# camel spiders?



## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

howdy chaps....
i used to have some of these a few years bk..
brillant looking animals...
do any of you lot have any? 
its just that they dont get mentioned very much and they are a fantastic spider to observe eat and etc...
id recommend them to anyone..
are they still available now days?
i havent seen any for a while now....


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

Its rare to find them as they can be hard to keep alive. That and there just nasty, not the sort of thing id like personally.:lol2:


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

*camels?*



Lucifus said:


> Its rare to find them as they can be hard to keep alive. That and there just nasty, not the sort of thing id like personally.:lol2:


the 1 i had was brill.. he was never aggressive...
i used to let mine roam all over my hand,arm etc.... never bit me once...
i had 3... 2 didnt last a month and the one that did, got quite big and lived for about a year...
i remember i used to keep him super warm, same as my uro`s...desert warm and he was fine, used to eat allsorts.. i used to amazed by it catching moths...they jump and are proper fast....
i was gutted when it died...


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

I believe the longest someone has kept one alive is twelve years, most dont go past a year. I do believe there has been some breakthrough in the research that can make them live longer.


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

im a crap spider keeper....:crazy:
:lol2:
im ashamed of myself....i thought i was doing well...:lol2:
thanks pal ur a top man...


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## Philcw (Feb 7, 2008)

Im not scared of spiders but camel spiders make me pull n ugly face and make a weird noise if i see a pic of them...

Creepy things lol.


Phil : victory:


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

the chameleon man said:


> im a crap spider keeper....:crazy:
> :lol2:
> im ashamed of myself....i thought i was doing well...:lol2:
> thanks pal ur a top man...


Seriously most don't last past a year. Its not the fault of the keeper as such as theres something about the habitat that we don't know about.

And in my own opinion there are three things that should be wiped off the face of the earth, Centipedes, King Baboons and Camel Spiders. There all evil incarnate.


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

Philcw said:


> Im not scared of spiders but camel spiders make me pull n ugly face and make a weird noise if i see a pic of them...
> 
> Creepy things lol.
> 
> ...


i know what you mean...did you see them u.s marine pics etc?
and mate they are arguing like mad about that girl and her cham.....still...
ur comments made me chuckle.....


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## Philcw (Feb 7, 2008)

the chameleon man said:


> i know what you mean...did you see them u.s marine pics etc?
> and mate they are arguing like mad about that girl and her cham.....still...
> ur comments made me chuckle.....


Yeah i seen the pics...
and yeah that thread was going no where but i thought i would give my input :mf_dribble: lol....


Phil : victory:


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## Mark75 (Jan 21, 2007)

Lucifus said:


> And in my own opinion there are three things that should be wiped off the face of the earth, Centipedes, King Baboons and Camel Spiders. There all evil incarnate.


Awww, I love my centi. She's so cute and fluffy and cuddly....... NOT!


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

You need to keep them mentally hot, I provide a basking spot of 120f, I find that they can live a lot longer if they have a large amount of sand to burrow in with differing humidity levels, this is the main factor causing them to die after 12 months or so in my opinion.


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## joe0709 (Sep 22, 2007)

Young_Gun said:


> You need to keep them mentally hot, I provide a basking spot of 120f, I find that they can live a lot longer if they have a large amount of sand to burrow in with differing humidity levels, this is the main factor causing them to die after 12 months or so in my opinion.


 
bloody hell thats hot. i thought it would just be a heatmat under one side job.


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## Philcw (Feb 7, 2008)

Could cook my tea in that tank :lol2:


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

Philcw said:


> Could cook my tea in that tank :lol2:


Tis a 4ft viv mesh top so provides a localised hot spot with plenty of gradient 

Longest I have had one survive in there is 3 years so not doin too badly, constantly messing with systems to have as wide a range of humidity in the burrowing system as poss, got a number of little/big drippers going at the minute with the tubes buried at differing depths.


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## Muze (Jun 20, 2007)

Id love to keep one of these, just cant find em anywhere

There was a guy of one of the spider boards i believe (or at least thats where i read his article) where he was keeping them in a much smaller enclosure (i think it was a deli cup) and he sucessfully kept them alive for years. I think he concluded that the small space mimicked their natural burrow and thats why it worked for him..He also let them hibernate if i remember correctly

I'll see if i can find the link if anyone is interested: victory:


found it lol :solifugids actually lives longer than we think - Arachnoboards


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## the chameleon man (Jan 31, 2008)

*yeah sweet*

im interested buddy..
thanks for doing the research....


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## Muze (Jun 20, 2007)

No problem hun, your welcome


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## izan (May 28, 2007)

im loving the hover cat !


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

There was a fab lecture at the bts lectures last night about solifugae by Jenny Dobson. They need to be kept at about 28C with loads of hides etc

These are very hard to sustain in captivity. None have ever been captive bred or captive born.


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

ignore post, i shoulld have read previous ones.. everything iv said, has been said.. doh! lol


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Becky said:


> There was a fab lecture at the bts lectures last night about solifugae by Jenny Dobson. They need to be kept at about 28C with loads of hides etc
> 
> These are very hard to sustain in captivity. None have ever been captive bred or captive born.


Fred Punzo says he bred through them complete cycles in his book, "The Biology of Camel spiders". 

Is it worth joining the BTS? I am a member of the BAS (British Arachnological Soc), trying to see if its worth it really. The lectures sound interesting.


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## hiddenkingdom (Dec 23, 2007)

Just a couple of pics of my Solies, the top one i've had for months and doing well the bottom one died a few years ago.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

What species is the top one? it looks very cool.


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## Young_Gun (Jan 6, 2007)

GRB said:


> What species is the top one? it looks very cool.


Galeodidae Paragaleodes.


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

GRB said:


> Fred Punzo says he bred through them complete cycles in his book, "The Biology of Camel spiders".
> 
> Is it worth joining the BTS? I am a member of the BAS (British Arachnological Soc), trying to see if its worth it really. The lectures sound interesting.


The BTS is wicked. A really nice group of people! The lectures was definately a giggle, meeting new faces and bumping into old ones. Definately worth joining i reckon. £15 a year you can't go wrong : victory:


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Young_Gun said:


> Galeodidae Paragaleodes.


Thanks. 

At some point in the future, I will definitely consider owning some solifugids. Absolutley amazing little things.

Have any of you guys seen the caresheet on the forums? If you guys have hands on advice to add, it might help out new buyers, and stop people buying them and essentially just killing them after a few months. I've seen a few people say things like "oh well, they were only a tenner", which is a bit disrespectful imo. I obviously can't vouch 100% for what Punzo reports, as I havent tried it. I does come from lots of lab work however, so I presume its quite reliable. The ideal would be to figure out how Punzo managed to get them to breed.

Rather amazingly, the caresheet comes up as a second hit for "solifuge" typed into google, so it should get a decent exposure.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Becky said:


> The BTS is wicked. A really nice group of people! The lectures was definately a giggle, meeting new faces and bumping into old ones. Definately worth joining i reckon. £15 a year you can't go wrong : victory:


Cool, as I'm a bit dissapointed so far with the BAS. Havent heard from them yet, I cant access the member's area of the website, and I havent recived any sort of welcome pack/journals that I was promised. They also take an age to answer any emails (even simple membership queries). 

On the plus side, they did help me find and contact various academics for dissertation advice on arachnids.

Is the BTS more hobby orientated (albeit pretty serious hobbyists!), or does it publish academic studies as well?


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

hiddenkingdom said:


> Just a couple of pics of my Solies, the top one i've had for months and doing well the bottom one died a few years ago.


 
Was the bottom one actually black, or is that just the pic?


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Black one Galeodes sp. arabicus??
I like it!

The only reason they don't appeal to me is because they're so short lived.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

I have never ever seen a black camel spider, I thought ALL of them were various shades of sand colour.

*Shrugs*



Steve


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## gizzard (May 5, 2008)

:lol2: all of the camel spiders in the pet trade are tiny. the caresheets say that the biggest camel spiders get to only 6 inches. they should see the ones in morrocco, way more than 6 inches. i had one in my tent and have never used it again after that face to overly-evil face with a monster camel spider . uurgh...disgusting creatures, thats why i want one!!


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

gizzard said:


> :lol2: all of the camel spiders in the pet trade are tiny. the caresheets say that the biggest camel spiders get to only 6 inches. they should see the ones in morrocco, way more than 6 inches. i had one in my tent and have never used it again after that face to overly-evil face with a monster camel spider . uurgh...disgusting creatures, thats why i want one!!


You are right.

All of those I have had, or seen for sale, have been tiny.

And I have yet to see one for real that was close to six inches, let alone more than that.

Perhaps it is because they tend not to well captive, thus they never get the chance to actually grow to their full potential?


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## cjwales (Mar 26, 2008)

Mean looking critters










Cheers

Chris


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

...if they were that size. Those pics are well known fakes.

:whistling2:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Becky said:


> There was a fab lecture at the bts lectures last night about solifugae by Jenny Dobson. They need to be kept at about 28C with loads of hides etc
> 
> These are very hard to sustain in captivity. None have ever been captive bred or captive born.


Then more people with the potential ability should give it a punt.

Just for the challenge, and all of that?

Btw, I read that perhaps one of the reasons that they die quick, being captive, is that they essentially run around and around, winding down like the broken clock.

Placing stones along the entire edge of the viv is meant to help with this.

What do you think?


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

Never heard of that lol


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## JAG Loves Beardies (Apr 13, 2008)

I think there scary.:lol2:
Its the arachnid im scared of. Saw one in a rep shop it was about 4" long.


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## TheSpiderShop (Apr 5, 2006)

We have two species arriving Thursday. I have seen some 6 inch monsters.

Cheers

Lee


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

JAG Loves Beardies said:


> I think there scary.:lol2:
> Its the arachnid im scared of. Saw one in a rep shop it was about 4" long.


 
Most that I have seen have been smaller than that, close to a couple of inches, maybe three. They are nothing like their rep, imo, and are relatively benign and nervous, in my experience.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Becky said:


> Never heard of that lol


No..?


Well I suppose there might be some logic to it.

If in captivity they essentially wear themselves out, running around the edge of a medium sized tank, and you can somehow obstruct it from doing that as much, that in theory it might add some time to it's life span.


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## JAG Loves Beardies (Apr 13, 2008)

I was told that they chase you if you disturb them, is that true?


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

JAG Loves Beardies said:


> I was told that they chase you if you disturb them, is that true?


Not really.

They just act all confused and run around in a random pattern.


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## spider_duck (Feb 25, 2008)

I think they're cute, saw some awesome videos of one digging yesterday. :flrt:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

On You Tube..?


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

One report of a researcher from the US stated that he had his for over a year and a half. 

he asked for one to do some genetics on, and didnt kill it in the proces. He kept it in a plastic cup and just ignored it, and amazingly when the donater asked for it back, he asked if it was preserved - later to find it was still alive. All in all, it lasted at least 20 months as an adult, probably more. 

When I get settled, I do hope to try my hand at rearing some. I think owners in the UK are just behind the game tbh, US keepers report a lot more success and not so much difficulty.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Sorry for the double post. 

I think after all I have read about them, I might re-do the care sheet on solifuges based on success stories from other keepers. It does seem a bit odd however as I have no actual hands on experience, although what i have found seems to be from reliable sources.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

GRB said:


> Sorry for the double post.
> 
> I think after all I have read about them, I might re-do the care sheet on solifuges based on success stories from other keepers. It does seem a bit odd however as I have no actual hands on experience, although what i have found seems to be from reliable sources.


Mate, from what you have read, give us like a few bullet points re prolonging their life as much as possible..


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Well, in a nutshell:


(1) *Use smaller containers, opaque*, with a fairly deep substrate. See mix in caresheet (some US keepers swear by a hard to find type of coarse pottery sand aswell)

(2) *Ignore them*. I think people kill them with attention - they really dont need to be checked every day. People seem to report them being very skittish and prone to stress, so its probably best to completely ignore them for weeks at a time...

(3) *Feed them* *less*. I know, they have this fearsome reputation, but increasing food seems to kill them quicker. Think about it; some inverts will simply eat and eat and eat if you give it to them, yet in the wild they would probably capture far less. I think its the same with solifuges - less food might prolong their life. 

(4) *Stop them pacing*/moving as much. Most keepers seem to report success when they stop them pacing and generally restrict their activities. Make several small depressions in the sand to act as burrow starters, or even construct them yourself. Place lots of hides so that they dont pace themselves to death. The reason the one solifuge survived for so long just in a plastic cup was because it was thought to be using as a small burrow (and it basically didnt have anywhere to move...). 

(5) Humidity in the burrow seems to have success - Young_gun suggested that he was experiencing longer lifespan with humidity control in the burrows. I cant really compare that however, as none of the US keepers have tried anything similar. Some have experienced success with lower humidity...

(6) Luck. The ones we get here are often stressed and might even be quite old as adults. I guess its just luck of the draw if you get a reasonably non stressed young adult. 

The thing is, if you followed this advice, you might have a solifuge that lasted for 2 years or even more. There's not a lot on how long they can actually live. However, all I have read certainly suggests that solifuges are for the hardcore enthusiast - the need to practially ignore them makes them less than ideal "pets". I guess that goes against most peoples concept of a pet, even an exotic one.


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

GRB said:


> Well, in a nutshell:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



well, seems pointless to keep them
though from waht you posted previous.. kinda a good concept to keep them alive.


i think US are better experienced with them because their endemic to some US states so are easier to aquire


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

C_Strike said:


> well, seems pointless to keep them
> though from waht you posted previous.. kinda a good concept to keep them alive.
> i think US are better experienced with them because their endemic to some US states so are easier to aquire


Well, i think thats exactly it; if you want a solifuge to live a long time, they seem to thrive on neglect and on a spartan existance. Definitlely more experienced in the US - as you say, i've heard of people finding them in their gardens and on their doorsteps, so it's hardly a surprise they have better results.


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## spider_duck (Feb 25, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> On You Tube..?


Aye was on youtube, twas nifty :2thumb:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

GRB - That list was interesting, thank you..

Steve


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## matthew spooner (Apr 18, 2008)

hya, at the bts lectures this year there was a lady that gave a lecture from the liverpool university, i have been racking my brains but for the life of me cant remember her name. she gave us a talk on solifugids and she is studying them as we speak, working out what it is that we are getting wrong when keeping them. if i can remember her name i will get back to you with it, or if anyone on here went to the lectures and can remember her name maybe they can help. she would be the best person to speak to about them. i do remember her saying in the lecture though that they are incredibly hard to get hold of and she has been having trouble. the main reason for this is that as they dont live very long, importers are not bringing them in because the amount of money they make of them doesnt make it worth while enuff


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

matthew spooner said:


> hya, at the bts lectures this year there was a lady that gave a lecture from the liverpool university, i have been racking my brains but for the life of me cant remember her name. she gave us a talk on solifugids and she is studying them as we speak, working out what it is that we are getting wrong when keeping them. if i can remember her name i will get back to you with it, or if anyone on here went to the lectures and can remember her name maybe they can help. she would be the best person to speak to about them.* i do remember her saying in the lecture though that they are incredibly hard to get hold of and she has been having trouble.* the main reason for this is that as they dont live very long, importers are not bringing them in because the amount of money they make of them doesnt make it worth while enuff


I would not say they were incredibly hard to get a hold of, esp for those with inside contacts in the trade.

Indeed, there are a couple of places that are stocking them today.

Steve



*Btw* Maybe they are living as long as they are meant to? Has anyone thought that maybe in the wild they might not live that long? Has anyone ever studied their life span in the wild?


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Why do you think they do better in an opaque container?


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> Why do you think they do better in an opaque container?


Opaque containers will limit the amount of light entering the enclosure - my guess is that it makes them believe they are under cover and reduce their stress. I have noticed a difference in the activity of my whip scorpions after moving them into an opaque container (they are active more) so I guess it must make them feel more like they are under some kind of cover. 

Other than that, your guess is as good as mine.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

GRB said:


> Opaque containers will limit the amount of light entering the enclosure - my guess is that it makes them believe they are under cover and reduce their stress. I have noticed a difference in the activity of my whip scorpions after moving them into an opaque container (they are active more) so I guess it must make them feel more like they are under some kind of cover.
> 
> Other than that, your guess is as good as mine.


Could be mate, could be.

Anyway, I just bought *two *from Lee.

One is black, and quite small, the other has a leg span of about 5 inches, and a body about 3 inches.

They will hopefully arrive next week.

Steve


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> Could be mate, could be.
> 
> Anyway, I just bought *two *from Lee.
> 
> ...


Wow, mega. Just saw them on the website. Have to admit, i'm tempted myself. Good luck!

Have you read my caresheet adapted from the work of Punzo? I think he had a great deal of success with them. If you want to know anything specific about them, i'll see what i can do. 

I think fairly deep substrate, opaque tubs and lots of hidey holes and you should be ok. I'd be tempted to feed them less than people make out - perhaps treat them as you would a similar sized scorpion in terms of feeding. I like the black one more tbh!


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

GRB said:


> Wow, mega. Just saw them on the website. Have to admit, i'm tempted myself. Good luck!
> 
> Have you read my caresheet adapted from the work of Punzo? I think he had a great deal of success with them. If you want to know anything specific about them, i'll see what i can do.
> 
> I think fairly deep substrate, opaque tubs and lots of hidey holes and you should be ok. I'd be tempted to feed them less than people make out - perhaps treat them as you would a similar sized scorpion in terms of feeding. I like the black one more tbh!


Yes mate, I did, if it is the one you did on post 48. I remarked later that this was v useful.

The only one's I have had have been really small.

One that has a 5 inch leg span, and three inch body length, that is just mental, I have measured that out in my hand, and that would make it huge!!!


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

enlightenment said:


> Yes mate, I did, if it is the one you did on post 48. I remarked later that this was v useful.
> 
> The only one's I have had have been really small.
> 
> One that has a 5 inch leg span, and three inch body length, that is just mental, I have measured that out in my hand, and that would make it huge!!!


Ah cool, thanks. 

Good luck anyway, let me know how you get on with them, and if you have anything you might want to add to the caresheets so that people can better care for them. Now I have to seriously consider not buying one...


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Buy one mate, buy one....


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

I have decided to get the G.arabicus. 

I'll order one tomorrow, when i have details of my new house's post code.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

GRB said:


> I have decided to get the G.arabicus.
> 
> I'll order one tomorrow, when i have details of my new house's post code.


I should be on a commission.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Hahah, just ordered it this morning. G.arabicus. Awesome little critter. Should arrive on tuesday/wednesday.

I guess with them being quite rare, and my (un)healthy interest in them, I should really own one. At least I might finally get some practical hands on experience with one. 

I'm off into town today to get a RUB and some soil mix. I'm going to try Punzo's soil mix. I might even go into the biology department and sieve the soil into the correct particle sizes to constitute "loam" and "clay"....yes, I am that dull.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Ouch, my wallter hurts. 

£23 for the solifuge, then nearly £25 for another tank and the sand and loam mix stuff....argh. 

Oh well, this should be pretty fun.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

GRB said:


> Ouch, my wallter hurts.
> 
> £23 for the solifuge, then nearly £25 for another tank and the sand and loam mix stuff....argh.
> 
> Oh well, this should be pretty fun.


£23?

Neither of mine were as expensive as that, I don't think.

Let me check..

**I paid £14.99 for one, and £16.99 for the other**


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

Yeah, shipping and VAt brought it up to £23. 

It was £16.99 (£14.39 + vat) for the actual animal I believe.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

GRB said:


> Yeah, shipping and VAt brought it up to £23.
> 
> It was £16.99 (£14.39 + vat) for the actual animal I believe.


Oh yes.

I realised afterwards.


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