Bicolor enclosure and more to come..

Hi guys

So I guess it was time to present myself, being one of your new greenhorn forum members
Do you have any virginity rituals or something I should go through like at college?

I will take some pictures of my animals soon, but I only have these atm from the A. Bicolor enclosure... Pictures of the specimens will follow to be complete ofcourse. I hope I can read some more really helpful stuff on this forum, and be able to contribute some too..

Have A. Bicolor Aeneas and A. Bicolor Longecarinatus plus some spiders.. you can check in signature

Here goes... Thanks

Cheers
Sam

Exoterra terrarium 45x30x30 divided (3x 50w heatbulbs on a stat keeps them from being 'bien cuit' )
Made second floors, so they have more room and corners to explore. About 3 inch substrate they can dig into (but they dont)

When i feel like mating the couples I use a styrofoam bridge which fits into some openings on both second floors. They can walk onto to each others quarters and as such are also provided with a steady piece to put the spermstick on.

Lights out



Lights on

Very nice setups there mate. I like the idea of the bridge thing.
As for initiation stuff, I think the main on is you have to donate a spider to me.

When the pokie is on her egg sac you'll be the first to get a egg with legs. Promised

Cheers.

Here's mama pokie of your sling, being a bit shy

wow, the colours are amazing.. not looked it up, but i assume these are old world?
i'd love a t. mum found that out, now i can't lol

They are a cool spider. I've had a few of them and 1 got eaten mid moult, all the rest were male. All sent out to breed and never heard from again.

Gotta be the most aggressive Pokie out.

Tom, they are Asian, fast n nasty.

Great enclosure, wondering how you get the sand to stick like that... assuming that it is dry.

cheers and best regards mate...

Cool enclosure and awesome T

Hi guys, thanks for the kind words.

@ Tom, they are old world, arboreal species yup (Poecilotheria Metallica).

Tell your mum even I am able to keep them without getting bit (not yet though) and that says something!

They are easily found in trade nowadays so getting a specimen shouldnt be too hard. They do like to be kept warm and moist. Not the soil though. Misting the enclosure walls seems to be working...

I keep mine at 25-27 degrees Celsius, which is what.. 77 to 80 Fahrenheit for you English and American guys and girls. About 80% and up, overall humidity. Just for your information should you be able to talk your mum into it, Tom.

@ Pelo, sucks mate. If you contribute to this hobby by sending your male metallica's (if you bought them expensive critters) and never hear about them again Ah well, you are due a little one from me, so cheer up :-) The female (one in the pic) should be gravid so..

Good thing mine are indeed fast, very fast.. certainly on the climbing. They are however not really out to biting you. I never handle them like you see some dudes do. I think they are great to look at, but I try not to cause any stress on them. Makes them hairy softies, since I do think they got a memory (of some sort)!

On a bad day, the male however does go on his hind legs when you open his lid (very beautiful with the yellow bands running on the inside of his front legs). Even if you do it slowly. I know its not the time to mess around with it for too long then. It is their capability to crawl as fast as they do on walls that makes them something to look out for.

@ LXDNG, thanks. It helps to put a net under the top layer. I put in stones and a flexible mesh to hold the sand at its place. It works. The sand is completely dry. However, I only put it in at the slopes. These scorpions do occasionally dig. I have never seen them dig really deep, but when one feels like it, I want him to be able to. So in front there is no mesh and no stones. The sand (which is ordinary white sand) is heavy enough to stay put. Neither is there any sand on the grout elevations. Its concrete.

The higher areas are made out of foam, which is cut into place and coated with white grout/concrete (dont know the english word for it). Made into a very rough surface. They can remove the lose dirt underneath them to make hides, if the top hides (which they usually reside in) get too hot.

As weird as it may sound, on top.. temperatures get as high as 33 degrees celsius ( 91-93 fahrenhreit), the cooler places below only go to about 25 degrees celsius (77 fahrenheit). They are infrared spotlights, so radiation may account for that difference in temperature. Anyway, they use the gradient in temperatures as I occasionally see them exploring and venturing out to the lower parts (it is where they get fed too so maybe the porkers want a meal).

Which some of you might not like, but I do keep the adults, one day in the week a bit moist (the walls).. never had problems with Mycosis before. It is extremely dry air in here and the water evaporates quickly. Maybe thats the luck living here.

I'll post pictures of 2i A. Bicolor which are 100% of the time kept in cricket containers where 1/4 of the sand is moistened just to keep them from dehydrating untill 4th instar or something. None of them died yet.

@bex thanks. Cool collection you have got there!!

Take care guys and thanks

Cheers
Sam

Androctonus Bicolor Longecarinatus 2i porker
(I sense a molt incoming from the walking pees)




Gutsy cricket/fat pinhead



For a sense of scale, my fat thumb (they are tiny but hardy!!)



Already got the attitude from month one! (sorry for the picture quality, they are too small to put a lock onto)



Next will be the adults. I'll have to make some time.

Thanks and take care all

Cheers
Sam

Welcome to the forum. Looks like Peloquins got your initiation covered

Really like the split desert set-up. I made some fake rocks like you have there with the polystyrene and grout for my bearded dragons, does work well. Look forward to seeing adults of those beauties!

Jamie you have some great pictures in your photo album!

Cheers man, I've got alot of updating to do on there!

Those pokie colours are amazing

When do the little bicolors start getting darker?

Hi Street

It is one of few species which get their ultimate coloration very late. I'd say that they get really dark after 4th instar. Attaining their full color at 5i or later. That is to say stinger colour etc.. From my experience anyway.

Hope that was of any help.

Since you guys liked the colours of the pokie, I found another picture


cheers
Sam

ps.: all pokie pics are taken with extra lightning, this is why the colours are so particularly vivid.

Excellent. I purchased a 2i bicolor that is very light and was sort of wondering if the slings got mixed up with some australis or something. Now I'll go get some more!

that's the spirit

Are they darker or less dark than the ones in my pictures? They are i2 too and should resemble yours.

edit: They are from 03/2011.

They look pretty similar. The tergites in your pictures look like they may be a bit darker, but it could just be the lighting. My scorpling is a yellow/light tan color overall with a bit of charcoal grey on the end of the metasoma and telson. It more closely resembles the adult coloration of an A. australis than that of a bicolor, that is why I was wondering.

As I said, I wouldnt worrie about it too much. If he darkens at the tergites, you know you got the stuff you asked for!
Mine were completely yellow just a week ago to give you an idea.

And here is future mom and dad.. well err only mom. Dad keeps hiding... scared of the female i guess I'd be too


and to give you an idea of the thickness of the tail (even a bit thicker on the male)


too bad i didnt got a focus on the last one..
These are the small (about half the size of regular Bicolors), black Aeneas versions (very heavy coloration on legs and pincers)

Anyway, i removed the divider. Let us see how well they do communally

aw your bicolor is so cute!

Hehe thanks Bex, actually she is. Very calm too. Never tried to sting as of yet.

The male however is like that, but upside down. It is a little demon. So I'm afraid he is going to attack her, instead of knocking her up. If he doesnt try to sting you, he's sick.

Anyway, my holidays are almost over, but I still have some days to keep an eye on them, should that happen I'll be ready with my bigger "pincers" to pull him off of her.

The fun part is, they are only 4cm big or so.. getting stung is almost impossible if you dont handle them barehanded.

The big stone in the middle should guarantee a good spermatophore fix. Hopefully he knows why he is in that tank seeing that stone and her, or I'll bbq him.

People in Asia think they are kinda nice to eat I heard.

I'll try to take a picture when the shmuck decides to leave his retreat (he has got an awesome metasoma lol about as big as his entire mesosoma. Prolly the only reason why i keep him. He looks awesome) .

Untill then, a last one of the girl. Should name them really, but dont have any imagination. What about... "Bex"?

ew i know i watched some guy on youtube eating live ones it was gross

hahaha yeah call her Bex lol

Who dares to stick his/her finger (or worse for the guys) in there? Heavy burrower!


It is amazing in what holes they fit, or at least they think they fit..