Aphonopelma species Rehousings ft. A. chalcodes
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- čas přidán 4. 09. 2024
- A little update featuring three of my little Aphonopelmas!
Tom's Big Spiders Website: tomsbigspiders...
Tom's Big Spiders Podcast: tomsbigspiders...
Theme song by Rocket 77 - linktr.ee/Rock....
The little "moderatums" look like mini versions of my AF Gabeli
Awwww...that's so cute!
Mr. Moran you give such respect to the Aphonopelma T’s. I love what you do with them. Great video.
Thank you so much!
I love the Aphonopelma genus :3 theyre the tortoises of tarantulas hobby 😂 and I truly love the calmer disposition some CAN have. Unlike my Aphonopelma chalchodes, whose always ready to throw pedipalps😂
hahaha They really are!
My A. chalcodes is close to 3". I got her 5+ years ago as an adult, so she must be up there in age. I love how hardy they are. When I moved from SoCal to TN, several of my other Ts died during transport, but she was perfectly fine.
Hello! Adults get to be about 5-6", so yours is not yet an adult. She's got a ways to go! :) I'm so sorry to hear about the ones that died.
Aphonopelma are the Ents of the Tarantula World: Hrum, Hum, let's not be hasty😊
Extra points for the LOTR reference! haha So true!
My A. Burica sling just molted again for like the 5th time in 2 years and didn't change size again!!
haha Sounds about right for the Aphonopelma! haha
15:27 Samesies. I'm 51 atm (I know, I know, I have the sense of humor of an 8-year-old) and don't think I'll be able to properly care for an Aphonopelma species throughout its life. I totally respect your realization of this factor.
Hey, Brian! Yeah, none of my kids have shown any interest in the spiders, so this dies with me. haha I have to be responsible about it!
Thanks for making such informative videos! I just got back in to keeping tarantulas and picked up an Aphonopelma calcodes at the reptile supershow in Pamona. I absolutely love her. I would say she is probably 3". At the show a food vendor asked me if I collected tarantula's and at the time I said no but now I'm not sure. LOL. The show was 2 weeks ago and I now have 3 different species of varying sizes. I love them!
Welcome back! And congrats on your A. chalcodes...it's a great species. And many of us go from "not collecting" to collecting very quickly. Be careful. haha
Thanks Tom and camera lady. I love watching rehousing. ❤
Thanks so much, Pepper!
Great video Tom they are gorgeous.i only have one in my collection the new river rust rump.a sub adult does not eat that much I've had her 4 years and only molted once.
Man, yours is REALLY taking her time growing, eh? haha Thanks, James!
I'm totally enamored by the Aphonopelma genus and have adopted three in the last 2 months. My Moderatum is a two inch juvenile, and is a gold ish, cream colored spider with rusty colored lower leg sections. I'm not sure if that helps you out, though. My next Aphonopelma adoption will be a Chalcodes and an Anax ❤ There are 9 different species I have to have 😅
I loved this video! All of them are adorable little brown fuzzies 😂
Hello to Billie! Much love to y'all ❤ Until next time...be blessed!
Hello, Mara! Thank you so much. Hopefully, my moderatums get that gold (they are still a bit small, so I'm hoping that it will happen with the next molt. That does help me out...thank you! I hope all is well with you!
Man beautiful spiders. I actually live where there are multiple Aphonapelma species within an hour or two of me. I was totally a hater. It was the old why would I want a spider I can see in nature I thought. Now it's I want a local species so I can say hey this lives here. Looks like it'll be A. johnyycashi at that. I didn't want a B. smithi either because thevwhole poster child thing, but I love my little Samhain and she's beautiful. Great video. Hope you and the family had a great Easter .
Happy Easter to you as well! Yeah, there were many I avoided over the years that I now keep and love!
Hey Tom! Awesome video, love Aphonopelma! Unfortunately I do not have any at this time. After a full hairing in my nose and throat and eyes from my T. apophysis while packing him up for shipping, I'm trying to minimise my species that have urticating hairs. Btw, would love a video on the scorpions you currently keep, or even just a little update on them! Hope all is well with you and Billie! Keep up the awesome work!
- Charlotte
Hola, Charlotte! Well, you need to GET some then. haha Nahhh...I totally get it. And that sounds absolutely HORRIBLE. Yikes! How long did it bother you for; that's no joke! And I'll get around to doing another scorpion video eventually. haha Hope all is well with you!
Looks moderatum to me... a little muted in color, but I see the highlighted knees
That's awesome to hear. Thank you so much for chiming in!
Lovely vid as always. I have recently received a sling Aphonopelma chalcodes which is around 4mm so im guessing that'll be going to someone in my will 😂
Thank you so much! Hahaha Yeah, you might want to include it. haha
Oh heck Tom....." im getting older"..I just turned 69 in January this year.Got my first H.chilinse sling in Sep 2023.Im an optimistic kind of guy.
Hahahaha You'd better look for a vampire to bite you, Bill -- you're going to need some extra years! haha
I have 4 species of aphonopelma.
Mine are big. One of my favorite spiders is my 3 inch moderatum.
Yours are still small so they could still get the gold & orange. But either way you have to have a moderatum !!
I am old 66, so wouldn’t talk a sling if you gave it to me 😳
There is no longer a such thing as a cheap spider for me. You can’t believe the prices in California for a 3 inch spider.
Hello, Candy! Thanks so much for chiming in on the moderatum. I don't think the folks that said they didn't look like moderatums realized how small these were. Hopefully, we get some colors after the next molts!
Hahaha Yeah, it's a real consideration! My kids aren't into the spiders, so I need to think about what's going to happen when I croak. haha
Thanks so much!
I have a gorgeous Aphonopelma bicoloratum juvenile female who has been buried for 4 months. I put a piece of dark paper over the visible side of her burrow so every now and then I can lift it & check on her.
Oh man...she must be a looker. And that's awesome!
I wanted a Tarantula from my husband's area and my area, thats Hentzi for Oklahoma and Iodius for Nevada. I got a sub adult iodius for myself, and it hooked out after its first and only molt with me, and I sent him to Houston to breed. I recently, Christmas, bought a hentzi for my husband and it is small, maybe a half inch? When I showed my husband parts of this video and how long they can take, he was shocked it could take 4 or 5 years to get a couple inches on our sling, even though I told him over and over they were slow growers. Lol.
Hello, Callie! Awwwww...that's so awesome! I definitely need to pick up an iodius! Hopefully, your male makes some babies.
Oh dear...haha Maybe his will grow more quickly than mine! haha
I hope all is well with you! - Tom
I love the Aphonopelma genus. I’m pretty sure those aren’t moderatum. Mine is maybe 2” and already has the adult coloring on legs. Next molt you should definitely know for sure. I really hope they are moderatum bc they’re one of my fav Aphonopelma species. Great vid as always. Hope you and Billie have a great weekend 💜
Thanks so much for chiming in, Rachelle! Man, I'm hoping these turn out to be the right species. Fingers crossed those next molts bring some good news. Thanks again!
My moderatum slings were a pale buff colour before they developed adult colours
Thanks so much for chiming in! So, they didn't look like these?
My slings were much paler coloured than yours
I've expanded on this a bit on AB, but I strongly believe most Aphonopelma in captivity aren't exactly thriving, they're merely surviving because they're unbelievably good at weathering less than ideal conditions. This results in slow growth rates (as torpor is their response to conserve energy during bad times) and the occasional death by barricade in burrow (as they're waiting for conditions to be better and trying to conserve whatever resources they have left).
On the flipside, they're also unbelievably good at making the most out of ideal conditions if you can identify what they need. I've been experimenting with their husbandry since I started keeping the genus in November 2022 and the results have been rather interesting. I have WC adults on yearly molt schedules and specimens I've raised from slings that are on track to mature in under 5 years. I've even had some success with captive reproduction.
I think, collectively as hobbyists, we're keeping them wrong and I hope to change that in the future.
PS, I reached out on AB last week, don't know if you check your inbox there or not.
Have you recorded and shared what you've found with their care and husbandry? Would love to read it
@@zevra2489, in bits and pieces on AB, but not all in one dedicated writeup (yet). The experiments are still ongoing, but the gist of how I keep Aphonopelma spp is on a heavy loam/clay substrate (2:1 mix by volume) that both holds a burrow and retains moisture extremely well. I also give them something to burrow under and a minimum depth of 2x DLS in substrate to burrow into (usually in a 'haplotank' type enclosure). They're never really allowed to dry out and I'm a HUGE believer in all fossorial tarantulas needing ventilation at the bottom of their enclosure to prevent CO2 pooling due to air stagnation.
@@mattmeyer7120 Would you mid sharing the exact products you use for the substrate? I have an aphonopelma hentzi who eats well and certainly seems to be surviving alright but based off behavior alone I wouldn't say he's thriving and I'd like to fix that
@@zevra2489, specifically I mix two 10 quart bags of Reptisoil with one 10 kilogram bag of Exo Terra Sonoran Ocher Stone Desert. This is a bulk recipe as I keep a decent amount of Aphonopelma, but I believe both Reptisoil and the Exo Terra substrate come in smaller bags, just keep the same ratios. Mix thoroughly in a container, breaking up any large clumps of the Exo Terra, and then let it sit for a few days before using it. This will evenly distribute the moisture from the Reptisoil into the Exo Terra. Pay attention to the consistency and color of the final result. Notice how if squeezed in your hand, it should maintain its shape after being released and not crumple back into loose substrate. You'll want to aim to keep this consistency in the enclosure by watering it when necessary. When putting the substrate in the enclosure, make sure to thoroughly compact it to lessen evaporative moisture losses by eliminating air pockets and provide structural integrity for any burrows the tarantula will make.
As a note, desert dwelling Aphonopelma have a complex relationship with water. Flash floods, which deserts are prone to, can kill them yet they need water to survive and will burrow to find cooler, more humid microclimates. Your Aphonopelma might start to climb the walls when placed on the substrate at first as this is their response if their burrows get flooded. If this happens, wait a week or two without adding any water to the substrate. As the top layer starts to dry and if the substrate is deep enough, the tarantula should come down off the wall and start to dig in a provided starter burrow in an effort to chase the moisture.
Very interesting stuff, Matt! Where do you live and what are your temperatures? I've found that older specimens eat great and molt with more regularity than slings, so I'd be more curious to hear your growth rates with captive bred slings.
I've been trying to give mine more room to burrow and keep the bottom layers moist for them, so that's definitely something I've changed up.
As it's only been a year and a half, I would definitely love to be kept updated on some slings that you're raising up.
As for the co2 pooling in the burrows, I honestly wouldn't think that would be a thing, as there are spiders that build burrows into the earth that go down for several feet in the wild and have no issues. With the haplotanks, those holes are for soaking the bottom levels to keep them moist. Interesting theory, though. Off to see if there are papers on Co2 buildup in tarantula enclosures. Thanks for chiming in!
Loving the channel Tom. I am a biology teacher of 25 years and your podcast about domestication was totally in line with evolution. I read an article that showed Anole lizards had different leg lengths in 10 years and 20 generations.
Hello, Christopher! Thank you so much for chiming in on this one. Despite a few folks freaking out, it has been very well recieved by those involved in science, which makes me feel much better about it. haha
That last spider’s booty looked really big? Not that I would know anything about these…but great camera work Billie!
Yeah, she's getting a bit chubby! haha
Aphonopelma serratum are another great one that grow surprisingly quick , like you I have a chalcodes that's taken 3 years to get to 2 inches so I expect the same from the serratum but in a year my little one has gone from about 0.3 inches to a 2 inch sling with the stunning blue colouration of the adults. Worth getting if you want a quick growing Aphonopelma. Great to see this genus getting some love great upload as always you 2 ❤😊❤
I will definitely have to check out A. serratum, then! My A. burica was another one that grew quite quickly for an Aphonopelma. Thanks for the suggestion! Hope all is well with you!
AWESOME got afew Aphonopelma myself 2 adult female Seemanni did have a adult female Chalcodes but she passed last year had her about 10 years but she was full adult female so didnt know how old she was
Awwwww...I'm so sorry to hear about your A. chalcodes. :(
@@TomsBigSpiders Thanks Tom👍
Hi Tom! Thanks for these amazing videos! I’m grateful for the efforts you and your wife post. In this video, you mentioned T’s burrowing and disappearing for months. I have a small Brazilian black that has done just that. It did expose itself by making a burrow against the enclosure, so I know it’s still alive, but soon covered this window up again. I keep a corner nearby moist, but fear it is not eating. You mentioned digging down with the end of a paint brush and dropping prekill in the hole. Is this appropriate for g. Pulcra, or should I remain patient and wait for it to emerge? Thanks!
As a matter of fact, I had this happen with my smaller G. pulchra. It buried itself, molted, and I could see it in its den. Several weeks went by, and it didn't come out to eat even though it should have hardened up by then. I opened the hole and gave it prekilled prey, which it ate immediately. So, yes...it can definitely happen with this species!
Aphonopelma's will outlive us all 😂. Always enjoy your videos, Tom. Have to say that your podcasts are also utterly fantastic 👍
Thank you.
Hahaha Yeah, these are going into my will. haha And thank you so much!
I have an adult A chalchodes… she finally is visible after 5 months she hasn’t come out yet tho … they are known for long eating strikes mine is going on 200 days without eating… I can see her tho and she is pretty plump yet
Luckily, they get pretty plump, so they can go a loooong time without eating!
Brilliant as always Tom, they're a beautiful species of spider 🕷 and definitely worth having, in any collection Tom.
Thanks so much, George! :)
Hello great video information and rehousing yes the tarantula out in the wild I have been watching for three years and it was under ground for 8 months and it had babies Tom
Did you ever send me the video from the one around you? I don't think that I ever got it! And thanks!
My "Queen" is Beatrice, an A. chalcodes. I got her as a ½" sling, 20 years ago. She's a beefy 5¾". Hasn't molted in a couple years, but she's always extra spunky when she does. 😂
Wow, that's so awesome! You've had her for such a long time!!
Hi Tom & Billie, hope you’re both doing well and had a great week.
Great rehousing video Tom! They’re lovely looking wee Tarantulas, so cute 🕷️🕷️
I’m 57, soon I’ll be 58. The only tarantula that I have is a Brachypelma Hamorii, and I know what you mean, their lifespan is long 😂😂
Take care and have a great weekend too 😊😊
Hello, Joanne! We are doing great - I hope that you had an awesome one as well, thanks!
Thank you so much! Yeah, it really is something to consider. If these slow-growing species can live 35-40 years, we really do have to keep that in mind. My kids aren't really interested in keeping them, so I have to consider where they will go when I kick it. haha
Thanks again!
wicked! That brush ride was so cute
Didn't that work out great? haha
Awesome video. I'm a fan of Aphonopelma myself. I have or have had all the species you featured in this video. I currently have 4 species of Aphonopelma in my collection now. Including the stunning mooreae. Talk about slow growing! Literally the slowest growing T I've kept besides the Pseudhapalopus sp Colombia. Both are worth the wait, though. I also have a bicoloratum pair. The female just molted and is most likely mature. And I'm waiting on the male to molt
He's possibly penultimate now. So hopefully, with his next molt, I can try to pair them because they are so beautiful and docile, and because they are soooo hard to find in the hobby ATM.
How's it going , bud? Hopefully, my mooreae actually grows for me at some point. I'm still waiting for some of those colors. haha YES! My sp. Colombias were also very slow gowing, but like you said, worth the wait. I hope that you are able to pair them!
Amazing. Thank you for this video, guys
Thank you so much!
Hi Billie; Have a great week.
Hello, Joyce! Happy Easter!!!
@@TomsBigSpidersHappy Easter! Don't eat too many hard boiled eggs. Especially with beer. It makes you not be wanted in the same room as others. LOL
God bless you and your family!!
Two of my first Tarantulas I purchased were Alphonopelma. I have a steindechnari and anax. When I read that they grew slow, I had no idea how slow. I'm happy to say they have grown but I have other species now that started as small but are now a hundred times bigger.
Yeah, you almost have to experience it to really appreciate how slowly they grow! haha
Glad you made this video. Because I have had to dig mine up to check it if it was alive. Still hasn’t eaten in 4 months . It’s not even an inch yet. A.sp. Diamond back. Slow so slow and so so tiny have had for a year Monte’s three times still under an inch. Crazy!
Hello, Brandi! Yeah, they grow sooooo slooooowly. haha And the burying themselves is definitely stressful!
Great video and the podcasts have been really good subjects.. 😊
Thank you so much, John!
16:21 Whenever one of my spiders burrows and blocks significant ventilation with the displaced dirt I like to go in with a spoon and simply scoop it out. That way I can add more substrate initially while keeping the vent holes clear. They don't seem to mind in the slightest.
I already cleaned this one up. haha
The bicoloratum's gut is bigger than it's head its almost 2x it's size I'm actually worried that it bursts when it molts
Well, actually...the abdominal skin on all tarantulas bursts open when they molt. So...yeah.
Being in my 50s, I understand your concerns about how long it takes to raise some species. Fortunately, I have a daughter who will take them in when I can't care for them anymore, and I bought my grandson his first tarantula for his birthday last year.
Hey, Bobbi! That's awesome! Unfortunately, my kids haven't shown any real interest in them, so this probably ends with me.
@@TomsBigSpiders That's a shame... My daughter had a G rosea when I was still arachnophobic, so it's an interest that's kind of moved up and down through the generations!😆
8:14 "...does got..." Teehee!
I was REALLY hoping that no one would catch that. Hahaha
My A hentzi was the queen of burrowing and not coming back up. I had to dig her up at least 6 times when she was a sling. I was convinced every time that she'd died. She's now a juvenile and has many tunnels but I never see her in them. She prefers to be above ground now.
Hey, Christina! Man, she was a persistent one, huh? haha I'm glad to hear that she outgrew that!
@TomsBigSpiders she's awesome. I grew up catching wild ones in Texas. Never took any home because I knew my mom would freak out 🤣 She just found out about a month ago that I caught them.
I no longer have the patience to buy baby aphonopelma 😂 I’ll pay the extra for subadults. Lol
That's where I'm going to be at from this point forward, Rachael! haha How are you?
Thank you for the video Tom , I enjoyed it.
Thanks so much, Ed!
Hey Tom! Great to see some new footage of your Aphonopelmas! Mosly since we don't really get to see many over here in Europe, except Seemanni, but Chalcodes is my fav 😢
You're being a bit harsh on yourself (or the aphonopelmas) about ageing. Imagine if you wanted to raise a Galapagos' turtle... 😂
I just got myself a few Ts last weekend. A P metallica female (~2"), a small T blondi sling (unsexed, 1" or 1 1/4), and... a P cancerides tiny sling (>1/2")! Guess you made me curious about the latter genus 😅
Also received a bunch of acrylic enclosures from Aliexpress. From one dealer, great quality - in kits, but really crystal clear, 10 bucks for a 6" cube, T cribs is 40 or 50 lol - the other one... hmm not that much lol
Thanks for the upload, have a great weekend mate! 🤟
Cheers, Thomad
Hahaha I was kind of being funny, but it IS a consideration. None of my kids have shown any interest in the spiders, so I do need to make sure that I'm going to be alive to take care of them all. And that's a big no on the Galapagos! haha
Congrats on the new acquisitions; you've got some of my all-time favorites there! :)
I've been meaning to check out some Aliexpress enclosures. I'll have to take a look...
Thanks, and I hope all is well!
@TomsBigSpiders lol I think even with 80+ in a retirement home you could still care for aphonopelmas xD
I'm really stoked with this year's acquisitions indeed! ;) Still got to work my way around with this devilish P metallica - she'll go nuts as soon as my hand only approaches her enclosure lol - but I'm confident I'll manage her. The P cancerides dug itself a burrow - which is good for such a tiny sling, no need to manage the moisture too much. She still comes back up to 'hunt' (aka wait for food), or just wait,, so she's definitely not stressed. The T blondi destroyed the living moss out of its mind so it's definitely happy. Probably gonna rehouse them this weekend (got loaaaads of time yeah!), so it'll be interesting to see what they do in the next few weeks 😁
As for Alex press, the shop I've been ordering from (for the nice, clear acrylic enclosures, not the sh***y one) is called "aquatosun". Just in case you'd be interested, I can also hit ya up and send pics on the Book. ;)
Cheers mate! 🫡
Awesomeness as always!!!🕷❣❣❣🕷
Thank you, Candy!
That bicoloratum is adorable ❤
I love aphonopelmas, I even have all 3 species shown here, but that growth rate is a serious factor and must be mentioned as you have here Tom. Many folks pick up slings believing they have the patience to wait for them to pack on size… until months… a year goes by, nothing has happened, and so turn to other species or larger aphonopelma specimens (many of which are wild caught) to compensate for the waiting. They are amazing animals, but can be massively frustrating for those who don’t truly realise the wait they’re in for.
I’d love to tell you if those are moderatum or not, but my gal already had adult colours when I got her, hopefully you’ll find out… sometime in the future 😂
Hey, Christopher! I've had folks pick up Aphonopelma slings as their first so that they "can grow with the sling." Sorry, it's not going to work. haha You'll have dozens of other spiders by while these are still slings. haha
As for the moderatums, a couple folks have chimed in and said they could be the right species. Time will tell! Thanks!
Tom I have a species request. Ornithoctoninae sp. Ho Chi Minh would benefit from being covered on your channel. Noted as an advanced fossorial. Haven’t seen anyone cover them on YT. Thanks Tom
Unfortunately, I don't have one at the moment, so I'll have to keep a lookout.
Thanks for getting back to me Tom, Joe Rossi has them currently. Thank you for holding a solid standard in the community!
"ArcticdreamersRapture" here. I had an adult female in the past. They are very nice! Mine behaved like an G rosea basicly! Ate less and grew slowly. Only diffrent was that it burried!
How's it going, bud? Great to hear from you. Yeah, they DO remind me of G. rosea in behavior and growth rate. Hope all is well!
Thanks for asking. It is ok. Have had some personal issues, but it is like it is! Hope everything is good with you?
Great video as always
Thanks so much, Chantal!
My age definitely keeps me from getting any aphonapelma being I’m 54 lol
Hahaha You've got me by just a few, Darcy! :)
I have a Chalcodes that I adore, but my gosh talk about a spider fasting🙄
Was it a wildcaught one, Gary? I only ask because my two wild caught ones fasted quite a bit. This captive bred one does not.
Hi Tom, captive, she's good, big abdomen, good eater at first but slowed down as an adult😊
Gorgeous spiders! And great video as always.
Growth rates and longevity are a couple of the reasons my first slings are a dwarf species.
Get the joy (and stress lol) of raising slings, but they’ll reach adulthood relatively quickly, and there’s less worry about them outlasting me.
Kind of wish there was some sort of “Tarantula Rescue” network or something. A place to donate or “bequeath” spiders if they outlive us or find older spiders to adopt as pets instead of for breeding purposes. Something like that. 😄🤷🏻
There are a few species I’d love to keep but they can live a really long time and while I’m not “officially old,”yet, I’m not exactly getting any younger either. 😂 But it seems like the only adult spiders I see for sale are young adults aimed at breeders and cost $$$$.
IS there some sort of… idk, hub for finding unwanted old farts who just need a home? Lol.
Thank you so much! And yeah...sometimes its nice when they don't take years to reach adulthood! haha
i have an aphonopelma i have a three year old and shes 5 inches shws gorgeous and very very sweet
5" at three years old? Wow, what great growth!
This is my favorite new world😊 favorite old world is the Balfurry😂
Hey, Melody! hahaha Good choices!
My only escape was my A chalcodes. Luckily she walked right out into my living room. My wife will never forget it. She is a little character
Awwww...that was nice of her, Allen! haha
What r some good beginner dwarf species?
Hello, Dan! Hapalopus formosus and Homoeomma chilense can be good ones.
No mooreae?
I have one, but it didn't need a rehousing yet.