# Camel Spider update



## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

Well folks were just over a week since I got the camel spider so thought I would give you all an update.

Overall everything is going really well. She has burrowed deep into the sand and comes out at night to hunt and feed. I'm still trying to get a video of her hunting at night but the biggest problem is lighting (obviously :lol2 because at the slightest sign of even the dimmest light she sprints back into her burrow. Annoying? yes...but the fact that shes showing all the natural behaviours is well worth it. We also may have a case of a gravid camel spider as when I cruely shone a mini maglight through her abdomen it looked full of eggs :gasp: If this is the case then i might well have a lot of sleepless night on the way mg: but yet again well worth it. 

So all going really well, will try and get a hunting video done soon, need someone with a "night vision" setting on their camera/camcorder...:whistling2: will also get some updated pics of her enclosure uploaded on here later so you can all see what shes been upto since last week, its pretty impressive!! Cheers guys : victory:


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## mcluskyisms (Jan 24, 2010)

Very interesting choice of species, keep us all posted to when this hunting video is done, will make very interesting watching!!!

:2thumb:


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## Christie&Spence (Feb 27, 2010)

Glad she's getting on grand.I bet they're really interesting too watch :2thumb:. I think you should let me have one if you have babies :whistling2:


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

She decided to go for a walk about last night so managed to get some better pics of her :2thumb:






























Here you can see all the craters shes made whilst digging about. Looks like a bomb site :lol2:











And heres her home...well one of them










I'm still waiting to get a hunting/feeding video done but as soon as i do i'll get it up on YT. : victory:​


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## scorpion-boy (Dec 14, 2009)

what did you mix with the sand to make it stay stable like that - those burrows look sturdy enough, but excavator clay is red - so im thinking bentonite?


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

scorpion-boy said:


> what did you mix with the sand to make it stay stable like that - those burrows look sturdy enough, but excavator clay is red - so im thinking bentonite?


Its a sand and coir mix mate (75% sand 25% dry coir) Every other day I put a petrol can nozzle (New and clean obviously) down to the bottom and pour warm water down it. It keeps the substrate nice and damp on the bottom layer as it would be in the wild but still loose and "desert like" on the top. : victory:


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## Siouxzy (Sep 20, 2009)

Scary! Facinating at the same time tho' :2thumb:


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

Siouxzy said:


> Scary! Facinating at the same time tho' :2thumb:


Thanks hun, funny...thats what everyone says :lol2:


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## Demonsnapper (Dec 18, 2009)

very nice spider. so are they expensive to buy?


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

Demonsnapper said:


> very nice spider. so are they expensive to buy?


Not actually a spider buddy, classed as a *Solifugae, *so a bit of half and half. As for cost....well I picked this one up for £25. They tend to be a bit of a waste of money as they only last a couple of weeks in captivity normally but from my previous experience with these if you get the right conditions for them they can actually do quite well. One of the best inverts to watch in my opinion : victory:


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## purplekitten (Feb 24, 2010)

well... its different  :2thumb:


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## Demonsnapper (Dec 18, 2009)

invertasnakes said:


> Not actually a spider buddy, classed as a *Solifugae, *so a bit of half and half. As for cost....well I picked this one up for £25. They tend to be a bit of a waste of money as they only last a couple of weeks in captivity normally but from my previous experience with these if you get the right conditions for them they can actually do quite well. One of the best inverts to watch in my opinion : victory:


kool thanks, so do you think having a bigger viv would help the animal in captivity? as my mate was asking me about them yesterday and i had no clue about them in captivity. so this thread is a big help lol.


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

Demonsnapper said:


> kool thanks, so do you think having a bigger viv would help the animal in captivity? as my mate was asking me about them yesterday and i had no clue about them in captivity. so this thread is a big help lol.


Well I've had 3 so far (This is my 3rd) The first one I had in a 30x30x30 exo with just sand in there and it did the usually camel spider thing of dying after just a couple of weeks.....The 2nd on I did a lot more research on and also thought about the general setup and conditions that it would've come from in the wild. I had that one in a very similar set up (45x45x45 exo with sand and coir mix) and he lasted for nearly 2 YEARS!!!!! which I was amazed by!! Admittedly he was a lot smaller than this one so possibly had a lot longer left in him naturally anyway. As for this one I've only had for just over a week but within a couple of hours she was displaying natural behaviours. Burrowing and running from intense light (Maglite). 

From what I've seen the bigger the setup the better, which is strange mainly because they are very reclusive and live in burrows but if its what they like its what they get : victory:


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## Demonsnapper (Dec 18, 2009)

kool thanks for the info. will pass it on to a friend.


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## brownj6709 (Jan 26, 2010)

nicce  i want.


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## 5hadowfax (Jun 10, 2010)

With all the crap iv'e heard from them in Iraq etc, is their bite actually dangerous because as far as I know its not venomous just has a really bad bite? Interesting things mind, if the spidershop got one i would try and pick one up
:2thumb::2thumb:


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

5hadowfax said:


> With all the crap iv'e heard from them in Iraq etc, is their bite actually dangerous because as far as I know its not venomous just has a really bad bite? Interesting things mind, if the spidershop got one i would try and pick one up
> :2thumb::2thumb:


I've never been bitten by one mate but from what I've seen regards to eating when they get hold of something they don't tend to let go. Pretty much all of the myths and claims of them that come back from the middle east are totally wrong. They have no venom what so ever and also they don't have the ability to numb/anethatise the area they bite (One of the best myths lol) If you do get the chance to get one make sure you have everything you need for them. I'm trying to follow and document everything on mine so I can do an accurate care sheet and possible "scientific" paper on them as there seems to be very little accurate information on them : victory:


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## wickedweasel (Jun 2, 2010)

invertasnakes said:


> Not actually a spider buddy, classed as a *Solifugae, *so a bit of half and half. As for cost....well I picked this one up for £25. They tend to be a bit of a waste of money as they only last a couple of weeks in captivity normally but from my previous experience with these if you get the right conditions for them they can actually do quite well. One of the best inverts to watch in my opinion : victory:


Cool animal, I've heard "stories" of them being able to bite through chicken-wire. What do you feed her?


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

invertasnakes said:


> I've never been bitten by one mate but from what I've seen regards to eating when they get hold of something they don't tend to let go. Pretty much all of the myths and claims of them that come back from the middle east are totally wrong. They have no venom what so ever and also they don't have the ability to numb/anethatise the area they bite (One of the best myths lol) If you do get the chance to get one make sure you have everything you need for them. I'm trying to follow and document everything on mine so I can do an accurate care sheet and possible "scientific" paper on them as there seems to be very little accurate information on them : victory:


I can post you some papers that have been done on these already and include mine along with it if you want.

The one you had for 2 years, what sex was it, where did you obtain it from and did you keep accurate notes/data?


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

There is actually a lot of work published on these animals, it's just not the easiest to get hold of. 

Try searching for M H Muma or the work of F Punzo, they studied american solifuges extensively. Dippoenar-schoener has published a decent volume on southern African species of Solifuges. 

Also, can I just clarify - 2 years as in 24 months yes? I was already annoyed at the arachnoboards thread on a "2 year old solifuge" which actually lived only a year - not impressive considering it was collected as a small juvenile!


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

Definitely check out Punzo's articles, especially Punzo, F. 1998. Camel spider biology I think it is called.

Another worth checking out for a good few pages is Shultz, J.W. 1990 Morphology and phylogeny of arachnids, think its about pages 10 - 30 you will want to look at.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Young_Gun said:


> Definitely check out Punzo's articles, especially Punzo, F. 1998. Camel spider biology I think it is called.
> 
> Another worth checking out for a good few pages is Shultz, J.W. 1990 Morphology and phylogeny of arachnids, think its about pages 10 - 30 you will want to look at.


I'd add that the book is well worth it if you intend to get really into the Solifugae....alas it's a tad expensive but it can be veiwed as an investment since it's increased by about £70 already since I bought my copy 2 years ago or so.


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

wickedweasel said:


> Cool animal, I've heard "stories" of them being able to bite through chicken-wire. What do you feed her?


As you said buddy "stories" I could possibly believe that if they spent enough time chewing the same part then maybe they could chew though chicken wire but then again if anything chews the same part they would do the same. Fed mainly on crickets but shes took a pinky on Saturday : victory:



Young_Gun said:


> I can post you some papers that have been done on these already and include mine along with it if you want.
> 
> The one you had for 2 years, what sex was it, where did you obtain it from and did you keep accurate notes/data?


As they say mate every little helps. If you could post me some of those that would be awesome! The 2 year one I got from a local pet/rep shop. Believed to be a female but not 100%, and unfortunately and regrettably i kept nothing on it. Regret it now but it was when I'd just started keeping and just didn't think of it. 



GRB said:


> There is actually a lot of work published on these animals, it's just not the easiest to get hold of.
> 
> Try searching for M H Muma or the work of F Punzo, they studied american solifuges extensively. Dippoenar-schoener has published a decent volume on southern African species of Solifuges.
> 
> Also, can I just clarify - 2 years as in 24 months yes? I was already annoyed at the arachnoboards thread on a "2 year old solifuge" which actually lived only a year - not impressive considering it was collected as a small juvenile!


Cheers for this mate. Like I said every little helps. It would just be nice to enhance my knowledge etc on them, and would love to get into them some more.

And yes 2 YEARS. Was around 3-4 cms when I got it and grew to around 6 -7cms when it passed. just wish I was A. On here when I had it and B. kept notes etc. Hence why I'm trying to do that with this one. :2thumb:


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## Chaika (Jun 5, 2009)

invertasnakes said:


> And yes 2 YEARS. Was around 3-4 cms when I got it and grew to around 6 -7cms when it passed. just wish I was A. On here when I had it and B. kept notes etc. Hence why I'm trying to do that with this one. :2thumb:


Well done . I guess that shows how much lifespan estimates could be off just because the basic husbandry information might be inaccurate of non-existent. Good luck to you, you never know, you might start breeding these yet. Captive bred camel spiders, just imagine: victory:.


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

Chaika said:


> Well done . I guess that shows how much lifespan estimates could be off just because the basic husbandry information might be inaccurate of non-existent. Good luck to you, you never know, you might start breeding these yet. Captive bred camel spiders, just imagine: victory:.


Thats the main ambition with these guys. I know someone down in Bournemouth that has success with them but sadly all the babies died within a couple of days after hatching. It would be very interesting to see if there would be a higher mortality rate with CB as of WC : victory:


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

invertasnakes said:


> Thats the main ambition with these guys. I know someone down in Bournemouth that has success with them but sadly all the babies died within a couple of days after hatching. It would be very interesting to see if there would be a higher mortality rate with CB as of WC : victory:


Had success breeding or had a WC female birth young?

Shame you have no data on the one that survived 2 years, thats something that would be ideal to have documented, what species was it?


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## splottlands (Jul 3, 2009)

Cardiff Reptile Centre have a couple of these. Only had them in a week give them a bell


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## johno the exploder (Mar 23, 2009)

thats a great set up you have there,it shows that you have put time and effort into it. 18 years ago i worked on a moshav(talme yosef) in the negev desert and i used to run into these on a regular basis ,to my shame i used to kill them as i was advised to by my farmer because they could be dangerous to their kids,i never saw one during the day unless i hoed it up by accident ,but at night they would prowl about the out buildings,i thought there jaws were amazing and they were very fast and i had one run between my legs once


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## invertasnakes (Feb 1, 2009)

*Day 18 in the camel spiders house*

Ok folks. Did another check up on our little friend and all seems well. She yesterday and was out having a wonder last night. Tried to get some pics but as soon as I opened the enclosure she shot straight back into her burrow. Managed to get some pics of her in her burrow though which don't show the size of it, but trust me its huge!! Still showing all natural behaviours and thankfully not becoming tame one bit :lol2:



















Look out for more updates :2thumb:​


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## Demonsnapper (Dec 18, 2009)

how is (s)he geting on? any more pictures?


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

invertasnakes said:


> at the slightest sign of even the dimmest light she sprints back into her burrow.


I'm sure you know this but for anyone who doesn't I did like that sentence because it reminded me of their name:

*Solifuge - *hides from the sun.


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

oh nice burrow, my H.arizonensis had one against the glass for ages, collapsed though. I think I didn't re-wet the substrate enough to keep it compact, but I was too scared about raising the humidity. I think if I did it again I'd get something 12" deep and but an inch or so of perlite at the bottom, so the water could settle in that drainage layer and slowly absorb into the lower levels of sand, just like deep water sources in the desert I imagine, as their burrows are more cool and humid then folks think.


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## Darren.rl (Oct 2, 2008)

Something else you might find of importance when keeping these, i had one a while back did exactly
what yours is doing but after 2 weeks it died, uummm which i was gutted about as it was doing really well
So as you do went to put it in the bin and just after it landed on something i caught sight a little movement
and got it out straight away then another slight wriggle of the abdomen by now im thinking is it near death with a parasite or something, so i left it and checked every day and still the same for over a week to find out 
it was in a molting stage, it shed but didn't last long after maybe due to messing around while in shed and no
supplier had known this to happen, So be carefull all them ones you bin it may not be dead after all...

good luck..


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

How do camel spider's moult actually? Is it a "pop the top" method like a spider or would it me more like an "open at the front and slide out" like a scorpion?


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## Darren.rl (Oct 2, 2008)

I think it broke out from the front but underneath as its legs was all straight back above itself like you see
in a fresh tarantula skin or like how the south american indians peel back the goliath legs with the abdomen
hanging down.

hope that makes sense.


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

I saw this news article earlier which was pretty interesting.....

BBC - Earth News - Camel spiders are sticky killers


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