Avic enclosure improvements

[MikeofBorg]

I made some enclosure improvements after some suggestions by you guys. I’ll include a before and after pic. My A avicularia is on the right behind the bark about 3/4 the way up in a tube web he made in the after pic.

Let me know if any of you see anything else I could improve. I’m using live flora for a more natural look. I appreciate the comments and helpful suggestions.

The bark I used is from my Maple tree. I baked it at 170 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes to kill anything living on or in it. This temp was well below the bark’s ignition temperature, and should have sterilized it. I waited 12 hours before placing it in to be sure it was full cooled.

Also included a pic of my Aphonopelma chalcodes enclosure. She never uses her hide. Always out sitting or drinking. Bad hair kicker though.

I only see my Aphonopelma seemanni when he is hungry. Has his little legs sticking out his burrow waiting to ambush prey. And my Brachypelma hamorii is just a 3/4 inch sling and just molted, so still locked in his burrow. Made it by the side of its enclosure so I can see it moving around. Just hasn’t opened up the hole yet to eat. Has only been a week though since it’s molt.

 

[AnimalNewbie]

I’d get rid of the moss it just encourages humidity and avvics are know to die from humid and low ventilation enclosures and I don’t know about sand but I imagine it’s a little bit on the uncomfortable side since Ts despise walking on loose substrate that moves every time They walk. I would remove the cactus before it impalas itself unless it’s fake. If that’s a heat lamp get rid of it and ignorant just a regular light just don’t keep it on that much. Who’s in the 2nd setup?

 

[spookyvibes]

1.) Ditch the live plants, needs more dense foliage near the top of the enclosure. No need to have moss on the bottom.
2.) Same as 1
3.) Ditch the rocks, they can harm the tarantula if it falls. I’d opt for a better substrate, sand looks nice but tarantulas like walking on more “solid” surfaces that doesn’t shift around with each footstep. Also, A. chalcodes is an opportunistic burrower, sand is very hard to successfully burrow in. Get rid of the cacti, they can impale your tarantula, the succulents should probably go too if they’re real.

Also, very carefully remove that humidity gauge and chuck it as hard as you can against a hard surface such as brick or concrete. Or return it if you still have the receipt.

The lights should go as well.

 

[Scarabyte]

1.) Ditch the live plants, needs more dense foliage near the top of the enclosure. No need to have moss on the bottom.
2.) Same as 1
3.) Ditch the rocks, they can harm the tarantula if it falls. I’d opt for a better substrate, sand looks nice but tarantulas like walking on more “solid” surfaces that doesn’t shift around with each footstep. Also, A. chalcodes is an opportunistic burrower, sand is very hard to successfully burrow in. Get rid of the cacti, they can impale your tarantula, the succulents should probably go too if they’re real.

Also, very carefully remove that humidity gauge and chuck it as hard as you can against a hard surface such as brick or concrete. Or return it if you still have the receipt.

The lights should go as well.

I mean, certain live plants can work in enclosures. Pretty sure The Dark Den on youtube only uses live plants or doesn't use plants at all most of the time.

 

[MikeofBorg]

1.) Ditch the live plants, needs more dense foliage near the top of the enclosure. No need to have moss on the bottom.
2.) Same as 1
3.) Ditch the rocks, they can harm the tarantula if it falls. I’d opt for a better substrate, sand looks nice but tarantulas like walking on more “solid” surfaces that doesn’t shift around with each footstep. Also, A. chalcodes is an opportunistic burrower, sand is very hard to successfully burrow in. Get rid of the cacti, they can impale your tarantula, the succulents should probably go too if they’re real.

Also, very carefully remove that humidity gauge and chuck it as hard as you can against a hard surface such as brick or concrete. Or return it if you still have the receipt.

The lights should go as well.

The bark is secured on the back with aquarium silicone. No shifting that I can see.

Lights are for the plants and only run 8 hours a day on a timer. The Ts don’t seem to mind, they basically blind anyway. Plus they come out on occasion and bask in the light. The lights are low temp LEDs so no baking the Tarantulas. That dumb Temp/Hydrometer came with the vertical zilla enclosure. Really not sure why I even stuck it in. LOL

The moss is just for looks as the enclosure is in my family room on display. Bare sub looked somewhat ugly. I could maybe seed dwarf grass as cover. Gets maybe 1 1/2 inches tall. Doesn’t need much water (very drought tolerant). And it needs little pruning. Few drops of water every 2 weeks is all it needs. All the plants I use are drought tolerant and require very little water every few weeks.

My A seemanni is a juvie so his enclosure is pretty spartan.

 

[spookyvibes]

I mean, certain live plants can work in enclosures. Pretty sure The Dark Den on youtube only uses live plants or doesn't use plants at all most of the time.

I would not recommend it for such a “fragile” species that does best with good cross ventilation and dry substrate. Just because it’s working for Petko doesn’t mean it’s going to work for everyone. There is good reason for the term SADS, and it’s because people were keeping their Avics in moist, stuffy enclosures which was causing them to die for apparently “no reason”. With a plant, you’re going to need moist sub. Now it’s just a matter of if the enclosure has enough ventilation to avoid becoming stuffy.

Plants and tarantulas have very different care requirements, and having them in the same terrarium should be left to people who know how to juggle those requirements to simultaneously accommodate both.

 

[cold blood]

Your wood should extend to the top of the enclosure, as should the plants.

Moss may look good to you, but its not your home....its going to work against your t as feeders will have places to hide indefinitely and there is no benefit to the t as it wont be hiding on the ground...just hunting.

Wood from outside isnt baked for sterilization, its baked to remove moisture...and if your wood is too fresh, its not gping to even get that job done....one of the pitfalls of using wood from outside is that 95%of it is unusable, so you really need to know what to look for and what to aviod. I find driftwood to be the most reliable option.

 

[MikeofBorg]

Thanks for the suggestions. Gonna make some of the changes you all mentioned. Appreciate the help.

The plants do go all the way to the top. It’s difficult to see but the Pothos vine wraps behind the bark and across the top of the enclosure to the other side. Much of it is hidden in shade and the Avic webbed a bunch of the leaves into his tube. Pothos plants are great as they are very hardy and require little water, they can absorb some directly from the air with their aerial root knobs. Which means very little watering if at all. The plant in the front is just decor and is also a drought species. Not as hardy as the Pothos but close. The air plant is just decor also and requires no supplemental water at all.

 

[viper69]

The moss is just for looks as the enclosure is in my family room on display. Bare sub looked somewhat ugly

I get your point. However our point is you do what's right for your Pet animal, not the other animals that live w/you. If they don't get that too bad. Owning a pet is about doing what's right for THEM, not some humans. Man's egocentric behavior has NO place when it comes to owning pets.

 

[MikeofBorg]

I get your point. However our point is you do what's right for your Pet animal, not the other animals that live w/you. If they don't get that too bad. Owning a pet is about doing what's right for THEM, not some humans. Man's egocentric behavior has NO place when it comes to owning pets.

This guy has never had a problem catching prey with moss in his enclosure. And the moss isn't wrong or right its just. In the wild they deal with much more than a cricket maybe hiding in the moss for a few minutes. I've observed them there while in the Army, which inspired me to get my degree in Organismal Biology. Some of you act as if a simple deviation from enclosure norms is going to be a death sentence for the T. He has been in this enclosure for awhile now and has molted twice in it with no issues. I'd say the moss isn't hurting anything.

 

[viper69]

I was speaking in generalities.

In the wild they deal with much more than a cricket maybe hiding in the moss for a few minutes.

True, but your T isn't in the wild. It's in a captive environment; if prey/conditions aren't optimal to its liking, it can't move on to your neighbors' homes for better digs

Some of you act as if a simple deviation from enclosure norms is going to be a death sentence for the T

True

He has been in this enclosure for awhile now and has molted twice in it with no issues. I'd say the moss isn't hurting anything

This information would have been helpful from the OP. I would not believe moss is an issue, it's not necessary except to please the animals you live with evidently.

 

[MikeofBorg]

True, but your T isn't in the wild. It's in a captive environment; if prey/conditions aren't optimal to its liking, it can't move on to your neighbors' homes for better digs

My one cat would do this, because when I have her out the neighbor lady gives her treats. She doesn't roam though, I take her on walks on a leash. Cat grew up as a lone kitten with dogs and thinks it is one. My other 4 freeze in place on a leash, LOL.