THE MYSTERY of THE CAMEL SPIDER! 

Bitey's Diary: Day 1 The accommodation is horrible. I am in some sort of plastic dish. At least the sun is always up, so I can sunbathe. Day 3 Every time I am sunbathing, this weird guy come and start poking me. WTF?!? Day 8 Ok, this strange guy is getting on my nerves. Now he's laughing at me because I am little disabled. What a jerk! Day 15 Someone listen to my complaints about the accommodation. I am getting a new one. Very spacious, nice rocks and even sand for the texture. It just needs few final touches. Starting a renovation. Day 15 (update) While the new suite is nice, I have a suspicion I am being watched! Day 17 Bad news. The strange guy is back, mean as always. Now he's calling me "bastard". I swear I will bite his finger off when I have a chance. Day 20 I am definitely being watched. This is unbearable. Will try to escape to Sahara as soon as possible. Whish me luck!

Solifugids are found in some of the most arid places on earth. You are right about the intense heat lamp cycles and why he was sitting where he was. They need the heat in order to keep their biorhythms correct. The cold nights are not as important because that is the reason why they burrow so much. It's their heat regulation system by controlling their environment with their complex systems of tunnels. The biggest mistake keepers usually make is enclosure size. You really really need a huge floor space with lots and lots of substrate and one seriously high BTU heat lamp and light. They really need lots and lots of space. I've kept one for three years, before, and the success was from a rollaway clear plastic bin that was more than a meter in either dimension. They are very fast, very active hunters when they are in their best enclosures and seem to simply have inexhaustible energy when that balance is found. Then and only then should they have the more frequent feedings everyone was talking about. Otherwise they eat about as infrequently as other terrestrial tarantulas.

the lay on the back when they want to molt. sometimes this can take two weeks or longer. some people think their camel spider is dead but it is only molting.

"Sand is for the texture, not for the making sense." -real OG fans ❤

From all the random information I've heard from different keepers who've tried keeping camel spiders, it seems they don't do well at all in the average keeper's standard tarantula/scorpion set up. They aren't active, they die and they have bad molts. So it would be amazing if someone was able to simulate their natural habitat as close as possible in a very large enclosure to see what kind of husbandry they could thrive with.

Here’s some info I found for them. Keep them very warm during the day with temperatures of 35C (95F) and allow this to drop during the night to 24-28C (75-82F). They need very low humidity levels during the day, but the enclosure should be lightly misted each evening to produce a night-time humidity of 70-90%.

"This crazy bastard is biting the tweezers" OMG Petko, you had me in hysterics at that. I don't know if it's your accent or the fact I always think of you as so polite, but either way, bloody brilliant! 😂😂😂

Bro you’re still so good at making the enclosures look so pretty. I think he will like his new home and become more lively.

Man I remember watching you when you where kinda awkward with the camera and speaking and now look at you, bigger room, more pets, more fans! So proud of you man ❤️

We've got them in Las Vegas. They breed like rabbits out here. Just an FYI, temperatures drop at night in the desert. I've never seen Solifugae do well in captivity. They normally cover a lot of ground at night when they hunt. Best of luck 👍

The reason why they might be bathing underneath the lamp and not on the rock, The rock might be too warm as they can fry themselves essentially.

Petko - complains not very active - then "stop moving" lol. Petko we will never win the animals are in charge and running our lives. "Also" that time lapse was awesome! Thank you Petko!

I've also had a camel spider for a long time. It is very important to know that sometimes she does not move for months and you think she is dead. However, this can simply be due to the moulting and can be completely normal in other ways. I would, however, put Mr.Biter in a larger terrarium, because it is important that he has hiding places, such as a cork tube, and that he can then be more active. I hope I could help you. Love your videos, keep it up.

The time lapse footage is a highlight for me, always fantastic content, thank you.

"One of the problems is that they are over fed in captivity" Proceeds to shove roach in the face of one of the fastest hunters in the bug world who didn't chase the prey...

As a tip, take out the waterdish, it raises the humidity too much, they need to be kept bone dry

I was so happy to see him dig, the music was perfect. Almost brought a tear to my eye 😥

Glad to see Mr. Bitey is doing well, I was so pumped when he ran around during the timelapse and dug at his burrow! Hopefully he'll last a long time

I think TarantulaDan was the only one with any real luck keeping these guys for any real length of time. I have seen other videos, where the keeper gave it lots of sandy substrate for it to do it and burrow (alllll the time), kept it very hot, and the main thing, gave it lots of room. I mean A LOT. These are busy animals and they like to roam long distances. So if they're going in circles (squares haha), I think it depresses them and then they stop eating and eventually die. I wish you the best of luck with this guy, tho! They are so neat looking and interesting to watch. Take care!

It looks like the result being moved while still soft from molting.

In South Africa we have a particularly beautiful camel spider that is colloquially called the "Kalahari Ferrari". I saw one in the wild a few weeks back and read up about the species. Apparently they can be extremely active due to their super fast metabolism. Therefore they can travel really long distances while constantly hunting. I believe they prefer to hunt at night since they really hate the sun and will try their best to avoid it. Due to their fast metabolism it makes sense to feed them a bit more often. I would also think he might need a longer enclosure with more room and maybe you want to fill up his burrows every now and again for extra enrichment. But then again, I know nothing of keeping spiders so I'm might be completely off the mark. I do think it's a really cool species though! All the best with keeping him.

Holy cow, the camel spiders we have in Washington are nowhere near as big as that one.

Interested to see how the camel spider does. I wonder if he was trying to find an actively warmer spot with all the frantic moving around while he was away from the heat lamp?

There's something so barbarically fascinating about camel spiders, love them but hate them too!

13:53 Ahh the good ole “Poop and Escape” method, classic. 😂😂

Pretty cool. Your collection is amazing. I once rescued one of our local Tarantulas from a Tarantula Hawk. (Pepsis Wasp). I was coming home from fishing the river (outside Sequoia National Park) and this huge wasp was dragging an even huger Tarantula across the road. I stopped and put a paper bag behind the Wasp and it dragged the tarantula right in to the Bag. Once I closed the Bag, the Wasp forgot about the Spider, so i just let it fly out. I kept that Paralyzed Spider on top of our TV all winter (Before flatscreens). About once a week she would work her way toward the edge, so I’d pick her up, and turn her upside down and give her a drop of water. This went on all winter and by Spring, she started coming out of the Paralysis. And before Summer I took her back and turned her loose where I rescued her. I had always wondered if they could overcome the sting. Now we know. Cheers. Love your Videos. Funny and informative.

Let me start by saying that solifugids are very tricky to keep alive for any length of time in captivity. (They're the only pet bug offered by Bugs in Cyberspace that does not come with a live arrival guarantee for that very reason!) They do require sandy soil that they can burrow in. Whenever I've kept them, they will burrow if they have enough substrate to do so. Like any burrowing species, they'll need the substrate to be deep enough to allow them to burrow - at least a few inches, but possibly more if you have one of the larger species. They'll also need a moisture gradient - ideally, the lower levels of the substrate should be slightly moist, while the surface should be dry. They also appreciate hiding places and obstacles to climb over, like a piece of cork bark or cholla or a cork tube lying on the ground. When you pick a tank, give them plenty of room to run around - and make sure the lid is secure, with no gaps they can squeeze through. They can climb smooth glass or plastic surfaces easily, using the tips of their pedipalps like suction cups to pull themselves up the side of the tank. I've used crickets as feeders, and they accepted them readily - when they were hungry. Although they will tear a cricket apart voraciously when hungry, there are times when they aren't interested and will ignore feeders. My feeding schedule for them was the same as it is for most of my arachnids - once every week or two when they're active - and a single cricket is sufficient. I do not feed them at all when they are dormant. I've kept them at room temperature, with no supplemental heat lamps or heat pads. (There is a small thermostat-controlled space heater in the room, to prevent it getting too cold either at night - or in the summer, when the AC is on.) The room does get a bit cooler at night and in the summertime it also tends to be a bit warmer (closer to 80F at times). They are nocturnal animals, so do not require lights. The thing with solifugids is they are only active for brief periods, then undergo long periods of dormancy/premolt. I caught my current solifugid back in early June. It was active through June and part of July, then burrowed into the substrate and did not come out again for several months. When it finally did emerge, it went into premolt - which is a really weird, unnatural looking position with the legs sticking awkwardly up in the air at various angles .(see this thread arachnoboards.com/threads/molting-solifugid.274699/ for a picture). It's still in that same position. They can take months to molt. The first time I had one do this, I thought it had died so I just stuck the cage under a shelf and forgot about it - and then months later I happened to glance at it, and there it was, alive and well, with a freshly-vacated molt in the cage. I've had one other molt for me, and it was the same with that one - months of sitting around with its legs in the air, looking very dead - until finally it popped out and was fine. I'm hoping the current one is similarly alive and well and just taking a really long time about it. I keep adding a little water to the sand (but not getting the solfugid itself wet, of course!) I'm hoping it gets around to molting this spring. I've tried repeatedly with the local SoCal solifugids and their larger cousins from Arizona. The Arizona ones seem to do a bit better in captivity. (I don't try keeping the SoCal ones any more. I will still sometimes catch one to show my students - but now I release them after I've finished.) So far, I've been unable to keep one alive for a full year. Those that lived longest were those that entered long dormant stages, either underground or above ground in premolt - which I've read is also normal for solifugids in the wild. They are active for brief periods, when they will feed and mate and lay eggs - but spend a large portion of their lives dormant underground.

The time-lapse was absolutely amazing! He really came back to life! Thank you for the great video. Have an awesome week!🌹

Something interesting to try, You can potentially use color filtering plastic to enable only red light into burrows if you intend for the burrow to be visible. not sure if it works for all arachnids, let alone solifugids. but maybe something to try. Great video as always. Edit to clarify: color filtering plastic next to the glass.*

I love your enthusiasm and obvious knowledge and caring. You have a fascinating addition to your collection !

I had my camel spider for 3 years videos on my channel, they defo need a difference in temperature between day and night, but end of their lives the legs start losing strength and fold inwards and you will notice movment slows and we be inactive

Awesome time lapse and also makro lense shots! Hope Mr Biter does well and lives a long life. Sure would like to see more footage of him in the future!

Wow!!!! I think that’s the most successful anyone has ever kept a camel spider in captivity! Very impressive! Please keep us updated regularly.

love this video, and all your videos, you're awesome! keep them coming please, we love your hard work

Good day my guy!!! Daryll here from Capetown South Africa. So I have been living on a farm for a few years and these guys, Solifugae are every where. To the point where they are considered a pest here haha. I have kept a few as well. So a few personal tips: 1st, yes in captivity ppl tend to feed them to much, it causes them to be a bit heavier than they would be in the wild. Like once every 10 days or so is perfect; 2nd, these guys are very very very active. The nr 1 problem is to get them to stop pacing cuz they tend to run themselves to death in an enclosure. 3rd, they have cycles. They hibernate during the winter. Trust me I have looked for them and you can't find any at all. So I tried to simulate that on my few and it's seemed to work. They stayed alive longer than the previous batch I had kept on a a normal T schedule. Hope this helps!!!!! Ur awesome, keep doing what ur doing !!!

I like watching you build the enclosures and put together the set ups . The camel spider is a cool addition and would love to see more

What a cool species! I love the timelapse of him digging the burrow 😄

"First he poops then he tries to escape.. what a weird tactic?!" Petko you're funny 😂😂

I don't know why but seeing this spider digging is super relaxing and entertaining! Love it! ❤️

Great video mate! The time-lapse was awesome, I wish I'd done the same for my australian desert scorpion. It built a really nice den overnight. These camel spiders have terrible table manners. Haha Love the channel!

All your videos are informative and delightful!

Nice video! Fact about camel spiders: they are known for abandoning their food to go for a walk, dig and other dirty stuff, then they come back to eating, and very rarely they clean themselves, which makes cadaverous venom on their mandibles, that's why bite from one can be dangerous.

Very interesting footage, thanks for putting together!!

The exemplary care and quality of life you give your abnormal camel spider is really quite inspiring. Some people can't look past the faults and see the interesting little fellow who just wants to exist. I'm glad he made your day by digging a bit, I'm sure he'd thank you for the new enclosure if he could. Great video Petko!

Awesome as always, thanks for an excellent video!

I have been subbed for a long time but you barely ever showed up on my feed... but it just changed and you are suggested a lot.....YT is messed up! Love the channel!

Seems like he'd enjoy a larger enclosure to wonder around

Wow, Mr Biter is more vicious then I thought he would be! Very cool

The best part of my Monday

That time lapse was amazing! So cool!

I’m so excited for the new calendar!!

I kept one for the summer once and he was always lying on his back sleeping. It was really cute and funny. Molted well and then I let him go. One of my favorites to date. Interesting creatures!

I love Mr Bitey!!! He's a very impressive little dude!! The way his jaws move is fascinating!! Interesting species!!🥰

do they straighten up when he's moving quickly? Is it a trait of the spider generally? I wonder if his folding leg part might be something like a gecko's tail. Fantastic digging time lapse.

dark den - "he isnt moving much idk if he's ok also dark den - "i wish he would stop moving so I can clean this glass" 😂

I am from Colorado and you can find them in the northern parts! You can find them also in Wyoming USA which gets pretty cold and hot so yes the temperature difference from night to day dramatically. On certain times of the year it dramatically changes. Also I work in the oil industry and I would see them critters all the time and they are quite awkward seem to wander with no aim or goal in general!

Hahaha! 😂 “He always looks half dead”. Thank you for letting us see him burrowing! It was so cool! 🤩

One potential problem.........they are highly terrestrial predators, they actively hunt. Most tarantulas and scorpions do not. I would always imagine a larger enclosure to be the better enclosure for them. Another reason they aren't popular in the trade.

Great video!

The stumpy forelegs is normal. They actually have a sticky suction cup type bulb on the tip of the legs. This allows it to grab prey, even flying ones that get within its reach.

What a little cutey, thank you for sharing, much love to you 🤗💛🤗

Seems exactly what he needed. I'd get a stiff bristle tooth brush and try scrubbing the glass down his burrow so you can see him better.

those little boxers are fast as hell. Took me so long to hunt down only one because they are like "ku-chao, hooman"

I'm very interested to see how the camel spider does in future. Keep us updated on this one pls ^^

Love the Capuccino T-shirt! Hope your camel spider lives a long time.

Hey DarkDen love how we can see your Tarantulas moving around in the background long time watcher here but really love your videos wish i could have some of these for a hobbie but its not allowed in New Zealand lol

That’s the one I’m terrified of, I’m hoping I become more used to arachnids and scorpions etc watching your channel, when you left the door open to go get the roach I had a heart attack

Ahh I love the gbb really want a sling so I can watch it grow and go through the changes 😍

i live in Arizona, these are very common here and never cease to gross me out.. too many times have i found one in my bedroom or bathroom

We love you GBB! so cool. I don’t know anything about Camel Spiders other than they are cool.

"this crazy bastard is biting the tweezers"😂😂 omg I laughed so much I woke up the boyfriend and it's 230am oops

#santatank, this Excavator Clay is interesting in how it allows you to be creative with the enclosures. As long as it takes the roach ravenously then it is hungry. It does get very cool in the desert at night which is when they are active.

Yet another week has gone by where Petko has made an enclosure without sand for the texture

Hey man, how do you stop your tarantulas from webbing against the opening of their enclosure(like the glass front or the lids)? Or do they do it and you just carefully open it to avoid destroying the entire webbing? Cheers man, awesome content.

We have those here in Nevada. I had to capture a smaller one in our old office, and toss it outside. It was a bit nerve wrecking as the thing is ugly as all hell, and it moves fast.

Im looking forward to putting this spider in my collection

I was surprised to see him so active. Maybe he will be OK and molt out of his leg problems. Do they molt the same way Ts do? Can't wait for the calendar😊

The Camel Spider: 😴 The Human: "You Dead?!" (Removes From Heat) The Camel Spider: 😳🥶

Just watching the way he moves in his enclosure makes me sense a bit of personality. Especially the way he was digging in the little tunnel and then taking short breaks to rest on the rock

Yay! Enclosure building!

Hello great video rehouseing Petcko

Great video

That was Awesome dark den

i dont even like spiders but your content is so good i couldn't help but subscribe !!!

I want a camel spider so bad but the lifespan makes me sad. I hope yours lives a long time! he's awesome!

@petko youve inspired me to start making videos myself, i was wondering what you use for video editing software? I wanna make sure its good before i pay for it

Super. Thank you.

I can't tell you how much I love your videos. There is some other guy (I won't name names), but he has a lot of views, and I don't get it. He's nervous, he's hasty with the spiders, he says "yo" way too much. I always appreciate your calm and careful style.

What sort of sand do you use petko cause reptile sand is expensive can you use kids play sand or builders sand in your Ts enclosures? Thanks. 😊 👍

Seems cruel only having such a small enclosure for the Camel spider to live inside, needs a deeper area of sand for the spider to burrow down into.

I see a lot of them where I live. They need a lot of open space. In the desert they are always on the sandy, wide open spots that are in between the patches of creosote, cactus and other desert plants. They rely on their speed to run down their pray. It’s all but impossible to set something up to keep them in captivity.

Where do you get the stickers you use on the enclosers it makes it look so professional and organized

Epic videos!! You are certainly amazing but I wonder myself

Hello can I ask for the stl file that you use to 3d print things for the enclosure? It would be realy nice if you share it with me and the other people! Thanks!

Petko, I found 2! of these glorious gems in my house last night cause i left the doors open for the breeze. I love them, we all do, but why do they look so unapproachable, right? So i got this from a search and i had such a laugh, it read: "Camel spiders eat or chew on people while they sleep. Their venom numbs the area so people can't feel the bites: Camel spiders are not venomous, and though their bites are painful, they are not deadly to humans..." Thats a win-win situation, classic mutualism. So kind to numb you before the chew. Tonight im watching tele with my feet on the coffee table. Love your content.

Trantula encloser: *More Substrate!* Camel Spider enclosure: *More Clay-Strate*

An ideal temperature setting would be around 75°-80°. Camel spiders drink water, but usually get most of their water from their prey.

We have these all over where I live. I had one crawl across my face while sleeping and it creeped me out thinking it was a scorpion.

Where do you get these as pets like you have ive seen them in Kandahar Afghanistan very very common over there

Wooooootttt comment 420!!!!! Bro I dig everything your channel does