If you can't show it properly don't show it at all. They could always make lets say three burrows, of which one right against the glass.
Animals in Random Objects/Really tiny vivaria
- Thread starter red river hog
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Didn't know that, the only freshwater inverts that I've had to deal with were the ones I was feeding to 100 odd axolotls.
While Viewing the animals is important, I feel mostly The well-being for animals should be better. The question I would ask, would you rather have a large exhibit for a tarantula with natural rubble? Or the exhibit that looks like the opening in a public Gas station that looks like you can slide your Leftover sandwich in the small exhibit. Another way for tarantulas to be put on public view is already done. The keepers can take the Tarantulas out of the exhibit and show them to the public as a sort of ambassador. Lets not forget that multiple arachnids are endangered such as Gooty sapphire tarantulas, which I think would be pretty interesting to the public. Same with Tarantulas in general. Weather guests may find them disgusting or not is irrelevant, its still eye-catching to the visitors regardless. I would actually say some people were really engaged in the Cincinnati zoos award-winning insect house, and in other insect exhibits. And as jarne said, Inverts are actually easier to keep than fish, Salamanders, and others.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Fair point but I don't believe that tarantula is going to be suffering the same kind of stress levels as a tree shrew confined to a tiny and undersized exhibit for example.
Fair point. But, I've seen tree shrews at omaha in a pretty small habitat, and they actually had plenty of ample cover, only saw them when I waited around for 10 minutes.
Tarantulas prefer smaller exhibits as they naturally live in burrows and other small, confined spaces. A huge tarantula exhibit is pointless as they will just stay in one small area of the enclosure, which is why pretty much every Tarantula exhibit is quite small.
But a mammal might just as well be able to better adapt to these subpar exhibits especially in terms of stress from visitors. I do understand you reasoning though.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Yes, I agree regarding even inverts being ambassadors and the need to display them well.
I would much rather enclosures would be naturalistic but there is a lot of variation in different exhibit styles and I've seen some in the gallery and in zoos and natural history museums that I quite like that wouldn't necessarily conform to those sorts of standards.
I'll try to find a couple of these and post them here but it may take the thread slightly off topic.
I really like this black widow spider exhibit.
This one also for widows too which is similar.
Spacious Brazilian tarantula salmon exhibit that I quite like the look of.
I love these exhibits at the Instituto Butantan which is a couple of subway stations away from where I live and where I used to enjoy going on a rainy day before the pandemic. I think that in terms of education (perhaps not the most sophisticated exhibit though) these are the best invert displays I've seen yet.
Photo credits to @vogelcommando, @Maguari, @devilfish.
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I don't think he necessarily means huge, just not something like-This.
The exhibit is the small white bucket on the side. Forgot to mention, photo credit to @Dhole dude
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
But what mammals for example ?
Darnet. I was about to ask that.
True, most species are ambush predators. But just as with reptiles they are much more in homeostasis with the environment then let's say a mammal or birds. Space makes it possible to create gradients, which gives the animals choices. We are doing the same for more and more mammal species, why do inverts deserve any less?
I'd say many species. Okapi for example are very shy creatures in nature, but in Antwerp they don't react much at all to the visitors due to habituation. They can even be petted by the keepers, something useful for medical research.
As I like to say (multiple times) Invertebrate discrimination!
I don't disagree - from the somewhat awkward photo angle that looks very small and also quite sparse in terms of substrate and hiding opportunities.I don't think he necessarily means huge, just not something like-This.
The exhibit is the small white bucket on the side. Forgot to mention, photo credit to @Dhole dude
I'm just saying that husbandry needs are different and what might be too small for say a snake would be fine for a Tarantula.
Yes, I agree. I'm no one to speak for husbandry though, someone else would have to explain this.
This thread has been turned into a Tarantula Escapade as of now, but lets not forget that atrocious Rainbow boa "exhibit" (if you can even call it that) at the very beginning. Having seen this exhibit personally, along with the tarantula habitat (como zoo's) , I would say the entire time I have seen the rainbow boa sitting on the floor barely fitting in that small habitat Every single time I've been there. Never seen it change position.
You are sure it is live one right? Who knows all this time it's been a stuffed specimen after all.
For most animals, yeah I'd agree, but a Tarantula doesn't need and wouldn't even use multiple choices or a large environment. They prefer a small space, so a large enclosure just makes them hard to see and may actually be detrimental to them.
Inverts have different needs than mammals, although yeah obviously some inverts need more space than others (ants for instance).
Its alive, I've talked to Other people (not on zoochat) and they said they have seen it move.