who have other spiders too if you only have one or a few you probably want to be able to watch them as much as possible. but some of my favourite spiders like to burrow esp Ceratogyruses which even tho they dig theyre out and about quite a lot, Augacephalus ezendami, Chilobrachys fimbriatus and dyscolus and spiders who just like to be awkward like Cyriopagopus sp HatiHati which is supposed to be arboreal but spends all its time underground and never ever climbs hmmm 😶
That's an excellent point! They DO take some patience, as you won't see them very often if you keep them correctly. I catch my Ceratogyruses out quite a bit as well. Hahaha. My L. violaceopes is currently about 7", and she still burrows, too. :)
I replace all of the mesh on mine, so I don't have the issue. It's not so much the chewing but that the terrestrials can get their toe claws caught in them. I've had it happen in the past.
How about a top 10 video of the best fossorial tarantulas? I was looking for a video about fossorials but couldn't find anything. Still a nice informative video, thanks for that :)
I could definitely do one on the fossorial species that I've kept. I don't know if it will be a top 10, because whose to say which are better, but I can share what I have! :) Thanks!
@@TomsBigSpiders Thank you for the answer. I totally get it that its not really a better/ worse thing, and it doesn't have to be a top xx, but rather a short list of species that actually are fossorial because there are a lot of conflicting information on the internet ( heck, the google list of fossorials tries to tell me my p.metallica is fossorial...) and I bet it would help other people to pick a tarantula. I actually did some research the last few days and ended up picking a chilobrachys sp. electric blue sling from my local tarantula dealer, was a steal at 19 euros and now im hunting for a cyriopagopus sp.emerald green :). Btw. While youre at it you can make it a trilogy with arboreal and terrestrial species if its not too much input. Greetings and keep up the good work
I’m very new to the world of keeping Ts and am very interested in trying to get my first one and I was wondering if you had any advice on what fossorial species would be good for a beginner
I've used drainage layers in a couple enclosures to try them out. I didn't want to try it with a fossorial, as they would easily rip through the screen and make a mess of it.
HI, does "Predator or Prey Online" have a web page ro chanel online ??? thanks a lot for the info I been lloking a lot of your video on the last month, well done !!!! thanks
If only my E. murinus wanted to come out more. Most of what I can see are legs sticking out of entrance to the burrow. I've been wondering, how do you manage iffy eaters that burrow deep? I imagine sometimes they might just refuse to eat even if left alone. And prey item could already be deep in the burrow...
Yeah, they can be quite secretive. I've found that they usually won't leave prey in their burrows. If they kill something that they don't want to eat, they usually drag it outside. If you're ever not sure if it's in the eating mood, you can always drop something prekilled at the burrow entrance at night. If it's gone the next day, it's still eating.
great job trying to get proper care for these species out there, with your exposure hopefully people will find your explanations more easily than it would be to have to dig through forums (though admittedly still easy lol some can't be bothered though)
Hey man maybe you mentioned this and I just missed it but what are some good fossorial species good for a beginner, i like the idea of watching my spider burrow and move the substrate around
@@TomsBigSpiders - so maybe a terrestrial would be a better choice for me for my first and get a fossorial as a second one once I’ve gotten some experience as a keeper.
Yea I totally agree, my P. Murinus is totally chill like my H. Pulchripes, cause it has the opportunity to do whatever it wants in its home, it made an elaborate borrow and is out quite often. My H. Pulchripes though is always in its den and I never ever see her. Maybe when she gets bigger she will be in and out 🤷🏻♂️ time will tell.
Yup, it seems that if you let them dig, the E. murinus are usually fairly laid back. As for the H. pulchripes, mine all eventually abandoned their burrows. Hopefully, yours will start hanging out on top more. Thanks!
I did a mix of top soil and coco fiber for my fossorial species. It works great but please tell me how to get rid of the fungus gnats. They are driving me crazy!
Hi, Tracy! The only way I was able to get rid of those annoying things was by using predatory mites. They ripped through all of my enclosures, and I had no more gnats after that!
At first, I thought you said, P. murinus. But then, you start talking about burrowing, a P. murinus... I'm thinking about it....then, I think it's E. murinus.... yes burrower...OK. Then I'm thinking about just how many 27 quart fossorial species I can house.... I guess it's all stackable.... 🤣🤣😁😁
100% spot on with aggressive vs. defensive. I feel like the term 'aggressive' also comes with some negative connotations, and it helps when educating people who are already scared of the spider in the first place. I Love those sterilite containers as enclosures. Milky, sure. But a great size with good locks. I actually have still been finding a lot of them in Walmart. Wasn't sure if that's where you may have gotten them before, but may help if you are running short! Haha Also, follow up to an earlier conversation. So Dark Souls, yes. Sekiro, yes. Have you played some of the 2D games that are Souls-like? First one that comes to mind is Hollow Knight or maybe Salt & Sanctuary. Blasphemous I guess just released on the Nintendo Switch (out on other stuff already), and looks like a Souls/Metroidvania game. Didn't know if you played any of them, but if you haven't, they're really great as well! Ha Also thanks for the great information! :)
I agree completely. And some UA-camrs use the term "aggressive" to sensationalize their videos to get views. I hate that, especially when it's obvious that the individual isn't keeping them correctly. Yeah, I know some folks dislike the Sterilites, but they work great for tarantula enclosures. Although I'm setting up some prettier enclosures now, I used them for YEARS, and still use some. I absolutely LOVED Salt & Sanctuary. I played that one a few times. I have not tried Hollow Knight, but I'll check it out in a moment. Thanks for the rec! The last Metroidvania game I played was Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. I absolutely loved it.
BAhahahaha. The ghost channel thing came out of an earlier video where there was some dust and a bunch of people freaked out because they thought that it was ghost orbs. haha
@@TomsBigSpiders Yeah your new(ish) bioactive enclosures are really beautiful to look at. Definitely life goals right there. It's sad to see the videos with someone on UA-cam provoking their tarantula and trying to make it seem like it's this big scary thing they are brave enough to keep. Hollow Knight will serve you well! I've been meaning to pick up Bloodstained, I had heard good things.
Tom Moran v good! :) how slower are aphonopelma species’ growth compared to brachypelma? Am i close enough to say that brachypelma grow twice faster than aphonopelma species? Where do you get them from btw?
@@TomsBigSpiders I'm just so excited for it to make me even better at keeping Ts. I like to think I built up some good habits with NWs, but that'll be tested working with this one. Plus, it's with one of the hobby's crown jewels.
Does it bug you that so many people watch your videos and leave comments but only a handful give you a like. Not sure why this happens. If you get 10% of your viewers to like your video you are averaging. I love your videos. I let others know.
Hi, Joyce! Not really. I mean, it would be nice if more people did it, but I don't let those things bother me. I DO, however, truly appreciate anyone who takes the time to comment and who give me a like. That means a lot. So, as always, thank you!!!
I’m just a few seconds into this video and I’m internally cheering! I keep telling people that you can usually get rid of the defensive behavior by setting them up properly and not catching them unaware and vulnerable. Right on, Tom. No wonder I adore you.
Also, Gar is awesome, so I love that you collabed with him! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
This one was a long time coming, as it's difficult to address this topic without address where people get the idea that they can be kept this way... It drives me NUTS when people come on and tell me that a species is "crazy" or "nasty" or aggressive, when mine clearly are not. And why are they more calm? Because I give them room to dig. It drives Gar nuts, too, so this was an AWESOME topic for us to collaborate on. As always, Jodi, thanks so much!!! :)
People, Humans, H. sapiens ... surely ranking as one of the upmost intelligent creatures in this whole entire universe.
Can be one of the most inconsiderate, least empathetic and totally naive virtue less species imaginable.
The systematics are a complete fascination in their own right.
To cage an animal, disrupt its habitat, move its enclosure around like on a roller coaster, bang it around like it's in an earthquake, poke the animal, prod the animal, and then hear a human state that the animal is aggressive towards humans, is actually a psychological shift of blame.
Absolutely amazing.
I found a perfect container for this hobby, it's called a fermonster. They go up to 7 gallons, would be perfect for a big burrower, 12x21. I kind of like the whole idea of a tall, burrowing container, it's not a terrarium and it's different. The spider has a real hideout. Just, it's a lot of dirt to look at, but it gives the spider a good habitat. At least the top looks good.
Do you have a link to that? I would love to check it out!
Love the video Tom. Great info. I would have liked to have seen a little bit of info as to how to control mold in those enclosures. It seems no matter how hard I try I always end up with mold. I’ve started using springtails in my enclosures but sometimes they’re not enough.
BTW love that you collaborated with Gar on this. Love his channel and his info and he’s the breeding master it seems. Wish him the best on his recovery. 🤓👍🏼
Springtails and ventilation... that's the key. I switched all my fossorials to haplotanks for it.
Hey, Alex! Thanks so much, bud! I've had some improvement with the springtails, but they don't stop everything. We get a yellow fungus/mushroom around here that pops of out of nowhere. It's harmless, but it drives me nuts. I'm going to have a buddy of mine on my podcast to talk about fungi, and I'm hoping to learn a lot from him. Also, there is supposedly a tea that you can add to the substrate that helps prevent it. I'll have to find out what that is! Thanks, bud!
Hi Tom! The Dark Den sent me over to your channel, great content. I think the mushroom you're talking about might be Leucocoprinus birnbaumii , or the Plant Pot Dapperling. They're fairly common and as the name suggests, prefer growing in moist top soil. I'm curious if that's your culprit?
Thanks for the info and keep up the good work!
Great informative video. Along with yourself, Gar is one of the best people for husbandry advice. My E.Murinus is also pretty docile. She has nice deep substrate, plenty of room, and seems to be happy in her enclosure. The only aggression she ever shows is to her dinner
Gar is awesome...I'm glad that I got to work with him! And that sounds like mine as well! Thanks!
This was a very helpful video, I wasn't sure if I was keeping my E.murinus properly but now I know it's fine so thanks Tom and gar for this
Thanks so much, Robbie!
@@TomsBigSpiders not a problem Tom, I hope one day I get to do a collaboration video with you
Spider looks like it's all ready for Halloween with it's skeleton costume..
It really does!
What a beautiful, E. Murinus. I neeed to get me one of those. Cool video, great info as always Tom!
I'm SO jealous of her! hahaha. She's gorgeous. Thanks!
Couldn’t agree more! When I first got my C. lividus, I had her in a temporary cage (which unfortunately didn’t allow much room to dig) for 4 months, and she was CRAZY. But as soon as I re-housed her into a permanent enclosure (which gave her plenty of room to dig), she took to the hole I made for her, made a burrow, and I haven’t gotten any defensive behavior since! And when I catch her out, it’s simply thrilling. Great vid as always Tom! 👍
Thanks so much, Ted! The defensiveness can be so easy to prevent, but unfortunately some keepers see bad examples and set them up incorrectly. I hate when a tarantula gets a bad rep due to the wrong husbandry!
I totally agree with you. If they have deep sub and their burrows they are much less defenssive!
Exactly! Thanks so much, bud!
Awesome!!! 👍💯 love my fossorials!! They are some master builders!! Thanks again Tom and Gar!!
Thanks so much, Antonio!
I enjoy seeing my pet rock spiders, but it's always thrilling to catch my OBT out roaming. Fortunately, even when she's hiding, I can usually see her a little because she dug her burrow right against the front of her house.
Hi, Bobbi! I know exactly what you're saying. My OBT is the same way. haha
Totally agree! It's so exciting to catch my "pet holes" out of their burrows. And sometimes the burrows themselves are so interesting to observe.
P.s. Your chilobrachys' legs 😍😍
Right? When you DO catch them out, it's an event! And you're absolutely right...the burrows are awesome as well. Thanks!
Another extremely helpful video thanks Tom!
I hope you are healing up nicely Gar xxx
Thanks, Helen!
My two favorite Tarantula keepers in the same video ! An awesome Sunday morning ! Thank you for the video Tom and Gar ! 🙏🏻 always learning with both of you 🥰
Man, thanks so much! I was so glad Gar worked with me on this. The dude ROCKS.
Thank you for sharing your encyclopaedic knowledge in a really easy to understand way. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to prepare these videos and it is greatly appreciated. Also nice to see a collaboration with Gar and nice to see him 2 ears.
Hahahahahaha! One eared Gar would have definitely added a little spice to this video! haha Thanks, Cliff.
Brilliant video Tom! Glad to see Gar as well! You both really know your stuff so I really appreciate your info. And wow! Those Ts are truly beautiful 💜 thanks again Tom
I'm so glad that Gar and I got to do this one. I'm sure that we'll do something again in the future. Thanks, Sian!
Great video, this is a must for beginners, so hard to decide on fossorial setups and great to see all the containers out together.
Thank you! I've had a lot of folks ask what to use, so I was hoping that this would help.
Both beautiful Ts in this one. I keep meaning to add E. murinus to my list and this was a good reminder.
Thanks again for great info, Tom. I'm going to check out Gar's channel now.
Thanks so much, Dan! And Gar's like my UK counterpart. haha. He knows his stuff. :)
Love your channel Tom! Greets from Amsterdam and keep m coming!
Thanks so much, Erik!
Great video guys. And Tom its good to see you upload. I listen to your podcast every week, but it feels like it's been forever since I got to see your smiling face on UA-cam lol. But I know you are busy with work and it hasn't really been that long.
The e.murinus is pretty high on my dream list, but I wasn't sure how to set up a fossorial enclosure. All I knew was lots of substrate. So this was really educational.
Thanks to both of you for the work you put into this.
Ha! Thanks so much, Drew! I'm going to try to do my best to keep the videos coming weekly!
His, E. murinus is just stunning!
I'm so glad that you found this informative, Drew. Thanks again!
Hi Tom,
Love the video! Lovely t that Gar showed us 👍.
Don't think that you have a video on making your bedding. Might be a nice short video, one on how you mix the topsoil with the peat moss and vermiculite to get your mixture?
Great job on showing how to make the fossorial enclosure properly with options at different sizes!!!
One last idea is maybe for your next beginner series do a top 9 instead of 10. With a catch: top 3 arboreal, top 3 terrestrial, and top 3 fossorial species for beginners.
I don't think that anyone else has tried it yet. And might be a good thing for someone who wants to choose a specific type.
Keep up with the great work and videos. Love how you make your t's as comfortable as possible and not just make them do what you need them to do for a cool video. But work around what is best for the situation and safety for both you and them.
Hi, Michael! Here's and older video I did for mixing substrate. I can certainly do a newer one: ua-cam.com/video/j176cyhsi8I/v-deo.html
And that's a great idea...thank you! I'm already deep into doing the new top 10 (compiled with viewer votes), but that's an excellent idea! Love it.
Thanks so much!
I use a peat/loam mixture myself. It goes in wet and twice a year i will "flood" the tanks by putting them in a layer of water. The water seeps in the front vent and will wet the bottom layer again. Works like a champ!
What a great idea. Thanks, Ferdy.
Good video watching because, I picked up a juvenile H Gigas at a local shop for pretty cheap, it's about 2", and i needed this info it's my first old world. This is great thank you very much!!
Hey, Gunner! Congrats on your H. gigas. I'm so glad that this was helpful!
Fantastic video Tom.
Thank you, Dave!
Great video. I don't currently have any fossorials but if I ever get one I'll be sure to use the advice you provided in this video!
Thank you, Vicki! :)
This is a great video Tom! I got two C lividums at about 1.5" and now they're up to... idk 3? I never see em long enough! I made this post on your video when I got them - this advice and approach is 100% correct. The seller told me they were quick and aggressive during feeding, but he had them in 2" tall deli cups with 0.5" substrate. Of course they were pissed when he opened the container!! I rehoused with plenty of room to burrow and they went 6" down immediately. Much easier to feed and no anxiety for me when I open the lid. It's especially important for faster fossorials. Keep up the good work, and next round of stickers maybe consider a 10" sheet with multiple smaller T and your logo. I'm low on sticker free laptop space 😉👍
Thanks so much, bud! Yeah, that species is one of the most shy I have ever kept. And if you don't give them room to dig, they can definitely be nasty. I'd rather have them feel secure and not see them as much. And I'll definitely look into the sticker idea...thanks!
Tom, if I could request a video please. I would really like a detailed video of how you replace the mesh tops on the exxoterra stuff and this 5.5 gallon because I have the exact same one. Would be awesome if you could man! Great video as always!
You've got it, bud! I have another in my garage that I haven't done yet. I can definitely record it (minus the swearing. haha). I actually was going to record this one, but Billie wasn't home. haha. Thank you!
@@TomsBigSpiders no, thank you man! And we all swear at some point lol. I was swearing while trying to keep track of a C. Sp hati hati sling just the other day. Your videos give me encouragement and ideas that have helped me a ton!
Hahaha. Glad that it went well!
Thanks Tom. This video answered many questions
I'm so glad that it was helpful!
Fab video Tom, nice to see Gar too 👍🏼
Thank you! I'm so glad that he worked with me on this one. :)
Hey Tom, first off I wanted to say thank you for your content. I've been following you for a couple years and everything you put out was a huge influence on my entry to the hobby (I just got my first T, a B. albiceps, a little bit ago). So, I was wondering, besides E. murinus what other new world species are fossorial? I don't know why, but the fossorial behaviors are really fascinating to me and I wanted to see what was out there for when I feel like I'm ready for another spider.
Brilliant video, huge fan of Predatororprey well done to you both here
Thank so much! I'm glad that Gar and I were able to work together!
Another pro with packing down the sub is that the moisture remains much longer in the sub. It one have a enclosure with 8 inch wellpacket sub, the moisture stays for month at the lower layers before one need to add mire moisture
GREAT point. When you leave it fluffy, it dries out much faster. :)
@@TomsBigSpiders yes it does. I usally only use organic peat cos ut is very cheap here. 50 litres for about 4 dollars, or even cheaper if you buu a much bigger sack. In enclosure with 8 inch well compressed peat the moisture stays for month. The surface can be dry, but liwer levels are moist
Awesome video as always. I got 2 of my favourite youtubers for the price of one!
Thanks for sharing 😊
Awwww...thanks! I'm glad that Gar worked with me on this!
what a specimen of that e. murinus! incredible contrast after the molt
I know, right? I'm jealous. haha
My H. Gigas is really quite nice unless you are a roach. I have her in a ten gallon aquarium with about 8 inches of coco fiber and top soil mix, with some sphagnum moss mixed in. She mostly hides and has an elaborate tunnel system, but it is neat every few months accidently catching her out
Ha! That's awesome Jon! It really is a treat when you catch them out. :)
Actually i keep a Phormictopus atrichomatus subadult male in a tank with 8 inch substrate. It behaves like a Haplopelma in the way that it dug a Haplopelma style burrow with a turret! It is still defenssive when out of the burrow, slapping sometimes. But mostly it is diwn in its burrow. But that it has dug a Haplo style burrow i am amazed at!
That's absolutely amazing...wow! Mine abandoned their burrows around 4" or so. That is really cool behavior from that species!
Nailed it. Well put. Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much!
When talking about tarantulas, I use "Defensiveness" to describe defensive behavior. The more defensive, the more likely they are to stand their ground instead of retreating. I use "Aggressiveness" to describe feeding responses, which is a relative term as well. I would NEVER grab a bolus, or adjust the water dish, with my hand in- say an A geniculata enclosure. They attack the water as I'm filling the bowl.
I agree completely, Dan. Aggressive insinuates that they are looking for trouble and that there is nothing that the keeper can do to prevent the behavior. When you realized that they feel threatened and are just trying to defend themselves, it give more power to the keeper to keep them calm.
This was super informative, .thank you.
Thanks so much! :)
Cool, i actually caught my C Lividus / Cobalt Blue out just yesterday, it was awesome☺️
Thanks, Christian! And that's awesome!
Love it! Great vid ma man!
Thanks, Justine!
Yup Gar is 👍💯 hope he recovers well !!
Great info!!! I totally agree with every thing you said. Tyfs God bless you
Hi, Debbie! Thanks so much!
Awesome stuff! Thanks man!
Thanks, Dan!
That skeleton was a true beauty!! My favorite sp of t hands down!! I have a fem myself shes 3in, i got her as a 1/4 sling! 😍 thank you so much for this video i was really struggling trying to find the perfect substrate height for her.. now to get my cobalt blue an obt slings set straight ill be golden lol
Wasn't she stunning? I'm so jealous of Gar! :) I'm glad that we could help! Thanks, Kayla!
Hey Tom, sorry to keep bumping older videos but i love revisiting specific species and general care videos like this when placing an order (or even prepping for a rehouse) to brush up on the husbandry for my incoming additions and to remind myself of any potential changes to care as they grow out of the sling stage. I have 4 Chilobrachys species, an H. gigas, a C. sp hati hati, and an H. sp black femur on order. I'm really glad that you like the cereal boxes because, before seeing this video, I had ordered a case off amazon to potentially use for arboreals and then ordered a couple more cases thinking they would be good for fossorials as well. I was a little concerned about the milkiness of them so its good to know that you like them and also use them. Have you tried using them for arboreal juveniles?
Hello, James! No problem at all...I really do not mind! Yeah, I really like those cereal enclosures, and they work great for the fossorials and arboreals. Yes, they work well for arboreal juveniles as well!
Before moving up to the glass terrariums and past dram vials I like to use acrylic "display cases" made for displaying figurines or sports memorabilia. Check Amazon, TopPro makes taller (~8"H x ~4"W) cases I use for my juvenile arboreal and fossorial species. Terrestrial I use a 5"x5" cube, not sure of the brand, but also clear acrylic. Much cheaper than buying an enclosure marked up for the specificity of tarantula housing. Punch your own holes, of course.
Gotta use a good mixture of substrates to hold that moisture too. Verm, coco, peat, sphag, all that. Cyratogyrus darlingi is one of my reclusive, for the species, old world fossorial specimens that loves to hang out top side and never gives me any issue defensively.
I actually have a bunch of them coming as well. I just keep trying out new types of enclosures. haha I will definitely check those out. Thank you!
I'm working on a rehousing video for my C. darlingi soon. I've got everything ready to go...I just need to do the actually rehousing. haha Thanks again!
Very much enjoyed this! I'm glad you worked with Gar!
Hey, bud! Thanks so much!
Great video !!
Thank you!
I have an H. Gigas and a King Baboon, sorry can’t remember scientific name right now, that have both made awesome burrows and are typically calm, feed great, and come out when I feed so I can see them. The King Baboon is slightly defensive as it has given me a threat pose when I first got her and she is a little more defensive even now with her burrow, but generally if I don’t mess around she grabs her food and goes back in. My H. Gigas is a total sweet heart, popping up to feed doing some happy dances and going back into the burrow. Although my Chilobrachys Guangxiensis is a total spaz ball and hasn’t burrowed at all yet, she gets totally freaked out when I open the enclosure, but doesn’t threat pose, just bolts all over the place
Sounds like you have quite the assortment of personalities there! haha It's funny, as I have an H. gigas that is a total puppy as well. She does the same thing! haha
Tom my brother, yet another excellent video! Very excited to see the Chilobrachys sp electric blue! One of my absolute favorites to keep. I had one question / request. Do you or will you possibly make a video showing how to replace mesh with the plastic top? Not sure if you have already done so but last time I did it I screwed it up lol. Looking forward to the next video! Good stuff as always 🤘🏻🕷
Also side note, none of my chilobrachys have been defensive as well. I can attest to keeping them proper yields a happier less defensive spider.
Abe! How's it going, bud? I was literally JUST telling Billie last night that I have to do a video on replacing the screens. I just bought a new exo terra 8" x 8" nano, and I'm going to do it with that and with one of the Zilla ones in this video. I can definitely do that. :) Thanks again!
Mine are all quite shy and will bolt to their dens if disturbed. I've found they aren't too bad if given the room to dig. Thanks, bud!
I’ve been doing good thanks! Hope all is well with you. Ha that’s funny, I suppose great minds do think alike 😂. Awesome, can’t wait to see it! These videos are so informative and helpful to the community. Thanks again Tom, til next time! 🤘🏻🕷
Great video as usual Tom! Da iawn Gar! ;)
Thanks, Al!
Two of the best together!! Awesome. Considering an E. Murinus as my next T..I think Gar just sealed it, lol.
Thanks so much! I'm so glad that Gar and I could do this. :)
Fangman 240 I absolutely love my E. murinus, definitely get one at some point! You won’t regret it!
Oh, also, I found some good enclosure for fossorial spiders. There's a brand of enclosures called Reptizoo on Amazon. Most of their stuff is overpriced, but they have an 8×8×8 and 12×12×12 enclosure, that has a sliding/locking lid. They ship flat, and are not waterproof, but they're $55, which isn't bad for a glass enclosure (with shipping, if you have prime). They have furniture feet, which I think you said you like. I have an Ephebopus murinus in one (12×12×12), and it looks great.
Hi, Dan! I actually have a couple of those (I have the 12 x 12 x 12 ones). I have a centiped in one of them, and I'm trying to decide which digger will get the other. Great suggestion!
@@TomsBigSpiders I'm still too nervous to get a centipede. They are super fast, and the grabbing things with all those legs creeps me out. I was hesitant to try those Reptizoo, because they have very mixed reviews. But I grabbed two of them, and figured if the were horrible, I could use them for plants at least. I was surprised, they are pretty good.
@@TomsBigSpiders I'm planning to get more when my other Ephebopus species are bigger. I have all a MF Murinus, but the others are still slings.
Great Video
Thank you, Channy!
Great video
Thanks, bud!
thx again for amazing videos to both of you :) you nailed my point :) I always said if u give a C. lividus enough substrait you will NEVER have any problems, I never had any problems with either of my Chilobrachys or my C. lividus or my P. muticus. they just dart to their burrows when I need to maintain their homes :) Never felt "in risk zone" feel more safe around them than fx my B. vagans that just stands their and I always wonder "what is it thinking about? is it gonna rush me or what!?" lol
Yup, I absolutely agree. If you give them room to dig, they'll create burrows that they can run to when disturbed. Hahahaha I feel the same way about some of the New Worlds. I have no idea what they have planned. haha Thanks!
Hey Tom, are there any old worlds that are considered 'terrestrial'? So far I have referred to all of them as either 'arboreal' (like pokies) or 'fossorial' (chilobrachys, P. muticus etc.). The closest thing I have heard to terrestrial is P. murinus being 'semi-arboreal', similar to the C. cyanopubescens. Are there any truly terrestrial Old worlds? Btw, love your podcast!
It's funny, as I'm working on a video about old worlds, and I was just trying think of one that was terrestrial. I couldn't think of any! I've had ones that adapt to a more terrestrial lifestyle, like my Harpactira pulchripes, but they are usually considered fossorial. Some will not dig even though they normally would in the wild, and we end up with a spider that lives terrestrially with lots of webbing. I've seen this with the P. murinus and the C. darlingi. So, I think that most are naturally programmed to be fossorial, but they can sometimes choose to adapt to a more terrestrial lifestyle. And thanks so much !
@@TomsBigSpiders Yea, I couldn't think of one either so naturally I was like "I need to ask Tom!" 😂 👍
thank you for sharing
Thank YOU for taking the time to comment. :)
Gar, great looking Murinus
When I get an E. murinus of my own they shall be dubbed Oreo and it shall be glorious
Oh my god, I love this comment. haha
Your Videos are allways right on time Tom. :-) One Question arises. How do you keep the bottom levels moist? I`m researching for my c.fimbriatus juvie`s final enclosure.
Thanks so much, Tobi! When I pour the water in, I tilt the enclosure and let it filter down between the glass/plastic and the substrate. That way, it doesn't puddle on the top, but instead sinks down to the bottom.
As far as it goes for surface area would they need more surface area or are the narrow deep containers okay as well. I’ve been stuck on making sure they’re in a big enough enclosure so they have enough burrowing room and also enough room if they want to be out on top as well
Hi, Brittaney! Ideally, they should have enough room to properly burrow AND enough room above the substrate in case they want to web. Giving them some surface area as well wouldn't hurt.
Thank you Tom Yo💕😃ur AWESOME
Awww...thank you so much, Conchita!
Hi Tom I have to say thanks to you for this awesome video I'm very happy you did this video 👍👍 I keep a lot of fossorial ts and I see a lot of them being kept totally inappropriate to what they require which i believe causes a lot more defensive behaviour my girls are mostly adults and i use topsoil peat moss and vermiculite 10 inches in depth i very rarely see them but like you said when i do its awesome but I know their happy so that's all that matters 👌👌 and wow gars e murinus is a real beauty I'm already subscribed to gar hes an awesome bloke great knowledge aswell like yourself and I think your accent cool I have a northern accent which is awful😂😂 I love gars Welsh accent 👍👍 again a great much needed video Tom 👌👌👍👍👍😊
Thanks so much, Sam! Yup, it drives me nuts when people set them up wrong and then complain about defensiveness. So much of that could be eliminated by giving them some depth to dig in. And thanks so much! Hahaha. I was just recording a voice over for a video the other day, and I was thinking, "Man, this would sound so much cooler with a British accent." hahaha
I have one I named it Mr. Skelly but I don't know if it is a Male or female. I have Hobby Lobbies football helmet acrylic. And it has 7 or 8 inches of substrate. My T has dug quite a burrow and it is not defensive at all. So it is just confirmation on what you and Gar have said. You guys are fantastic and you should do more of these because you guys are very similar. This is why I enjoy both of your channels. Take care Tom and Gar.
Well, it could be a Mrs. Skelly then! :) I was very glad that Gar worked with me on this one. I have a ton of respect for him. Thanks so much!
Hey Tom, quick question if I may.
I have a large Juvenile Chilobrachys sp kaeng krachen that has recently molted but, because it molted deep in its burrow, I can't quite pinpoint the day it molted. It did disappear for a good while (close to 3 weeks) and has recently emerged from its burrow much larger and darker. My issue is, because I don't know when it molted, I don't know exactly when it's safe to feed and wondered is there a way to know with fossorials when you try feeding after a molt when you can't be sure how long has passed.
Thanks once again dude
Lee
Hello! Generally speaking, once they open their burrows and either throw our their molts or hang out at the mouths they are ready to eat. If you're not sure, you can always drop a prekilled item at the top of its burrow and see if it disappears. If it does, it's ready to go!
Hello, I was wondering, I mix my substrate (coco fiber and topsoil) at varying ratio's, most of the time closer to 50 50, but I always premix and moisten all the substrate in the process, is this worse than adding it in, adding water in layers as you did here? I add the coco fiber first, then the water, then mix it up by hand, then add the topsoil and shake the container to mix if possible, and then mix by hand again while picking out any debris from the topsoil that may have made it in (small chunks of bark or sticks at most). I didn't think it would make much of a difference. The first time I mixed them and did not add the water, I did find it difficult to get water to soak in (Thankfully was only rehousing brachy's who like it dry anyway)
You can absolutely mix it moist. I've done that before as well. I just have a lot of arid species, so sometimes I keep it dry and add water when I'm ready to use it. Sometimes, I have to rehydrate the coco bricks, so it's already moist when I mix it up.
burrow spiders maybe are better for people who have other spiders too if you only have one or a few you probably want to be able to watch them as much as possible. but some of my favourite spiders like to burrow esp Ceratogyruses which even tho they dig theyre out and about quite a lot, Augacephalus ezendami, Chilobrachys fimbriatus and dyscolus and spiders who just like to be awkward like Cyriopagopus sp HatiHati which is supposed to be arboreal but spends all its time underground and never ever climbs hmmm 😶
That's an excellent point! They DO take some patience, as you won't see them very often if you keep them correctly. I catch my Ceratogyruses out quite a bit as well. Hahaha. My L. violaceopes is currently about 7", and she still burrows, too. :)
About the exo terra, reptizoo or komodo glass enclosures, do you still get chewing and biting issues with the top mesh?
I replace all of the mesh on mine, so I don't have the issue. It's not so much the chewing but that the terrestrials can get their toe claws caught in them. I've had it happen in the past.
Another great vid tom, any updates on the G pulchra and e sp red
Thanks so much, Lee! I'll be doing a G. pulchra video pretty soon. As for the E sp. red (H. chilensis), I can do something for that species as well.
Thanks tom appreciate it 👍🏽
How about a top 10 video of the best fossorial tarantulas?
I was looking for a video about fossorials but couldn't find anything.
Still a nice informative video, thanks for that :)
I could definitely do one on the fossorial species that I've kept. I don't know if it will be a top 10, because whose to say which are better, but I can share what I have! :) Thanks!
@@TomsBigSpiders Thank you for the answer.
I totally get it that its not really a better/ worse thing, and it doesn't have to be a top xx, but rather a short list of species that actually are fossorial because there are a lot of conflicting information on the internet ( heck, the google list of fossorials tries to tell me my p.metallica is fossorial...) and I bet it would help other people to pick a tarantula.
I actually did some research the last few days and ended up picking a chilobrachys sp. electric blue sling from my local tarantula dealer, was a steal at 19 euros and now im hunting for a cyriopagopus sp.emerald green :).
Btw. While youre at it you can make it a trilogy with arboreal and terrestrial species if its not too much input.
Greetings and keep up the good work
I’m very new to the world of keeping Ts and am very interested in trying to get my first one and I was wondering if you had any advice on what fossorial species would be good for a beginner
Unfortunately, most fossorial species are defensive and are not good for beginners. The Aphonopelma seemanni can be a good one, and most will burrow.
Also, gonna have to get some Ephebopus. Murinus and cyanognathus 😊
Hahaha. Absolutely!
I like the shiny blackness
Just FYI when melting holes in plastic, make sure there is a lot of ventilation or wear a gas mask. Plastic fumes are TOXIC !!
Yes! I'm outside with a respirator when I do this. :)
What about a clay ball layer for drainage as per Dark Den?
I've used drainage layers in a couple enclosures to try them out. I didn't want to try it with a fossorial, as they would easily rip through the screen and make a mess of it.
HI, does "Predator or Prey Online" have a web page ro chanel online ??? thanks a lot for the info
I been lloking a lot of your video on the last month, well done !!!! thanks
Hi, Roby! He changed his channel name to ArachnoTube! He's still out there! Thanks so much.
@@TomsBigSpiders thanks a lot for the info,
and keep up the good job with the video !!!
If only my E. murinus wanted to come out more. Most of what I can see are legs sticking out of entrance to the burrow.
I've been wondering, how do you manage iffy eaters that burrow deep? I imagine sometimes they might just refuse to eat even if left alone. And prey item could already be deep in the burrow...
Yeah, they can be quite secretive. I've found that they usually won't leave prey in their burrows. If they kill something that they don't want to eat, they usually drag it outside. If you're ever not sure if it's in the eating mood, you can always drop something prekilled at the burrow entrance at night. If it's gone the next day, it's still eating.
great job trying to get proper care for these species out there, with your exposure hopefully people will find your explanations more easily than it would be to have to dig through forums (though admittedly still easy lol some can't be bothered though)
Thanks so much, bud! I know...I don't find it that bad to dig, but I enjoy that kind of stuff. haha
Hey man maybe you mentioned this and I just missed it but what are some good fossorial species good for a beginner, i like the idea of watching my spider burrow and move the substrate around
Unfortunately, most of the fossorial species are either high strung, old worlds, or both. I would look at Ephebopus murinus.
@@TomsBigSpiders - so maybe a terrestrial would be a better choice for me for my first and get a fossorial as a second one once I’ve gotten some experience as a keeper.
Yea I totally agree, my P. Murinus is totally chill like my H. Pulchripes, cause it has the opportunity to do whatever it wants in its home, it made an elaborate borrow and is out quite often. My H. Pulchripes though is always in its den and I never ever see her. Maybe when she gets bigger she will be in and out 🤷🏻♂️ time will tell.
Yup, it seems that if you let them dig, the E. murinus are usually fairly laid back. As for the H. pulchripes, mine all eventually abandoned their burrows. Hopefully, yours will start hanging out on top more. Thanks!
Tom Moran no the OBT P. Murinus.... but yea Easy going and not as defensive as others say they are...
I did a mix of top soil and coco fiber for my fossorial species. It works great but please tell me how to get rid of the fungus gnats. They are driving me crazy!
Hi, Tracy! The only way I was able to get rid of those annoying things was by using predatory mites. They ripped through all of my enclosures, and I had no more gnats after that!
Tom Moran I’m assuming they won’t harm the tarantulas at all? Where do I get those? I’ve never seen them available at any reptile shows.
Yes!! New vlog shout out to next. Vlog
Thanks so much, Edniel! :)
@@TomsBigSpiders im from Philippines :) thanks for some idea 😅
Can u give us a list of all the T’s mentioned in this video
I'll try to put together a list of some of them. I'll have to go through the video again.
At first, I thought you said, P. murinus. But then, you start talking about burrowing, a P. murinus... I'm thinking about it....then, I think it's E. murinus.... yes burrower...OK. Then I'm thinking about just how many 27 quart fossorial species I can house....
I guess it's all stackable.... 🤣🤣😁😁
Hahahaha Sorry for any confusion!
I want a fossorial tarantula now but what kind
Did you have any ideas? E. murinus is a good New World fossorial to start with.
100% spot on with aggressive vs. defensive. I feel like the term 'aggressive' also comes with some negative connotations, and it helps when educating people who are already scared of the spider in the first place. I Love those sterilite containers as enclosures. Milky, sure. But a great size with good locks. I actually have still been finding a lot of them in Walmart. Wasn't sure if that's where you may have gotten them before, but may help if you are running short! Haha
Also, follow up to an earlier conversation. So Dark Souls, yes. Sekiro, yes. Have you played some of the 2D games that are Souls-like? First one that comes to mind is Hollow Knight or maybe Salt & Sanctuary. Blasphemous I guess just released on the Nintendo Switch (out on other stuff already), and looks like a Souls/Metroidvania game. Didn't know if you played any of them, but if you haven't, they're really great as well! Ha
Also thanks for the great information! :)
Also would you call your ghost channel "Tom's Big Ghosts" or maybe "Tom's Spooky Ghosts"? Would they be in a future podcast? 😂
I agree completely. And some UA-camrs use the term "aggressive" to sensationalize their videos to get views. I hate that, especially when it's obvious that the individual isn't keeping them correctly. Yeah, I know some folks dislike the Sterilites, but they work great for tarantula enclosures. Although I'm setting up some prettier enclosures now, I used them for YEARS, and still use some.
I absolutely LOVED Salt & Sanctuary. I played that one a few times. I have not tried Hollow Knight, but I'll check it out in a moment. Thanks for the rec! The last Metroidvania game I played was Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. I absolutely loved it.
BAhahahaha. The ghost channel thing came out of an earlier video where there was some dust and a bunch of people freaked out because they thought that it was ghost orbs. haha
@@TomsBigSpiders Yeah your new(ish) bioactive enclosures are really beautiful to look at. Definitely life goals right there. It's sad to see the videos with someone on UA-cam provoking their tarantula and trying to make it seem like it's this big scary thing they are brave enough to keep.
Hollow Knight will serve you well! I've been meaning to pick up Bloodstained, I had heard good things.
@@TomsBigSpiders Hahaha, yeah I feel like if those were ghost orbs instead of dust particles, you may be infested. Haha
Pkease do a review on aphanopelma mooreae.
Im begging you😁
I have to get one first! hahaha I should have one coming soon. :0
Tom Moran v good! :) how slower are aphonopelma species’ growth compared to brachypelma? Am i close enough to say that brachypelma grow twice faster than aphonopelma species? Where do you get them from btw?
Lol just in time for my first cobalt blue!
Perfect! haha
Not T related but that's a pretty sweet looking tat on the back of your right forearm.
Thanks, Brian!
Is an H. pulchripes shirt coming?
Yes, I'm working on that one now.
@@TomsBigSpiders yes! My girlfriend just got me one for my birthday. First old world, and it's already taught me quite a bit in a fee days.
@@RichardSim0nes That's awesome...congrats! Yeah, it's one of my favorite species, so I definitely had to do a shirt for it. haha
@@TomsBigSpiders I'm just so excited for it to make me even better at keeping Ts. I like to think I built up some good habits with NWs, but that'll be tested working with this one. Plus, it's with one of the hobby's crown jewels.
Did you bury the scissors?
I got them out. haha
Do you own any geckos?
Not any more. I had them back in the late 90s.
2:29 not a british accent but big bun flows instead
I don't get it. lol
@@TomsBigSpiders "i gave it room to dig but it didnt dig" sounds like "dead in the middle of little italy"
Big Pun & Fat Joe - Twinz
:)
@@pedambr199 Oh! Hahahahaha
Does it bug you that so many people watch your videos and leave comments but only a handful give you a like. Not sure why this happens. If you get 10% of your viewers to like your video you are averaging. I love your videos. I let others know.
Hi, Joyce! Not really. I mean, it would be nice if more people did it, but I don't let those things bother me. I DO, however, truly appreciate anyone who takes the time to comment and who give me a like. That means a lot. So, as always, thank you!!!
Tina moran
Sorry, don't know Tina. :)
Eyehatecocofiber
Sounds like a band name.
Great video !!!!
Thank you!
I like the shiny blackness
Thanks, Vicki!