OttawaChris
08-20-03, 07:47 AM
Everyone here seems to like the mean spiders so I will keep with that theme again this week... hold on to your hats because here comes one of the meanest (if not the absolute meanest) of them all....
Species: Haplopelma Minax
Common Name: Thailand Black
Size: Around 5 inches
Hails from: Rainforests of Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia
General Description:
This spider has a lot of pet names amongst hobbyists... Satan spiders, malicious, ferocious, evil, devils, psycho, mean... and trust me, they live up to all of them!! They just plain HATE people.
They are considered by many to be a drab and plain spider for looks... but I rather like their velvety black appearance.
This is usually a fairly easy to aquire tarantula that doesn't cost too much... but this is one spider that is a challenge to even the most experienced keepers because of how fast and aggressive they are. The rule of their nature seems to be "bite first, ask questions later" These are one of the few species that I would label aggressive as opposed to defensive. Many times they will not even give any warning signs (ie. threats or an body posture) they just lunge forward and bite... making a set of forceps a wise investment for working in the cage (which unfortunately didn't help Colonol SB... his ran right up his forceps to bite him)
One sad thing about this species is that as adults they often come in as WC and are at many times full of parasites (Mine died about 4 months ago from parasites) I recommend that you try your best to find CB specimens... which isnt a hard thing to do. Which brings me to my next observation of Thai blacks... This is the only species of tarantula that I have seen an aggressive side to even when it is a spiderling. I had a 1 inch baby rear up and strike at me!
Housing Requirements:
This is a burrowing spider that tends to prefer digging its own burrow and lining it with thick, strong webbing. For this reason I recommend about 6 to 7 inches of unfertilized potting soil with peat moss mixed in. A water dish should also be kept full at all times. As with the usambara orage baboon spider I also recommend you keep thai blacks in an enclosure with a rather small access door on a hinge. I warn you again... these are fast and VERY aggressive spiders.
Temperature and Humidity:
Humidity should be in the 80% area and temps anywhere from 80 to 90F.
Feeding:
These have a slightly higher metabolism so I usually feed mine a large cricket twice a week.
Personal notes:
-I have had many a close call with these guys... and their tolerance to people just never seems to increase like most of my other species. They seem to hate me more with every passing day LOL
-This is the only spider I have ever had escape (yah I know... great one to have on the loose eh?) Luckily it was only a baby around an inch long. I apparently made the air holes too large in the babyfood jar I was keeping it in because it climbed out through one of them (spiders are very good at getting into small places just like snakes) Here is a funny story to go along with it... After a frantic 2 day search I had given up on trying to find my little nutcase in training. That night, I went and got my container of crickets to start feeding the bigger spiders and guess who is inside munching on a cricket twice its size? My missing spider!! He was angry that I disturbed his meal, but I got him into a new jar with smaller air holes where he would stay :D (until I traded him anyway LOL)
As always, I look forward to hearing your own personal anecdotes on this species and seeing any pics you would like to post... until next week folks!! (Keep your hands out of the cage ;) )
Species: Haplopelma Minax
Common Name: Thailand Black
Size: Around 5 inches
Hails from: Rainforests of Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia
General Description:
This spider has a lot of pet names amongst hobbyists... Satan spiders, malicious, ferocious, evil, devils, psycho, mean... and trust me, they live up to all of them!! They just plain HATE people.
They are considered by many to be a drab and plain spider for looks... but I rather like their velvety black appearance.
This is usually a fairly easy to aquire tarantula that doesn't cost too much... but this is one spider that is a challenge to even the most experienced keepers because of how fast and aggressive they are. The rule of their nature seems to be "bite first, ask questions later" These are one of the few species that I would label aggressive as opposed to defensive. Many times they will not even give any warning signs (ie. threats or an body posture) they just lunge forward and bite... making a set of forceps a wise investment for working in the cage (which unfortunately didn't help Colonol SB... his ran right up his forceps to bite him)
One sad thing about this species is that as adults they often come in as WC and are at many times full of parasites (Mine died about 4 months ago from parasites) I recommend that you try your best to find CB specimens... which isnt a hard thing to do. Which brings me to my next observation of Thai blacks... This is the only species of tarantula that I have seen an aggressive side to even when it is a spiderling. I had a 1 inch baby rear up and strike at me!
Housing Requirements:
This is a burrowing spider that tends to prefer digging its own burrow and lining it with thick, strong webbing. For this reason I recommend about 6 to 7 inches of unfertilized potting soil with peat moss mixed in. A water dish should also be kept full at all times. As with the usambara orage baboon spider I also recommend you keep thai blacks in an enclosure with a rather small access door on a hinge. I warn you again... these are fast and VERY aggressive spiders.
Temperature and Humidity:
Humidity should be in the 80% area and temps anywhere from 80 to 90F.
Feeding:
These have a slightly higher metabolism so I usually feed mine a large cricket twice a week.
Personal notes:
-I have had many a close call with these guys... and their tolerance to people just never seems to increase like most of my other species. They seem to hate me more with every passing day LOL
-This is the only spider I have ever had escape (yah I know... great one to have on the loose eh?) Luckily it was only a baby around an inch long. I apparently made the air holes too large in the babyfood jar I was keeping it in because it climbed out through one of them (spiders are very good at getting into small places just like snakes) Here is a funny story to go along with it... After a frantic 2 day search I had given up on trying to find my little nutcase in training. That night, I went and got my container of crickets to start feeding the bigger spiders and guess who is inside munching on a cricket twice its size? My missing spider!! He was angry that I disturbed his meal, but I got him into a new jar with smaller air holes where he would stay :D (until I traded him anyway LOL)
As always, I look forward to hearing your own personal anecdotes on this species and seeing any pics you would like to post... until next week folks!! (Keep your hands out of the cage ;) )