I absolutely love the look of Gyna caffrorum, and I think I'd like to try keeping a colony of them. They don't seem difficult to keep, but I'm trying to figure out how to balance appearance and practicality, especially as far as preventing escapes. I'd like to put them in an Exo Terra, hoping to snag one after Christmas since people are upgrading, but I'm not sure if they'd squeeze out the gaps around the doors. Has anyone tried keeping them in a similar enclosure? I'd like something good for display.
Also, how do I keep them from flying at my face? Just kinda wave around the enclosure before opening it, scare them into hiding so they don't fly out? And if they do get out, how hard are they to get back? I have some good nets.
Roughly how large of an enclosure do I need for a decent colony? I'm hoping to have a group large enough to have an adult or two out at all times when the light is dim. They're so pretty!
Do they need oak leaves in particular, or will any hardwood leaves work?
Is food and misting a reliable way to lure them out to show to guests?
What habitat do they inhabit in the wild? Generic forest floor? Trying to figure out how to make their enclosure look roughly accurate.
My plan as of right now is to set them up with a soft mixed substrate, probably coco fiber (the fine-fiber stuff) with something larger mixed in for bulk, and then give them leaf litter over the top and plenty of branches to climb. I'll keep half the substrate moist and let the other half more or less dry out, and put something around the enclosure to keep the light dim. They'll get cat food and some occasional chunks of whatever fruit is on hand, and will have a steady supply of pecan leaf litter and maybe the occasional crushed pecan. The goal is to have a display enclosure, with them hopefully breeding fast enough to sell/trade a small batch now and then.
Also, how do I keep them from flying at my face? Just kinda wave around the enclosure before opening it, scare them into hiding so they don't fly out? And if they do get out, how hard are they to get back? I have some good nets.
Roughly how large of an enclosure do I need for a decent colony? I'm hoping to have a group large enough to have an adult or two out at all times when the light is dim. They're so pretty!
Do they need oak leaves in particular, or will any hardwood leaves work?
Is food and misting a reliable way to lure them out to show to guests?
What habitat do they inhabit in the wild? Generic forest floor? Trying to figure out how to make their enclosure look roughly accurate.
My plan as of right now is to set them up with a soft mixed substrate, probably coco fiber (the fine-fiber stuff) with something larger mixed in for bulk, and then give them leaf litter over the top and plenty of branches to climb. I'll keep half the substrate moist and let the other half more or less dry out, and put something around the enclosure to keep the light dim. They'll get cat food and some occasional chunks of whatever fruit is on hand, and will have a steady supply of pecan leaf litter and maybe the occasional crushed pecan. The goal is to have a display enclosure, with them hopefully breeding fast enough to sell/trade a small batch now and then.
