San Francisco Bay Area Tarantula Society

Bonobo · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 11:13 pm Post subject: The Tendrils of Temptation

I just finished reading a great link on ATS site about Avicularia and it mentioned the live plant thing - it was pro live plants in encl . But equally accredited authority give it thumbs down and boy would i like to give my spider a beautiful , stimulating enviroment but im also a worse case scenarioist and if the harboring or attracting the bad little guys happens i know with our inverts , we're screwed . Oh but it would be so lovely - i have a little rescue uroplatus who was bought for a spoiled child as a handled trinket who i am convinced garnered the will to live by being homed in a lushly planted vivarium and despite the damage to such a delicate form - Mr Wendel is actually thriving .
The texture , spring and yield of living stem and leaf ; the ethereal and constant breath of humidity at its most Fine . . silk plants cannot duplicate . But i use them alot and they do have their place in husbandry . Maybe if i wasnt so in love with my avic - she is my only T , i might do it .

EdgarOrtega · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 11:22 pm Post subject:

Yeah, thats the downside to using live plants. More work, too.

The spiders cant tell the difference, anyway. lol I just use fake when I use anything at all.
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balam · Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 11:31 pm Post subject:

spiders may not be able to tell the difference as fasr as the texture goes, but arboreals (in this case Avics) sometimes live in bromeliads in situ, the humidity of retained water in the plant, plus the overall humidity a live plant can retain in terraria is by far a benefit over silk plants.

Sometimes we have to work *extra* hard to keep our T's at their best, and husbandry is a large issue when it comes to mortality rate and other factors.

In my personal opinion I would use the live plant (specially if it was my onlly T), the downsides, more cleaning, gotta be careful with mites (they usually don;t bother the T, but are aesthetically unpleasing to the eye)

In the case of a live plant I have to say that most certainly you will invest *more* time in keeping the plant healthy and thriving (plu trimming and clecning), than on the T itself (it will find a way to live a nice happy life in there ;) )

Just my opinion :)

Oscar R
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Bonobo · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 12:22 am Post subject:

At my job i have only a couple displays featuring live plants its just not possible to use them unchaotically and hygienically with a changing influx of animals and requirements - same with hardcore T guys who have large collections unless they have oompa loompas helping . Its only been the past few years ive gone naturalistic with some of my herps - and then theres the excellent compromise of cork bark and sphagnum .
But i must say as far as ethics , the standards of Tarantula Keepers from what i have seen in this forum especially - are Impeccable . I wish more reptile people esp large scale breeders showed the same dilligence towards their animals .

northswan04 · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 7:39 pm Post subject:

I have a live plant in with a P. rufiliata. It's a aquarium plant from P***o, the kind they sell in a tube with the roots in little jelly thing. havn't had any problems, and it's been months.
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Bonobo · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:10 pm Post subject:

yes i am incubating on my avics next encl , and because she is my only spider i can Go There a little . Oh and i have these geo slices im siliconing in the corners she might shelf her funnels under them if not they look cool and are a clean artifact .
In my room i have a kind of love chi going on as far as everyone is a spoiled rescue and the frogs and some other guys clearly enjoy their plants i even catch my little kingsnake flicking at his plants in inscrutable reverie i am thinking in terms of benefit /risk and checking out what you guys have done . Thank you for replying hey its the first time p***o ever got three stars hee hee .