Managed not to spook her out before feeding
Posted Nov 1, 2022, 10:55 PM UTC
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P. Irminia are one of my faves. I have four and they are so interesting to watch. Yours is a beauty!
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I just got one of these and will take all the care tips you can give!
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I'd say, just be respectful. Most of the time she's not particularly quick. Sometimes she "walks fast", as if she's in hurry, but even when startled or hunting, most of the time she's just "fast". As fast as my geniculata or hamorii that are considered relatively slow. Only a few times I've seen her literally teleport, so I know she can get MUCH faster if she has to. Thing is, she almost never does, so that's good.
Other than the speed that can surprise you, they can jump. And even if you know they're going to jump any second now, it will jumpscare you the first time you see it. So don't panic. Mine acts a lot like geniculata. Chases water, always eats, hunts ferociously, may bite if I touch anything in her enclosure, but doesn't threat-pose, just backs off.
Also doesn't try to escape/bolt. And is really difficult to move, because of this. Her den is where she feels the safest, so I'm almost sure, that's where she's going to go, whenever I take off the lid. This being said, I always knock first to prepare her for the shock that's about to come, when the lid goes off. She's just very skittish and I think knocking can buy her some time to decide if she wants to hide or stay out in the open. If she hides, I don't have to be so careful, because she wouldn't bolt anymore.
Oh, and mine likes to burrow, so you may want to give yours a bit more substrate, even though they are arboreals. Before she made her current den, she'd go into the cork tube and burrow all the way to the bottom of the enclosure. Then she gave up and made a den around the cork. Even almost connected both burrows, so maybe it's yet to come. :D
And some other general info, just make sure you don't water too much, to prevent mold and stuff. And lots of cross-ventilation is advised, as always.
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My husband and I are going to an expo this weekend and he’s really hoping to pick one of these guys up!
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Woah. Very cool looking T.
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God that spider is gorgeous
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Aww man I wish mine had lived to get this big. She's gorgeous.
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Sorry to hear that :(
Mine's still just a little over 9 months old, but each (of 6, so far) molt comes with massive gains and currently can connect both sides of her enclosure that is 12x12x24cm, when stretched out. They're supposed to reach 12-14cm leg span, but it appears like she's going to get there in 1 or 2 molts and that doesn't add up to me.
Anyway, have you considered getting another one?
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I donno, I have thought about it but I have gotten back up to 3 tarantulas again (a C. versicolor, T. albo and L. parahybana) all little bitty babies, along with a wolf spider i rescued from the cat in my living room. Between them and the fish tanks idk if I really need any more spiders.
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Absolutely stunning
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Wow a pet hole does contain a T! She is absolutely stunning. I would love a P. irminia but I do not know if I want a pet hole.
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She's actually pretty active. Usually lurks out of the den, makes webs, burrows, work on her den, carries substrate and throws it around.
She's very skittish, though. Eats only in her burrow. If she gets scared, she rushes inside. Sometimes she chills there during the day, and during premolts, she's always hidden. I only see fresh poops all the time, but never the spider.
If you're worried about not seeing it a lot, I'd say go for it. I see mine a lot. And at night, I'm almost guaranteed to see her :)
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Sounds like you have a winner with her then, from my understanding they are normally quite recluse even at night time. Do you house yours in a more terrestrial or fossorial set up? I have read conflicting things on how to keep them so am doing minor research from fellow keepers before getting one.
My P. cambridgei sounds very similar with the eating in the burrow and never emerging during premolt. She is always out at nighttime blending in with her bark wood, she is absolutely stunning, like yours.
Psalmopoeus are my favourite tarantula species so I will definitely get one in the future. I have three of the ten so far; P. cambridgei, P. pulchra and my latest one today P. victorii. P. irminia is definitely the next on the list with P. reduncus a close second.
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My setup was kind of a mix of both. It's a 12x12x24cm enclosure. I filled about 1/3rd with the substrate and put a cork tube in the middle, as a hide. She knew better though, and after burrowing all the way to the bottom, inside the cork tube, she left it and made a den around it, slightly above the substrate level. Then she was excavating a lot of substrate from her new den and created 2 exits that go vertical. I still see her working a lot on her housing and surroundings.
In my experience no matter how you set it up, they are gonna cover it with webs and mix it with substrate and make their own little hide, so I think I understand why would people give those conflicting information about it. They'd probably be fine even in an empty box with substrate, but I'd definitely put in some stuff so they have an easier time webbing around. You can put in some cork bark or even zip ties (that don't look as good, lmao), that I used with success. Later you can remove them.
As for me, I think Psalmopoeus species are definitely very interesting to keep, but my wishlist is long enough not to consider another one. The T's take a lot of space and work, especially when breeding your own feeders, so I can't afford to get everything I'd like, so I have to be very picky with my spiders. P. victorii is definitely somewhere on that wishlist, though. They look fantastic. I believe there was another species that caught my eye, but I can't recall the name. I think it was reddish too, like victorii.
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Coolest looking species imo
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I just love the faint metallic green on the carapace. Often not even noticeable unless under the right lighting!
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To be honest, I thought it appears just because she's still not very fluffy on her carapace. I expect this to not be visible once she gets hairy, but who knows :)
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Quite a beauty there.... these are a favorite of mine.