Animals in Random Objects/Really tiny vivaria

[Jarne]

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.

Have you tested that? Have you for example given a tarantula a choice between different burrows surrounded by different light levels and amounts of cover? Have you tested out what a tiny heat gradiënt does? And that for different spiders. This seems just as how people justify keeping snakes in tiny cages or monitors in exhibits they can barely turn in.

If we follow that kind of logic, that would also mean that a tarantula in the wild would just choose the first possible option to have a burrow. Regardless of wether that spot is let's say wetter/drier, darker/sunnier, covered/open,... You're suggesting it doesn't take it's surroundings into account to choose it's burrow wisely. Whilst they will probably only use a fraction of the exhibit the vast majority of the time or even all the time, this doesn't mean that if you release them they won't be taking the whole exhibit into account when choosing where to live.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

Have you tested that? Have you for example given a tarantula a choice between different burrows surrounded by different light levels and amounts of cover? Have you tested out what a tiny heat gradiënt does? And that for different spiders.

With all do respect, I bet someone has tested it but maybe not @TZDugong.

 

[Jarne]

With all do respect, I bet someone has tested it but maybe not @TZDugong.

I'm not that sure actually. Mammals get loads of attention but most other animals get much less attention, especially inverts.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

I'm not that sure actually. Mammals get loads of attention but most other animals get much less attention, especially inverts.

Fair enough. When I'm a zoologist, My main focus will Definitely be inverts.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

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.

Well, that came as a bit of a suprise, wasn't expecting you to say okapis.

I do agree with you regarding habituation though as I've the ones at both Bristol and London and these are extremely used to all the loud noise (though I believe it wasn't always this way and didn't one of Bristol's okapis historically die as a result of stress overload from a nearby rock concert?).

Sorry, not sure I follow you, what do you mean for medical research ?

 

[Great Argus]

The tiny exhibits for tarantulas really aren't a problem for the animals, as long as adequate shelter is provided. I helped care for a tarantula, vinegaroons, and a couple species of scorpion, and all three arachnids spent most of their time resting. Usually out of view. They just aren't active animals, most of them didn't even chase the live insects provided as food, they waited til it blundered into them.

Trying to compare them to mammals as in the treeshrew example earlier isn't really a fair comparison.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

Trying to compare them to mammals as in the treeshrew example earlier isn't really a fair comparison.

I agree with this.

 

[Jarne]

Sorry, not sure I follow you, what do you mean for medical research ?

Sorry, my bad english that is. I meant medical examination.

 

[TZDugong]

This seems just as how people justify keeping snakes in tiny cages or monitors in exhibits they can barely turn in.

I'm not advocating for animal cruelty. Snakes and Monitors have vastly different husbandry needs to Tarantulas and you know that.

 

[Jarne]

I'm not advocating for animal cruelty. Snakes and Monitors have vastly different husbandry needs to Tarantulas and you know that.

Of-course, I'd never put a Boa in a 200L tank whilst for a tarantula that's perfectly fine.

 

[Jarne]

But as papers as this suggest, inverts like spider do have preferences when it comes to microhabitats. By providing a diversity of those microhabitats instead of searching for whats ideal you let the spider do the work for you.

https://www.researchgate.net/public...rachypelma_vagans_Mygalomorphae_Theraphosidae

Natural history of the trapdoor spider Idiops joida (Araneae: Idiopidae) from the Western Ghats in India - ScienceDirect

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

Here's a pretty dumb one I found on the zoochat gallery. Such a beautiful San Francisco garter snake put in such a horribble enclosure. Photo credit to @WLV30SAS.

 

[Jarne]

Here's a pretty dumb one I found on the zoochat gallery. Such a beautiful San Francisco garter snake put in such a horribble enclosure. Photo credit to @WLV30SAS.

Can he get out of that cup? The entire thing looks horrible either way

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

Can he get out of that cup? The entire thing looks horrible either way

Probably. But the Plant, Beads, and others could most easily hurt him I would imagine. Can anyone clarify this?

 

[Jarne]

Probably. But the Plant, Beads, and others could most easily hurt him I would imagine. Can anyone clarify this?

I think he can get out, when zooming in you can just see his head lying a bit on the edge.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

I think he can get out, when zooming in you can just see his head lying a bit on the edge.

Yes, so do I.

 

[Great Argus]

Probably. But the Plant, Beads, and others could most easily hurt him I would imagine. Can anyone clarify this?

It's definitely not an appropriately furnished exhibit, but I don't think the snake could be physically injured by any of it. Ugly exhibit for such a gorgeous species.

 

[Jarne]

It's definitely not an appropriately furnished exhibit, but I don't think the snake could be physically injured by any of it. Ugly exhibit for such a gorgeous species.

I agree, the beads/substrate seems rounded of, the glass is smooth and fake plants are used in many terraria. As long as the plant isn't made with harmful things in it, I don't see anything really dangerous.

 

[CheeseChameleon1945]

It's definitely not an appropriately furnished exhibit, but I don't think the snake could be physically injured by any of it. Ugly exhibit for such a gorgeous species.

Here here. Easily one of the prettiest species in its genus.

 

[birdsandbats]

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

This exhibit as well as that cooler one for the Rainbow Boa are the the Como Park Zoo. I'm not a fan on the cooler but that bucket exhibit above houses a tarantula. It's much bigger than it looks and is really a great exhibit.